We write about one thing: Cleveland’s West Side. If you’re from here, you know — the West Side and East Side are two different worlds. We leaned into that. Hard. Our unofficial slogan became: “The West Side is the Best Side.” Hyper-local pride became our superpower.

We’ve sent 104 newsletters (without missing one!) Every issue = -local stories -witty commentary -trivia giveaways -polls and results -sponsor shoutouts that actually feel local This built real community — not just an audience.

Our first 5 subs came from friends & family. Then we turned on Meta ads. If your creative & message are dialed in, you can get subscribers for $0.50–$1.00. 🚀That’s been our growth rocket. DM me if you want to know what our ads look like

We grew 2,500+ people per month. But growth means nothing without connection. We measured that through one simple metric: 📩 50% open rate. If it drops, we fix our content — not our ads.

Here’s how we connected: ✅ Speak like a local ✅ Add humor + personality ✅ Do trivia collabs with local businesses ✅ Run charity fundraisers ✅ Poll readers — then show the results When people see their name, their city, their favorite bar — they care.

That connection created word of mouth. People started talking about us in real life. We’d hear: “Someone at the bar was talking about your newsletter.” That’s when we knew we’d built something special.

💰 Let’s talk money. We made our first dollar from a local orthodontist who wanted to defend his turf from a new competitor. He’s still with us a year later. Now we have 6 paying sponsors and earn ~$3K/month.

Monetization rule: Start early, but be smart. Don’t wait until you’re “big.” If your content is good, sponsors make your audience feel proud — like they’re part of something worth supporting. It also trains your readers to expect it.

Turning cold leads into sponsors takes time. Local businesses want to see: 1. consistency 2. alignment 3. trust It can take months. But once you build the rep, inbound leads start coming to you.

The hidden challenge no one talks about: deliverability. As soon as you start making money, Gmail might shove your emails into the Promotions tab. That can tank your open rate by 10%. This remains our biggest business problem.

Running a local newsletter isn’t passive income. You’re not just writing. You’re: -managing sponsors -reporting metrics -invoicing -communicating -keeping everyone happy Take on too many and you’ll burn out fast.

Why did we start this? Because we wanted to own something of our own. A brand. A community. An audience that actually cares. It’s been the best decision of our lives.

This little side project changed everything. My wife was able to quit her job to focus on it full time. We raised $10,000+ for local charities. And we’re launching card & board games next year to get people off screens and together again.

If I could sum it up: Build local. Be real. Have fun. And don’t quit when it’s quiet — momentum compounds. If you’re building a local newsletter, steal this playbook. 🐝 Oh yeah...use @beehiiv to build it @MikeyPesto @Its_NoahScott @noahkagan @TJLarkin23 @denk_tweets

@ADbriggs66 @denk_tweets I’m from Ohio. This is AWESOME. DM me, I have something for you. (we work with a bunch of the 7-8 figure newsletter brands - you’ll like it / will be useful).

@ADbriggs66 Hustle + curiosity turns small ideas into big wins

@ADbriggs66 Great post, thank you. Would be keen to hear more about your advertising mate.

@ADbriggs66 The local angle is where it’s at. Many people are trying to go broad or hit an oversaturated niche. But focus on what you know, the white space missing and solve a real problem “what should I know about my community/what can we do here?”

@ADbriggs66 I write about how to make a 1 person newsletter business

@ADbriggs66 @beehiiv is the best, it gives us the best ecosystem

@ADbriggs66 I recently launched a branded dinner club platform if you’re interested in sending your audience to dinner as a new way to build community while earning. We handle everything, you just announce. http://www.dnnr.io

@ADbriggs66 incredible

@ADbriggs66 Well done

@ADbriggs66 🔥

@ADbriggs66 Congrats 👏🎉