Should I send local advertisers click reports?
Short answer
I don't build around them. I sell local ads as branding and awareness, a digital billboard, and a low click number can make a renewal harder. Local advertisers rarely ask for open rates or clicks anyway. Use real results selectively in your sales emails, and sell longer commitments so one week's numbers don't decide anything.
Advertiser click reports are not a priority in anything I build. That surprises people, so here's why.
Why not send every advertiser a report?
Because I'm not selling clicks. I sell branding, awareness, a digital billboard. If you send a click report on a billboard, you've changed what they think they bought. A low click number can make the renewal harder, even when the ad is doing its job.
Reporting could be added later. I just don't design around it.
Do local advertisers even ask for open rates?
Almost never.
"Most local businesses don't even know what those things are... nobody asks us, like no advertisers even ask."
One of my newsletters had low engagement for a stretch, possibly from a domain issue, and no advertiser asked about it. Local is the opposite of B2B and tech newsletters, where buyers know the numbers deeply and will grill you.
Good engagement still matters. It matters for your growth and your deliverability. Just meet local businesses where they are.
What do I tell advertisers instead?
- How many people will see it. Say it in plain words. A guest on my podcast puts it as "about 10,000 people will probably see this Monday morning."
- Why one ad isn't the point. A single ad has very low odds of working for a brand-awareness buyer. That's why longer commitments are better for them too.
When do numbers help me sell?
In outbound pitches, when you pick them. The email I'd send to subscribers who told us they own a business is a behind-the-scenes look: how we grow on Meta, our top stories, and real numbers like "we got 50 clicks and 3,000 views for an advertiser last week." Then: two slots open this month, normally $400, $250 for the first two to reply.
That's proof used as marketing, chosen by you, sent to prospects. It's different from a weekly report that hands every advertiser a reason to second-guess.
What about pay-per-lead advertisers?
That's the exception. When you bill per lead, both of you see every lead as it arrives. The form submits to you and the advertiser at the same time. The lead is the report. See how I'd charge per lead.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From the lightbreak ad system plan, Local Media HQ podcast conversations, and client calls in 2025 and 2026. Last updated .