Should a local newsletter partner with the chamber of commerce?
Short answer
Yes, two ways. Join one or more chambers, go to their events and get close to leadership; that's where owners hang out. Then pitch the chamber itself: about $20,000 a year to feature its members as a member benefit. Chambers are slow buyers (budgets lock a year ahead), so start with the biggest and plan for a slow yes.
The chamber is where local business owners already hang out. It's the closest thing to one-to-many selling in a small market.
Chambers should be running local media companies like ours. They sit on the business audience. But they're too bureaucratic and old, so most don't want to do anything new.
How do I use the chamber to meet business owners?
"Join your chamber, any, or multiple chambers... go to all of their events... That's where these people hang out."
- Join more than one if your coverage area has several.
- Go to the events. This model runs on relationships.
- Get in with leadership. Chamber leaders know everybody.
- Think one to many. Use chamber leadership to go one to many.
Why does showing up in person matter?
For a local operator, personal brand is showing up at chamber meetings, not being on camera every day. It also tells you things your dashboard won't. At an all-day chamber event, I made really good relationships, and city council members told me they read my newsletter, even though they'd never replied to anything.
It's also how you compete. In my area there's one big, established competitor. Showing up in person is how I compete.
What can I sell to the chamber itself?
A member benefit. What chambers sell is value for their businesses. You can hand them some.
"The chambers could pay us 20 grand a year and we literally feature your businesses in the newsletter, you choose. Ribbon cuttings, new members."
Pitch it as a win-win: you have the same goal. The chamber picks who gets featured. Their members get exposure. You get a big annual check and a steady stream of local business content.
What else can I offer a chamber?
Training. I'd use the same conversation to offer AI trainings for their members. It's another value-add they can give their businesses, and it puts you in front of every owner in the room.
I also like a "media partner" status as the way in. Chambers are one of the distribution paths I'm exploring for my products too.
Will the chamber buy advertising?
Maybe, but plan for a slow yes. Chamber budgets are locked a year in advance, which makes them structurally slow buyers. When a partner and I mapped out our best buyers for a local newsletter, chambers made the list next to nonprofits with more money than places to spend it and high-spend local businesses buying community influence.
Which chamber do I start with?
The biggest one. Land it, then do it with all the chambers in your area. The plan is to replicate across them once the first one signs. This is a pitch I've proposed, not a deal I've closed.
Who on my team should work the chamber?
Someone who's good in person. A partner told me his wife is at her best at in-person chamber events and networking, not cold calls. Put people where they're strongest.
More on being the person in the room in do you have to be the face of your newsletter.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From Local Media HQ podcast conversations, strategy calls and a sales check-in with a commission rep in 2025 and 2026. Last updated .