What's the biggest mistake when launching multiple local newsletters?
Short answer
Spreading them across unrelated cities. I launched newsletters in areas of 100,000 to 300,000 people all over the map, when 60,000 subscribers in one metro would have been worth far more than 10,000 each across six. Advertisers buy reach in a market, so stack your brands in one region.
One of my biggest mistakes was launching six newsletters spread across unrelated cities instead of concentrating them in one metro. 60,000 subscribers in one city would have been far more valuable than 10,000 spread across six.
Why does concentration matter so much?
Advertisers buy reach in a market. A bank, hospital system or personal injury firm in one metro doesn't care that you also have 10,000 readers four states away. They care how much of their area you reach.
A cluster also builds something bigger than any single title. Picture a big-city newsletter, a couple of its suburbs, and a neighboring metro. That's a regional media brand, and the value that accrues there is much higher than a single one. It also makes it much easier to get in front of bigger advertisers who want broader coverage.
Where did I end up concentrated?
My biggest concentrations ended up being these:
| Area | Newsletters | Combined subscribers |
|---|---|---|
| Austin suburbs | 3 | about 30,000 |
| Las Vegas area | 2 | 40,000+ |
| Sacramento area | 4 | 20,000 to 25,000 |
Isn't launching a new market cheap anyway?
It is. Everything can be duplicated. Nobody in Knoxville knows that Anaheim is getting the same basic style and memes. That's exactly why it's tempting to go wide, and why going wide is a trap. Launch cost was never the problem. Attention and sales are.
What does spreading out cost you?
- Attention. I have two newsletters that each get less attention than they deserve. Every added brand splits your week further.
- Sales. Each new city is a new set of business owners to meet from zero.
- Content. Every city needs its own stories. A guest who runs two titles told me managing ten or fifteen would take much better processes.
- Brand. Scattered titles never add up to one name people know.
What should you do instead?
- Pick one region you can physically show up in.
- Launch one combined brand covering 100,000+ people (see one town or a whole county).
- Add sub-publications or neighboring towns under the same umbrella once the first one works.
- Pitch the cluster as one buy to the biggest advertisers in the region.
My rule now: before adding anything, subtract something.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From sales calls, Local Media HQ podcast conversations and operator calls in 2025 and 2026. Last updated .