Should a local newsletter start a job board?

A local job board is highly dependent on your area. For mine, I think it could actually work.

When does a local job board make sense?

When people want to stop commuting. I'm about 40 minutes from a big city. So many jobs are in the city, and a lot of people don't want to drive there every day. A board of jobs within about 15 minutes of home solves a real problem.

If your town is the city, or there's no commute to escape, the pitch is weaker.

How do you launch one without it looking empty?

A newsletter operator on my show shared his playbook:

1. Seed it with 5 to 10 listings before launch so it doesn't look dead.
2. Tag the employer on Instagram when you post their job.
3. Promote it in the newsletter. He got a paid listing the first day he promoted the board in his email.

How do you charge for it?

As a low-ticket product. Jobs can also be part of a bigger package: my paid business profile, about $50 a month, includes jobs on the business's page along with photos, video and deals.

The rule that matters most: at around $50 a month, the board only works if employers can self-serve inside the system. If you have to do a bunch of manual work for each one, it's not worth it. Save hands-on work for bigger accounts.

Where does it sit in the product ladder?

At the bottom. My local ladder is low ticket (directory listings and job posts), middle ticket (newsletter ads) and high ticket (agency work). Low ticket is for the small business that wants to get involved without a big ad commitment.

Does it fit with a directory?

Yes. Jobs, events and a business directory all run on the same idea: local businesses submit, the site organizes it, the newsletter promotes it. I'm building my local platform around exactly those three. More in how to monetize a local directory.