Why should a local newsletter become a local media brand?
TJ Larkin's term for a local media brand that runs many arms under one name (newsletter, Instagram, website, podcast, events, business directory, job board), so the brand has more value and reach than a newsletter alone.
Short answer
Because a local newsletter alone is a weak business and a weak moat. I think of a local media brand as an octopus with eight arms: newsletter, Instagram, website, podcast, events, directory, job board and more, all under one name. Each arm adds value and reach, and the brand is the part AI can't copy.
If you're trying to make this a real thing, have a true impact on your community and be around for the next 20 years, you've got to be more than a local newsletter. A side hustle can stay a newsletter. A business can't.
"You do not want to be a local newsletter and maybe a half-ass website, you need to be a real brand."
What is the octopus model?
I picture a local media brand as an octopus with eight arms: eight different things one brand does. Being the octopus is why we have so much more value than a single newsletter. It runs against the usual "focus on one channel" advice, and I'm fine with that.
The base arms:
- Newsletter. The acquisition channel and daily touchpoint.
- Instagram first, then other social. It's the public number of your brand, and a reel is easier to share than a newsletter.
- A local podcast. Great for revenue, but also for branding, and branding is such a key point. I recorded about four episodes in my first six months.
Then add a full website, events, a business directory and a local job board.
Why does the brand matter so much?
Because of AI. You have to think about one to two years from now: can AI just do what I'm doing? A newsletter that summarizes local news is easy to copy. A brand with a real person, a public following, events and relationships is not. That's why I changed my own branding to think bigger than a newsletter.
How do I add arms without burning out?
Use one test before adding any channel: does it consume content you already make? If yes, add it. If it needs net-new production, don't, until someone other than you is producing it.
When an operator asked me about adding more sends, my advice was to split up what he already had so each newsletter is shorter. You're not actually making more content.
Operators I've interviewed show both sides. One refused to go from three sends a week to five because he already struggles for content at three. Another added SMS rather than treat the product as only a newsletter.
Do I need polish to start?
No. I use Canva for all my designs, and you don't need that level of polish on day one.
How do small arms add up?
When I worked through the math on an ad going to 5,000 homeowners, small amounts from three sources added up to about $200. No single arm is big. Together they make the brand worth paying for. More in can a newsletter make money alone.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From TJ's own podcast episodes and Local Media HQ conversations in 2025 and 2026. Last updated .