What is the local MrBeast idea for local media and small businesses?

Everything local runs about five to ten years behind what's happening nationally. Nationally, the biggest creator in the world got there by giving stuff away and doing crazy things. Why can't there be a ton of local versions of that in every community?

The local MrBeast idea is taking the viral mechanics that work nationally and bringing them local. The best version helps people: giving away money, giving away free stuff.

What does it look like in real life?

My favorite example is a roofer in South Carolina who's big on Twitter. He started a YouTube channel for his roofing brand with engaging, fun content that mixes in the roofing work. My rough guess was maybe 100,000 subscribers in about six months.

His signature move: he gives a roof away to one of his own clients. At the end, when they sit down to sign and write the check, he tells them never mind, he's not charging them.

"Mr. Beast can't give away a roof. That's not big enough for him. But locally, that's freaking huge."

If I lived in his area and needed a roof, why would I go anywhere else? He's the guy making great content about helping the community. And content on YouTube lasts. People watch it for a long time and start to feel close to you.

Where does a local media brand fit?

Most businesses can't build an audience the way that roofer did. A local media brand already has one. We'd be the ones partnering with businesses who want to give things away or do something fun, then amplifying it across the newsletter and social. Cash drops are the cheap version of this. Find what works nationally, run it locally for your own brand, and then you can do it for local businesses as a service.

What did a real local roof giveaway produce?

Katie Myers of Localish Janesville told me on my podcast that she gave away a roof with a local roofer. Her numbers:

• Only 11 or 12 videos.
• 170 entries, when she'd hoped for 50.
• Roofers, she said, pay $40 to $300 per lead, so the entries alone had value.
• The roofer had already sold a few roofs from it.
• Her best videos were the announcement and her own casual ones. A professional drone video did worst because it looked too professional.

That's a home run. The biggest value is an insane amount of goodwill. The leads come second, although the roofer might say they come first.

How would you run one?

1. Pick a business with a high-value product. A roof, a pool, a big home service job.
2. Give non-winners a consolation offer. Ten or twenty percent off, or a bigger flat dollar amount, if they buy anyway. The estimate can simply show the discount.
3. Film the whole story. The roofer made a 20 to 30 minute YouTube video. A local version can be cut into a pile of 30 to 60 second social videos.
4. Keep it casual. Polish didn't win in Katie's test.

For the prize mechanics and sponsor side, see how to run a newsletter giveaway that gets results.

What other national formats could go local?

Plenty. I watched a national street-interview creator and thought: what if you just did that locally? It would crush. Taking what works nationally and doing it at a local level is a home run, and almost nobody is doing it, partly because older entrepreneurs like me don't want to make that kind of content. That's a reason to partner with someone who's good at the funny, Instagram side.

Jacob Espinosa told me his four pillars that work are b-roll highlights, green-screen news, clipped city council meetings and memes. A giveaway series sits next to those. The broader habit is in finding marketing ideas that actually work.

If you try this, keep me posted on what you're doing. I'll share it and have you on my show.