Can you run a local newsletter as a passive side hustle?

It's a big opportunity, and it's also not right for most people. Number one: do sales, or have somebody who will.

"If this is passive, I'm just going to launch the Meta ads and use Claude to write a newsletter and maybe chat with some businesses here and there, don't do it, because you're not going to go anywhere."

What does "active" actually mean?

• Running Meta ads to grow subscribers and to find advertisers.
• DMing local business owners on Instagram.
• Creating Instagram content as the local face.
• Showing up in person, at chamber events and around town.

If you're all in, there's a lot of opportunity. It will work. The only question is how much.

What do focused operators make?

Many of the people I work with make about $3,000 to $10,000 a month. A college student running a college-town newsletter reportedly makes about $17,000 a month with around 22,000 Instagram followers, in under a year. An operator in the Waco area quit his job to do this full time.

And even 10 focused hours a week makes crazy progress compared with zero or one.

Why do side hustlers struggle?

Most people doing this are entrepreneurial side hustlers, which was me when I started. They aren't salespeople, they have a full-time job, and they're too busy. I struggle with sales myself because I'm doing too much and can't pay a salesperson yet.

When I had a guest with a full-time job on my show, I told him I wouldn't do my version (a full website, an article per post) with a day job. It's a lot of work. If you're short on time, copy the quicker approach: link out to Instagram posts and event pages instead of writing everything yourself.

How can a busy person still make it work?

• Don't sell alone. Pay a friend, or a friend's teenager, about 25% commission to talk to local businesses and close deals.
• Have a back end. Realtors, insurance and business brokers and agencies win because the newsletter feeds a business they already run.
• Subtract before you add. One brand done well beats two half-fed ones.

What happens to people who start just for ad revenue?

They build a small but decent following, realize it's too much work, can't make a profit, and sell to a consolidator. Save yourself the headache unless you know what you're getting into. If you do, read how long it takes to be taken seriously before you start.