Does the size of my town change what Meta ads cost for a newsletter?
Short answer
Yes, a lot. The bigger the area, the cheaper the subscribers, because Meta has more people to work with. My sweet spot is markets of about 200,000 to 400,000 people. Under about 100,000 gets expensive, and smaller, wealthier areas have run me 75 cents to a dollar per subscriber versus about 50 cents in mainstream markets.
I ran the exact same ad, everything held constant, in two Texas towns. It cost consistently less in Round Rock than in Leander. I put the difference down to population.
That pattern has held through the 20-plus brands I've launched: the bigger the area, the cheaper the ads.
What size market works best?
"Most of my brands are usually two to four hundred thousand total, max. A county of 330, 340 is actually a really good size for this kind of thing. Not too big, not too small."
One regional publisher's target county had about 237,000 people, and I called that an ideal size for $20 to $25 a day plus a $5 test campaign. Very small areas are expensive to target because the audience is so limited. Huge metros are outside most of my experience.
What do the numbers look like by market?
| Market | Cost per subscriber |
|---|---|
| Mainstream markets | Under 70 cents, usually around 50 |
| Smaller, wealthier areas | 75 cents, some up to $1 |
| Some of my areas | Hard to even get 60 to 70 cents (rural likely higher) |
When I ran six newsletters with the identical $50 a day budget per location, the cost per subscriber still landed differently in each market. Higher-value areas cost more.
Is the cheap market winning because of better content?
No. When one newsletter in a group I coach posts the lowest cost per subscriber, it's market size and demographics, often a big affluent suburb. Someone deciding whether to subscribe can't see your content quality yet. It can't be what makes the ad cheap.
One client in a large Canadian suburban market produced some of the best numbers I've seen. My guess is the ad format feels newer to that audience.
What if my market is small?
- Spend less. Start at $20 a day main plus $5 test and creep up a dollar or two at a time.
- Expect a higher cost per subscriber and plan the business around it.
- Expect to burn through creative faster. A guest on my podcast warned that a small area burns out the audience quickly.
It still works. It just costs more per head. Location setup is in how to set up location targeting.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From Local Media HQ podcast episodes in 2025 and publisher calls in 2026. Last updated .