Every episode, newest first
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2025
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The media mullet: free news up front, big money in back
Nathan calls it the media mullet: free, ad-supported content up front, a high-ticket offer in back, and cheap Meta ads funding the whole thing. Structure beats hustle.
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Start with a local SEO service, then add media and directories
Tim tells people to start a local newsletter and a local SEO agency together—and he thinks local search is the safest place to be as AI spreads. Given what I see in our own numbers, hard to argue.
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A giveaway that became a Christmas lights lead list
Jas turned a newsletter giveaway into 300 entries, a filtered lead list, and a $2,500 first sale. Then he shared his whole outbound sales and Notion setup.
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$80 on duct tape, 1.5 million views, 500 new subscribers
Matt's 10-second cash-drop video hit about 1.5 million views and added 500 email subscribers. Total spend: $80 in duct tape. He walks through what worked and what he'd change.
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Why Marin Buzz is selling Instagram followers more than email
Five months into Marin Buzz, Brian found advertisers care more about his Instagram number than his email list. Now he sends five DMs a day to followers he already has. Simple, and working.
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Building two businesses on the back of his local newsletter
Jas is at 33,000 subscribers and still paying about a dollar each. We get into his summer of events, his creative testing, and why Christmas lights are next. Yes, Christmas lights.
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How to make back your ad spend in the first 7 days
Louis from SparkLoop on earning back a subscriber's cost in the first week—stacking paid recommendations, lead-gen offers, and a trip-wire on the thank-you page. The math that makes growth free.
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The local Instagram strategy that actually works
Jacob grew What's Happening Salem to 35,000 Instagram followers in about a year with green screen videos, local memes, and almost no ad spend. The early playbook, before the agency.
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Why a local directory can sell leads instead of ads
Frey is a directory builder, not a newsletter guy—he explains how a local directory hands businesses free leads, and why that beats begging for ad money. Directories keep coming up on this show for a reason.
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Hats, beer cans and cold emails: six months of monetizing
Geoff grew North Shore Now to 7,500 subscribers in six months, then tried cold email, merch, giveaways and paid memberships—and says plainly which worked and which flopped. Rare honesty.
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Why Justin Gordon started a second newsletter
Justin grew Just Go Grind to 21,000 subscribers, then launched LA Grind. 70-cent subscribers, events, and package sponsorships—the first principles behind the later numbers.
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5,000 subscribers in three months, building in public
Matt grew Eating Baltimore to about 5,000 subscribers in three months with Facebook ads, a $6 Replit restaurant directory, and daily posts on X. Building in public works when you actually build.
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A $1,000 a month local newsletter is just the start
Alec runs Beehiiv's partner program and his own local newsletter in Jerusalem. Sponsor math, what survey answers are worth, and why a local newsletter needs a business behind it.
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Instagram DMs and Chamber meetups filled his sales pipeline
John went from two or three sponsor conversations to about 15 using short Instagram DMs and Chamber events. Plus his exclusivity and pricing plan. Sales volume is a skill.
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How Wichita Life sells ads, a job board and events
Landon sends Wichita Life four times a week to almost 30,000 people. Three ad slots, a Google Sheet calendar, a $229 job board, and the events that build the brand. The full stack, explained.
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A 17,000-subscriber beach town newsletter, and why Kyle Scott moved on
Kyle sold Crossing Broad, built Walking the Boards in Ocean City, rolled it into a regional network, and started a B2B newsletter. Twenty years of knowing where the money actually is.
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A power washing franchise and a newsletter at 20 cents a subscriber
Ethan left PE fundraising to open a Rolling Suds franchise, then launched Westchester Weekly. Five dollars a day in Facebook ads got him 1,300 subscribers. Operator brain, media playbook.
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Why Phat Chiem walks into rooms to sell The 518
Phat's Albany newsletter has 2,300+ subscribers, but advertisers don't knock—so he walks into rooms. Outreach, trades, and the side businesses he's stacking on top.
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A journalist's local newsletter, and why reporting is the moat
Phat grew The 518 to about 2,300 subscribers in its first year with almost no ad spend—original reporting, a beaver mascot, and Reddit. The case for being a real journalist first.
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Cutting the links off his landing page halved his cost per subscriber
Jas took the Winnipeg Digest to nearly 25,000 subscribers in a year. The landing-page fix that halved his cost, $10,000 exclusive packages, and why he's building summer markets and a directory.