Hi, {{first_name|friend}}. 👋
Welcome to Issue #233 of All About Email!
Last week, I apologised and issued a full retraction of the previous week’s newsletter (Issue 231).
This week, I'm inspired by my friend Megan Boshuyzen, and it’s all about local newsletters, a topic I have never covered before.
Let’s go! 👇
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🚨 The news publishing industry has been suffering heavily over the last couple of years from Google and AI.
While national media continues to consolidate and shrink, hyper-local publications are quietly thriving, covering town councils, restaurant openings, local sports teams, and everything in between.
But running a local newsletter is a different beast from a niche interest newsletter. You're not just competing for attention in an inbox; you're becoming part of someone's community.
🤫 I’ve been planning a local newsletter myself for almost two years!
Yes, that’s terrible, as I’ve not actually done anything except ideate, research, and buy lots of domain names. 🤦♂️
However, when I saw Megan’s post, it inspired me again and this week’s newsletter. 👇
🎯 Own Your Niche Within Your Niche
"Local" is not a niche. "The best things to do in Austin this weekend" is a niche. "Independent restaurant news in Edinburgh" is a niche.
The more specific your focus, the easier it is to:
Know exactly what to write about,
Attract the right readers (not just anyone nearby),
Become the go-to source for “that thing” in your area.
💡 Don't try to cover everything. Be the only newsletter someone needs for one thing.
🤝 Get Out from Behind the Screen
This is the part, I guess, most newsletter operators skip, and it's where local newsletters can win or lose.
Attend local events. Go to city council meetings. Pop into the independent shops you cover. Introduce yourself.
🚨 The relationships you build offline will become your best source of tips, scoops, and word-of-mouth subscribers.
💡 People subscribe to people as much as publications.
I already struggle with this one, between client work, being a working dad and personal commitments, but I know if I wanted to make a local newsletter work, I couldn’t ignore this one forever.
Local audiences are loyal, but they need a reason to stay. A reliable send schedule, whether that's every Tuesday morning or every Friday afternoon, builds habit.
Your readers will start to look forward to your emails landing in their inboxes. Miss a week without explanation, and you'll feel it in your unsubscribe rate.
Set a schedule you can actually maintain.
💡 One great issue a week beats three rushed ones.
Beehiiv recently released their MCP, and I’m a beta tester, which has given me lots of ideas for creating consistency in local newsletters, not necessarily in writing the content (I like to do that), but:
Automated Information gathering,
Automated data population,
Automated drafts of newsletters at scale for segments for me to edit, format and rewrite as appropriate.
💰 Think Local-First for Monetisation
National sponsorships are great, but local advertisers are your secret weapon.
The dentist down the road, the new café that just opened, the local estate agent, these businesses want to reach exactly the audience you've built, and they often can't access it anywhere else.
A simple rate card and a one-pager explaining your audience is enough to start those conversations.
Don't overthink it…like me. 🤦♂️
There are also paid subscription models and other monetisation options to consider.
🌱 Grow Through the Community, Not Just the Algorithm
The best local newsletter growth doesn't come from SEO or paid ads; it comes from putting yourself where your potential readers already are.
Megan’s post on LinkedIn inspired this newsletter, and as well as getting some advice from me… 👇
Go offline to grow online - Put up posters around town with a QR code sign-up link, and look for opportunities to get it into local print. At in-person events, have an iPad ready so people can sign up on the spot, and avoid collecting emails on paper if you can.
Use the social media you're already on - If you're on Facebook/Meta, cross-posting to Instagram is a natural extension.
Some members of the community also chimed in… 👇
Run a local competition - Offer a prize relevant to your audience — a voucher for a local café, or something donated by a local business. Free entry with a newsletter sign-up, plus bonus entries for referrals, is a powerful combo. (Jay Oram)
Partner with local businesses or creators - Contribute content to someone else's newsletter or platform. It puts you in front of an already-engaged local audience without building from scratch. (Katelyn Baughan)
💡 Make every local event count - Any event you attend is a chance to promote the newsletter. Have something physical ready: a card, a poster, a QR code, and don't be shy about it!
Running a local newsletter is genuinely hard work (I should know, I’ve been researching and testing for almost two years 😂), but the connection you build with a real, physical community is something no national publication can replicate.
That's the magic of it. ✨
Before You Go
🚨 Hat tip to Al Iverson, who brought a cool tool to my attention for the first time!
Ever wondered if it’s you or if there’s something wrong with the receiver’s mailbox?
Groups[dot]io might be able to help with real-time email delivery metrics across major providers.
That’s it for this week, {{first_name|friend}}. 👋
All About Email - Playlist 🎧
Every week, as I write this newsletter, I'll share the track of the moment to create an unbelievably eclectic playlist just for your inbox.
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Email Marketing News & Tips
This week's excellent and insightful email news & tips:
Risilience, Reliability & Delivery - We migrated our email infrastructure to KumoMTA. Here's why it matters. (Postmark)
Owning Attention - The 2026 State of Customer Engagement Report. (OneSignal)
TLS for Mail - M3AAWG Baseline Recommendations. (M3AAWG)
What Do You Think? - Using display:flex and display:grid in email. (Mark Robbins)
Email Detective - See which ESP sent any email in Gmail. Detects 100+ providers and shows SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication. (EmailTooltester)
This has me thinking - Do we really NEED a 5 email welcome series when it could be 3 emails? Or even 1 email? (Emily Ryan)
Embedded Content Creation - Key reasons why these and thousands of other applications rely on Beefree SDK. (Beefree)
Play The Game - Crack the Egg. Find the Magic (ActionRocket)
Round Two - 30 Days. 30 Ways to Grow Your Newsletter. (Growth In Reverse)
Beyond The Inbox - Should You Host a Trip for Your Newsletter Readers? (Inbox Collective)
Desktop Outlook - Windows Outlook (classic) screenshots now available. (Preflight)
Announcing Podcasts - Host, distribute, and monetise your podcast directly on beehiiv. (Beehiiv)
If you have any questions about this email or email marketing, please reply, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
I hope you have a great week! 👋
