Only the strong survive in the local publishing community. Launching a local news site requires a solid business plan and a firm grasp on the needs of the community you’re planning to cover.
While statistics on the number of local news sites are scarce, the number is clearly growing, and competition for readers and ad dollars is fierce.
Despite that competition, there has perhaps never been a better time to consider launching a local news site, given the news consumption habits of American readers. According to Pew Research Center, four-in-10 Americans often get their news online, and 28% get their information from news websites directly. That’s a lot of eyeballs, and potential revenue, for online publishers.
Based on our experience working with local publishers in the midst of launching local news sites, these are our five best strategies for success.
1. Launching a Local News Site: Know the Competition
Who are the dominant publishers in the community you’re planning to cover, and how long have they been in business? By doing your research beforehand, you can dig deep into the publications already having success within your niche and find out what they’re doing that readers love.
When researching competing publications, pay particular attention to which topics they cover, how they promote their stories, and how they generate revenue. For example, you may discover that competing publications place significant emphasis on local high school sports or city council coverage. Just because existing publications cover these topics doesn’t mean you need to, but you should use that information for reference when strategizing and launching a local news site.
2. Launching a Local News Site: Find Gaps in Existing Coverage
Now that you’ve done your research on competing publications, it’s time to start thinking about what topics or areas are being left uncovered. Finding a unique niche is one of the best ways to guarantee immediate success when launching a local news site.
In order to find holes in existing news coverage, you should get on social media and use hashtags to ask people in the community what they’d like to learn more about. You can also use web analytics and keyword research tools to find out what people in the area are searching for on Google.
When you’re launching a local news site, it pays to dig into a specific niche. Leave the state and national political coverage to the big media companies. Less competition means greater chances for success.
3. Launching a Local News Site: Develop a Strategy for Monetization
One of the key differences between a hobby blog and a professional news website is monetization. If you’re launching a hobby blog, feel free to jump right into content creation. However, anyone hoping to turn their local news site into a sustainable business needs a solid monetization strategy.
Thankfully, there are endless opportunities for generating revenue as a local publisher in 2018. The most common revenue generation strategy for new publishers is selling advertising to local businesses, but it’s growing increasingly common for more established publishers to sell subscriptions, as well.
Check out the Web Publisher PRO archives for more ideas for generating revenue. We’ve covered how to generate revenue through live events, membership programs, and e-commerce, along with other forms of ancillary revenue.
4. Launching a Local News Site: Start Creating Content
With a business plan and monetization strategy firmly in place, the next step in launching a local news site is to begin creating content. Breaking news coverage is easy to produce, but it also goes stale quickly. Our best tip for any publisher in the early stages of launching a local news site is to think about evergreen content. Which topics are likely to generate clicks in the coming weeks, months, or even years?
For publishers planning to cover specific neighborhoods or communities, we recommend starting with a local restaurant guide or niche business guide. This is the type of content readers are likely to discover on Google in the years to come, and when done right, it can become a valuable resource for people new to the community.
5. Launching a Local News Site: Develop a Readership
You’ve got a business plan, a monetization strategy, and an archive of great content. Now is not the time to sit back and let readers come to you. Whenever you’re launching a local news site, it’s imperative that you reach out into the community and bring readers to your site.
One of the easiest ways to do this is through social media advertising. You can target social media users in specific geographic areas, or users who’ve indicated an interest in specific topics like local news. Depending on the niche or community, you may also want to consider sponsoring local events and festivals as a way to get your publication’s name out there.
Launching a local news site has never been easier, but keeping that newly launched publication afloat, and turning it into a sustainable business, requires foresight, patience, and hard work. If you’d like to learn more about the best strategies for launching local news sites, please reach out to one of our publishing experts at Web Publisher PRO.
