Local Media HQ
Episodes
Monetizing Local Media Without Traditional Outbound Sales
06 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin sits down with Nick Pollock, who transformed a side hustle into a full-time local media business in just 18 months. Nick sh...
Navigating the Local Creator Economy
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Francis Zierer of Creator Spotlight reveals how he grew a YouTube channel from 16 to over 5,000 subscribers in just two years by rein...
Monetizing your Local Newsletter on-boarding flow
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin interviews Louis Nicholls, the founder of Spark Loop, about a massive untapped opportunity in the newsletter industry: the ...
The Barnacle Strategy for Media Brand Growth
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin sits down with newsletter expert Dylan Redekop to discuss the evolving landscape of media brands. They explore why major co...
Scaling a Family-Focused Local Media Brand
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin interviews Mike Richardson, the founder of Kid Friendly Seattle, a niche local newsletter that has quickly become a go-to r...
Monetizing local media with upscale events
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin sits down with Kyra Adams, the founder of Chino Chew, a thriving local newsletter serving the Inland Empire in the suburban...
Automating Local Media Workflows with Claude MCP
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin and Shane dive deep into the rapidly evolving world of AI workflows specifically tailored for local media brands. They expl...
Monetizing Local Media with In-Person Dining Events
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
TJ Larkin welcomes Rae Lambert, founder of DNNR, to discuss the rapid growth of her social dining platform. The episode explores how local creators an...
Building a 75k Instagram Following for Local Media
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Mitko from Cincy Scoop joins the show to discuss the rapid growth of his local media brand, which has amassed 75,000 Instagram followers and 12,000 ne...
Witchita Life Making Money via Dinner Clubs & Puzzles
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Landon from Wichita Life returns to the show to share how he has significantly scaled his local media brand over the last several months. The conversa...
From 3,000 to 20,000 Email Subscribers Without Spending a Dollar on Ads
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Uriah Kaiser has been covering Northern Virginia through Potomac Local News since 2010 — longer than most people in this space have been paying atte...
He Sold His National Newsletter to Go All-In on Local (And It's Working)
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Gordon quit his job at a venture firm to start a newsletter. Nine months later, he crossed $100K in revenue.In this episode, Justin breaks down...
Reddit Marketing Strategy for Local Newsletters
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Rueda shares how she grew What's Weird ATX to nearly 5,000 subscribers without spending a single dollar on advertising. As an engineer wi...
His Newsletter Launched a Real Estate Company (Not the Other Way Around)
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tad Moore runs NWA Daily, a 41,500-subscriber local newsletter in Northwest Arkansas with a 54% open rate and 7% click-through. What started as a cont...
Legacy Local Media Finally Gets It (Too Late?)
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Book a demo at lightbreak.ai to see our newsletter software in action!Shane Brady joins TJ Larkin to discuss the current state of local newsletters an...
Buying and Rebuilding a Local Media Brand
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Keith Pepper, owner of Rough Draft Atlanta, shares how he acquired a legacy print media company during the height of the pandemic and transformed it i...
Growing to 40K Followers & $10K/Month with Social-First Local Media
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Social media has become the fastest and most effective way to build a local media brand, and Jacob Espinoza is proving it. In this episode, TJ Larkin ...
The Creator-Led Model for Local Newsletters
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Amy Vartenuk joins the podcast to share how she’s building Clevelandish, a modern local newsletter focused on connection, positivity, and personalit...
How to Sell Newsletter Ads: Advice From Someone Who's Made Millions Doing It
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why do legacy media companies earn more ad revenue even when local newsletters often have higher engagement? In this conversation, Justin Moore explai...
The Power Of Niche Newsletter Audiences
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Oshinsky joins TJ Larkin to unpack what it really takes to build a sustainable newsletter business in 2025 and beyond. With over a decade of exper...
Automating a $500k a Year Local Media Brand
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Moody breaks down how he built Salina 311 into a “community intelligence platform,” reaching over 30,000 members in a town of about 60,000, a...
Local Memes + Mr Beast Style Local Content are a Recipe for Success
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
discord.localmediahq.comlocalnewsletteros.comhttps://signup.memelord.com/tjIn this episode I wanted to open up my notebook and share a few thing...
Monetizing Local Newsletters via PR & Marketing Agencies
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to run a daily local newsletter in a big metro, completely solo? In this conversation, Nick Hageman of KC Daily walks through his jo...
How Nate Spangle Built a Statewide Brand to $500k in 1 year
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Local media operators love to talk about “diversified revenue,” but in this conversation, Nate Spangle shows exactly what that looks like in pract...
Following Alex Hormozi's Advice for Local Newsletter Operators
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you turn a local newsletter into the default media brand in your city? In this conversation, Jas walks TJ through exactly how he did it, shrink...
Catskill Crews Creative Monetization Strategy
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode dives deep into building a durable local media business with Michael Kauffman of Catskill Crew and The Newsletter Club. We unpack why com...
Personal Branding a Local Media Co for Real Estate
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode digs into how Jimmy Farrell grew CHS Happenings—a Charleston, SC local newsletter—from 0 to 10,000+ subscribers with a deliberate, co...
Big Results from “Ugly” Ad Creatives
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Tance Hughes shares how he launched and grew The Miss Lou Brew across two small river towns (Vidalia, LA and Natchez, MS) with a comb...
Bootstrapping a Neighborhood Media Brand
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nick “NoHo Nick” Roberts joins TJ to share the operating system behind his San Fernando Valley newsletter: organic growth, consistent social video...
Grow and Monetize With Dinner Clubs
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Creators and local newsletter operators want in-person connection without the headache of planning events. In this episode, Rae Lambert shares how DNN...
$29 Memberships + Paid Events = Success
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Gordon returns to share the LA Grind playbook: a local newsletter for founders, operators, and investors in Los Angeles that blends curated eve...
Finding Advertisers + Lead Gen Ideas
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ashlyn of Cypress Digest breaks down how she grew a Houston-area local newsletter to ~3,300 subscribers with a ~53.6% open rate and ~11% CTR, then fli...
Launching Local Events + Cold Email Secrets
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode dives into how a local newsletter can punch above its weight by pairing digital reach with in-person events. John Apolinar of Scottsdale ...
Short Form Video & Podcasts That Win Locally
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ digs in with creator and local media operator Jacob Espinoza on what really works for a city-focused podcast and Instagram presenc...
The Playbook for Local Podcast Growth
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode dives into how local newsrooms can turn written stories into habit-forming podcasts. Paul Gewuerz of LocalPod explains his “news blast”...
The “Media Mullet” for Local Newsletters
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Agency operator Nathan May joins to unpack what actually scales newsletters in 2025: disciplined paid acquisition on Meta, creative that calls out rea...
Directories, Newsletters, and Local Moats
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, entrepreneur and creator Tim Stoddart explains why authenticity and consistency outperform overproduction—and how those same p...
Scaling Local Media Beyond Newsletters
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ sits down again with Jas from Winnipeg Digest to talk about the latest experiments and strategies in local newsletter publishing. ...
Cash Drop Strategy Explodes Local Media Growth
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Baltimore creator Matt Diehl explains how a spontaneous “cash-drop” video, just $80 taped to a harbor post, skyrocketed to 1.5 million views acros...
Ideas and Lessons From Local Media Growth
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’m going solo in this episode to share eight key strategies and lessons I’ve picked up over the past month. I walk through a high-performing apar...
Leveraging Instagram and B2B Events for Profit
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brian Skinner joins TJ Larkin to break down the growth strategy behind Marin Buzz, his successful local newsletter. The two discuss how local content ...
Building Two Businesses on the Back of his Local Newsletter
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jas from Winnipeg Digest returns to talk growth, revenue, and diversification. In just three months, he's scaled up recurring events, coffee parti...
How to Monetize Subscribers in the First 7 Days
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Want to grow a local newsletter without waiting months to recoup ad spend? Louis Nicholls, co-founder of SparkLoop, breaks down “zero-day payback”...
The Local Instagram Strategy That Actually Works
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin sits down with Jacob Espinoza from What’s Happening Salem to unpack how Jacob built a thriving local media presence using...
Leveraging Local Directories With Your Newsletter
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the real opportunity behind building online directories? In this insightful interview, Frey Chu outlines how he built multiple passive income...
Newsletter Monetization: Ads, Merch, or Membership?
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Geoff Matthews of North Shore Now joins TJ Larkin to unpack the real story behind launching a successful newsletter in a small geographic niche. Geoff...
LA Grind: Newsletters, Events, and Growth
14 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin interviews Justin Gordon, the creator of two high-impact newsletters: Just Go Grind and LA Grind. Justin shares how his jou...
Building a Local Newsletter in Public
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin chats with Matt Deal, the creator of Eating Baltimore, a growing local newsletter focused on food, events, and community in...
Newsletter Ideas for Realtors, Matchmakers & More
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TJ welcomes Alec Kremins, Beehive's Partnership Manager and founder of the JLM Scoop, a local Jerusalem newsletter with nearly 6,000 subscribers. ...
Turn Newsletter Skills/Audience Into AI Workshops
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling stagnant with newsletter revenue? TJ Larkin explains a new path: charge $300 for a half-day, face-to-face crash course on ChatGPT basics, mark...
Instagram DMs + Chamber Events = Revenue
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin reconnects with John Apolinar of Scottsdale Scoop for a deep dive into practical strategies for growing a local newsletter ...
Monetizing Newsletter Ads, Job Boards, and Events
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, TJ Larkin is joined once again by Landon from Wichita Life—a returning guest and a pioneer in the local newsletter space. They dive...
Kyle Scott's Blueprint for Local Media Success
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Local‑media veteran Kyle Scott joins TJ Larkin to unpack how a tiny beach‑town newsletter ballooned into a 17,000‑subscriber powerhouse—an...
Negative CAC for Local Newsletters
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TJ Larkin shares a powerful concept that could revolutionize local newsletter monetization: the negative CAC model. Based on insights from a B2B newsl...
Building a Local Newsletter + a Home Services Franchise
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TJ Larkin interviews Ethan Realander about his journey from finance to entrepreneurship through his Rolling Suds power washing franchise and Westchest...
Journalism Meets Curation: The 518 Newsletter Story Part 2
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TJ Larkin interviews Phat Chiem, founder of The 518 newsletter serving Albany, NY. With a background from the Chicago Tribune and Yahoo, Phat combines...
Journalism Meets Curation: The 518 Newsletter Story Part 1
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TJ Larkin interviews Phat Chiem, founder of The 518 newsletter serving Albany, NY. With a background from the Chicago Tribune and Yahoo, Phat combines...
From Zero to 25,000 Subscribers in One Year
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TJ Larkin interviews Jas Singh about building the Winnipeg Digest to 25,000 email subscribers and 60,000 social media followers in one year. Jas expla...
How to Write Your Local Newsletter in One Hour Part 2
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shane Brady reveals how he built a local newsletter capturing 25% of his town's adult population. Working full-time, Shane creates compelling cont...
How to Write Your Local Newsletter in One Hour Part 1
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shane Brady reveals how he built a local newsletter capturing 25% of his town's adult population. Working full-time, Shane creates compelling cont...
15 yr Local Media Vet Talks Success Strategies Part 2
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Brodbeck shares his 15-year journey building Local News Now, a successful media company with multiple publications in the DC area. He explains t...
15 yr Local Media Vet Talks Success Strategies Part 1
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Brodbeck shares his 15-year journey building Local News Now, a successful media company with multiple publications in the DC area. He explains t...
The Long-Term Play of Local Media
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Entrepreneur Trenton Hughes shares how he grew Wilmi Weekly to 10,000 subscribers in Wilmington, North Carolina. In this conversation with TJ Larkin, ...
Walkthrough of a New Local Newsletter Creator's Launch Issue and Facebook Ads
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this detailed walkthrough, TJ Larkin reviews Mike's first issue of the Green Bay Buzz newsletter before launch. They examine the newsletter lay...
Why You Need to Become a Local Media Company
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stop thinking of yourself as a newsletter creator. Start building a local media company.In this episode, I break down why the most successful local co...
How We Got 87% of Our Audience to Respond to Our Survey
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn how to capture valuable reader data with post-subscription surveys for your local newsletter. In this video, I break down why surveys are crucia...
Newsletter Monetization: Traditional vs. Creative Revenue Strategies Part 2
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive deep with Michael Kauffman, the visionary behind Catskill Crew and founder of Newsletter Ventures. Michael shares his unique ...
Newsletter Monetization: Traditional vs. Creative Revenue Strategies Part 1
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive deep with Michael Kauffman, the visionary behind Catskill Crew and founder of Newsletter Ventures. Michael shares his unique ...
Tips & Strategies for Suburban Newsletter Operators Part 2
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Want to grow and monetize a local newsletter? In this episode, TJ Larkin sits down with Alex from Mount Juliet Buzz to talk about scaling hyperlocal m...
Tips & Strategies for Suburban Newsletter Operators Part 1
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Want to grow and monetize a local newsletter? In this episode, TJ Larkin sits down with Alex from Mount Juliet Buzz to talk about scaling hyperlocal m...
Tip & Tricks to Running a Suburban Local Newsletter
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thinking about starting a local newsletter? Billy Howell, founder of Arlington Bagel, spills all his secrets on growing an audience, selling ads, and ...
0-14k subs in 6 months: What I've learned
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Starting a local newsletter is the easiest way to build an audience today. In just six months, we grew our two newsletters to 14,000+ subscribers—an...
25k Newsletter Subs & $100k+ Revenue as a Side Hustle
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re thinking about starting a local newsletter or turning your side hustle into a full-time media business, this episode is for you. Landon Hu...
$7 Per Magazine?! The Crazy Costs of Local Magazines
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just got back from a BNI networking event and had to record this emergency breakdown. I met someone running a local print magazine franchise—and the...
Local Newsletters 101: The Easiest Way to Grow & Monetize
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Local newsletters are exploding in 2025, and everybody is talking about it. In this video, I give an overview of this business from all angles: ✅ Wh...