Was this e-mail shared with you? Sign up here.
Hi newsletter operators,
It’s not every day that one of the biggest business influencers on the planet goes deep on your niche business model. Yet here we are, getting Alex Hormozi’s ideas for local newsletter operators, thanks to Jas from Winnipeg.
Key takeaway is that you can build a local media company into a high six figure or even seven figure business with complete focus and determination. From my perspective, this is true in the right large markets. Yet I’m still not following it personally. And not sure it’s right for everyone. Definitely listen to the Jas episode below and decide for yourself.
The Future of Newsletters
Matt McGarry and Beehiiv put on an Expert Predictions panel yesterday with a lot of good info about the future of newsletters in 2026.
I haven’t watched yet, but here are a couple interesting nuggets I got from Gemini (I’ll be watching it in full this weekend)
The Content Flywheel (Newsletter ↔ YouTube): Don't just repurpose content; use the newsletter to drive views to a YouTube video, which generates ad revenue and finds new subscribers, who are then funneled back to the newsletter.
2026 is the Year of M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions): Many newsletter operators will realize how hard the business is and look to sell.
Gmail Auto-Unsubscribe: Gmail is already testing prompts to unsubscribe users who haven't opened emails in ~30 days. In 2026, they may start automatically unsubscribing inactive users without asking.
Watch it here
Free Discord Group Link Now Works
I did not realize I used an expiring Discord link in the last issue. Sorry about that. Appreciate all of you letting me know. We’re working on getting everything fixed up. Jump in below. Will be doing another office hours soon, focusing on short form video.
Local Newsletter OS
Super excited to put this out there, as it should help you all a ton!
Zillow built in
GIF maker built in
Memes built in
Scrapes events, businesses and restaurants
RSS feed scraper
Your own custom AI prompts for each content type
Jump on the waitlist now so you’ll get 20% off for life when it goes live next month.
Hormozi Pep Talk: Scale One City to $1M
Top Three Takeaways
Go Deeper, Not Wider
Hormozi hammered home that Winnipeg alone can support a seven-figure media business, if Jas stops chasing side gigs like a Christmas-lights service.
Focusing on one million locals lets ad pricing rise with audience density, while multi-city expansion adds complexity and dilutes brand equity.
Cutting the lights project after a $6k sunk cost freed December hours and cash to chase another 209k reachable subscribers.
A single-city pitch resonates with sponsors; two new annual partners signed $15k deals once the message sharpened.
Try to Get Every Subscriber to Pay in 30 Days
A self-liquidating offer (SLO) funds growth by recouping ad spend before the credit-card bill hits.
Jas packaged five curated restaurant guides plus bonus PDFs and sold the bundle at $23.99, hitting the first sale within 48 hours of launch.
He’s testing $9 price points, stronger landing pages, and future “$200 in gift cards for $23” upsells, aiming for a 14% conversion that wipes out his $1 CAC.
Solving this single funnel unlocks unlimited Facebook spend and painless expansion because subscriber acquisition is no longer cash-constrained.
Holiday Giveaways = Follower, Sponsor, Subscriber Engine
A 25-day December giveaway dangles $18k in local prizes and doubles daily posting without annoying the feed.
Only brands with 10k+ followers join, ensuring each collab post compounds reach and accelerates Jas’s push from 67k to 80k followers.
ManyChat auto-DMs every new follower a subscribe link; current tests convert roughly 10% into email readers.
The promo sweetened two more $15k annual contracts by adding a $3k Instagram slot at no extra cost.
How Nate Spangle Hit $500K in 18 Months
Top Three Takeaways
Turn Low-Engagement Giants into Cash Clients
Forget trendy brands; Nate courts insurance, banks, and utilities starving for attention. One viral test unlocks year-long, five-figure deals.
Spangle sold a $500 Indy 500 truck sticker to a local agent, then upsold corporate HQ after 2 new policies landed overnight.
“Just get one to bite and blow it out of the water,” he says, competitors soon chase the spotlight.
Stack Channels, Stack Revenue
Multiple touchpoints push CPMs down and contract sizes up. Social drives awareness; newsletters and podcasts seal credibility.
Bundling four videos, 12 podcast reads, and 12 newsletter slots doubled average sponsor spend versus single-channel offers.
Statewide list attracts marquee partners, while micro-digests like Get Fishers let small shops buy in without discounting the flagship.
Recruit Passionate Locals, Not Résumés
Great talent is already creating; Nate simply gives them pay, gear, and a platform.
He poached a Purdue student with 40k TikTok fans and turned him into an editor whose cuts now top 15million views.
Open-book finances and clear milestones (“hit 1m views, earn a raise”) convert part-timers into loyal, on-brand evangelists.
Rapidly Expanding Local News Networks
Interesting article about the value the legacy local media players are seeing in networks; leveraging their tech and infrastructure to launch in more communities. Which is literally part of my long term model, just coming at it more from a creator perspective. Definitely worth a read.
Read it HERE.
From Local Podcast Network to Social-First Storytellers
City Cast is one of the bigger players in the local newsletter/modern local media space. And they just shut down two underperforming locations, while opening new ones. But they’re focus has been on local podcasts and paid subscriptions. Plus, they have multiple employees per location. Interesting read on the good and the bad of their model.
Read it HERE.
A New Playbook for Pan-European Media
I mentioned on one of my recent episodes about the potential value of state-wide newsletters. And then I see this, about a countrywide one. Interesting read, even if just to expand your thinking on what’s possible.
Read it HERE.
Looking for more from me? Here are the ways I can help:
🎙️ The Podcast - Deep-dive conversations with successful newsletter operators sharing their playbooks and lessons learned | Link
🧠 1:1 Consulting - Personalized guidance tailored to your specific newsletter challenges Link
🚀 Launch Accelerator - A structured program to help you go from idea to profitable newsletter in record time | Link
📊 Monthly Support – Want my help in an ongoing basis? We now offer three options: Do-it-yourself | Done-for-you | Done-with-you | Link
🔗Sign Up for Beehiiv - Use my link, because you’re a thoughtful person who wants to help others succeed. And it’ll save you 20%, so just be selfish and do it | Link
Discover all these resources and more at localmediahq.com
That’s all I got for this issue. If there’s anything you want me to cover or talk about for the next edition, reply to this and let me know!
And reply and let me know if you want to be a guest on the show. Just tell me what you’re up to, and assuming you’re a good fit, I’ll have you on (if you’re reading this, you’re most likely a good fit).
How'd I do?
Thanks for reading Local Media HQ! Please reply and let me know what you think, or anything you think I could do better. Love to get some actionable feedback.
