MONEY
Hey Operators! 👋
Imagine walking into a restaurant and saying:
"Would you like to purchase a 600×300 banner placement in our geographically targeted digital distribution platform?"
The owner stares at you.
You stare back.
Somewhere in the kitchen, a fryer catches fire.
It's going great.
Here's the problem.
You're selling an ad. The business owner wants customers.
They don't wake up dreaming about banner dimensions, click-through rates, and CPMs.
They want more people walking through their doors.
So why not start there?
Instead of:
❌ "We offer sponsored banner placements for $250."
Try:
✅ "We publish a local newsletter reaching people who live and shop around here. Would you be interested in introducing your business to those readers?"
See the difference?
One sounds like you're selling pixels.
The other starts a conversation about a business opportunity.
Now, there's a catch.
You still need to explain what the advertiser receives, who your audience is, what it costs, and how you'll measure performance.
And please don't promise 100 new customers because somebody clicked a picture of a cheeseburger.
Your job is to make the value understandable, not magically guarantee results.
Here's your assignment:
Take your current sponsorship offer and rewrite it in plain English.
Explain who your local email newsletter reaches, why that audience is relevant, and what the business gets.
If your pitch sounds like it was written by a venture capitalist having a stroke, try again.
The takeaway? Businesses don't buy newsletter ads because they love newsletters. They buy opportunities to reach customers.
We're Drew Griffin and David Calafiore. We help entrepreneurs start, grow, and monetize local newsletters through Local Newsletter Launchpad.
See you in the next issue!
Drew & David
P.S. Nobody has ever walked into a pizza shop and said, "I'd like one large pepperoni and a programmatic advertising solution." Probably.