OPPORTUNITY
Hey Operators! 👋
Here's a fun experiment.
Walk into a local business and say:
"I'd like to sell you something."
Watch what happens.
Now try:
"We'd love to interview you and feature your story in our local newsletter."
Slightly different energy.
Interviews are one of the most underrated tools a local newsletter operator can use.
Why?
Because interesting people live everywhere.
Business owners.
Coaches.
Teachers.
Chefs.
Artists.
Nonprofit leaders.
Organizers.
Local characters.
The guy who's been running the hardware store since approximately the Eisenhower administration.
Everybody has a story.
And when you give people a platform to tell theirs, you create content AND relationships at the same time.
That's the magic.
One 15-minute conversation might give you:
A newsletter story.
A social post.
A business relationship.
A referral.
And perhaps an advertiser!!!
Or an introduction to somebody else worth knowing.
And unlike cold outreach, you're leading with curiosity instead of a sales pitch.
Your next move: Make a list of five interesting people in your community and invite ONE of them to a short interview.
❌ Don't overproduce it.
❌ Don't rent a television studio.
❌ Don't hire Barbara Walters.
✅ Ask good questions.
✅ Listen.
✅ Tell their story well.
Then send them the finished feature so they can share it too.
Your newsletter grows when your community starts seeing it as the place where local stories get told.
Become that place.
Want more tactical stuff?
We’d love to invite you to join us in Local Newsletter Launchpad👇
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. People are remarkably willing to talk about themselves. This discovery has kept podcasts in business for roughly 20 years.