Who Should Start a Modern Local Media Company?
Why build a local media company?
The upside is bigger than "newsletter revenue." You're creating an asset that compounds attention, relationships, and deal flow.
Direct ad revenue
Sell sponsor slots and placements your audience actually sees.
Services & high-LTV leads
Turn attention into clients for your core business.
Social capital in your city
Become "the person to know" for what's happening.
Partnerships & deal flow
Meet founders, civic leaders, and operators every week.
Talent & hiring pipeline
Your audience becomes your bench of contributors and candidates.
Audience flywheel
Content → subscribers → sponsors → better content → growth.
Community relationships
Build real connections with residents and local orgs.
Survey data you can act on
Turn reader insights into products, offers, and sponsors.
Event monetization
Tickets, sponsors, and VIP experiences your city wants.
...and so much more
Traditional Model vs Our Model
Same mission: serve the community. Very different playbook.
Old local media
(why it's stuck)
The LMHQ model
(why it grows)
Old local media
(why it's stuck)
- •Print-first, slow cycles
- •Long investigative pieces few people read
- •Staff-heavy, expensive overhead
- •High cost from printing and shipping
- •Weak social + weak email
- •Sales = cold calls & CPM dependency
- •Static websites with little UX care
- •No creator voice, low personality
The LMHQ model
(why it grows)
- Social-first, newsletter-centered
- Service journalism + snackable, useful content
- Lean creator-led teams with smart tooling
- Minimal expenses compared to old model
- Email + social + SEO work together
- Multi-revenue: sponsors, deals, events, services
- Complete software solution included.
- Clear point of view and an operator voice
Operator case studies
Templates you can copy. Operators you can learn from.
NWA Daily
Arkansas natives building a local info hub
Founded by Daniel Fritsche & Luke Brasuell
● Origin Story
Built by Arkansas natives inspired by Morning Brew + Victoria newsletter success.
● Business Model
- •Ads + fan program + job board
- •Spin-offs: services & consulting
- •Newsletter ads for lead gen
● Growth Engine
- •Organic buzz & referrals
- •High-click food + events
- •Each newsletter fuels spin-offs
● Tools & Ops
- •ESP: Beehiiv
- •Lean team + contract help
- •Direct sales; fan tiers
What you can build under one brand
You don't have to do all of it on day one. Start with the newsletter—expand as you grow.
...and so much more
About Me
I'm TJ Larkin. I launched 15 local newsletters to 130,000+ subscribers with Meta lead costs as low as $0.09. I publish the Local Media HQ Newsletter and host the Local Media HQ Podcast, where operators share what is working in their cities.
I build modern local media so people get the information they want in channels they already use, like newsletters and social. That includes paid Meta acquisition, referral loops, repeatable content, and sponsor pipelines that turn attention into revenue.
I help creators and small teams go from idea to working media asset, with Beehiiv setup, clean sites, brand refreshes, and sales ops, then turn the best plays into templates others use.
Brands we power
A few of the local media properties in the Local Media HQ network.
Choose Your Path
From community to full-service, we meet you where you are