By 1812Blockhouse
When Richland Roast, 1812Blockhouse’s weekday free “e newsletter,” started earlier this year we hoped to tap into the area’s strong interest in becoming and staying informed.
Before we began, we took the opportunity to gain insight into how newsletters can fit into a news operation. As a member of LION Publishers, the country’s leading consortium of local, independent, online news operations (hence the name), we learned from examples and ideas from other sites.
That shared, we also wanted to know what would work locally. A local Mansfield-based marketing consultant was gracious in freely sharing some insights that proved valuable in choosing a direction for the publication.
“I was impressed with what I heard and very enthused after we spoke,” said 1812Blockhouse Publisher Thomas Palmer. “The consultant recommended that the newsletter capitalize on what makes the site unique in comparison to all other Richland County media operations. And she was right.”
As a result, Richland Roast, like 1812Blockhouse itself, combines our original writing and reporting with links to as many stories as possible from other online news sites. Simply put, reading Richland Roast each morning, as well as checking 1812Blockhouse, puts you into the enviable category of being the “best infomed.”
During the month of July, newsletter subscriptions increased by almost 25%, and routinely between 35% and 40% of recipients open their morning Richland Roast.
“It’s become a very important part of what we do,” Palmer shared. “Last week we began a similar newsletter on our sister site in Delaware called “1808AM.” That is already going very well.”
More improvements are planned in the coming weeks on both newsletters that will provide integration with other communication tools.
To subscribe to Richland Roast, just visit our main page and add your email address.
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay
