Local and Global at the same time

I love writing even more than I love talking

Author

Stephanie Tomko
September 04, 2025

In partnership with

I’m a talker. And if I have been working from home while my family is out of town. I’m a - she can talk a starving dog off a meat truck - talker. I just vomit words all over whoever sees me first. Whether you are my best friend or the Target checkout lady. I’m coming for you and I have a lot to say.

So when I wanted to figure out how to talk to everyone but also honor my local community, I decided to start a local newsletter. It was a way to highlight local businesses and connect people from out of town to our sweet little Hallmark destination. What I didn’t know is that this newsletter would become monetized in less than 30 days. I’m not talking millions but internal ad opportunities like the one at the bottom of this email (and that’s just one way to monetize). I stopped publishing the newsletter because I ran out of steam. Here’s what I did wrong:

  1. I launched the newsletter with publications every day, Monday - Friday. I thought this would set me apart - and it did - but it wasn’t sustainable.

  2. I put too much thought into it. I overanalyzed every word and wondered what everyone would think when they read it. I should’ve just published and let the audience figure that out for themselves.

  3. There was too much information to consume in a minute or two. Newsletters should be quick reads with links to additional info (still working on this one ;)).

I might relaunch a new newsletter and focus on small businesses from all over. I love the story behind a business and I think other people do too. If I do it, here is how I would change my process:

  1. Publish once a month, but not on the 1st. Everyone sends out emails on the first. I’d send mine on the 11th.

  2. Keep it simple in the email with a link to the website for the entire article.

  3. Post a preview on social media every time I publish along with fun small business posts throughout the month.

  4. Only monetize with internal ads (these pay out with clicks so no cost to anyone else) and then monetize with sponsors and features when I’ve proven the value of the newsletter and the audience.

Marketing Tip of the Week - Start Your Own Newsletter

The cool thing about newsletters is that you can literally write them about anything! If you own a business, share how you built it or what you do in the business. i.e. I’m a personal trainer and each week I’m going to share one fitness tip and a funny story. Or you love birds so each month you are going to share a bird of the month and fun tips and things to shop for that are bird related.
The best thing? IT’S YOUR AUDIENCE. No algorithms, logins, or weird videos (I mean, you can still make weird videos and embed them if that’s your thing).
Also, it’s a really affordable side gig to get started.

My advice - Do it with Beehiiv. That is who this newsletter is hosted by and they are awesome. The resources to build an entire business are free and available 24/7 at Beehiiv. They are constantly adding features and providing education on how to maximize your newsletter venture.

And DRUMROLL. You can try it for 30 days for free and then get 20% off for 3 months with this link. START MY OWN BEEHIIV NEWSLETTER. If you decide to start your own newsletter, I will DEFINITELY BE A SUBSCRIBER. And I will share every tip and trick that I have learned while building mine. I may also receive a commission for you using my link. But I wouldn’t even tell you about it if I didn’t love it, believe in it and have been using it for over a year.

If you love this newsletter, share it with your friends and your acquaintances and maybe your dentist?

Want to check out the cool stuff I’ve been working on? Go to my website HERE!

xoxo,
Steph

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