It’s been a wild couple of months.
I published Newberg’s first story, See See Newberg Closed, on April 5, 2023. I live near the coffee shop and was disappointed not only about the only coffee shop on the south side of town closing down quietly, but more so that there was no way for me to find out what was going on without calling them directly.
I figured others would also be curious about this prominent business’s sudden closure — which See See billed as “temporary” online — and decided to dust off the ol’ journalism degree and write the story. I caught See See Owner Thor Drake as he was moving equipment out of the shop, got the interview, and wrote the story.
It felt great to be back. The response online was surprising, especially considering each like and view didn’t come by the way of a promoted post or advertising, but rather came from people who were curious about what was going on with their community. I didn’t need to lead anyone to the page — I simply wrote and the community responded with likes, comments, shares, and subscribes.
Next came a story about Kayt’s Kitchen, and then weekly events updates, and then a government-oriented story about a water treatment plant. We’re starting to work with local nonprofits to get their stories and events out to the people via a volunteer events calendar and featured posts.
After two months, Newsberg has published more than 20 stories sent to over 450 followers on Instagram. There are 100 people receiving the Newsberg Tuesday Newsletter each week. Our events calendar is filled with local events, driving significant traffic to the website.
With the “need” confirmed and the model proven, it’s time to take this full time.
The Current State of Newsberg
Right now, Newsberg is solely funded and operated by me (you can learn a bit about me here). That means each dollar spent to secure the domain, the website platform, the design tools, events management platform — anything that gets news and events to you — is coming out of my pocket. Not to mention travel, equipment, internet, time, and even coffee during interviews at Chapters.
I’m doing everything I can to keep expenses down while launching, all while running my other business.
My hope is, with your contributions and advertiser support, I will be able to make Newsberg my full time job within the next four months.
This community means a ton to me, and watching the immediate interest and support has affirmed those feelings in such a huge way.
When I studied journalism at the University of Oregon, the goal was always to end up at one of the huge publications chasing Pulitzers and shifting the world landscape. However, once I started working, I realized that the personality required to reach those levels is more cutthroat than I have to offer. All I wanted to do was help inform my community and provide a central place for people to connect and feel more at home. I saw journalism as a public service — and a service that every community deserves.
I, like many of you, grew up with the daily newspaper on the table every morning. I quickly read through the current events, racing to the sports and funnies section. It was part of my morning routine for most of my life.
It’s no secret the landscape has changed. Printing papers is no longer viable without significant investment and recurring advertising and classifieds revenue.
However, most people are operating digitally in one form or another. My thought is, if we can meet people where they’re at, we’ll be able to accomplish that same magic in the form of a newsletter in your email inbox, consistent updates to the central website, and updates on your social media. No matter what, you’ll know that if you visit any one of Newsberg’s channels, you’ll get the information you’re looking for.
How You Can Help Newsberg
Newsberg is and will always be a free resource. However, it’s not free to operate. I’m relying on community contributions and advertisers to keep this thing running.
- Community Contributions: If you’ve been enjoying Newsberg and want to see it keep running, you can support Newsberg in a few different ways:
- Monthly Contributions — As low as $5 per month and as high as $20, you can pick any tier that supports your budget. These recurring injections help me build projections and budget accordingly so I can build a strong business underneath the content and events calendar. You can cancel the subscription at any time.
- One Time Contributions — You can make one time contributions if there are stories you like, events you found because of us, or if you actually just want to provide some money to help run this operation.
- Contribute to a Wish List Item — This is a newer feature to Buy Me A Coffee where you can contribute to a wish list item. These help me operate the business and optimize my efforts.
- Advertising: If you own a business in town or know someone who does, reach out about advertising opportunities! We’re still growing our audience, but our rates reflect the size we’re currently working with. Not to mention, you’re reaching some of the most dedicated local champions in town who have supported this news organization since the very beginning. The likelihood of them supporting a local business that supports Newsberg is pretty dang high.
- Tell your friends: This is the easiest way to help Newsberg! Tell your friends, forward our email newsletter, share on your social media, interact with our posts. Anything you can do to raise exposure of the Newsberg brand goes a long way!
This is a moving target. We’re going to learn a lot as we grow. I’m sure the funding model will change in the future. But, if we can set a solid foundation now, we’ll be able to make any future moves intentionally instead of making a decision based on the need for more money.
Lastly, I want you all to know that my door is always open. I’ve already met with a few of you around the community, and it’s been so fulfilling to feel like I’m providing a positive service to our town. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, I hope you reach out and let me know.
Thank you so much for reading and for your support. Newsberg is literally not possible without you.
Your neighbor,
