One Year of Newsberg

In January 2023, the coffee shop closest to my house closed its doors with vague language about reopening, but nothing definitive. I sent messages but didn’t receive much of a response. The note on the door and Google indicated it was temporary. However, I noticed that See See Coffee Company removed the Newberg location from their website, and the social media handle was deactivated.

Then, in February 2023, I saw a van parked out front and a group of people loading things into it. I circled the block, dusted off my reporter persona, and walked in to get the scoop.

That singular curiosity, driven by a desire to answer a community question, paired with journalism education, small business experience, and a dash of community service aspirations, eventually manifested in a social media post on April 5, 2023. By April 17, it also had a weekly newsletter.

And by a year later, April 5, 2024, it had over 100 local stories, 1,400 followers on Instagram, and nearly 700 weekly email newsletter subscribers.

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A Celebration of the Past Year

I started this without a real plan for what it would become. But right out of the gate, I had a few dreams for what this would become:

• I knew I wanted to publish local stories about local people doing local things.
• I knew I wanted to find and consolidate as many local events as possible so neighbors could easily connect with their community.
• I knew I wanted to be a hub for information and a place to feel closer to neighbors.

And you know what? We’re off to a pretty strong start. At this point, Newsberg has:

• Published 104 stories over the past year, averaging exactly 2 stories per week.
• Sent 49 emails to Newsberg email subscribers to keep them up to date on local news and events.
• Created and distributed 138 social media posts to nearly 2,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
• Attracted 11,000 user visits, responsible for 66,000 actions on the newsberg.org website.
• Invested in an event calendar management platform that consistently shares 15 to 25 local events per week.

And this is only the beginning. There are a few plans in the works like a Newsberg podcast, monthly seasonal recipes shared by chefs from local restaurants highlighting in-season ingredients, and a “Best of Newberg” voting feature story.

I’ve been building this machine in-flight with nothing but a journalism degree, marketing background, and entrepreneurial spirit. It’s exciting, terrifying, and nothing short of fulfilling.

Which brings me to my main point:

Newsberg Needs Support

If you’ve been enjoying this publication and feel it’s a genuine benefit to the Newberg-Dundee community, I’m officially calling for help to keep it running.

Thanks to amazing contributors and early advertisers, I’ve been able to keep this running for this long.

However, it’s important for readers to know that around 80% of Newsberg’s expenses are paid out of pocket, not including the hours it takes to research, interview, report, write, edit, publish, promote, and optimize posts. And that’s not including the business underneath — creating and editing the website, developing templates, acting as bookkeeper, organizing events, promoting the site, and more.

I’ve been using my other company and other odd jobs to fund this one, and at this moment, I’m ready to embrace the wise words of Ron Swanson:

There are plans in the works. There are freelancers who can help cover stories. There are contractors who can help ease the burden of some more technical work. There are tools that can streamline efficiencies and automate some manual processes.

But all of that requires revenue.

If you see the value in the stories Newsberg publishes and distributes, if your business or organization has seen a rise in event traffic or a boost in sales after a story, lets advertise or partner. Learn about how you can do that on the Newsberg Advertising page.

If you’re a member of the community who has been following along, learning new things about your town, and finding new events, consider becoming a recurring contributor to Newsberg to help us pay for various software, support, and equipment we need to keep this ship afloat.

And continue sharing Newsberg with friends and family! If you think someone would like the stories and events, let them know about us. If you think a local business could benefit from sharing their message through Newsberg, tell them they should advertise. There are a ton of ways to help at this early stage.

And Mostly, Thank You

Newsberg wouldn’t be possible without a community so open and willing to embrace a new, startup media organization. There is a lot of learning, a lot of change, a lot of opportunity down the road.

But the core will always remain the same: provide a point of connection over contention for the Newberg-Dundee community.

From my family to you and yours: thank you so much for your support thus far. I can’t wait to see whats next.

-Branden Andersen
Founder, Owner, Editor, Neighbor

If you’ve got a thought to share, never hesitate to send me a message.