Execution Checklist: Successful Local Media Business
Month 1: Foundation & Launch
Week 1: Brand & Legal Setup
- Register business name and legal entity
- Obtain necessary media/press licenses
- Open business bank account
- Create brand name, tagline, and mission statement
- Design logo and basic brand identity
- Choose brand colors and fonts
- Set up accounting system (spreadsheet or software)
- Create basic business plan and financial projections
Week 2: Digital Infrastructure
- Purchase domain name
- Set up website hosting
- Install WordPress or CMS platform
- Create basic website (5-10 pages minimum)
- Set up Google Analytics
- Create business email addresses
- Register all social media handles (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube)
- Set up Google My Business profile
- Create email newsletter platform account (Mailchimp/Substack)
- Set up WhatsApp Business account
Week 3: Content Foundation
- Create content categories (news, events, business, culture, sports)
- Build content calendar for first month
- Write and publish first 10 articles
- Create about us and contact pages
- Set up content submission forms
- Design newsletter template
- Create social media content templates
- Take photos of local landmarks and businesses
- Interview 5 community members for launch stories
Week 4: Community Launch
- Send launch announcement to 50 local contacts
- Post daily on all social media platforms
- Join 10+ local Facebook groups
- Attend 3 local events with business cards
- Send first newsletter to initial subscriber list
- Visit 20 local businesses to introduce yourself
- Host small launch gathering or announcement
- Create press release about your launch
- Partner with 2-3 local organizations
Month 2: Content & Audience Building
Content Production (Daily/Weekly)
- Publish 3-5 news articles per day
- Post 3x daily on Facebook and Instagram
- Send 2 newsletters per week
- Create 2-3 videos per week
- Cover 4 local events per week
- Interview 2 local figures per week
- Write 1 in-depth feature story per week
- Update events calendar daily
Audience Growth
- Reach 500 website visitors per day
- Gain 1,000 Facebook followers
- Gain 500 Instagram followers
- Collect 500 newsletter subscribers
- Get 100 WhatsApp broadcast subscribers
- Respond to every comment and message within 2 hours
- Share community members' photos and stories
- Run social media contests or giveaways
- Create shareable local memes or graphics
- Tag local businesses and people in relevant posts
Community Engagement
- Attend 8-10 local events
- Meet with 10 local business owners
- Connect with school principals and teachers
- Visit government offices and officials
- Join local chamber of commerce or business associations
- Partner with community centers
- Launch citizen journalist program
- Create community photo contest
- Host weekly community Q&A sessions
Month 3: Monetization & Growth
Revenue Generation
- Create advertising rate card and packages
- Design media kit with audience statistics
- Contact 50 local businesses for advertising
- Close first 5 advertising deals
- Set up classified ads section
- Offer event promotion packages
- Create sponsored content options
- Launch premium subscription tier
- Sell event tickets through your platform
- Organize paid community event with sponsors
Sales Activities (Weekly)
- Make 20 sales calls/visits per week
- Send 10 advertising proposals per week
- Follow up with 15 previous contacts
- Create 3 case studies from successful advertisers
- Offer special launch pricing (50% discount)
- Bundle packages (web + social + newsletter)
- Create urgency with limited-time offers
- Provide free first week trial ads
Business Development
- Hire/recruit 2-3 freelance writers
- Find volunteer photographers
- Train citizen journalists (5-10 people)
- Establish partnerships with 5 local organizations
- Create referral program for advertisers
- Develop strategic partnerships with complementary businesses
- Negotiate printing deals for physical editions
- Explore distribution partnerships
Months 4-6: Scaling & Optimization
Content Expansion
- Launch video news segment
- Start podcast or audio news
- Create weekly live show on Facebook/YouTube
- Add specialized sections (food, real estate, jobs)
- Cover hyperlocal neighborhoods individually
- Create daily/weekly video series
- Launch investigative reporting series
- Add sports coverage
- Create business directory
- Develop mobile app (if budget allows)
Audience Targets
- Reach 2,000 daily website visitors
- Achieve 5,000 Facebook followers
- Gain 2,500 Instagram followers
- Build 2,000 newsletter subscribers
- Get 500 WhatsApp subscribers
- Achieve 50,000 monthly page views
- Reach 100,000 social media impressions per month
Revenue Targets
- Secure 20 regular advertisers
- Generate $2,000-5,000 monthly revenue
- Achieve 50% advertiser renewal rate
- Close 5 annual advertising contracts
- Generate 30% revenue from non-advertising sources
- Reduce customer acquisition cost by 30%
Team Building
- Hire 1 sales/marketing person
- Recruit 2-3 content creators
- Build network of 10+ freelancers
- Train 20+ citizen journalists
- Assign section editors
- Create volunteer photographer program
- Establish editorial board
Months 7-12: Sustainability & Dominance
Market Leadership
- Become the #1 local news source in your area
- Be mentioned as news source by other media
- Get invited to press conferences and official events
- Break major local stories first
- Win local journalism or business awards
- Become influencer in community decisions
- Get quoted by regional/national media
- Establish reputation for reliability and accuracy
Advanced Monetization
- Launch events business (concerts, forums, awards)
- Create job board
- Develop real estate listings section
- Start e-commerce (local products marketplace)
- Offer marketing services to local businesses
- Create video production services
- Launch business consulting services
- Develop merchandise line
Expansion Strategy
- Launch print edition (weekly/monthly)
- Expand to neighboring areas
- Create franchise model for other cities
- Develop white-label platform for other local media
- Launch specialized sub-brands (sports, food, business)
- Create radio show or partnership
- Develop TV show or streaming channel
Financial Goals
- Generate $10,000+ monthly revenue
- Achieve profitability
- Build 3-month operating reserve
- Reach 50+ active advertisers
- Secure 10+ annual contracts
- Diversify revenue (40% ads, 60% other sources)
Daily Operations Checklist
Morning (7-10 AM)
- Check overnight news and events
- Review social media messages and comments
- Post morning news updates
- Send morning WhatsApp broadcast
- Check website analytics
- Assign stories to writers
Midday (10 AM - 2 PM)
- Conduct interviews
- Attend events or press conferences
- Make sales calls
- Write and edit articles
- Create social media content
- Respond to community inquiries
Afternoon (2-6 PM)
- Publish afternoon content
- Update social media
- Follow up with advertisers
- Edit submitted content
- Plan next day's coverage
- Engage with community online
Evening (6-9 PM)
- Cover evening events
- Post evening updates
- Prepare newsletter content
- Review day's performance
- Schedule next day's content
Weekly Tasks
Monday
- Plan week's content
- Set weekly goals
- Schedule social media posts
- Review previous week's analytics
Tuesday-Thursday
- Sales prospecting and meetings
- Content creation and events
- Community engagement activities
Friday
- Send weekly newsletter
- Compile week's best content
- Weekend events preview
- Invoice advertisers
Weekend
- Cover community events
- Create feature stories
- Plan upcoming week
- Engage with weekend social media audience
Monthly Tasks
- Analyze all metrics and KPIs
- Invoice all advertisers
- Pay freelancers and staff
- Review and update content strategy
- Conduct advertiser satisfaction survey
- Update media kit with new statistics
- Plan special projects or investigations
- Host community meetup or event
- Review financial performance
- Adjust pricing and packages
Critical Success Metrics
Audience Metrics
- Daily website visitors
- Monthly page views
- Social media followers and engagement rate
- Newsletter open rate (target: 25%+)
- Email click-through rate (target: 3%+)
- Average time on site (target: 2+ minutes)
- Return visitor rate (target: 40%+)
Business Metrics
- Monthly revenue
- Number of active advertisers
- Average revenue per advertiser
- Customer acquisition cost
- Customer lifetime value
- Advertiser retention rate (target: 60%+)
- Profit margin
Content Metrics
- Articles published per day
- Events covered per week
- Video views
- Social shares per article
- Comments per article
- Most popular content categories
Essential Tools & Resources
Content Creation
- Smartphone with good camera
- Canva Pro (graphics)
- CapCut or InShot (video editing)
- Grammarly (editing)
- Google Docs (writing)
Publishing & Distribution
- WordPress (website)
- Mailchimp or Substack (newsletter)
- Buffer or Later (social scheduling)
- WhatsApp Business (messaging)
Business Management
- Google Workspace (email, docs, calendar)
- Trello or Asana (project management)
- Wave or QuickBooks (accounting)
- Google Sheets (tracking and analytics)
Analytics
- Google Analytics (website)
- Facebook Insights (social media)
- Mailchimp Analytics (email)
- Bitly (link tracking)
Red Flags to Avoid
Content Issues
- ❌ Publishing without fact-checking
- ❌ Copying content from other sources
- ❌ Ignoring corrections or complaints
- ❌ Biased or one-sided reporting
- ❌ Missing deadlines consistently
- ❌ Poor grammar and spelling
Business Issues
- ❌ Not invoicing advertisers on time
- ❌ Promising results you can't deliver
- ❌ Ignoring customer complaints
- ❌ Not tracking finances properly
- ❌ Spending more than you earn
- ❌ Not having written contracts
Community Issues
- ❌ Not responding to messages/comments
- ❌ Taking political sides publicly
- ❌ Ignoring community feedback
- ❌ Missing important local events
- ❌ Being inaccessible to community
- ❌ Losing trust through errors
Quick Tips for Success
- Consistency beats perfection - publish regularly, improve gradually
- Community first - always prioritize community needs over revenue
- Mobile-first - ensure everything works great on phones
- Speed matters - be first with local breaking news
- Relationships = revenue - invest time in personal connections
- Hyperlocal wins - cover the stories no one else covers
- Engage, don't broadcast - respond to every comment
- Show faces - feature local people constantly
- Be everywhere - attend every possible local event
- Stay ethical - never sacrifice credibility for money
Remember: Local media success is 80% consistency and community relationships, 20% technology and strategy. Show up every day, serve your community authentically, and the business will follow.
