Happy Friday! Have you ever wondered how to launch a local newsletter or a media brand?

In 2020, Ryan Sneddon had 800 subscribers and an unfocused outdoor newsletter. Today, he reaches 21,000 readers (half of Annapolis's population!) with a 65% open rate - numbers that would make most media companies jealous.

But here's what's fascinating: when tragedy struck a local family, Ryan's audience rallied to raise $250K to save their home. That's the power of putting community first.

In today's newsletter:

• The exact playbook behind Naptown Scoop's growth from hobby to $320K/year local media empire

• How Eric Simon built the "Barstool Sports of Real Estate" with an unconventional content strategy

• Top-performing YouTube title formulas for 2025

• Rapid fire insights on scaling content, AI tools, and hiring strategies

Fun fact: Ryan hasn't spent a dollar on marketing in years, yet his subscriber count grows every week. Sometimes the best growth strategy is simply showing up.

Let's dive in.

— Andrew

Playbook

In August 2020, Ryan Sneddon was a mechanical engineer with an unfocused outdoor newsletter reaching 800 subscribers. Today, he's built Naptown Scoop into a $320K/year local media empire with:

• 21,000 newsletter subscribers (half of Annapolis's population)

• 65% email open rate

• 8.9% click-through rate

• Built lean team

The plot twist? When a local family lost their father in a tragic shooting, Ryan turned his audience into a force for good, raising $250K to save their home.

He focused on community first and monetization second.

THE BREAKTHROUGH 

After reading "A Whole New Mind" in college and discovering 6AM City's local newsletter, Ryan noticed something: While Annapolis had traditional media, no one was covering local development, events, and community stories in an engaging way.

THE CONTENT PLAYBOOK 

Ryan built his following through six core content pillars.

Ryan's team checks 50-55 websites twice daily, focusing on a strict 10-mile radius with three rules:

1. No politics

2. Limited crime coverage

3. Write at a 6th-grade level

His most engaging content:

• Restaurant openings (consistent performers)

• Live music listings (surprisingly viral)

• Development updates (high CTR)

• Weather alerts (engagement spikes)

• Community profiles (relationship builders)

His content philosophy: 

"Write at a sixth-grade level and make it personal," Ryan says.

"I go to every event I can. Concerts, festivals, boat shows - if it's happening, I'm there. The stories come from showing up."

THE GROWTH FRAMEWORK

Ryan's growth came in three distinct phases:

1. Initial Paid Push - from burning $1,500/month in his first six months, Ryan invested $21K of his $25K budget into Facebook ads, targeting women over 40 within a 10-mile radius.

2. Community Presence - the surprise? Live events outperformed paid acquisition. "On big weekends, we get hundreds of new subscribers just from being around town - concerts, fundraisers, boat shows. The value of meeting cool people beats any Facebook ad."

3. Social Scale - now, with 28K Instagram followers and hitting nearly 1M video views monthly, Ryan's shifted to organic growth through viral local content.

The turnaround? From losing money to $400/month profit in just two months. Today, they haven't spent on marketing in years, yet grow every week.

THE MONETIZATION MODEL

Ryan targets advertisers with high customer lifetime value, showing them simple ROI math:

"A $15K annual package is just 4-5 new tenants for an apartment complex charging $3K monthly rent."

His ideal advertiser profile:

• High-margin businesses ($2M+ transactions)

• Annual marketing budgets

• Values local brand building

• Needs ongoing community presence

THE TEAM FRAMEWORK

Ryan built lean with strategic contracts:

• Offshore assistant (full-time)

• Writers ($250-280/edition)

• Social media ($100/month)

• Commission-only sales

• Young video creator

His hiring philosophy?

"Pay freelancers above market rate for priority treatment. Pay quickly. Hire hungry."

THE LESSON 

"Local newsletters work best with local owners," Ryan says.

"People connect with people, not brands. I'm not just building a newsletter - I'm building community."

Want Ryan's full playbook? Watch our complete conversation with Ryan here.