Monday, November 22, 2010
Hyperlocal can work
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/nov/22/hyperlocal-media-blogging
http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2010/news/tindle-bids-to-return-weekly-to-hyperlocal-roots/
Various opinions about whether hyperlocal publications can work have emerged from the various experiments.
At the end of the day some home truths have emerged. If the editorial is good local grassroots stuff, the kind of thing local papers are still stuffed with (rather than the bland churnalism of lightly resubbed press releases we sadly see in many local papers with shrinking staffs), then it will draw readers and work editorially. Getting that editorial on limited staffing is the hard bit, of course. But it can be done.
As long as that readership can be translated into enough commercial revenue to make the books balance it will also work commercially.
Hyperlocals offer a massive opportunity in bringing together more narrowly focused groups of readers for smaller scale advertisers to reach at lower cost. It’s the long tail of advertising the big boys can’t afford to tap into, or don’t want to because they can’t get the yields they need to keep their shareholders and creditors happy.
But for local groups without those monkeys on their backs it’s a real opportunity if they can make it work.
Labels: hyperlocal, newspapers
