Community News
Grant Initiative

Give your team superpowers

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Success stories

The grant

A 6-month partnership that will grow your readership, increase your digital engagement, and simplify your life.

  • $400 Cash
    Pay an intern, upgrade your IT, or just catch up on bills.
    ‍No strings attached.
  • Digital Engagement
    Your website, your newsletter, your Facebook, and more. We give you the technology and work on your behalf to grow reader reach & engagement.
  • Print mailing presort & retention
    Keep it simple -- use one system to manage print & digital readers! We'll run your mailings, including presort, labels, and USPS integration. Then we'll work to retain print & digital subscribers through email, letters, and postcards
  • Marketing & Guidance
    Seeing value from "digital" takes more than having a website; retaining print readers takes more than sending a single postcard. We're here to talk strategy, and then work on your behalf to grow and maintain your readership!

Fighting news deserts

Local news is vital to any region's health, but the tragic reality is that many towns and counties are struggling to support their historic community newspapers. Readers still want to stay informed, but the manner and mechanism of that engagement is changing faster than many papers can keep up.

Learn more about news deserts ❯ 

Common pitfalls

  • Not sure how to start
    Need to "figure out" digital/social? Worried about devaluing the print product by embracing digital? Our approach combines print, digital, and social into one comprehensive strategy that will grow readership and advertising.
  • DIY Approach with Complicated Tools
    You are not a mini New York Times; copying the tools & tactics of the big-city publications won't work for you! Our approach is one cohesive, easy-to-use system that works on your behalf to connect your content to your readers.

We're here to help

The Community News Grant Initiative is a 6-month partnership that will complement your print product and increase your value to readers and advertisers.

  • Find Readers
    Our marketing, social media, and user acquisition efforts will get new readers in the door. From there, your content does the rest!
  • Engage Readers
    People are eager to read your content, but it has to be on their terms. We learn the individual preferences and interests of your readers, and deliver your content when & how they want it.
  • Retain Readers
    Gone are the days when a single letter was sufficient! We work on your behalf to retain your readers through email, letters, postcards, and more.

What you get

Grantees will get a 6-month partnership including technology, guidance, and marketing. Entirely free and without obligation. All we ask is for a testimonial at the end, to help spread the word!

Technology

Workbench by LCP
Single, intuitive system
Public-facing website
Self-service tools for subscribers
Self-service tools for advertisers
Email newsletters, breaking news SMS, and Facebook integration
Print mailing presort, labels, and USPS forms/submission
Learn more  ❯ 

Guidance

Expert collaboration
Analysis of your print mailing list, looking for common problems
Review of your USPS postal costs and setup
Guidance on multi-channel ad packages and promos
Boost circulation with tactical discounts

Marketing

Getting the word out
Grow your email/newsletter list
Grow your SMS (breaking news) list
Grow your social media engagement
Turn engagement into advertising revenue!
Gain readers through a subscription drive, promos, or discounts

Results

A fresh outlook
A growing circulation list
(on average our partners increase their print circulation within the first 90 days!)
A high retention rate of both print & digital subscribers
(80 - 90% typical)
An eager email, SMS, and social media following, supplementing your print product & website
An intuitive website for your content and reader self-service
A managed print subscriber list, taking the work off your plate
Apply now   ❯

painless for your team

Your team's focus should be on your community; let us handle the busy-work! Our team will tackle the initial setup and much of the routine work from week to week. All you have to do is supply us with the editorial content and ads; we'll take it from there!

First 90 Days

Here's a few of the things you can expect during the first 90 days

  • We'll review your subscriber list(s) looking for potential issues (more common than you might think!)
  • We'll review your USPS statements & config, to unearth new savings
  • We'll design & customize a new editorial website for you, focused on intuitive self-service features for your readers
  • We'll grow your email list, to connect with your community in their inboxes
  • We'll grow your SMS list, to get breaking news out as it happens
  • We'll grow your social media following
  • We'll work to retain your existing subscribers when their renewal comes due

Each item listed above is what we do on your behalf. No effort required and no calendar of chores to remember!

The details: Who & When

  • Who can apply?
    This grant is currently open to community newspapers with a circulation of less than 10,000. We can work with subscriber or requester publications.
  • How does the application work?
    The application process is straight-forward! After you give us some basic info, we'll reach out to learn a bit about your community. We're looking for where we can do the most good!
  • When are grants awarded?
    Grants are reviewed in the order they are received, and will be awarded on a continual basis while spots remain available.
  • What terms apply?
    There is no cost & no obligation. You will receive free access to these services for the duration of the grant, and have the option to continue or forego those services at the end.
Reviewing applications now -- submit yours today!