The Chestnut Hill Local has been delivering in-depth coverage of life in Northwest Philadelphia since it was first founded in 1958. Since then, what began as a sporadic community newsletter has grown into an award-winning weekly newspaper. We also have expanded our reach, and now produce two newspapers, a quarterly magazine, two annual fun guides and social media coverage of the latest happenings.
Yet there has been a notable absence from this repertoire: The Local has never had an email newsletter. Until now.
Enter me, Maggie Dougherty, the new digital editor for the Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy Locals. Since I joined the team during the first week of August, I have been working to establish a more comprehensive and consistent social media presence, writing some stories, and, yes, putting together a newsletter…or should I say newsletters.
Starting this Thursday, you can check your inbox for our inaugural editions. To start, we’ll be emailing this new product to all our subscribers. Over time, we’ll be adding new names to our list – so please spread the word! All newcomers have to do is visit chestnuthilllocal.com and click “Newsletter Signup” at the top of the page.
Just as we produce two newspapers, one for Chestnut Hill and another for Mt. Airy, we also will produce two newsletters – one for each neighborhood. Delivered straight from my laptop to your inbox, these weekly newsletters will be catered to news and information specific to either Chestnut Hill or Mt. Airy.
We’ll begin with a roundup of the week’s biggest stories. Readers can choose to read those, or just browse the fun events and activities listed in and around the Northwest Philadelphia region. For subscribers, the newsletter also will serve as a reminder that the e-edition of the paper is posted and available.
We’re also hoping to include little pieces of news that wouldn’t rise to the level of a full story – a store opening or closing, for instance, or maybe a new restaurant that might be coming soon. This is where you, the reader, can be especially helpful. Please contact us with any tidbits of information you think belong in our “In Other News…” section – anything you think your neighbors might want to know about would qualify!
All of this will, of course, be entirely free to our subscribers. For those readers who aren’t yet subscribing, however, at least one of these articles will be available for free. For the rest, you’ll get a choice between paying to read just that one article for $1.50 or opting in for a year’s subscription. That’s easy enough to do – all you have to do is visit our website and click “subscribe” at the top of the home page!
And since we’re getting technologically fancy enough to be able to charge per article, we’ve decided to offer that option across our entire website. When purchasing an article, readers will be prompted to create an account and enter their payment information – something you’ll only have to do once. This way, you can revisit articles you’ve already purchased, and you won’t have to go through the payment steps each time you want to read something new. Our hope is that readers who sample our content this way will eventually decide they want to order a full subscription – and join our neighborly community of loyal readers.
We’re not, of course, forgetting about all our loyal advertisers in this initiative. These newsletters also will offer them another way to engage with you, our readers. Look for their creative advertisements, notices and sponsorships - all of which will help you keep up with what’s happening in our communities.
From learning how to build the newsletter’s format to organizing the lists of potential recipients, I’ve found this project to be an exciting challenge. I’m proud to help bring something new to what the Local can offer, and I’m eager to see how you all receive it. I sincerely hope you find it to be a great source of information about how to make the most of living where you do – and connect with your immediate community.
As we get this project off the ground, I expect there to be some bumps in the road, so please bear with us. I’m also open to any and all suggestions, comments, or questions about how it’s going – and how it could be better. All you have to do is send me an email at margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
