Advertising, B2C, Newsletters

How the newsletter first model paid off for a local publisher

Alisa Cromer April 13, 2025

Newsletter ad sales are the most underutilized source of revenues for niche media companies.

Almost all have a newsletter, and 73 percent of niche media sell arvertising on it, according to the 2025 Niche Revenue Survey.

Fortunately, a few niche media are pushing the edges of how to price and packagae newsletter advertising for the highest values.

One is Justin Pardee, founder and publisher of 4-year old local newsletter, The Raincross Gazette, serving Riverside, California

His newsletter-first model for an an online-only newsetter is on track to generate sales of $375,000 this year – with an email list of about 10,000.

Here are some concepts he’s using to generate these top dollars:

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Categories: Advertising, B2C, Newsletters

An interview with Justin Pardee, Raincross Gazette

Justin Pardee, owner and publisher of The Raincross Gazette, has a Newsletter First revenue model, having only sold newsletter adverting until late 2024. This made him the top overperformer in newsletter advertising in the 2025 Niche Revenue Survey, and points the way for other media planning to grow their newsletter advertising.

Alisa Cromer January 13, 2025

Four publishers who turned newsletters into a core revenue stream

To turn newsletter revenues into 30% or more of company revenues requires a shift in thinking. These four publishers with major revenues from newsletters get three things right:

A. Content/frequency/audience B. Products, and C. Techstack

Four publishers who get these three factors right explained how they built their models.

Alisa Cromer July 2, 2025

Niche Revenue Benchmarks: Key Findings and Growth Opportunities

The 2025 Niche Revenue Benchmark report gives new metrics for rev@employee and title, plus the five top opportunities for niche publishers, and key tips from over-performers. Think you know niche media? This report will keep you up to date on where the industry is headed, with links to case studies on publishers who are overperforming. Leave with practical strategies to grow the most valuable revenue streams.

Alisa Cromer January 3, 2024

White paper: Recent research on the value of print advertising

How should niche media, dominated by magazine brands, talk to advertisers about the value of print?

It’s a tricky issue. On the one hand, print sales continue to decline in the face of reduced advertiser demand. Media brokers place almost no value on profitable print advertising sales. This white paper shows all the research you need, with sources and links to use.

Alisa Cromer January 1, 2024