Who reads local newsletters?

When we started, I assumed this was for parents asking where to take the young kids. There's a decent amount of that, mostly in wealthier households where someone has more free time. But a family with mom and dad both working full time is probably too busy.

I've launched 20-plus local newsletters, and because we survey every one, I can say it with some confidence: the reader is almost always the same.

What do the surveys show?

My post-subscribe survey asks new readers about themselves right when they sign up, which is when people are most likely to fill it out. About half do. Across my brands, the pattern repeats:

• Gender: always 70 to 80% female. Always.
• Age, one Texas suburb brand: 65+ is 24%, 55+ is over 40%.
• Age, another market: 65+ was 46%, and over 70% were 55 or older.
• Homeownership: 50 to 70% is normal. 83% in one high-income area.
• Income: roughly 40 to 60% make over $100,000.

The short version I give people: 40 to 65 year old, upper-middle-class readers, primarily female. Lots of white-collar people and a lot of stay-at-home moms. In some markets it skews older than that. In one high-income suburb I'd have guessed the median age is 50 to 60.

"You normally think 60, 70-year-olds aren't good at email. I don't know if they are, but they subscribe. And they also engage really well."

How much buying power is on the list?

Here's what three different survey sets looked like:

Question	What came back
Own your home?	61% on one newer brand, 70% on a suburban brand, about 60% in an older partner market
Business owner?	17% to 27%
Make over $100K?	About half, close to 60% on the suburban brand
Have pets?	67% on the suburban brand
Buying or selling a home in 12 months?	7%
Interested in investing right now?	3%
Interested in any of the things we asked about?	98% picked at least one

On that newer brand, about half also gave us their phone number. A partner's newsletter in an older market had 5,800 people complete the survey, an 86% completion rate. Numbers like 67% pet owners mean you can send pet offers. Every answer is a marketing opportunity.

What do they want to read?

Events, by far. About 80% say events matter most. Restaurants are usually second. Older readers fit that: they have time, and they want to go to events in person.

"Do you know how much money senior citizens pay for things? How much time they have? They love to sit on Facebook, they love to click on things, and they want to go to events in person."

Won't they be tired of email?

You are not your audience. You probably get tons of business emails, tech newsletters and small business newsletters. Your readers don't. I don't care if they get 40 other newsletters. If they live in your town and care about it, yours should probably be the one they read most, and it probably will be.

What did that change for me?

1. I launched a senior-focused local brand. It passed 1,000 subscribers shortly after launch.
2. I changed who we pitch. Senior-focused businesses should be beating down our door. So should med spas, realtors, estate planners and custom home builders: businesses where one lead is worth a ton. I stopped assuming young families were the buyer audience, and I point ad reps at senior-focused advertisers first.

Should I assume my market looks the same?

No. Survey your own subscribers. The percentages have carried across my newsletters, but your town is your town. The survey right after signup is the cheapest way to know for a fact. More on that in when to survey new subscribers.