Stuart Shuffman argues his model is highly replicable because local publishers can build deep trust that national brands can't. This trust makes it easier to sell ads directly to local businesses, who see their spending as both a marketing tool and a form of community patronage.
Related Insights
Local service businesses should use organic social media as a testing ground for ad creative. Post helpful, authentic content consistently. When a post naturally gains significant traction (e.g., 5-10k views), invest a small, targeted ad budget ($100-$500) to amplify that proven winner within a tight geographic radius to generate leads.
Instead of just running generic creative from national advertisers, 6AM City's team offers a white-glove service to rewrite and editorialize the copy with a local angle. They find that when they are allowed to tailor the message to their specific community readers, the ad's performance is almost guaranteed to be better than the original national version.
Instead of using traditional celebrity endorsements, Square's 'See You in the Neighborhood' campaign heroes its actual customers. This approach treats local business owners as influential figures in their own right, lending unparalleled authenticity and relevance to the campaign's storytelling.
To remain sustainable, the local media outlet combines direct ad sales, branded content, merchandise (coupon passports), and a Patreon membership. This multi-pronged approach provides stability and avoids over-reliance on a single, often volatile, revenue stream like programmatic advertising.
Square strategically shifted its core customer definition from the generic 'small business' to the more specific 'local business.' This subtle change allows the brand to anchor its identity in the community fabric its customers create, moving beyond simple company size to a shared ethos.
To build local trust, Coastline Academy complements sophisticated digital ad campaigns with grassroots community engagement, like sponsoring high school sports teams. This high-tech/low-tech dual approach builds authenticity where digital ads alone cannot, creating a strong local presence.
Stuart Shuffman built his brand by creating and hand-distributing a physical zine on consignment. This grassroots model established his authority and audience before digital platforms existed, showing that the core principles of influence are media-agnostic and rooted in hustle.
Instead of spending big on trendy mega-influencers, Gamma found success by scaling relationships with thousands of micro-influencers in niche, high-trust "echo chambers" like education. These smaller, authentic voices spread like wildfire within their communities, driving more effective growth.
Initially, 6AM City hired two editors per market. Over time, they discovered a more efficient model: empowering a single, autonomous local editor and centralizing all other operations (marketing, sales support, design). This streamlined the process, reduced overhead, and allowed the local editor to focus purely on creating a high-quality, localized product.