Hometown newspapers are small businesses, just like the hardware store, the cafe, or the auto repair shop. They’re not just “media.” They’re employers, sponsors, storytellers, and neighbors, and their work ripples through every corner of the community.

This year, collaboration is a focus of ours at SaveYour.Town, and I want to talk about how newspapers and local businesses can truly work together. Both sides bring value. Your newspaper can be an incredible resource for your business, and your support helps keep local journalism strong.

Use Your Local Paper as a Valuable Resource

Share Your Press Releases 

Newspapers still do something better than almost anyone else: they get local information in front of local people. When you’ve got something to share—a new product, an event, a success story—send a press release to every paper you can: your hometown, nearby towns, and regional outlets.

A good advertising department won’t just print your story, they’ll help you build on it. They might mock up ads, stop by your business, or help turn that small piece of news into a bigger presence. Local stories and local advertising work hand in hand, keeping attention, dollars, and pride right where they belong: in your community.

If they don’t do this automatically, you can do it yourself: mockup your own ad and ask about it when carrying the press release.

Photos Make that the Newspaper Make Everyone Smile

In one small town, the local newspaper ran photos of everyone who bought a seat in the Save the Webster Theater fundraiser. People cut out their pictures, shared them, and proudly showed them off. That’s the magic of local journalism—it celebrates people, connects neighbors, and turns ordinary moments into community pride.

No social media algorithm can do that. Only someone who knows the people and the place can.
What could you do like that in your community?

Newspapers Fit in the New Way to Market

Marketing in newspapers used to be the way to reach your audience. Now, it’s part of a mix that includes social media, email newsletters, and websites. Successful newspapers have adapted; they’re publishing both online and in print, meeting readers where they are.

Your local paper might even offer digital ads, social media promotions, or direct marketing campaigns. Those “new ways” are built on the trust and relationships newspapers have earned over decades. Going digital doesn’t replace print—it expands your reach while keeping your connection local.

Collaboration, Not Just Ads

Your hometown paper already captures the heartbeat of your community—business updates, church events, reunions, and celebrations. Now’s the time to think about how to collaborate more deeply.

How can your business and your newspaper co-create campaigns, share stories, and build relationships that last? When you work together, everyone benefits. The stories are richer, the economy is stronger, and the sense of pride runs deeper.

Supporting your local newspaper is part of “shop local.” A town that values its local news invests in its own future. When local media lose revenue, you feel it—in fewer stories, less coverage, and fewer opportunities to connect. Supporting your paper means investing in your town’s voice—and your business benefits from that, too.

How Newspapers Can Be Better Local Businesses

Tell Your Own Story

Newspapers can strengthen their community connection by telling their own story. Don’t assume people know what you do—show them.

• Share the range of what you cover, from birthdays and sports to civic meetings.
• Introduce your team so readers can connect faces to bylines.
• Celebrate your achievements and update readers on what’s next.
• Use your website and social channels to share more stories beyond print.

Many of you already show up at council meetings, Friday night games, and ribbon cuttings. You share obituaries, honor rolls, and community milestones—let us know where to find those stories online, too.

Make It Easy to Work With You

A simple “Work With Us” webpage or one-sheet can make advertising easier for local businesses. Include who your readers are, which sections perform best, and when seasonal peaks happen. That turns your newspaper from “a place to buy ads” into “a partner that helps small businesses grow.”

Here’s what could go on that page or a simple one-sheet:

• Who reads your paper: top age ranges, key ZIP codes, and the most popular sections.
• When they read it: weekday vs. weekend audience.
• Which sections work best for which audiences: weekend features for families, sports for local fans, business page for professionals.
• Seasonal spikes: back-to-school, holidays, elections, big local events—so advertisers can time their campaigns.

Go Deeper with Small Businesses

Small businesses and newspapers need each other. Let’s move beyond “Do you want to buy an ad?” and instead ask, “How can we work together long-term?”

Try things like:

• Basic ad-planning sessions
  • Sit down with businesses and help them:
  • Define their ideal customer using your readership data.
  • Choose the right sections and days.
  • Set a realistic frequency so the message has time to work.
• “Track-with-us” packages Don’t just run ads—help track what happens. Include:
  • A clear call-to-action (bring in this coupon, scan this QR code, visit this URL).
  • A unique coupon, QR code, or URL for that campaign.
  • A simple tracking sheet or shared dashboard.
  • A short results review at the end: what worked, what didn’t, and what to try next.
• Reader surveys for advertisers. Run occasional sponsored questions like:
  • “Where do you shop for gifts?”
  • “Which restaurants do you visit most often?” This engages readers and gives advertisers insight they cannot get from a generic online dashboard.

These steps can turn newspapers from simple ad vendors into trusted community partners and problem-solvers.

 Shop local is even more important these days. And that includes your local newspaper.

You want to open a place to eat in your small town. Maybe a coffee shop, a little cafe, a bakery. You’ve been thinking about it for months, maybe years.

But you’re not sure if enough people will come. You don’t know what they’ll actually order. You’re not certain you can handle running it day after day.

Here’s how to find out before you spend serious money: borrow the community hall and start testing.

Try Wing Night Wednesdays (or make it your own)

At the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, a couple from a town of just a few hundred people mapped out their action on one of my postcards:

• Gather our crowd in our community hall for Wing Night Wednesdays
• Build connections to make plans for a successful business
• Take small steps: talk to community members and send invites

Before they left the conference, they’d texted someone about using the hall. By the next day, they had permission and had recruited friends to help make wings and invite others.

They’re testing whether their town wants a place to eat, and they’re doing it without buying equipment, signing a lease, or quitting their jobs.

What you learn

Running regular meetups at the community hall tells you things you can’t learn any other way:

Do people actually show up? You might think everyone wants a coffee shop, but will they come out on a Tuesday morning for Coffee and Pastries?

What do people want? You’re planning a lunch place, but you discover people keep asking if you’re open for breakfast.

What time works? You thought dinner would be big, but your town empties out at 6 PM because everyone’s at their kids’ activities.

Can you handle it? Cooking for 20 people once a week is different than running a daily operation. This lets you test your own capacity.

What does it actually cost? You’ll learn your food costs, your time investment, what you can charge, and whether the math works.

Who are your customers? Maybe you’re targeting families but it’s retired folks who show up consistently.

Build your base before you open

Here’s the bonus: everyone who comes to Wing Night Wednesdays is a potential customer when you do open. You’re not starting from zero trying to convince strangers to try your new place. You’ve already got relationships.

They know your food. They trust you. They’ve been rooting for you to make this happen.

Some of them might even invest or help when you’re ready to take the next step.

You don’t need much to start

Can’t afford a food truck or trailer? Don’t need one yet.

Most small towns have a community hall, church kitchen, or VFW post you can use. Some will let you use it for free or minimal cost, especially if you’re serving the community.

All you need is enough to make your test menu. Wings and fries. Coffee and muffins. Soup and sandwiches. Whatever you’re planning to serve.

Start monthly if weekly feels like too much. Start with just desserts and coffee if a full menu is overwhelming.

The point is to start small enough that you actually do it.

What if it doesn’t work?

Maybe you discover your town won’t support daily operations, but monthly gatherings work great. That’s valuable information before you invest in equipment and commit to overhead.

Maybe you learn people want breakfast, not lunch. Or they want a food truck at the farmer’s coop, not a sit-down restaurant. Now you can adjust your plan.

Maybe you realize you don’t want to do this every day. Better to learn that now.

Or maybe someone else in the group says “I’ve always wanted to do this” and you end up partnering or handing off the idea entirely.

None of these outcomes require you to lose money or make a commitment you can’t undo.

Start testing

You don’t need a business plan or a loan or perfect conditions. You need permission to use a kitchen and enough food for your first gathering.

Pick a date. Send some invites. Make some wings (or muffins, or soup, or whatever you’re planning to serve).

See who shows up. See what they order. See if you can handle it.

Then decide what comes next.

What’s your Wing Night Wednesday?