Case Study: Fredericksburg Free Press
BlueLena empowers Fredericksburg Free Press growth with strategy and tools
Background Launched in the spring of 2024, the Fredericksburg Free Press (FFP) was founded “on the principle that local, independent journalism builds social cohesion, encourages community participation in the political process, improves the efficiency and decision-making of local government, and promotes economic development, the arts, and social welfare in the…
Keep readingCase Study: Montclair Local
Montclair Local’s Growth Journey with BlueLena
Background Montclair Local, a nonprofit newsroom based in Montclair, New Jersey, and a proud member of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), joined the BlueLena community in January 2024. In less than a year, the organization has achieved impressive growth: a 28% increase in newsletter subscribers and a 19% growth…
Keep readingCase Study: Cardinal News
Cardinal News Accelerates Growth with BlueLena Partnership
Background Launched in the summer of 2021, Cardinal News is an independent, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to in-depth, nonpartisan reporting on issues in Southwest and Southside Virginia – regions historically underserved by traditional media. With a lean team and a mission-driven approach, Cardinal News relies on reader support to sustain its…
Keep readingCase Study: End-of-Year Campaigning
Five Publisher Insights from End-of-Year Campaigning
The most successful campaign highlights how you showed up for your community In previous years’ end-of-year campaigns, the Indianola Independent Advocate had not used messaging that referenced specific stories or reporters, opting for a more general approach to their campaigns. This year, they chose to try our new AI-assisted campaigns,…
Keep readingCase Study: Richland Source
How Richland Source Transformed Its Member Experience
Richland Source’s innovative overhaul of its membership program resulted in monumental newsletter list and membership growth, and kicked off a new chapter of long-term sustainability after a decade of serving North Central Ohio with independent journalism. Partnering with industry experts BlueLena and Blue Engine Collaborative, Richland Source focused on optimizing…
Keep readingCase Study: Spotlight Delaware
Spotlight Delaware: Elevating Local Journalism in Delaware
Spotlight Delaware celebrated its official launch on Monday, March 1, with a newly designed website, a base of community-informed and action-oriented news, a weekly newsletter curated by editor Jacob Owens — and more to come, including community events and a members-only newsletter. Spotlight Delaware is the flagship initiative of the…
Keep readingCase Study: Mirror Indy
Mirror Indy, AJP’s latest project, surpasses fundraising goal on launch day, backed by BlueLena services
Mirror Indy celebrated its launch on Tuesday, December 5, debuting a newly designed website, a robust collection of in-depth, community-informed news serving Hoosiers, a daily newsletter — and more to come. The rollout is the culmination of an exciting partnership between Mirror Indy’s experienced team, BlueLena, the American Journalism Project…
Keep readingCase Study: End-of-Year Campaigning
Our News Is Growing: End-of-Year 2023 Performance
Clicks, conversions and monthly revenue averages are the metrics to look for in your end-of-year reader revenue campaign analysis.
Case Study: Isthmus
How a reader revenue strategy rebooted Isthmus, Madison’s alternative newspaper
When the pandemic threatened the closure of Madison, Wisconsin’s alternative newspaper, Isthmus, a subset of the staff mobilized, publishing online and quickly launching a reader donation program that generated thousands of dollars within its first few weeks. Now, in 2023, Isthmus operates as a nonprofit, offers a membership program to…
Case Study: BlueLena Clients
How Net Promoter Scores can help news organizations measure reader satisfaction
Publications that collect net promoter scores regularly are able to measure reader satisfaction over time, and there could be opportunities to see how the scores change based on where a reader is in the audience funnel. For a publication’s supporters, an NPS survey can identify brand advocates and readers in…
Case Study: Newspack (Partnership)
How BlueLena increased email signup rates by 61% on Newspack sites
When building email signup popups on the Newspack platform, publishers can include options for readers to sign in with Google or log into an existing account through the modal. A simplified approach where a reader’s only choice is to enter an email and submit the form is also available. A/B…
Case Study: BlueLena Clients
What 7,500 news readers say about supporting and engaging with newsrooms
Surveys are a powerful audience listening tool for newsrooms, allowing journalists to better understand what readers are thinking, helping to plan coverage, messaging and new products more effectively. As part of BlueLena’s support of newsrooms across the United States, an 11-question reader survey is typically deployed to existing readers, and…
Case Study: Springfield Daily Citizen
BlueLena fueled the Springfield Daily Citizen’s successful launch
Originally published in Editor & Publisher (Saturday, March 4, 2023) – The challenges are many when launching a new local, nonprofit news outlet, especially in the current newspaper industry climate. Deciding to be a digital-only news source with a hard registration wall meant the Springfield (Missouri) Daily Citizen had to rely…
Case Study: Lookout Santa Cruz
Journalism has impact. So do business models
In November 2020, Lookout Santa Cruz was launched with a singular mission: to “make Santa Cruz County a better place for all who live here.” Six months later, the pure digital brand startup boasts more than 11,500 newsletter subscribers and a paid membership program that has thus far exceeded its initial growth projections.…
Case Study: INDY Week
How BlueLena helped INDY Week launch a robust membership program
A streamlined approach to tech helped INDY Week’s reader membership program bring in over $150,000 in one year. Here’s how your online publication can replicate it. Steph Zimmerman, January 15, 2021 (Original article from MetroPublisher.com viewable here) This spring, many publishers were financially reeling from the effects of the coronavirus…
Case Study: Shawnee Mission Post
How the Shawnee Mission Post tripled its paid subscriber growth rate
By Alex Wagner | The Byline (republished from Pico) Roughly a decade ago, when Jay Senter and Julia Westhoff moved back to their hometown in Kansas, they noticed the metro area news sources were providing no consistent coverage of local government and schools where they lived in northeast Johnson County. Senter and…
Case Study: The American Prospect
How the American Prospect grew its revenue and site traffic without losing site of its…
Steph Zimmerman, October 12, 2020 (Original article from MetroPublisher.com is viewable here) The American Prospect has been busy. Within the past two years, the team at the progressive political magazine switched publishing platforms and launched a brand new reader membership program. Updating software and leaning more on reader-driven revenue has…