I believe transparency is important. Since I first launched The Southern Scoop on July 1, I have been blown away by the support and encouragement from people across Western North Carolina. I launched the Southern Scoop to provide quality, real-time news as it becomes available. Not because I don’t think there is value in print, I absolutely do, however, there are instances to where news needs to be released immediately, and waiting for the next print publication would mean by the time you heard the news, it would be too late. A perfect example of this would be last night’s reporting on the COVID19 situation within Macon County Schools. I reported on it in real-time while the next print publication isn’t scheduled until tomorrow.
Over the last seven days, the website has averaged 570 daily users. Google Analytics shows that the majority of readers are located in Franklin followed by Sylva, Nashville, Atlanta, and Asheville. In the last week, nearly half of the visitors to the website were recorded as new users.
The newsletter, which is emailed to readers three times a week, continues to grow each day. The newsletter growth is slow, but steady and allows readers to receive the headlines directly to their inbox rather than relying on Facebook to put an article in their newsfeed. The open rate for the emails is above average, something I am extremely proud of.
I say all this to remind you that I am working to build The Southern Scoop to serve as YOUR source of community news. That is why I ask weekly what ideas or articles I can research for you, things I always follow through on. While I work to build the site, I am also working to build the revenue needed to keep the Southern Scoop sustainable.
I have made the decision to keep advertising on the website very limited as to not overpower the news. Rather than focusing on filling as space to maximize profits, I want to keep it minuscule to preserve the quality of reader experience, while keeping in mind it has to be financially sustainable. If you are interested in advertising your business or event, I would love to talk to you more about that.
If you would like to support The Southern Scoop as an individual, I have made it possible for you to that as well. If you want to support The Southern Scoop’s mission of providing quality, daily, up-to-date news and information, consider donating to the Patreon Account today by clicking HERE.
I promise not to constantly harass readers for advertising or financial contributions. My hope is for it to be organic and something readers can find value in on their own. If you have any questions, comments, or want to reach me directly about anything at all, please feel free to do so by emailing me at editor@thesouthernscoopnews.com.
As always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me live out my dream!
Brittney Lofthouse
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