Mainstreet Daily News

😎 Happy to announce that Mainstreet Daily News will be doubling its weekly print circulation at the end of October, distributing 20,000 free copies throughout Alachua County every Wednesday. 📰 🗞️ J.C. Derrick, the publisher of Mainstreet Daily News, stated that the aim has always been to expand into multiple print zones and enhance access to its award-winning local news. “We are thrilled to announce this latest step in Mainstreet’s development,” Derrick said. “Becoming the most widely circulated newspaper in North Central Florida is good for our readers, good for our advertisers, and good for Gainesville.” https://lnkd.in/eBDp-Y5d #GetStreetSmart #ConnectWithUs #MainstreetDailyNews #GainesvilleFL #MARCMediaGroup #MARCRadio #MARCDigitalSolutions

Congratulations to Ronnie Lovler, who was recently honored by the Florida Council On Aging for her work on our Aging Matters series! #journalism #localnews #seniors https://lnkd.in/eG2qXkQw

Congratulations to C.J. Gish, Seth Johnson and Glory Reitz, who all have finalist stories in the Florida Press Association's 2024 Weekly Newspaper Contest. We're looking forward to finding out where their stories placed at the Florida Media Conference next month! 🎉

We are grateful to have C.J. Gish as a part of our team!

Gainesville is bustling with more than just college sports excitement. Through the Google News Initiative Reader Revenue Lab, the team at Mainstreet Daily News successfully launched a membership program in December 2023 that’s scoring big with readers and meaningfully contributing to the organization’s bottom line. J.C. Derrick, Olivia Hanna and Jonathan Killian took Blue Engine's guidance to heart in building a robust membership model that is already outpacing monthly member acquisition targets by 26% and delivering a 4x increase in customer lifetime value. 💡Winning ideas: 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞-𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 – 𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐈.  The team developed and validated a membership concept through direct interviews with prospective members. Then, they used AI tools to sift through and analyze feedback, focusing on sentiment reflected by specific word choices. The AI sentiment analysis helped crystallize a compelling membership value proposition and suite of benefits that the team then edited for use in marketing messages. This approach led to better messaging and serious time savings. 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦, 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬.  The membership program was launched with full organizational support, and staff took turns writing email marketing and newsletter messages to promote the program, highlighting Mainstreet’s impactful journalism as a driving reason to support membership. As one member wrote, “You’re bringing back investigative journalism to Gainesville, and I want to support that by becoming a member.” 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭. The membership program is designed to reward monthly or annual sustaining contributors due to strong retention and a 4x higher customer lifetime value compared to one-time donors. It prominently lists the benefits of membership right at the outset. 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. The membership offer page is designed to do only one thing: get you through the membership payment process. Its prominent value proposition and price positioning nudge readers to a preferred option. View it in action here: https://lnkd.in/gjMDtJWS We’re so proud of the transformation of Mainstreet Daily News from a start-up to a digital-first leader! And we’re incredibly grateful for our coaches on this Lab: Lynne Brennen (Mainstreet’s coach), Dr. Ruth Betz, Fran Scarlett, and the Blue Engine support team. 

Thank you Ronnie Lovler for raising awareness about romance scams in this excellent article for the Gainesville, Fla., Mainstreet Daily News -- and including Carefull as a tool to help protect older adults from these scams. Carefull currently detects and alerts users to several types of transactions that can be signs that someone has been targeted by a romance scammer and will adding even more detections for romance scams. Florida Bankers Association #romancescams #scams #scamprevention #agetech https://lnkd.in/d92VppHR

Thanks to Mainstreet Daily News for featuring me in the great write-up on the new personal finance course in Alachua County Public Schools! The Florida Council on Economic Education is excited to work with local students and teachers to make each class a huge success! #personalfinance #education #financialeducation https://lnkd.in/epA4Djfm

Public-service journalism is critical to the health of a community, which is why Mainstreet is committed to it--but we can't do it without you. On Thursday, Mainstreet Daily News launched a brand-new membership program and the opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation to Mainstreet.

Looking for relaxing holiday dinner plans this year? Check out this article featuring Prime & Pearl and Spurrier's Gridiron Grille from Mainstreet Daily News!