Audience Size, Engagement Metrics, and List Health

What does it take to run a daily local newsletter in a big metro, completely solo? In this conversation, Nick Hageman of KC Daily walks through his journey from side project in between orthopedic surgery cases to full-time operator of a daily newsletter reaching tens of thousands of Kansas Citians. He talks openly about starting with someone else’s blueprint from NWA Daily, adapting it to Kansas City, and learning the hard way that different markets respond very differently to things like Reddit, Facebook groups, and local events coverage.

Nick and TJ dive into how KC Daily leverages Instagram as a discovery channel, including the “local viral” posts and simple video ideas that brought in thousands of followers, like a snow-shoveling “Super Bowl” reel and a Stranger Things–style skyline image. They discuss why those followers don’t always translate to engagement, how Nick measures success with Beehive segments and tracking links, and how tools like ManyChat help convert slow but cheap subscribers from social. You’ll also hear his thoughts on AI, why he deliberately uses very little of it, and how having a real local face still matters as trust in national media and automated content erodes.

If you’re trying to monetize local media, you’ll get a clear look at KC Daily’s business model: recurring newsletter advertisers with real marketing budgets, PR-firm relationships that turn into multi-client deals, a local dining discount card, and a small “fan club” for reader support. Nick shares how he gets on press release lists, how he follows up with performance metrics, and why simply showing up at media events has led to some of his biggest deals. 

To connect, find Nick Hageman on LinkedIn, subscribe to KC Daily at kcdaily.com, and follow @kcdaily on Instagram for daily Kansas City stories and experiments.

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