Building a Local Newsletter in Public

In this episode, TJ Larkin chats with Matt Deal, the creator of Eating Baltimore, a growing local newsletter focused on food, events, and community in the Baltimore area. With a background in financial newsletters and wine club marketing, Matt shares how he transitioned into building a hyperlocal media product from scratch.

Matt dives deep into his strategies for acquiring subscribers—like using Facebook ads, giveaways, and leveraging Beehive. He explains how he built a restaurant directory using Replit for only $6, sourced thousands of listings with Outscraper, and is now using SEO and backlink campaigns to drive traffic and monetization.

Listeners will gain actionable insights into building in public, testing content strategies, using local sentiment to drive engagement, and creatively pursuing revenue with limited resources. Matt’s transparency about subscriber growth, ad performance, and experimentation provides inspiration for anyone looking to build a local media brand.

Guest Info:

Website: https://eatingbaltimore.com

Twitter: https://x.com/realMattDiehl

#LocalNewsletters

#NewsletterGrowth

#EatingBaltimore

#IndieMedia

#NewsletterMarketing

#Replit

#DigitalMonetization

#BuildInPublic

#LocalSEO

#BootstrapStartup