How did our hyper-local website DownbeachBUZZ become the dominant influencer for Ventnor, Margate and Longport?
What tools do we use to run and manage the DownbeachBUZZ hyper-local news site?
Glad you asked.
Hard to believe. Been using WordPress for almost 20 years now. Since 2007.
For past two decades, we have sadly watched most of our predictions come true. Mainstream media is no longer the dominant influencer. Newspaper and Radio.
OPPORTUNITY: Here in the Atlantic City region, the local newspaper only publishes a print newspaper 3x per week. Not delivered, but mailed. Website is behind a paywall.
Current tech stack:
- WordPress 7.0
- Astra, Elementor, Gutenberg
- Mailerlite,
- StreamYard
- Some AI we use: Gemini, Notebook LM, Claude, Opus Clip, Eleven Labs, Descript.
- Hardware:
- Rodecaster Pro 2
- Windows 11
- Envato web cam
Key discovery items and best practices.
Hyper Local reporter, journalist, influencer, contributor should live in the community they cover.
Why? You think twice before hitting the publish button. Outsiders can easily throw haymakers from afar. Often with no consequences.
Living in community: you become much more measured, thoughtful, in coverage. You hear and see much more as a local.
Don’t get too cozy with politicians. Don’t become their PR agency.
Get better at current tools. Video. Editing. Audio. Photo. Imagery. Podcasting. SEO, AI.
