Potomac Local News turns 10, sees surge in subscribers

Independent news website grows to 110,000 monthly users, 3 million page views annually

As Potomac Local News turned 10 years old on June 10, 2020, the independent local news website has achieved multiple milestones.

Potomac Local News welcomed more than 70 new paid subscribers during June, bringing the total number of paid subscribers to nearly 600. June’s new subscription count represents the highest number of new subscribers to join the Potomac Local News community since the launch of our subscription program in January 2018.

The majority of the new subscribers chose the $65 annual plan over a $6 monthly plan, which provides subscribers with a savings of $13 annually. While everyone is permitted three free views per month on PotomacLocalNews.com, paid subscribers enjoy 100% access to content on the website.

Over the past three months, Potomac Local News has seen an increase in the number of paid subscribers in key neighborhoods in our coverage area, including Woodbridge, Manassas, Stafford, Dumfries, and Fredericksburg.

This growth is a clear indicator of a healthy, growing community of people who want trusted reporting, delivered to them in an easy-to-read format. We are humbled by the fact people are willing to pay to support local news in our community.

Potomac Local News remains committed to providing branding services to local businesses and non-profit organizations by helping them capture a coveted piece of the local market share. Advertisements on the site continue to be shown to both casual readers and paid subscribers.

To date, Potomac Local News has helped more than 400 local businesses develop branding plans that work to educate our community on the helpful products and services they offer.

Our key strategic branding partners include:

• The Fauquier Bank
• Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
• Mary Washington Healthcare
• Chick-fil-A Bristow
• JTC, Inc.

Not only has Potomac Local News seen an increase in subscribers, but the company has seen a surge in its number of email newsletter subscribers. Between April 1 and today, our company added more than 8,200 opt-in subscribers to our free email newsletter, bringing the total distribution to more than 11,700 subscribers.

The newsletter is a free product distributed each weekday morning, containing links to the most recent news and information posted to PotomacLocalNews.com. The newsletter also serves a leading success driver for our strategic branding partners, as Potomac Local News readers continually respond to advertisements seen inside of the newsletter.

In the coming months, be on the lookout for more targeted email newsletters that deliver timely community information on topics such as business, restaurants, recreation, healthcare, and neighborhood news.

The overall audience reach for Potomac Local News continues to show impressive growth.

• Pageviews  per month: 237,000, up from 130,000 a year ago
• Pageviews Annual 2.9 million, up from 1.6 million a year ago
• Users per month: 109,000… up from 67,000 a year ago

The increases come as Potomac Local News invested $5,000 in an improved website that allows for more content discovery, as well as new options for users to log in to post community events, and job postings.

I founded Potomac Local News in June 2010 to serve the community where I grew up, and to provide a much-needed local news resource, two years before the Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger (known in 2010 as News & Messenger) closed for business. Those newspapers — where I worked in both the newsroom and advertising department before its closure — served our communities for a combined 157 years.

We work hard every day to earn your trust, and your business, so that Potomac Local News may continue to provide the local news and information that is important to you and your family.