How we built a fully automated referral program without using code
You don’t need to find a developer or spend thousands of dollars to build a referral program for your company’s product.
Featured Content
A look inside our Partnership Feedback Survey and how it’s helping our renewal rates
We’ve started sending out a Partnership Feedback Survey to our paying advertisers because we want to hear what it takes to have our Client Renewal Rate go up, and it’s been a success based on 5 reasons.
More than making coffee runs: How to build a quality internship program
Read about the best practices we provide when it comes to finding a good hire, creating a meaningful workflow, having an open communication channel + more.
How 6AM City created a company-wide mentorship program for new hires that actually works
Our Mentorship Program is built on a foundation of company values, allowing us to expand to become the most relevant local media platform in the US by 2022.
The non-negotiables of a thriving remote workforce
As we’re expanding to more locations each year, we’ve stuck to what we believe are 4 non-negotiables in order to create a thriving company culture.
How 6AM City reinvented the classifieds
Prehistoric classified ads needed a facelift and that’s where we came in – introducing a new look (aka an online platform) of Digs, Jobs, and Event Listings.
Prediction: The future of newsletters
Our Growth Manager put thoughts down around an idea for the future of (email) newsletters. Hint: He doesn’t think we will continue to consume and digest newsletters within the email itself.
How we informed our audience about CAT3 Hurricane Dorian through hyper-local Instagram updates
When a storm threat is equally uncertain as it is menacing, CHStoday used Instagram to lighten the mood, get out important updates, and report with a 2-person team.
Lessons from the Online News Association Conference (#ONA19) in New Orleans
The lessons an AVLtoday editor brought back for our team – including tips for working remotely, establishing a commenting policy + creating our own editorial experiments.
RALtoday: Launching October 2019
It’s not by mere chance that we expanded to Raleigh. Hear from COO Ryan Heafy on why we chose the area for our seventh market and what launch mode looks like for us.
What we’ve learned creating our company Playbook over the last 3 years
We’ve worked hard to document what we do here at 6AM City. As we scaled, this became vital. Along the way, we learned five important lessons while creating the 6AM City Playbook.
How we built a scalable network of local newsletters at 6AM City
Amassing 18,000,000+ newsletters read, 175,000+ subscribers, 725,000+ total audience is something we’re proud of, but, the 200k+ monthly engagements (comments, likes, and shares), 300+ daily feedback emails, and over 100 active monthly advertisers is what makes us think we’re on the right path and ready to keep growing.
In the News
Best of Columbia 2020: Local Media
COLAtoday was voted for “Best Local Instagram” and runner up for “Best Local Website – News.”
Why Brands Should Use Hyperlocal Influencer Marketing
Co-founder Ryan Heafy shares how 6AM’s brand loyalty is stronger on a local level, creating better engagement, and outperforming national marketing and advertising efforts by as much as four times.
Success Story: 6AM City hits 1,000 supporters in a single day on Givebutter to keep local media alive
When COVID-19 hit, 6AM City saw an opportunity to test out a fundraising campaign. The result included 1,000 supporters giving $40,000.
How Building a Black Hawk Relates to Running a Startup
Co-Founder Ryan Heafy speaks on The Startup Story about how his experience in manufacturing Black Hawk helicopters prepared him for leading 6AM through a pandemic disruption.
Why the email newsletter is 2020’s MVP format
6AM connects with their readers and builds loyalty by establishing and maintaining trust through daily newsletters.
The Newsletter Boom is Back (Again)
6AM City was listed in Traffic Magazine’s feature on the 50 great emails you need in your inbox.
This media company scaled ad-supported newsletters to 7 cities
Tune in to The Business of Content podcast, hosted by Simon Owens, to hear from Co-Founder + CEO Ryan Johnston on the idea that helped launch 6AM City, strategies that monetize our newsletters, and how we crowdsource content through audience engagement.
6AM City Newsletter Spotlight
Not a Newsletter features how 6AM had their highest grossing revenue month in April 2020, despite the pandemic, and how working with Media Mobilize has allowed them to monetize a newsletter from day one.
How 6AM City Is Rethinking Digital Media at a Local Level
Hear from Co-Founder + COO Ryan Heafy talk about why local curated newsletters are the way to go. Modeling theSkimm’s great approach to communicate with their audience, they built out a model that works on a local level.
#StartupsEverywhere profile: Ryan Heafy, Co-Founder and COO
6AM has a strong investor network and entrepreneurial ecosystem that’s been building for the last decade, including VentureSouth, SCRA, and NEXT. With the right support structure and policies that assist startups, they’ve been able to thrive.
South Carolina Top Workplaces
6AM City was recognized as #4 in South Carolina Top Workplaces for 2020, winning the New Ideas award for encouraging innovation in the workplace.
Axios Media Trends
6AM City continues to plan for growth this year and is on track to meet its goals during the coronavirus crisis, while legacy media brands like McClachy struggle to succeed in local media.
