Chattanooga Times Free Press helps readers decide what to eat next with paid newsletter initiative

This is a series on Better News to a) showcase innovative/experimental ideas that emerge from the Knight-Lenfest Newsroom Initiative and b) share replicable tactics that benefit the news industry as a whole. 

This “win” comes from Alison Gerber, editor; Tierra Hayes, digital and engagement editor; and Mark Jones, vice president of marketing and operations; all of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, which participated in the 2019-20 Poynter Table Stakes cohort and the American Press Institute-News Product Alliance product development sprint in 2023.

Question: What problem were you trying to solve, and why was that problem strategically important to your organization?

Answer: For years, we published a weekly food newsletter called Savor. It was staid, monotonous and unremarkable. It was the newsletter version of a Wednesday food section in a legacy print paper — with lots of recipes and predictable stories about topics like what to do with blueberries now that it’s blueberry season. 

Chattanooga has a small but vibrant and growing restaurant scene and a food culture we were not reflecting or doing justice to in the newsletter. No other news outlet in Chattanooga was adequately covering food, either. 

We knew Chattanoogans wanted quality information about the innovative, buzzy food scene. Most importantly, we knew people wanted news that would be useful to local food lovers. 

We created a newsletter called What to Eat Next. We hoped this new product would attract people who were not currently reading our newspaper. The goal is to get them to subscribe to the newsletter or, even better, subscribe to the paper. We figured food could be a good introductory topic. 

Q: How did you go about solving the problem?

A: Our newsroom, marketing team and digital team collaborated on the creation of the new product. 

We surveyed 120 readers and interviewed 10 of them to get feedback on how they’d like to consume food news and what they’d like covered. We hosted a roundtable and invited chefs and restaurant owners to the newsroom to give feedback on the restaurant scene and the challenges their industry faces. 

Andre James outside the Scenic City EggFest, where he competed in a Big Green Egg cooking challenge. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

Most importantly, we created a new position — a full-time food writer — and hired Andre James. Andre didn’t go to journalism school, but he had years of experience as a line cook,  he knows food and he is a gifted writer with a unique voice. He brought other, invaluable experience, too: He was a judge for the Southeast region of the 2023 James Beard Awards.

Andre writes about Chattanooga’s iconic spots and trendy new places; one day he’ll write about expensive oysters flown in from PEI and the next day the best gas station chicken. His coverage helps readers make informed decisions about where to eat and how to spend their time and money.

With the launch of the newsletter What to Eat Next, we also began producing  food videos and Andre worked on engaging with the food community here.

Q: What worked?

A: Our content strategy worked well. Currently, 1,157 people receive the newsletter, and Andre has become one of our top performers. We use API’s Metrics for News program, and in 2023, Andre ranked No. 1 for growing online audiences and No. 4 for engaging local readers — despite the fact that he did not start until May 2023. What to Eat Next stories converted 62 readers since we started the newsletter.

Our new What to Eat Next Instagram page has grown to 857 followers in six months — all organic growth.

We emailed the existing Savor audience of 5,000 and offered them an opportunity to convert to the new newsletter. We also promoted the new newsletter to our existing readers via email and 1,000 of them signed up. We used the API grant to pay for Instagram marketing. We are planning another email to existing subscribers. We will also be active participants in Chattanooga Food Week this year, which runs from April through November.

Q: What didn’t work?

A:  Using the newsletter to attract people to the daily paper proved more successful than offering a stand-alone newsletter. The most important part of this was changing how we covered food, and we thought the newsletter would be the most direct way of reaching people. Our previous newsletter needed improving, so we completely rebuilt it, but we found the greater value was in the revamped coverage.

Q: What happened that you didn’t expect?

A: We started out hoping to get paid digital subscribers to opt-in to the newsletter for an additional $4.95 per month, but we later shifted to marketing digital subscriptions to newsletter subscribers.As it turned out, more people subscribed to the full newspaper off Andre’s stories than to the newsletter only. 

The newsletter is included as part of our print and digital access subscriptions, and we offer an introductory rate to new subscribers who come through the newsletter. We still are offering the $4.95 newsletter-only rate, as well (that meter kicks in when people hit the paywall off food stories). However we’re not aggressively pushing individual newsletter sign-ups. 

Andre has quickly become well-known and recognized in our community. He does an “Ask Andre” segment every week in the newsletter and has no shortage of questions from readers. He gets invited to participate in community events. He’s served as a judge of a barbecue contest and a contestant in a Big Green Egg cooking contest, and he is currently “in training” for a hot dog eating contest in which he was invited to participate.

Andre James, far left, talks to other participants at Scenic City EggFest, where he competed in a Big Green Egg cooking challenge. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

Q: What advice would you give to others who try to do this?

A: If you’re planning to start a new newsletter, the most important step is to find the right writer. Andre is a skilled writer but he’s also passionate about food. His voice and writing style are the biggest contributors to the newsletter’s success. 

Also, pay attention to the branding. What to Eat Next has a consistent look and feel whether it’s the newsletter, the Instagram account or the marketing materials. 

Q: What’s next for this work?

A:  We recently formed a partnership with Chattanooga Food Week. We will partner to host seven food events throughout 2024, culminating in Chattanooga’s inaugural food week. We believe this will showcase the newsletter and Andre, as well as prompt people to participate in Food Week. These events will allow us to promote Andre and What to Eat Next directly with attendees, as well as provide names and emails for lead generation efforts for continued marketing of What to Eat Next and the Times Free Press.