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Equipment Needed:
Just having an old typewriter that works is good enough. If you have a computer, with a good printer...that's even better, but not necessary.
If you will print out the copies yourself, you will need a stock of good legal sized paper.
How To Get Started:
You will need content for your newsletter. Talk to people, let them know what you are doing, and that if they have any news they would like to share with the community, you will be glad to publish it in your newsletter, free of charge! Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, parties, reunions, etc.
Go to the courthouse. Talk to the County Clerk..find out how to get public information for current interesting court cases in your area...write about these, or report the happenings in court from the previous day or week. Find out what is going on with your city government...this is public information. Report on it. Who is running in the next election? What new laws have passed, what are they voting on next week? This is news.
Call the school. Tell them what you are doing. Tell them you will be glad to publish community interest information for them. Did Susy Adams make it into "Who's Who of American High School Students?" This is community news...everyone in town has known Susy since she was born.
Finding content make take a little leg work and phone work...but you will always have plenty of it, if you work at it, and get the word out to the community that there is a FREE place to announce their news.
Where is the money?
Well, the first couple of issues...there isn't any money. You publish the newsletter, ask local businesses if they would mind if you leave several on their counter where their customers can pick them up for free. Most will say yes. Print up at least 200 copies of each issue. If you don't have a good printer, either take them to a place that has a self-serve copy machine, or take them to the copy shop. You might even strike a deal with the copy shop...you will publish their ad in each issue of your newsletter free, if they will make your copies free, or at least a very reduced rate.
After a couple of issues have gone by, and people have picked up your free newsletter from the businesses they trade with...and those business owners see that there is a community interest in what you have to say....then it is time to approach those business owners to see if they would be interested in advertising in your newsletter.
You can charge anywhere from $5-$25 per ad, depending on how popular the newsletter is. These ads are placed attractively around the borders of the newsletter. Each ad is about 1 and a half inches high by 1 inch wide. The ads along the top and bottom of the page can be bigger...and can cost more.
You can publish daily, every other day, twice a week, once a week, twice a month, monthly...whatever you are comfortable with.
If you have a typewriter, or a computer, your start-up cost should be between 10.00 (for paper) to 150.00 (If you didn't have a typewriter or computer in the first place).
