Patch & Broadstreet Bring New Revenue To Local News Publishers

Patch, the largest hyperlocal news platform in the U.S., is proud to announce its ‘The Local Network’ of sites is partnering with Broadstreet Ads to connect hundreds of independent news publishers to the broader digital advertising ecosystem. The partnership will help these publishers grow their revenue while giving national brands and advertisers access to premium independent publishers and audiences that have previously been out-of-reach of programmatic or scalable national channels.

“This partnership is really about solving for a systemic injustice in the advertising ecosystem in which small publishers who are doing valuable journalism at the local and hyperlocal levels are effectively cut off from the main flow of digital ad spend because of their size,” said Warren St.
John, the President of Patch. “By connecting our platform to the incredible network of trusted, high-quality local publishers Broadstreet has assembled over nearly a decade, we’re leveling the playing field for independent publishers while also giving our brand partners access to one of the last untilled fields in the digital publishing landscape.” Apply Here

Broadstreet is the ad platform of choice for hundreds of local news and magazine publishing groups, who use Broadstreet to create and serve direct-sold campaigns for their local advertisers. Founded by Kenny Katzgrau in 2012, Broadstreet serves several billion impressions a month to an audience of over 50 million. Broadstreet’s mission from the outset has been to give independent publishers the tools and support they need to run sustainable businesses. While direct sold local campaigns are and will continue to be the life-blood of these publishers, most have never had the option of supplementing their revenue through programmatic ad channels or national ad campaigns because of their small size.

“They’re effectively excluded because they focus on serving a single community really well.” said Kenny Katzgrau of Broadstreet.

As a single local news and information platform serving over 1000 neighborhoods, towns and cities across the U.S., Patch employs over 150 full-time reporters and works with hundreds of local creators and curators in communities across the U.S. Patch partners with national brands like Ring, Verizon, GoodRx, FTD, L.L. Bean and Fidelity, as well as major SSPs who run national and geo-targeted campaigns across Patch communities. Patch launched “The Local Network” in late 2021 to support independent publishers committed to the mission of local news by giving them access to Patch’s sales relationships and programmatic scale. Through The Local Network, Patch can extend its ability to reach quality and engaged audiences on behalf of its marketing partners.

“The fact that Broadstreet already has code on its publisher sites allows us to scale much more quickly,” said Drew Schutte, the Chief Commercial Officer of Patch. “And through Broadstreet, we can serve into existing placements without having to add new ad slots to publisher sites. We understand that publishers want the opportunity to generate more revenue without having to compromise on site experience for loyal audiences.”

Without access to programmatic backfill, over 300 million impressions go unfilled each month on independent publishers in the Broadstreet network, a significant lost opportunity that could strengthen independent local news publishers around the country.

“This isn’t a case of one programmatic partner replacing another,” said Schutte. “This is a case of incremental ad support where there was none. And the fact that these are highly-engaged, quality audiences segmented at the town level is potentially powerful for marketers looking for new, untapped opportunities to connect with customers.”

Over the next 10 weeks, The Local Network will hold workshops and bootcamps for independent publishers to educate them on the opportunity and to answer questions. Publishers or marketers interested in learning more can contact Jack Wagner, Executive Director at [email protected] or Drew Schutte, Chief Commercial Officer at [email protected].

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About Patch:

Patch is the largest hyperlocal news platform in the U.S. and a trusted source of breaking news and community news coverage for over 1200 neighborhoods, towns and cities across 50 states. Patch's 135 full-time journalists produce over 1000 local news posts per day, while platform features like local calendars, neighbor conversations, classifieds and business posts help keep millions of Americans connected to the communities they love.

About Broadstreet Ads:

Broadstreet is an award winning ad management and creative solution technology partner for over 2,000 sites, most of them independent local news and magazine publications. It's best in class technology allows publishers to efficiently pitch and deliver high-performing digital campaigns for local businesses. Broadstreet is well known for excellent customer service and scalable technology products that are easy to use and increase direct sales close rates.