From Our Founder: Be part of the change in Kenosha journalism; sponsor the Observer

KENOSHA ⏤ You may have noticed video ads popping up on the Uptown Observer website recently seeking people to sponsor our work.

Like the ones I’ve blatantly placed on this page as well.

This has been a soft signal from me that I am opening the door for sponsors.

Here’s the overt signal

The Observer website has gotten more than 4,700 views since I launched it at the end of January.

This includes more than 2,000 visitors to the site. The overwhelming majority of which are right here in Kenosha. However, we do, surprisingly, regularly have traffic from Ireland, Canada and the U.K.

Typically, a site of my kind will offer advertising at a cost of 10% of its monthly pageviews.

However, times are tough, so instead of the about $400 I’d charge by that formula, I’ve knocked it down a little for now.

I get the struggle. Trust me.

So how do you become a sponsor?

Decide to sponsor either a section ⏤ City News (city government and breaking news coverage), ‘What About Last Night’ (Kenosha music scene coverage) and From County Chambers (county government coverage and breaking news) ⏤ at $200 OR;
Decide to sponsor articles at $50;
Message me at dthompson@theuptownobserver.com;
And, from there, it’s a simple conversation, setting a start date, and once you have paid the amount you’ve chosen, your ad will start running.

What you get

At $200 per month:

An image or video of your choosing will be displayed with the words “This section sponsored by ….” above it. Your name can be a clickable link to whatever social profile or website you’d like people to learn more about your project, product or initiative.

This ad will remain directly below the main banner of the section, and will be seen by anyone who visits that section.

At $50 per month:

An image or video of your choosing will be displayed with the words “This article sponsored by ….” above it. Your name can be a clickable link to whatever social profile or website you’d like people to learn more about your project, product or initiative.

This ad will run with articles at least three times per week for a month ⏤ spread out on articles at different points throughout each week.

For an extra $100 on either option, I’ll also pin your sponsorship link/video/image to the top of the Observer Facebook page ⏤ which has reached upwards of 18,000 people in the last 28 days.

Added benefit: Convenience

I know how frustrating it can be for both parties in the advertising world when it comes to the red tape of changing an ad. In print journalism, there is nothing worse than either the wrong ad going out or a client wanting to make a change but being unable to because of deadlines.

Fortunately, you’ll never have to deal with either of those with me.

Support The Uptown Observer

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I’m here to serve you. Yes, I also have to make a living, but I don’t have to make a living by making your life more difficult.

Therefore, you have the ability to change your ad, the link on your ad and where it’s leading your prospective customers at any time.

As it’s all completely digital, it can be done ⏤ well, not literally at the drop of a hat, but the hat won’t sit long in the time it would take us to get a change made and up on the site.

Another added benefit: Being part of something new

The Uptown Observer is a new site, yes. But it is also an experiment.

It is an experiment to see if we, together, can create a better form of journalism that is both financially sustainable and that truly serves its community and prints the truth.

This video recaps the birth of The Uptown Observer following founder Daniel Thompson’s resignation from the Kenosha News in August 2020. Video by Daniel Thompson/The Uptown Observer.

And I need your help making sure this experiment succeeds.

Because maybe, if it does, it can change things beyond just Kenosha.

Again, if interested, please contact me at dthompson@theuptownobserver.com.

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