In our 2021 Community Impact Report, the list of developments in Mainstreet’s first full year in operation ran quite long. This year, we’re pleased to present a list that is again long and builds on the foundation we laid in 2020 and 2021.
Do you want to know what is even more important than this list of accomplishments? The way the community has responded. Year over year, our website page views and sessions have more than doubled. Our organic search traffic surged 82%, while our unique users rose by more than 76%.
Our newsletter traffic has increased 134% — and newsletter subscribers have shot up more than 350% in the last 12 months.
Individual supporters and advertisers have also grown sharply in 2022, a critical sign that there’s a lot more than clicks behind those traffic numbers.
These extremely positive trends form a collective vote of confidence from the community for Mainstreet Daily News. We are working every day to earn your trust, and your response tells us that we are succeeding.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
J.C. Derrick
Publisher
Staffing up
The year began with Mainstreet adding longtime newspaper publisher Diane Kortus as a consultant. She helped us launch our print edition, then returned in September to handle regional and national sales. In May, Janalyn Peppel came on board, focusing initially on local sales and later adding a role as ad production manager.
Over the summer we added full-time reporter Taryn Ashby and freelance photographer Megan V. Winslow. In the fall we welcomed our first intern, UF student Lily Martin. And in December we brought on Olivia Hanna as an administrative assistant—although you will see her byline appearing as well.
We also added Eliyas Garcia as circulation manager, along with a team of carriers to deliver our new print edition.
New projects
- In February, we debuted our new Faith Spotlight series highlighting local faith leaders.
- In March, after multiple COVID-related delays, we launched our Newsmaker Interview Series with Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe at Santa Fe College. In April, our second event featured Florida Supreme Court Justice Jamie Grosshans.
- In June, we launched a brand-new website on WordPress, delivering faster page loads, better mobile viewing, and an improved search tool.
- Also in June, we rolled out a new events tool with tech partner CitySpark. It scrapes local websites for events, ensuring you don’t miss anything, while offering organizers the opportunity to boost an event’s visibility.
- Also in June, we began offering online obituaries in partnership with Legacy.com.
- Also in June, we launched a weekly print edition with 10,000 copies distributed at homes and businesses in Alachua County.
- In September, we announced a new partnership with Publix, our largest advertiser to date.
- In September and October, the Circulation Verification Council conducted a reader survey on our behalf. It found healthy demographic splits and high levels of reader engagement.
- In October, we qualified to begin publishing legal notices. The following month, we unveiled a new self-service tool with tech partner Column.
- In November, we published the first story in our new Aging Matters series, exploring the myriad issues and opportunities for local seniors.
- In December, we added volleyball to our All Area teams lineup, honoring small and big school girls, plus the top coaches.
Stories
- Mainstreet Daily News published more than 1,200 bylined stories in 2022—over 100 per month. That’s in addition to scores of news briefs on traffic accidents, crime and more.
- We published a long list of breaking news stories on topics including Hurricane Ian preparations, Gainesville zoning changes the UF presidential search, the Terrell Bradley story, local elections, local tragedies, business news, sports championships and much more.
- Click here to see Mainstreet’s top 10 news stories of the year.
- Click here to see Mainstreet’s top 12 feature stories of the year.
- Click here to see Mainstreet’s most-read stories of the year.
- Click here to see Mainstreet’s top sports events of the year.
What they are saying
You sent us more feedback than ever in 2022. It came in the form of comments on stories, emails, phone calls, texts, mailed letters, social media engagement, our reader survey, and even stopping our carriers to thank them for delivering the paper.
Here is a small sampling of that feedback:
“Finally a publication I can trust!”
— Reader Monica Griffis
“Mainstreet is a new voice of inclusion in the community, always on the scene to tell the story for all.”
—Gainesville Commissioner Cynthia Moore Chestnut
“Newberry is so grateful to have a new, fresh and unbiased paper in our community. Mainstreet Daily News’ commitment to covering all of Alachua County is amazing, and Newberry is excited to welcome them to our area!”
— Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe
Looking ahead
The future at Mainstreet Daily News is brighter than ever. Despite all the gains in 2022, we have more major projects and plans coming together for the new year. We remain focused on becoming the go-to source of news and information in North Central Florida, and we know we have more work to do in order to achieve that.
The good news is that the state of journalism in our community is in fact strong. We look forward to growing with you in 2023!