In this episode of Keep It Local, host Ryan Welton talks with Bethany Lane, revenue strategist at QCity Metro in Charlotte, N.C., and a Local Media Association Innovator of the Year.

Bethany shares how she helped the Black-owned digital publication grow from about 100 donors to record fundraising campaigns — all by getting comfortable with direct asks, using human-centered video and deeply understanding their audience.

They also dive into culturally specific fundraising strategies, overcoming the fear of unsubscribes and new frontiers like AI-read articles and community food festivals.

💡 Key takeaways

✅ Be direct — local journalism can’t survive on passive goodwill.

✅ Humor + human connection beat polished, generic pitches.

✅ Build campaigns around what your community actually values.

✅ Don’t fear unsubscribes; fear building a list of disengaged people.

✅ Think beyond stories: events, AI audio, and social experiments all fuel sustainability.