Local businesses are the backbone of American communities. They create jobs, fuel entrepreneurship, and give neighborhoods their character. But getting discovered? That’s hard.
“Have you ever noticed how interesting the people who run local businesses are? They’re often the heart and soul of the towns and cities we love,” Noah Schroeder, Go-to-Market and Growth Strategy Manager at NewsBreak, says.
“And yet – as I know from personal experience – it takes more than hard work to make a small business a success. We built NewsBreak’s Local Business Spotlight program to bring great stories to NewsBreak readers, while also shining a light on awesome local businesses in hopes that people feel inspired to check them out.”
Local Business Spotlight is a free program that profiles locally owned businesses through in-depth articles shared with NewsBreak's 40 million monthly readers – especially people in the business's own community.
For Hello Uncle’s Michael Le, that community is Charlotte, North Carolina. His pop-up restaurants at wine bars and markets across the city are known for exciting menus that draw on his East Asian heritage. When NewsBreak published his story and sent a push notification for his next event, it sold out.
“We gained more than 200 instagram followers in the week after the article too, and people who don’t even follow the Instagram page are still reaching out searching for menus and pop-up dates months later. It’s definitely nice to see that kind of interaction,” Michael says.
To keep that momentum going, NewsBreak recently published a follow-up article on the pop-up.
Local Business Spotlight doesn’t just focus on new businesses. Some of Noah’s favorite Spotlights showcase stores and restaurants that have been around for decades.
“They don’t tend to get write-ups in fancy tourist guides or Chef of the Year nominations, but they’re just as important as the trendy outlets and deserve to have their stories told,” he says.
Timeless Toys has been an independent toy store in Chicago’s Lincoln Square since 1994, serving multiple generations of Chicagoans with unique classic toys and creative gifts.
"The NewsBreak article helped people recognize us in Lincoln Square, but its reach extended across Chicago," Scott Friedland, owner of Timeless Toys, says. "The effect was long-lasting too – people were still referring to the article months later, and our existing customers shared it as a reminder of why they enjoy supporting local shops. It came at a crucial time of year and really helped increase awareness and sales."
Telling people’s stories in their own words is part of what makes the Local Business Spotlight series so compelling. So far, more than 500 local business owners have worked with the program, generating:
- 76 million impressions
- 1.52 million views
- 12,000+ likes
- 19,000+ shares
The program continues to evolve. NewsBreak is streamlining the sign-up process and expanding what Local Business Spotlight offers – from follow-up articles featuring new menu items or seasonal promotions to localized push notifications that help businesses reach customers in their own neighborhoods.
Local business owners interested in sharing their story can Apply Here. We welcome applications from anywhere across the U.S. and any business category – from restaurants and stores to dentists and dance schools.
