Hardly any local journalism startup in Germany has received as much attention in recent years as RUMS from Münster. This didn’t just happen by chance – it’s also the result of smart marketing.

“We just need good stories, and people will come on their own.” Many journalists still believe this. Unfortunately, that’s no longer true – self-promotion is part of the job, especially for small, independent local newsrooms. Providing high-quality content remains the foundation; nothing works without it. But even the best content is useless if potential readers, subscribers, or members never see it. Distribution is just as important as the content itself. Online, local media are no longer competing only with other local outlets, as they once did at the newsstand, but with a wide range of content – often from entirely different fields. There are more and more options, but the day still has only 24 hours. That’s why it’s essential to stand out from the crowd.

About RUMS:

• RUMS was founded in 2020 to create a new local journalism offering for Münster. Its main product is a newsletter (called “Briefe” by RUMS), which is published twice a week and focuses intensively on a single topic each time.

• The offering is complemented by columns (every Sunday), website reports, discussion events, and podcasts.

• At the beginning of May, RUMS underwent a relaunch: from now on, its Briefe include not only in-depth analyses but also shorter, more timely news items, cartoons, and graphics.

• RUMS is ad-free and operates on a subscription model with a hard paywall. The standard subscription costs €10 per month.

• Currently, RUMS has around 2,000 subscribers.

This is how RUMS does marketing:

• RUMS focuses its marketing primarily on creating multiple touchpoints – opportunities for people in Münster to come into contact with RUMS.

• RUMS is active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, using social media mainly to build awareness and strengthen the brand, but also to target specific groups and individuals (for example, in Facebook groups). The editorial team mainly posts teasers for the Briefe and columns, but also shares smaller, timely news items. This approach is planned to be expanded further, including the production of exclusive social media content.

• On Facebook, RUMS also invests in paid reach (budget: €300–500 per month), with content being the key factor. According to RUMS co-founder Marc-Stefan Andres, ads themselves have never been particularly effective.

• Online events on topics that are widely discussed in the city are also considered (though not exclusively) a marketing tool. Moderated by the editorial team, participants can discuss with guests from politics and administration. These events are free and regularly attract up to 100 participants. The effort required is relatively low: “You basically just have to invite the guests and prepare a few questions,” says Marc-Stefan Andres, “but people develop a strong connection to us and recommend us further.”

• Last year, RUMS distributed around 80,000 flyers in Münster, both directly into mailboxes and at key locations. On their own, the flyers generated little measurable success in terms of new subscriptions. However, Marc-Stefan Andres believes it is still worthwhile: “You know it from yourself: you get something like this in your mailbox, glance at it, and throw it away – but somehow it sticks in your mind.”

• RUMS has editorial offices directly in Münster’s city center. Because the offices are on the ground floor, the windows are well-suited for self-promotion. At the same time, the newsroom serves as an event space and a meeting point for the city community.

• In December, RUMS ran its own booth at a Münster Christmas market. Merchandise was sold, and interviews were conducted with local non-profit organizations, who then drew attention to RUMS through their own channels.

• In January, RUMS entered a cooperation with the street magazine “draußen”. The magazine was allowed to reprint three RUMS reports for free, while RUMS was mentioned on the cover and inside the magazine. Additional collaborations exist with various journalism schools and universities.

• RUMS sponsors the girls’ soccer team of Borussia Münster, providing jerseys, hoodies, and a banner. This sponsorship aims not only to reach parents and strengthen RUMS’s presence in the city, but also to take a stand, since women’s football is largely ignored by other local media.

• RUMS maintains close contact with local influencers, gives talks at Rotary clubs, and invites them to its offices.

• Especially at its launch in 2020, press work was a key tool to gain wide attention. “The most effective marketing action by far was a report about us on Aktuelle Stunde on WDR television,” says Marc-Stefan Andres. “We reached many people we would never have reached otherwise.” Within a day of the report airing, around 200 people subscribed.

Lessons Learned:

• Individual successes of measures are not decisive: A single measure on its own rarely produces breakthrough, measurable results, even at RUMS. What matters much more is creating many different touchpoints. A useful guideline is Steady’s “3-by-5 rule”: you have to ask people 5 times for 5 percent of them to be willing to pay €5 per month.

• Personal contact is immensely important: It may not be marketing in the traditional sense, but every conversation at the Christmas market, every event, every personal email increases loyalty to the brand far more than any flyer or social media ad ever could. For community-centered approaches, building trust and loyalty is probably more important than any single marketing action – and it positively affects the next point.

• Encourage word-of-mouth: RUMS has found that recommendations from friends, acquaintances, or family are the most effective way to gain new subscriptions. Supporting this or actively prompting it can therefore be very worthwhile.

• Content is still king: And this applies in all areas. Pure Facebook ads are less effective than sponsored content, newsletters with relevant or exclusive content are shared more often, and engaging events attract larger audiences.

This case study first appeared in our beabee newsletter, where we share practical tips and guides on community journalism every month. Subscribe here: Sign up

Do you have your own experiences or use cases that we should include? Just send an email to svenja.schilling@correctiv.org.