Tacos, elk sheds, and Facebook ads: How some local news sites saw their traffic spike

Nieman Lab reports on a trend among independent, for-profit local news sites: the ones growing their traffic are leaning into their community's distinctive identity. L.A. Taco grew fifty-one percent in May, driven partly by its annual Taco Madness tournament—but also by detailed voter guides for the city's June election. Energeticcity.ca, covering northeastern British Columbia, saw fifty-two percent growth in June; the site now buys Facebook ads to reach readers, since Meta banned Canadian news from the platform three years ago. The TRiiBE, focused on Chicago's Black community, spiked sixty-five percent in June on the strength of a profile of actor Cortez Smith. In Jackson Hole, Buckrail jumped ninety-six percent in April thanks to its tradition of deeply local April Fool's satire—some so specific to the region that community members still believe they're real. The common thread: each succeeds by being inseparable from its community's identity.

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