Urban Milwaukee Hit 13 Million Page Views!
Publication’s readership was up by 69% in 2020. How did we achieve this? Read on.
Growth.
Urban Milwaukee had a historic year in 2020. Its total readership grew by 69%, from 7.7 million page views to 13 million. Now that’s a news story.
We thought we had a pretty good year in 2019, when readership rose by 25%, but 2020 blew those numbers away.
And we expect continued readership growth in 2021.
Once a niche publication, Urban Milwaukee has grown into an online daily with more than 350,000 monthly readers and now publishing more than 70 stories and 100 press releases a week. We have become indispensable for those trying to follow city government, county government and local real estate. Not to mention coverage of the pandemic, racial justice protests, state government, dining and the arts and so much more.
At a time when the economic model for local journalism has been all but destroyed, and when publications across the country have declined or gone out of business, how has Urban Milwaukee grown so dramatically?
A simple answer: support from our readers.
Our growth in readership has been helped greatly by people signing up for our daily email presenting the latest stories. And folks, it’s free. So if you aren’t getting the email, you can sign up here. It’s the best way to keep up on the latest local news.
And our growth in the number and depth of stories published is a direct result of readers supporting us by becoming members. Our members are our lifeblood, enabling us to expand our staff and pay for more freelance stories. Even as the pandemic caused a decline in ads, we weathered the storm because so many readers became members. If you haven’t yet joined, you can sign up here.
We believe our tremendous growth has come because readers get something they can’t get anywhere else: a fiercely independent publication championing Milwaukee and urban solutions. We live in and love this city, and want to see it grow and improve and we believe our readers feel the same way. And because we think it’s so important that our stories are read by as many people as possible we have avoided a pay wall, instead asking readers to voluntarily become paying members. So if you’re a regular reader and haven’t done so, now’s your chance.
And by the way, the price for membership, of $99 a year or $9 a month, is far less than certain other local publications charge you. It amounts to less than 3 cents per story we publish. So why not become a member now?
Yes, there are other perks to membership, which are pretty cool and you’ll find itemized here. But at the heart of becoming member is a simple proposition: it you value Urban Milwaukee why wouldn’t you want to support it?
Glad to hear it. You guys just keep doing what you’re doing, as it is greatly appreciated by me and a whole lot of others.
Bruce and Jeramey are a great team.
Dan Wilson, let’s not forget Dave Ried. I remember quite well when Jeramey ad Dave started this endeavor. They were unique and special than and they are now.
This year, you became a part of my daily morning ritual – eventually I just had to become a member to support your dedication and your efforts to this city. I’m always impressed with how much coverage you provide. You’ve become a pivotal part of my work to become so much better acquainted with Milwaukee. Thank you so much!
Jeffjay is right, our hard-working publisher Dave Reid is a key part of the success of Urban Milwaukee, he does an amazing amount of stuff behind the scenes.
Beside the very well written and documented articles that Urban Milwaukee staff write, it regularly has articles from other local and State publications on topics that most often are not in the Journal/Sentinel. The excellent journalism that these outlets produce are impacted on a much wider audience due to Urban Milwaukee.
Many congratulations! Onward–