I just had to put my mobile phone in another room…

It’s something I often do if I need to get something important done (like writing to you).

Otherwise, the temptation to scroll through emails, messages, social media and music recommendations becomes too immense.

It’s not just that I’m trying to avoid distraction.

I’m also trying to avoid that feeling of mental overload that comes with exposure to the constant torrent of global news, speculation and scandal.

Within minutes of going online I will usually see snapshots of strange, worrying and horrific scenes…

Everything from wars, injustices and corruption to giant asteroids, plastic pollution, animal extinctions and new diseases.

And it never stops…

Minute after minute, hours after hour, day after day, the news keeps rolling in through our phones, computers, TVs and radios.

The vast majority of these stories come from places we’ve never been… written by people we don’t know…. about people we’ll never meet… regarding situations over which we have absolutely zero influence.

Which can be maddening and heartbreaking.

Because it makes us these passive receivers, who can do nothing but gawp and click, growing ever more uneasy and stressed, with no recourse to do anything about it.

An Answer to The Problem of Media Saturation Overload

In the USA, Don Grant, PhD, president of the Society for Media Psychology and Technology, has studied the effects of exposure to global news on the mental health of patients.

He believes that many of them are suffering from, as he puts it, “media saturation overload.”

Other experts have warned about “doomscrolling,” “headline anxiety,” and “headline stress disorder.”

Yet there’s another kind of news, right in front of our noses, which tends to get ignored in all the international noise and sensationalism.

It’s on a smaller, local scale…

For instance, the town, borough or region where you live…

Here’s where ordinary people do interesting things in our communities, far away from the madness of despots and billionaires.

And here’s where we tend to find much more positive news…

People organise events, make things, start small businesses, and campaign for change.

These are people we COULD feasibly get to meet and interact with (if we want to).

And when we read local stories, we actually DO have some agency.

For instance, we can go to a concert, visit a restaurant, take a tour, attend a meeting, take up a class, talk to the MP, join a society…

Yet local affairs often get squeezed out or drowned out in the flood of global news.

Which is why most of us know less about what’s happening on our own street than we do about the latest scandal in another country.

It’s not only an online problem.

Even offline, in the real world, there are fewer places in our towns and cities where people can meet, talk and share stories.

These are what sociologist Ray Oldenburg famously identified as ‘third places’ – spaces outside of home (first place) and work (second place) where people casually gather, like libraries, parks, pubs, and community centres.

For a while now, experts have warned about the decline of “local engagement” caused by the closure of these third places.

As we spend more time online and less time in these shared spaces our sense of belonging begins to fade.

But this doesn’t mean that people aren’t still craving a need to connect locally.

If anything, there’s MORE of a need for this than ever.

Which is why I’ve been so excited recently about the concept of rolling out hyper-local email newsletters.

This is a fledgling idea that has started to appear in the US.

For example, I wrote to you about Ryan Sneddon in Annapolis, whose town newsletter has become a word-of-mouth sensation, with 17,000 subscribers generating him £154,000 a year!

And I think this could be HUGE here in the UK for people willing to take action and get in now!

The Power of a Hyper Local Newsletter

I mean… just imagine creating a personal weekly digital e-letter that brings together the community and businesses, by sharing free news and information!

You wouldn’t need to attract a national audience, or deal with big news stories and complex themes.

Instead, you simply notice what’s going on at the church hall, the community centre, the high street shop or the local park.

For example…

• What events are coming up this weekend?
• Which businesses are opening?
• What’s new in the town?
• Who are the unsung heroes making things happen?

You could easily find this information online and offline, then put in a short digest each week.

What you’d be providing is something positive that actually improves the lives of the locals – helping them make new friends, go to more events and join special interest groups.

And it doesn’t take much effort…

Just one simple weekly email written in an informal, personal way (you can get AI to help edit and improve it if you lack confidence in writing).

You can gather readers quickly for free simply by telling everyone you know. In fact, you’ll find that most will do your marketing for you by recommending you to their friends and family.

Then you could also stick some cards and flyers in cafes, community centres, libraries and other places where people hang out.

So none of this requires a complex digital marketing campaign!

This is the beauty of going small!

And because email newsletters are so quick and easy to set up on digital platforms like systeme.io, this is something I believe that ANY of my readers could do without skills in tech, design or even writing.

Potentially it could be very profitable too…

My estimates are that a once-weekly local email newsletter could make AT LEAST £600 a month (with the real potential of scaling to £3,500+), from less than a couple of hours work per week.

If you’re interested in this idea, then I’m looking to train a small number of readers in this part time business idea, helping them launch a local email newsletter with my personal support.

Look out for an email from me on TOMORROW with more info.

But please act fast when you get it, as I’m only taking on a handful of subscribers at this stage!