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Launched cannabis culture newspaper into stores - results here

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

Private Witt

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I own a cannabis media and music event hosting startup in Seattle and six days ago I placed an 8-page newspaper into 29 local stores from Tacoma to North of Seattle. Over the next few weeks, I will increase to 50. At that point, I will focus on the 2nd edition that will be published in early January and will go monthly at that point. I will move forward to having 100 store locations in Western Washington from the Canadian border all the way to Oregon. My state has around 550 stores so its limitless to the placement and I can also put in other types of businesses like record stores, tattoo shops, music venues, tourist locations, etc..

My goal was to launch the advertising to the industry in 2 to 4 weeks. I was shocked when the first cold email came in for advertising prices a few days later, than the second came and than third. If I can close these three deals I will be covering my costs and the fourth advertiser will be profit time.

Many think Im crazy for barking up a dying (some considered dead) medium but they do not understand the cannabis industry. Not only can I profit due to the fact there are over 2000 brands looking for marketing and a voice, but the paper becomes a platform for my music events that have the ability for incredibly high profit and creates a media cycle to promote many other projects I have inside the industry.

The next month I will be focusing on paper placement, marketing, advertising, attending events and creating my own events. At the end of the month, I will turn to content for the next edition while I juggle an incredible amount of hats, but happy to say my team both in and out of the industry is growing by the week.

You can check out the link in my signature for a thread about my business that focuses a lot on hosting music events. I still need to update what happened back since April and will get to in time but for now want this thread to focus on my newspaper development as I think it will be unique and once I get back to hosting rap shows in early 2020 I can update what happened from April to September as I had to make some pretty serious decisions at where I was at with my business and life, as it was not working and was able to execute a six month plan to near perfection, but in reality have so much to work on with both biz and life it seems like an endless journey that I just have to take day by day.
 
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Genius01

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Cool.
Sounds like an interesting, workable offline idea....in this age that everybody is trying to squeeze into the online market.
I think it has some good potential.
Will love to see how this unfolds.
Wish you all the best.
 

amp0193

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Amazing @Private Witt!

Build your own advertising platform, and then people pay you so you can advertise your own music events. Brilliant.

Sounds like this newspaper can grow legs.

I think there's lots of opportunity for stuff like this in spaces where online advertising is heavily restricted (guns, drugs)
 

Private Witt

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Cool.
Sounds like an interesting, workable offline idea....in this age that everybody is trying to squeeze into the online market.
I think it has some good potential.
Will love to see how this unfolds.
Wish you all the best.

I started this project online with a cannabis industry event coverage blog and feel have become a hybrid of sorts as still leverage online so much but also spend so much time in the real world. The biggest problem is the Seattle area is horrible to travel around so find myself locked inside for stretches and then go into the field in a military mode to get chit done and go home process and reaccess.
 
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Private Witt

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Amazing @Private Witt!

Build your own advertising platform, and then people pay you so you can advertise your own music events. Brilliant.

Sounds like this newspaper can grow legs.

I think there's lots of opportunity for stuff like this in spaces where online advertising is heavily restricted (guns, drugs)

Thanks man! I actually moved forward on this due to control. Not only did I want to control my own advertising abilities, but also was sick of waiting for other local-based medias to throw me a bone with coverage. I decided to cover myself. After I get a little traction on this I may have leverage my way straight onto my new competitor's front cover or Ill just launch a magazine as its just one step above a paper and think Ill have capabilities within 6 months. The good news I've tapped into the elite and think once I make a little more noise Ill find my way in their publications without kicking up dirt, will soon see as I run into these people once-in-awhile at events.

And I agree on the restricted advertising. Even I stopped trying to throw money at Facebook and Instagram due to their restrictions and I know many others in industry use their marketing dollars for print marketing, mostly magazines until I can close a bunch of deals for my paper.
 

Private Witt

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Things have gone completely insane the last week with my paper and business.
First off expanded to 39 stores. My goal is 50 by end of this month so Im easily on track and 100 by end of January which will be more than enough. There are 550ish stores in the state but 100 seems to be the benchmark for cannabis companies as a huge presence and I already feel a decent coverage with 39 stores from Olympia to North of Seattle. The 100 stores will run from the Canadian border to the Oregon Border on the major I5 corridor in Western Washington. Once have that done can move to Eastern Washington and set 250 store goal, but that is a 2ish year plan.

Its flying off the shelf in Tacoma and Olympia, but slower in Seattle, most likely to tech usage. Im learning so many little newspaper knowledge lessons and tricks as I go along.

Doors are now flying open at a much higher rate and Im getting more overall respect and kudos. The elite has invited me to approach for business deals and Im dropping over 100 offers in the next month with both the big swingers and also a ton of small and mid-level players.

I have a bunch of events in the works and once those drop things will be taken to the next level. Im very happy I didnt commit to launch monthly until the January edition as I needed this extra month to not only get the newspaper process down but also the never-ending business end.

The most ironic part of this whole experience is High Times just fired 13 Dope Magazine staff with rumors floating the magazine will stop going monthly and will try some fluff quarterly publication. Already have heard advertisers are pulling out as they know it will be crap like another mag they did to called Culture that was originally from Washington but now not local and took a huge dive.

So what was once a 5 deep strong field of publications in stores three years ago is down to three. Number one spot is a solid NW Leaf magazine which has franchises in a few states, Number two spot is now wide open between mine and another paper that launched out of Tacoma 4 months ago. My content is stronger as Im connected to the industry but they have a decent sized staff and other local papers so they are stronger with paper knowledge and stronger distribution network.

So there is a publication war coming and happy to say Im going to team up with the number 1 and 3 as we all collab and I will forge my way to number 1.

As for High Times. They are floundering but still have huge power and Im looking forward to flying down to LA soon to make a deal but not looking to sell out like so many others, Im looking to make deals with my future competitors and allow them to help me get to top of the chain.

Im also selling advertising and have set a goal of 25 advertisers with average of $250 sale to give me a 5k cash stream that would really help stabilize my finances and also bring on higher-level funding as I will be profitable and my ceiling is incredibly high and I do not believe in limits.
 
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BellaPippin

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Bonus value: the paper can be recycled into joints. Or at least one page.

2f0.png
 
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Boychamp

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I just wanted to say congrats! This is really awesome and definitely a good idea. I know SO many cannabis companies are struggling with where to spend marketing dollars - just two days ago I had a call with a gentleman who owns a company who was trying to find some "workaround" to advertise on FB/Insta. Excited to see where this goes for you!

Also, being down in Portland maybe I'll see it around here soon!
 

Private Witt

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Bonus value: the paper can be recycled into joints. Or at least one page.

2f0.png

Love your thinking. I had an idea to put a pack on joints on one of the pages for festivals and booths. Couldn't do in stores as the state laws kill cross-promoting. Would be sick to be able to make a page from real rolling papers.

I just wanted to say congrats! This is really awesome and definitely a good idea. I know SO many cannabis companies are struggling with where to spend marketing dollars - just two days ago I had a call with a gentleman who owns a company who was trying to find some "workaround" to advertise on FB/Insta. Excited to see where this goes for you!

Also, being down in Portland maybe I'll see it around here soon!

Thanks man!!! Its funny I worked so hard on workaround on FB, I just gave up but still have a page as good for the event functions and feel FB will lighten up. Instagram has been amazing for me as no problems but they do reject my sponsored posts and I just focus on a small feed to connect to local audience and also for local and national human resources purposes. I wont lie I suck at Instagram, but some of my co-conspirators, a good part of them 420 models, crush on it.

As for Portland my projection is by end of January. I have a great relationship with the NW Cannabis Club as did an event there and love the city in general. Vancouver, WA, will be a big target for me to and so close to Portland. The thing that is crazy about Portland is there are 200 stores, one for every 3500 residents, this is insane, in Seattle I think there are like 30 stores for like 700k residents.
 

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