Ballot Case Studies Second Street Awards

The Best of the 2024 ‘Best Of’ Ballots

by Julie Foley Second Street

Best of Illinois Valley

Shaw Media

Best ‘Best Of’ Ballot: Small Market Second Street Award Winner

In 2023, Shaw Media’s Readers Choice/Listeners Choice program generated $60,000 in print and $4,100 in radio. In 2024, they decided to make some changes to their programs, and they reached out to Julie Foley and Matt Hummert for help, and the Best of Illinois Valley was born. They created a 3-phase regional Best Of program that, in year one, shattered expectations across the board and has become household brand within the community.

Check out the full case study!

Highlights:

  • $166K in revenue
  • 177% YOY revenue growth
  • 2,000+ opt-ins for market newsletters
  • Created a replicable program that has proven successful in other markets

 

Best of the Best

Chattanooga Times Free Press | Wehco Media

Best ‘Best Of’ Ballot: Mid-Size Market Second Street Award Winner

In 2024, the Chattanooga Times Free Press team incorporated branded content into sales packages and their Best Of produced book. They took the leap from a newsprint tab with a high glossy cover to a complete high-end magazine with branded content stories available for purchase, and their audience loved it! They were able to secure over 2,000 opt-ins each for their 4 different email lists and $845,000 in revenue from Best Of sales packages and event sponsorship sales.

Highlights:

  • $845K in total revenue
  • Nearly 200,000 votes cast
  • 2,000 opt-ins for EACH of their 4 different email lists

 

TribLIVE Best of the Best

Trib Total Media

Best ‘Best Of’ Ballot: Large Market Second Street Award Winner

The TribLive team made some changes to their program this year that really allowed them to smash their goals. They decided to offer a Mega Package where advertisers committed to purchasing packages for each round, if they advanced, at the 2023 rate, therefore avoiding the 2024 rate increase. They also decided to inform their winners of their winning status during the special section sales phase, which led to a $25,000 increase in special section packages over 2023. Overall, their 2024 Best of program revenue was $395,000 which is nearly $41,000 over 2023. In addition, their team sold 544 total packages, 33 more than 2023!

Highlights:

  • $395K in revenue
  • 12% YOY revenue growth
  • 544 total packages sold – 33 more than the previous year


Related Articles

Best Small Market Best Of Ballots from the 2024 Awards

by Julie Foley Second Street

Recurring Revenue Ballot Newspaper Audience Engagement Radio Data Collection Email Growth Group Strategy Case Studies Second Street Awards

How to Maximize Promotions Revenue in the Back Half of the Year

by Matt Hummert Second Street

Recurring Revenue strategy Advertiser Results Advertisers To Target Audience Engagement Data Collection Email Growth Lead Gen Past Webinars Packaging & Pricing Planning Strategy

Football Ballot Scores Big for Small Market Newspaper Group

by Kristen Wehe Second Street

Advertiser Results Football Ballot Audience Engagement Newspaper Email Growth Marketing Planning Case Studies Strategy

Julie Foley Second Street

Julie is the Senior Customer Success Manager at Second Street and a former client in local media. Her best advice for driving the most success with your revenue and audience engagement strategy is to include promotions in every business initiative.