It’s no secret that Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Around every corner is a ribbon cutting for a new business, a construction site for a housing development and additions to Northwest Arkansas’ thriving outdoor recreation communities. This increased activity in cities like Fayetteville, Bentonville, Springdale and Rogers comes with its community perks, but keeping up with all of their exciting happenings can be a challenge. Luckily, a collective of three men are on a successful mission to compile the positive and uplifting news across Northwest Arkansas into an easy-to-read daily newsletter.
NWA Daily, established in 2021, was co-founded by Daniel Fritsche and Luke Brasuell after noticing a shift in the way that the community of Northwest Arkansas connected with each other. Fritsche said that, over the years, they noticed the cities forming a sense of cohesion, leading people to identity as a resident of Northwest Arkansas rather than being from a specific city in the area. Although based in Fayetteville, this sense of unity compelled the news organization to broaden the newsletter’s outreach across the entirety of Northwest Arkansas.
“It’s fun because we can have a sense of pride in the region, and I don’t really feel like you always see that in other regions,” said Fritsche.
NWA Daily’s mission to bring awareness to the good news in the area has connected with thousands of Northwest Arkansans. Each weekday, an NWA Daily newsletter can be found in over 39,000 inboxes and counting.
“We want people to feel connected to the region, and our newsletters give us a really neat platform to highlight small businesses, new openings, community events, and other ways to connect with the region,” said Tad Moore, Market Director and Lead Writer for NWA Daily. “We want to turn up the volume on news stories that our readers might otherwise have missed..”
The daily newsletter is NWA Daily’s primary news outlet, but the organization also has several other interactive features on its website, including local guides, event calendars, job and volunteer boards, a playlist that features songs from music artists local to Northwest Arkansas, and a three-tier fan club that grants access to exclusive content and giveaways. Additionally, games are often featured in the newsletter, such as House Hunch NWA, where subscribers guess the price of local real estate listings. Subscribers will occasionally notice a newsletter takeover by local nonprofits to raise awareness and funding.
“In pretty much everything we are doing, we’re trying to help readers connect with their community in one way or another,” said Fritsche.
NWA Daily finds its success in many ways. In securing ad partnerships with well-funded businesses in the area, these businesses receive awareness and the newsletter remains free to its subscribers. This generosity trickles down by allowing NWA Daily to use its resources to find creative ways to feature local nonprofits and start-up businesses that may not yet have the funds to advertise in typical methods, Moore said.
“We want to continue being the megaphone that speaks out about the restaurants and the small businesses and support others who are investing in the community,” said Brasuell.
NWA Daily at nwadaily.com
Being informed of the exciting things happening throughout Northwest Arkansas, whether in your city or the next one over, can help you feel more connected to your community. If you are interested in receiving Northwest Arkansas-focused news in your inbox each day, subscribe to NWA Daily at nwadaily.com.