Community Impact delivers print newspapers, email newsletters, digital ads, direct mail, sponsored content stories and custom products directly to residents across Austin, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Bryan-College Station — with attribution reporting to prove your ROI.
Quick Facts
- Community Impact delivers print newspapers, email newsletters, and digital ads to 2M+ Texas residents across Austin, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Bryan-College Station.
- Advertising channels: print newspaper, email newsletter (135K+ subscribers, 30-40% average open rate), digital display, targeted mail, sponsored storytelling, and CI 360 packages.
- 3,500+ active Texas business advertisers — from single-location shops to regional brands.
- Attribution reporting: upload your customer list and see who saw your ad before they bought.
- Campaigns launch within 2-3 weeks — one team, one invoice, all channels.
Coverage
Choose Your Metro
Target the exact communities where your customers live.
Austin
Central Texas & Hill Country suburbs
Houston
Greater Houston metro & Galveston coast
Dallas-Fort Worth
DFW Metroplex communities
Bryan-College Station
Brazos Valley & Texas A&M area
Ad Products
One Partner, Three Channels
Run integrated campaigns across print, email, and digital — all from one local partner.
Print Newspaper
Delivered directly to mailboxes in targeted neighborhoods. 100% local, zero waste.
Email Newsletter
Sponsored placements in the Morning Impact daily email read by 135K+ engaged subscribers.
Digital Display
Geo-targeted banner ads served across premium Texas local news sites.
Stickies, inserts, and postcards delivered to precision-targeted resident lists.
Journalist-written sponsored content delivered via email, web, and social.
Premium email takeover — exclusive to one business per month per metro.
Sponsor annual community guides in health, education, home, and more.
Sponsor community events and calendars that connect your brand with local audiences.
Why CI Wins
Community Impact vs. the Alternatives
Multi-channel campaigns deliver 3–5x the ROI of single-channel. CI is the only Texas media partner that runs print, email, digital, direct mail, and sponsored content from one team, on one invoice.
Print + Email + Digital + Direct Mail + Storytelling — one invoice, one team
Platform-only — no offline, print, or email integration
Print + limited digital, typically separate vendors
Single channel — no print, email, or mail integration
2M+ verified TX residents, ZIP-level precision across all channels
Broad platform reach — interest targeting, no verified local footprint
Subscriber-only, metro-wide — limited sub-market targeting
Wide DMA (Designated Market Area) reach — no neighborhood-level precision
43% trust (#1 local media); 37-min avg read time; 75% ad recall
13% trust; 1–3 sec avg ad view; 44% recall rate
Moderate trust; engaged but declining subscriber base
33% trust; passive consumption, low recall
30–40% average open rate; 2.3–3.6% CTR (click-through rate); 96% rank CI as a favorite email
N/A — no email product; 0.9–1.9% ad CTR
20–30% open rate (Mailchimp/CC); basic newsletters
No email channel
Print: immune. Email: primary inbox. Digital: geo-verified impressions
37% desktop ad blocker rate; algorithm throttles organic reach
Print immune; digital editions subject to 37% blocker rate
TV/radio/billboard not blocked — but no targeting precision
Identity-based matching (74% avg) — closed-loop across all channels
Cookie/pixel-based (40–60% match); iOS privacy limits accuracy
Click-through only; no identity-level matching
No direct attribution — awareness/brand play only
In-house design, journalism, printing & mailing — no vendor hand-offs
DIY or hire agency; no creative services included
Some design support; printing outsourced
Significant production costs for TV/radio creative
Fixed placement, no bidding wars, no CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) inflation
CPM auction — costs rise with competition in local markets
CPM + premium placement fees, declining reach
CPM or flat rate + significant production costs
Sources: Readex Research 2025, ANA/DMA 2024, Beehiiv 2025, America's Newspapers Trusted Media Study 2024, Backlinko 2025, HubSpot 2025. Results vary by campaign and market.
Distribution Scale
How CI competes with the biggest newspaper names in the country, and out-delivers them.
Community Impact distributes 2 million copies every month — more than the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, and every other primary newspaper in Texas, added together.
Source: CI internal data + publicly reported circulation figures. February 2026.
Advertiser Stories
What Advertisers Are Saying
We saw real ROI — it wasn’t hard to break even and in some markets we tripled our listings. To have your name be part of something physical has tangible impacts.
When marketing dollars have gotten tight, we had to make some decisions — and the one place that we knew we would never cut is Community Impact.
Trusted by Texas Businesses
See It in Action
Community Impact by the Numbers
About this video
Two decades ago, John and Jennifer Garrett launched Community Impact, a hyperlocal news organization founded on a shoestring budget and a commitment to local journalism. Operating initially from a home office, the founders aimed to foster community connections by providing residents with high-quality reporting and supporting small business owners through advertising. The company has since expanded significantly, now reaching millions of Texans with monthly publications that prioritize free access to information and factual integrity. This growth is driven by a mission to serve the public through innovation and a dedicated team of media professionals. Looking toward the future, the organization strives to remain a sustainable institution that will inform and unite neighborhoods for the next century. Through a combination of grit and purpose, the company continues to champion the vital role of local news in everyday life.
The video features John Garrett sharing the 20-year history and mission of “Community Impact,” a hyperlocal newspaper he founded with his wife, Jennifer. Garrett explains that the company began in their home's game room with no outside investors, initially funded by $39,000 borrowed from a credit card.
The core goal of the publication is to connect residents to their cities, neighborhoods, and local businesses. Garrett emphasizes that the company has been driven by “joy” from day one—specifically the joy of serving neighbors with truthful reporting, creating an excellent monthly product, and helping small businesses succeed.
Today, the free publication reaches millions of Texans and operates with a dedicated team of reporters, designers, editors, and sales representatives. The video concludes with Garrett outlining their future vision: building a “100-year company” focused on innovation and people, with the belief that local journalism should continue to thrive for generations.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does advertising with Community Impact cost?
Rates vary by market, format, and campaign duration. A single-community print run looks very different from a full multi-channel metro campaign. Contact our team to discuss options specific to your target market and business goals.
Can I target specific ZIP codes and neighborhoods?
Yes. Every print edition routes to a specific community or ZIP code cluster. Advertisers select individual neighborhoods, combine adjacent zones, or run market-wide. Email and digital campaigns can match the same geographic footprint so all three channels reinforce each other in the same communities.
How does Community Impact prove my advertising ROI?
Our attribution reporting matches your customer list against 2.39 million Texas residents in our identity graph — showing exactly how many customers saw your ad before they bought. The average match rate is 74%. No other local Texas media company offers this level of closed-loop attribution.
Is print newspaper advertising still effective compared to social media?
Print reaches residents directly in their mailboxes — no algorithm changes, no bid competition, no declining organic reach. Community Impact newspapers average a 1.55x readership multiplier (Readex Research). Combined with email and digital, integrated campaigns consistently outperform single-channel social buys on trackable ROI.
What's the process to setting up advertising?
It starts with a quick conversation with a local CI marketing expert. They'll walk you through market coverage, available formats, creative specs, and pricing. Most campaigns launch within 2–3 weeks of contract signing — and we handle coordination across all channels so you have one contact and one invoice.
Do you offer services like design, content writing, etc?
Yes. Through Impact Services, we offer creative design, sponsored content stories written by our journalists, direct mail, and more. Ask your CI contact about available services in your market.
What are your contract and payment terms?
We offer flexible campaign terms ranging from one-time runs to annual contracts. Payment terms and billing cycles vary by campaign size and market. Contact our team for specifics — there's no long-term commitment required to get started.
Have a question not answered here?
Contact our advertising team →Ready to Reach Local Texas Customers?
Join 3,500+ Texas businesses advertising with Community Impact. One conversation, one partner, one invoice.