One million website hits: ThePerryNews.com thanks its loyal and growing readership

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Happy belated birthday to us!

ThePerryNews.com slowly came to life in early February last year, and at first we were not sure if this venture would work.

We knew there was a hunger for daily news and sports in Perry and the surrounding communities, especially of the professional quality we were uniquely qualified to offer.

We believed readers would be drawn to journalism that was unafraid to take on difficult or controversial issues, to reporting that asks the tough questions, delves deeply into subjects and is very often the source of breaking news.

We especially thought readers wanted local news that was free, not hidden behind a corporate paywall, and we gambled that local businesses would recognize the quality of our product and the value of the high visibility we knew we could offer.

The venture is working. The gamble paid off. The numbers bear it out.

Unlike more traditional forms of media, which can only offer vague guesses or extrapolated approximations of their reach, ThePerryNews.com has exact and detailed information about how we are doing. We know instantaneously how many times the website is visited, how many times each individual video or photo or story is viewed and when.

We know the hour of each day that draws the most readers, the day of the week, and so forth. No guesswork here — the numbers are what they are and easily proven. We even know a few things about the age and gender and location of our visitors.

Things began slowly, as we expected. The Good Lord created from nothing, and so did ThePerryNews.com, if we may compare great things with small. Only 3,975 clicks on the website were registered in all of February 2015. March climbed to 11,266 visits, and April jumped to 42,990. The growth since then has been beyond our wildest dreams.

December brought 122,103 impressions by 47,000 visitors. The numbers for January were 114,925 and with two days left in February, we’re at 140,000 impressions for the month by 50,000 visitors.

We have had more than 1 million views of ThePerryNews.com website in our first year. Wow!

ThePerryNews.com Facebook page is approaching 4,300 fans, more than any other media source near here. Our posts reach anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 Facebook feeds every week.

Several advertisers have been with us for the long haul. Others are just now coming aboard. A few still hang back cautiously. Maybe we’re too new, too disruptive to settled habits, perhaps too dangerous. After all, social media is still a volatile and evolving thing, and tried and true traditions feel safe, even if it means paying twice as much for half the return.

We understand your anxieties.

Last but not least, we thank those who have supported us through private donations. Your support through the lean months is deeply appreciated. We have never charged for content and never will. “First. Fresh. Free.” This is and will always be our goal.

Please keep reading ThePerryNews.com for the local content you depend upon.

19 COMMENTS

  1. I absolutely LOVE the PERRY NEWS. I read it every day and have it come in my e-mail. Congrats and thank you so very much for all you do Jim & Jeff. HAPPPY BIRTHDAY PERRY NEWS AND GREAT JOB. ~Nancy Dittert

  2. I have to admit I enjoy reading the Perry news .com as well. It’s very informative and allows those of us that work out of town to stay connected to what’s going on in our own community. Thanks guys! Larry Nichols

  3. Congrats on a year of fast, accurate and grammatically correct journalism! I hope that more businesses and organizations will realize the impact, reach and value of ThePerryNews.com. Thanks for the support and coverage of the Carnegie Library Museum. Wishing you continued success and growth for years to come. When’s that ribbon-cutting ceremony? Hope you can take a half-second between news stories and appreciate your achievements. Thanks!

  4. Your contributions to the community are too numerous to calculate. Compared to you, the local print media is good for bird cage liners only.

  5. Congratulations to Jim and Jeff on the first anniversary of ThePerryNews.com. It only seems like yesterday at the 2015 BRR ride that Jim was discussing with me his idea of starting this website and his hopes of having Jeff contribute high school sporting-related stories. I was excited to hear about this idea yet had doubts whether it could succeed. For a few months, until they established their office, Jeff wrote his sporting stories at Pegasus.
    Jim and Jeff have shown that this idea can work and have made a very favorable impression in the Perry area and across the world. Not only are Jim and Jeff great writers, but I also appreciate seeing articles submitted by other area residents, including myself. I encourage you to consider advertising your events and businesses with them. I can tell you that I was affiliated with area fundraisers which added ThePerryNews.com to their advertising options. Attendance greatly increased. The best to Jim and Jeff as they work toward 2 million views in the coming year. I hope to see a ribbon cutting soon. Sincerely, Doug Wood

    • Doug, you’ve been among our staunchest supporters and were our very first advertiser, and for that we will always be grateful. Please keep your locally flavored articles coming. Not a few of those million views are thanks to you. We are much obliged.

  6. Congratulations on your success, Jim and Jeff. I look forward to clicking on each day to see the local news. It’s great to see the police and sheriff’s report each day since local radio doesn’t consider those reports as local news anymore. Your pictures are also great. I tell people all the time how great your website is. Keep up the good work.

    • Thanks very much for your support, sir. We appreciate your help in spreading the word about ThePerryNews.com, Perry’s only locally owned news source.

  7. As I opened my browser on Leap Year Day,
    Two disembodied heads had something to say.

    It was star reporters Jeff and Jim,
    Keeping us informed through thick and thin.

    Whether at home or on the go,
    These two guys keep you in the know.

    It’s the only local place to get real news,
    on the Internet site with a million views.

    Winter, summer, spring or fall,
    They never fail “to tell it all.”

    Reporting the latest in news and sports
    With opinions, meetings and police reports

    And to let you know if you could or should,
    Just check the opinions of “old” Doug Wood.

    If you can’t tell a modem from a CD Rom
    You’ll stay informed at The Perry News dot com

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