What Buyer's Guide Newspaper does

Buyer's Guide Newspaper is a privately held community newspaper and local business directory serving Northern Virginia, operated by Mid-Atlantic Publishing Co., Inc. and headquartered in Springfield, VA. Its core product is a monthly print newspaper delivered via an A/B mailing system to more than 100,000 homeowners across three defined zones — Alexandria/Franconia/Kingstowne, Springfield/Burke/Clifton, and Fairfax/Vienna/Oakton/Annandale/N. Arlington — with a complementary PDF e-guide available online 24/7. The publication functions both as a community resource (departments covering Automotive, Family/Kids/Pets, Food & Dining, Home & Garden, Home Interiors, Professionals, and Retail & Gifts) and as a local search/directory for residents.

The underlying technology is a traditional newspaper publishing operation augmented by a PDF-based digital e-guide hosted on bguide.net, with a content architecture organized into departmental directories, community resource pages, bulletin boards, and advertiser microsites. The product surface extends to web design and hosting services ($100/year domain/hosting, design from $125/page) sold primarily to advertiser clients. There is no mobile app, no API, no disclosed integrations, and no AI/ML components described in source materials.

Revenue is generated almost entirely from advertising sold to local small and mid-size businesses. The model spans five streams: (1) print display advertising across 15-18 ad sizes on multi-year contracts, (2) internet/digital advertising through department-page listings and mini-ads, (3) DAL-Card standalone postcards sold with per-zone exclusivity, (4) co-mail physical inserts, and (5) web design/hosting services. Pricing is quote-based for most advertising, with no locked-in ad sizes and annual billing for web services. Customer segments are horizontal: affluent Northern Virginia homeowners as readers, and a long tail of local SMBs (landscapers, pest control, home services, local retail) as advertisers. There is no disclosed management team, no institutional investment, no M&A activity, and no third-party partnerships documented in the available data.

Name

Buyer's Guide Newspaper

Legal name

Mid-Atlantic Publishing Co., Inc.

Website

https://bguide.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Buyer's Guide Newspaper is a privately held community newspaper and local business directory serving Northern Virginia, publishing a monthly print edition to 100,000+ homeowners across three delivery zones and selling display, digital, and direct-mail advertising to local SMBs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

Keywords

• Community newspaper
• Print advertising
• Direct mail advertising
• Local business directory
• Digital publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Print Display Advertising: Core revenue stream from display advertisements placed by local businesses in the printed newspaper edition, with various ad sizes available from quarter page to full page.
2. Internet/Digital Advertising: Website listings, mini ads, and linked department pages for yearly contract advertisers (quarter page minimum). Non-advertisers and smaller advertisers receive free listings on department pages.
3. DAL-Card (Detached Address Label): Standalone postcard format that replaces the address label on the newspaper front page. Sold with exclusivity per zone per publication date. Features 8.5x5 inch four-color messaging on heavyweight card stock.
4. Co-Mail Insert Program: Physical inserts delivered with the newspaper, extending outside the publication for co-visibility. Available in sizes from 8.5x11 to 11x17 inches, with zone-based targeting options.
5. Web Design and Hosting Services: Domain registration and web hosting services for $100/year, with website design starting at $125 per page. Provides one-page framework sites for merchants without websites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Buyer's Guide Newspaper publishes a monthly community newspaper distributed via direct mail to Northern Virginia homeowners, functioning as both a local business directory and an advertising platform for local SMBs. The print edition is complemented by an online PDF E-Guide digital edition and a portfolio of advertising products including display ads, DAL-Card standalone postcards, co-mail inserts, internet listings, and web design/hosting services for advertisers.

Product overview

Buyer's Guide Newspaper is a local community newspaper serving Northern Virginia, operating as a print publication with digital extensions. The core product is the monthly print newspaper delivered to homeowners, supplemented by the E-Guide digital edition available as PDF downloads. The company offers a portfolio of advertising services including print display advertising (15+ ad sizes), internet advertising with department listings, DAL-Card standalone postcards, co-mail inserts, and web design/hosting services. The publication covers multiple community departments spanning Automotive, Family/Kids/Pets, Food & Dining, Home & Garden, Home Interiors, Professionals, and Retail & Gifts, along with community resources including arts, civic groups, education, libraries, health resources, music, parks, sports, theater, venues, and worship listings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Print Newspaper (Monthly Edition) Monthly print community newspaper delivered to homeowners in Northern Virginia, covering local businesses, restaurants, services, and community resources across multiple departments including Automotive, Family, Food & Dining, Home & Garden, Home Interiors, Professionals, and Retail & Gifts.
• E-Guide (Digital Edition) Online digital version of the Buyer's Guide newspaper available in PDF format, allowing readers to access all content, local businesses, restaurants, services, and event calendars via web download 24/7.
• Print Display Advertising Print advertising options across 15-18 different ad sizes for display ads and business directory listings, available in various zones covering Northern Virginia neighborhoods and reaching over 100,000 consumers.
• Internet Advertising Online advertising options including department page listings, mini ads, and one-page advertiser sites within the Buyer's Guide framework for yearly contract advertisers (quarter page minimum). Non-advertisers and smaller advertisers receive free listings on department pages.
• DAL-Card (Detached Address Label) Standalone postcard advertising product that replaces the address label on the newspaper front page. Sold with exclusivity per zone per publication date. Features 8.5x5 inch four-color messaging on heavyweight card stock.
• Co-Mail Insert Program Physical inserts delivered with the newspaper, extending outside the publication for co-visibility. Available in sizes from 8.5x11 to 11x17 inches, with zone-based targeting options for full readership or specific zone delivery.
• Zone-Based Circulation Advertising Targeted print advertising reaching over 100,000 consumers in Northern Virginia's most desirable neighborhoods, with options to reach specific zones including Alexandria, Springfield, Fairfax, Vienna, and Arlington.
• Web Design & Hosting Services Domain registration and web hosting services for advertisers at $100/year, with website design starting at $125 per page. Provides one-page framework sites for merchants without websites and custom design instructions for self-designers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ consumers reached monthly in Northern Virginia
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Money Mailer: Direct mail advertising company targeting local SMBs with shared mail envelopes reaching households in defined geographic zones. Closely comparable value proposition of zone-targeted direct mail advertising to local consumers.
• Valpak: Direct mail advertising platform delivering coupon envelopes to local households, with strong penetration in Northern Virginia. Overlaps significantly with Buyer's Guide's direct-mail-to-homeowners distribution model and SMB advertiser base.
• Best Version Media: Publishes free direct-mail magazines and advertising publications to affluent suburban neighborhoods across the U.S. Highly comparable model combining local content, directory listings, and SMB display advertising mailed directly to homeowners.
• American Hometown Media: Publisher of community newspapers and shoppers mailed to households in small and mid-sized U.S. markets. Similar revenue model based on local SMB display advertising and direct-mail distribution.
• Connection Newspapers: Direct competitor publishing hyper-local community newspapers across Northern Virginia, including Alexandria, Fairfax, and Arlington. Same target geography, same local SMB advertiser base, and same print+digital directory-style format as Buyer's Guide.
• Community Impact Newspaper: Hyper-local community newspaper serving affluent suburbs in multiple U.S. metros with monthly print editions and digital directories. Directly comparable product offering and advertiser-targeting model, though operating in different geographies than Buyer's Guide.

Broad incumbents

• Adams Publishing Group: Large multi-state owner of community newspapers, shoppers, and advertising publications across the U.S. Operates in the same product category as Buyer's Guide but at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.

Emerging players

• Nextdoor: Neighborhood-level social platform with strong penetration in Northern Virginia suburbs. Competes for the same homeowner engagement and increasingly for local SMB advertising spend, but through a digital/mobile-only model.
• Local.com: Digital local search and directory platform that connects consumers with local SMBs via web and app. Competes with Buyer's Guide's online directory and digital advertising products, though without the print distribution component.
• Patch: Digital-first local news and community information platform serving thousands of U.S. neighborhoods including Northern Virginia. Competes for the same homeowner attention and local SMB advertising dollars, but through a web/app-native model rather than print.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BuyersGuideNewspaper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Buyer's Guide Newspaper