BeLocal

What BeLocal does

BeLocal is a franchise-operated print and digital publication serving new movers (recent homebuyers) in 120+ communities across more than 30 U.S. states. The core product is a high-quality magazine mailed directly to new homeowners' mailboxes, complemented by market-specific websites with digital flipbooks and per-market Instagram/Facebook pages. Content is curated as "for locals, by locals," with insider tips and recommendations sourced from long-time community residents rather than paid placements, positioning the publication as a trusted coffee-table resource during the high-spending 6–12 month window after a household relocates.

The business monetizes through advertising sold by independent Area Director franchisees to local small and medium-sized businesses across home services, restaurants, medical, fitness, retail, and professional services categories. Pricing is quote-based and multi-year contract-oriented, bundling print placement with digital exposure on the publication's website and social channels. Hyport Digital, an in-house digital marketing arm, extends the offering into retargeting, display ads, and custom landing pages, enabling cross-platform campaigns. The company operates as a privately held publication brand under The N2 Company (founded 2004 by Duane Hixon and Earl Seals), which also runs the sibling Stroll Magazines line and the N2GIVES philanthropic program contributing 2% of revenue to anti-trafficking nonprofits. There is no proprietary technology platform; the core value lies in direct-mail distribution, curated editorial, and the franchise sales infrastructure (500+ Area Directors) that delivers SMB advertising partnerships at the local level.

Name

BeLocal

Legal name

The N2 Company

Website

https://belocalpub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BeLocal is a franchise-operated print and digital magazine mailed to new homeowners in 120+ U.S. communities, monetizing through advertising sold by Area Director franchisees to local small businesses seeking to reach residents during the post-move high-spending window.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Advertising Media

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Home, Garden & DIY Magazines (MPAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Local advertising services
• New mover marketing
• Community print publications
• Direct mail advertising
• Relocation guides

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Advertising: Local businesses pay to advertise in BeLocal's printed new mover guide and digital counterparts. The advertising program combines print placement in the high-quality magazine with exposure on the publication's website and social media promotion. This is the primary revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BeLocal publishes a free, high-quality print magazine and matching digital edition delivered directly to new homeowners in 120+ U.S. communities, featuring local businesses, top attractions, and insider tips curated by long-time local residents. Local small and medium-sized businesses pay for advertising partnerships in the magazine and digital channels, sold through an Area Director franchise network (powered by parent The N2 Company).

Product overview

BeLocal is a multi-format media platform offering curated relocation guides for new movers across the United States. The core product consists of BeLocal Magazine (print edition) and BeLocal Digital Editions, which provide comprehensive community guides featuring essential businesses, top attractions, and insider tips vetted by long-time local residents. The platform includes complementary BeLocal Social Pages for each market area, delivering timely local updates. BeLocal operates as a franchise model under The N2 Company, with Area Directors managing local publications in over 120 communities nationwide. The portfolio also includes sister product Stroll Magazines (for established neighborhoods) and integrates with Hyport Digital for cross-platform advertising services. As part of The N2 Company, BeLocal participates in the N2GIVES philanthropy program supporting anti-human trafficking initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BeLocal Magazine (Print) Free, high-quality printed publication mailed directly to new homeowners in 120+ U.S. communities, featuring essential businesses, top attractions, school listings, and insider tips from long-time local residents; local SMBs pay for advertising partnerships within its pages.
• BeLocal Digital Editions Digital flipbook versions of each market's BeLocal magazine accessible through area-specific landing pages on the BeLocal website, featuring the same curated local content as the print edition and serving as an online reading and discovery surface for new movers.
• Hyport Digital Marketing Services Complementary digital advertising service for BeLocal advertisers, providing cross-platform retargeting ads, custom display ads, and digital amplification that extend the reach of print placements into online channels.

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Love Justice InternationalminorOthers · 1 January 2025Recipient of N2GIVES 2025 philanthropic donation as part of N2 Company's commitment to contributing 2% of annual revenue to anti-trafficking efforts. Love Justice International is a nonprofit combating human trafficking globally.
• Atlas FreeminorOthers · 1 January 2025Recipient of N2GIVES 2025 philanthropic donation. Atlas Free is a nonprofit organization working to combat human trafficking.
• All God's Children InternationalminorOthers · 1 January 2025Recipient of N2GIVES 2025 philanthropic donation. All God's Children International is a nonprofit focused on combating human trafficking.
• International Justice MissionminorOthers · 1 January 2025Recipient of N2GIVES 2025 philanthropic donation. International Justice Mission (IJM) is a global nonprofit working to protect people from slavery and violence.
• The Exodus RoadminorOthers · 1 January 2025Recipient of N2GIVES 2025 philanthropic donation. The Exodus Road is a nonprofit dedicated to fighting human trafficking through direct intervention and advocacy.
• Hyport DigitalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHyport Digital is BeLocal's dedicated digital marketing team that provides complementary digital advertising services for BeLocal advertisers. They enable cross-platform campaigns combining BeLocal's print advertising with digital retargeting, display ads, and custom landing pages. This partnership extends the reach of print advertisers into the digital realm.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Reachdesk: Direct mail and gifting platform used by B2B marketers to reach prospects and customers via physical mail. Comparable direct-mail infrastructure and SMB/mid-market customer overlap, though more B2B-skewed.
• Mailbox Power: Direct-mail marketing platform serving SMBs and real estate professionals with personalized postcards and newsletters. Comparable channel (direct mail to households) and SMB customer, with overlapping new-mover targeting capability.

Direct peers

• Welcome Wagon: Long-standing newcomer greeting and local business introduction service operating via direct mail to new residents. Directly competes with BeLocal on the new-mover targeting proposition and SMB advertising model.
• Stroll Magazines: Sister publication under The N2 Company serving established neighborhoods with curated local content and the same franchise-driven advertising model. Most directly comparable in product, business model, and parent infrastructure.
• Patch.com: Hyperlocal online community news and local business directory covering thousands of U.S. neighborhoods. Competes for both local SMB advertising budgets and the 'new resident discovers community' use case, though digital-first.
• Valpak: Direct-mail coupon and local advertising platform targeting households (including new movers) with SMB offers. Closely comparable channel (direct mail), customer (local SMBs), and audience (consumers in mail-receptive moments).
• Neighborhoods.com: Online newcomer and relocation platform providing hyperlocal content and home search, with advertising partnerships to local businesses. Directly comparable new-mover audience and SMB monetization model.

Broad incumbents

• Yelp: Dominant local business discovery and reviews platform with a large SMB advertising business. Competes for the same local SMB advertising dollars and the consumer-side 'find local businesses' use case.
• Nextdoor: Neighborhood-level social network with local business advertising and community recommendations. Competes for SMB advertising budgets targeting local residents and for the newcomer-discovery use case via neighborhood-level content.
• Google Business Profile: Free local business listing and discovery surface powering Google Maps and local search results. The structural competitor for local SMB marketing budgets; BeLocal must prove incremental value beyond this free baseline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BeLocalMagazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/belocalmagazine
• Xx.com/belocalpub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/belocal-pub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 BeLocal