The Coastal Insider
The Coastal Insider is a privately held, WordPress-based digital lifestyle publication founded in 2016 that produces free editorial content about restaurants, events, real estate, and community life across the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand region of South Carolina, monetized through local advertising and sponsorships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersMyrtle Beach, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Coastal Insider does
The Coastal Insider is a privately held, digital-first local lifestyle publication founded in 2016 and headquartered in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It produces editorial content covering restaurants, events, attractions, real estate, and community life across the 60+ mile Grand Strand region, including Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island, and Little River. The publication also tags content under Charleston, Domestic, and International region categories, indicating broader editorial scope than its geographic base.
The publication operates on a standard WordPress-based content management system and functions as a single unified content platform rather than a multi-product portfolio. Distribution is exclusively digital: the website (thecoastalinsider.com), an email newsletter, Instagram, and TikTok. There are no distinct SaaS offerings, apps, or branded product modules. The team of approximately 5 employees handles editorial, design, marketing coordination, and data management, with overlap into affiliated entities (Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Coastal Real Estate and Direct Neighborhood Marketing).
Revenue is generated entirely through advertising and sponsorships with local businesses across real estate, home services, healthcare, and automotive verticals. Content is free to readers with no subscription or paywall. Named advertisers include Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Coastal Real Estate, Window Genie Myrtle Beach, South Strand Dental Associates, and Jiffy Lube. The business has no public funding, no disclosed revenue, and no parent company.
The Coastal Insider firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Coastal Insider
- Legal name
- The Coastal Insider
- Website
- https://thecoastalinsider.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Coastal Insider is a privately held, WordPress-based digital lifestyle publication founded in 2016 that produces free editorial content about restaurants, events, real estate, and community life across the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand region of South Carolina, monetized through local advertising and sponsorships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Coastal Insider industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Digital Media & Lifestyle Publication
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C) (MPAJADAJ)
Keywords
Where The Coastal Insider is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Myrtle Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Coastal Insider business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Advertising and Sponsorships: The Coastal Insider generates revenue through advertising partnerships with local businesses including real estate companies (Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices), home services (Window Genie), healthcare providers (South Strand Dental), and automotive services (Jiffy Lube). The publication features sponsored content, display advertisements, and promotional features for local businesses serving the Grand Strand area.
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
The Coastal Insider product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Coastal Insider is a free digital local-news and lifestyle publication serving the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand area of South Carolina. It publishes original editorial content covering restaurants, events, attractions, real estate, travel, and community stories, distributed through its WordPress website, email newsletter, Instagram, and TikTok, and monetized via display advertising and sponsored content sold to local businesses.
Product overview
The Coastal Insider is a local online publication covering Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand area of South Carolina. The website functions as a lifestyle and news magazine featuring content about local events, restaurants, real estate, travel, attractions, and community stories. It is a single unified content platform rather than a multi-product portfolio. The company produces editorial articles, event guides, restaurant recommendations, and relocation/lifestyle content primarily through its website, with no distinct branded product modules, SaaS offerings, or digital tools identified in the source material.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Coastal Insider Website
Companies that use The Coastal Insider
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Coastal Insider technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Coastal Insider partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Coastal Insider competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Axios Local: Axios Local produces free, newsletter-based local news editions across multiple U.S. metros. It is comparable to The Coastal Insider as a broader, well-funded incumbent operating the same free, email-led local-news-and-lifestyle format.
- Eater: Eater (Vox Media) is a national food and restaurant digital publisher with maps, guides, and local dining coverage. It is comparable to the restaurant and dining content arm of The Coastal Insider, though operating at national scale rather than a single hyperlocal market.
- Southern Living: Southern Living is a major regional lifestyle brand (Dotdash Meredith) covering food, travel, homes, and culture across the South. It is comparable as a broader incumbent player that covers the same coastal/Southern lifestyle topics and competes for advertiser attention in the same verticals.
- Outside Magazine: Outside is a national active-lifestyle publisher covering travel, adventure, and coastal living. It overlaps with The Coastal Insider's travel/leisure and coastal-living content categories and competes for tourism and lifestyle advertiser budgets at national scale.
Direct peers
- Patch.com: Patch operates a national network of hyperlocal digital news sites with a South Carolina presence. It uses a free, ad-supported local content model covering community news, events, and lifestyle — directly comparable to The Coastal Insider's editorial structure.
- 6amCity: 6amCity is a hyperlocal daily newsletter publisher operating in multiple U.S. metros including a Myrtle Beach edition. It uses a near-identical model — free, email-first local lifestyle/news content monetized through local advertising — making it the closest direct comparable to The Coastal Insider.
- Garden & Gun: Garden & Gun is a Southern lifestyle magazine covering food, travel, and outdoor living across the Southeast. It is comparable as a regional lifestyle publisher with overlapping content categories (restaurants, coastal living, travel) targeting the same Southern audience segment.
- MyrtleBeach.com: MyrtleBeach.com is a destination content portal covering Grand Strand restaurants, attractions, hotels, and events. It targets the same tourist and relocation audience with overlapping editorial categories (Restaurants, Travel & Leisure, Attractions).
- The Local Palate: The Local Palate is a Southern regional food and lifestyle publication that blends editorial content with digital distribution. It is comparable to The Coastal Insider as a regional lifestyle publisher covering restaurants and local culture, monetized through advertising.
- Visit Myrtle Beach: Visit Myrtle Beach is the official destination marketing organization producing digital content about Grand Strand restaurants, attractions, events, and relocation. It competes directly for the same tourist, relocation, and local-resident audience that The Coastal Insider targets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Coastal Insider social profiles
Digital presenceThe Coastal Insider financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Coastal Insider leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Coastal Insider funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Coastal Insider M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Coastal Insider
What does The Coastal Insider do?
The Coastal Insider is a free digital local-news and lifestyle publication serving the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand area of South Carolina. It publishes original editorial content covering restaurants, events, attractions, real estate, travel, and community stories, distributed through its WordPress website, email newsletter, Instagram, and TikTok, and monetized via display advertising and sponsored content sold to local businesses.
Is The Coastal Insider a public or private company?
The Coastal Insider is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Coastal Insider founded?
The Coastal Insider was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Coastal Insider based?
The Coastal Insider is headquartered in Myrtle Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Coastal Insider make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising and Sponsorships.
Who are The Coastal Insider's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Axios Local, Eater, Southern Living and Outside Magazine. Direct peers are Patch.com, 6amCity, Garden & Gun, MyrtleBeach.com, The Local Palate and Visit Myrtle Beach.
Does The Coastal Insider have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Coastal Insider.
What industry is The Coastal Insider in?
The Coastal Insider's product category is Local Digital Media & Lifestyle Publication. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAJ, Newsletters & Email-Based News Publishers (B2B/B2C). Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.