Mount Pleasant Media Secrets From Community Publisher Bill Macchio

The best local marketing advice rarely comes from a textbook, it comes from the people who physically put the magazines on the racks and watch what disappears first. We’re live at the Chamber expo with publisher Bill Macchio, talking about how community magazines and local podcasts are built from the ground up in Mount Pleasant and across the Charleston area. If you care about small business growth, local advertising, and real community storytelling, this one is packed with practical insight. 

We get into the behind-the-scenes decisions that make a publication work: how distribution actually happens, how you learn which locations move copies fastest, and why an “extended” Best Of issue can create more value for readers and advertisers. Bill also shares a surprisingly simple layout idea that leans into marketing psychology, putting strong editorial front and center while still helping ads perform better over the life of the magazine. 

Then we zoom out to podcast strategy and discoverability. Bill breaks down why YouTube is now a top platform for podcast listening and why it matters for search, naming, and audience growth. We also talk about the power of local business relationships, chamber involvement, and showing up in person to strengthen a media brand. 

If you enjoyed it, subscribe for more conversations with builders and operators, share this with a local business owner, and leave a review so more people in Mount Pleasant and Charleston can find the show. What’s your go-to place to discover new podcasts?

This is a grounded guide for founders, contractors, agency owners, manufacturers, and service leaders across Charleston and beyond who want a no-nonsense path to an exit. We share red flags that can sink deals, the role of local market knowledge, and how Viking’s success-based model aligns incentives. Join us, get practical next steps, and walk away knowing exactly how to make your future sale smoother.
www.vikingmergers.com

Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce

Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Episode Sponsor: Viking Mergers & Acquisitions

Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪Pollen Social‬

Production Sponsor: RMBO.co

Design Sponsor: DK Design

Interested in Sponsorship? Click here.

Committee:
Kathleen Herrmann | Host | MPCC Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
Mike Compton | Co-host | Marketing Committee | RMBO.co
Rebecca Imholz | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director 
Amanda Bunting Comen | Co-host | Social ABCs
Benjamin Nesvold | Co-host | MPCC President | Edward Jones

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Welcome to the Building Business Podcast. My name is Mike Thompson.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Stephanie Barrow.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

We're here live at the Xbox right now with special guest, Bill Matthew. Matthew. Oh, that's how you say it. Nice.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

You're pretty famous here in Mount Pleasant.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Bill, you know everybody here. Why? Well, first of all, what's your business?

SPEAKER_02 1:24

We publish um magazines. We publish the magazine for Mount Pleasant called Mount Pleasant Magazine. And then we all did also do a newspaper on Isle of Palms called Island Bibes. Okay. And then we do a Charleston uh magazine called Charleston Women. And we have a podcast associated with each one of those.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

You know who's doing the podcast now? Brian Kim. Our girl Kim. Oh Kim Russo. She's a dear friend of mine.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Kim's doing that, huh? Kim was on the board of the Charleston American Marketing Association.

SPEAKER_02 1:53

Charleston America Women.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

American Marketing Association.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

Yeah, I uh we had a long conversation this morning. You know, you know what else she does? What? She does graphics of of of uh of pups.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Yeah. Oh, I know. She painted a picture of my cat.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

They're just throwing, they're just throwing two minutes. I know. They're throwing footballs all of a sudden. I was like, I don't know what's happening.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

No? Okay.

Publishing Local Magazines And Podcasts

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Yeah. If you're not familiar with the expo, what do you do?

SPEAKER_01 2:23

I own an A an advertising agency called Roombo. We do strategy design and content. That's awesome. Yeah, we have a good time. We have a really good time.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

You gotta have a good time. No matter what you do, you gotta have a good time.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

And build relationships, you know what I mean? And that's why we're here. So what brings you to the expo?

SPEAKER_02 2:36

I I actually was on the first committee uh when it first started. Really? And Brian Sherman, who's a superstar here within the uh organization. He is a superstar. Yeah, and he's a good guy. He worked for me for 20 years. He's he loves writing.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

You know Brian really well then.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Okay, he knows he's a he's an excellent writer and even better editor. Yeah, for sure. He's a real good guy.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Lots of volunteer hours for the chamber. Sherman, thank you for your service. Yes, with the chairman with the chamber. He's not here in the chair. He was here a little busy. He's literally here. If we see him, we'll flag him down and say what's up.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

I love the Mount Pleasant Magazine. You know this.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

I live in Mount Pleasant. He lives in Mount Pleasant. Uh-huh. Every time I go to a doctor's office, I feel like I walk in, I sit down, I immediately pick up the best of Mount Pleasant Magazine, which is great.

How Rack Data Guides Distribution

SPEAKER_02 3:26

Well, we did something a little different this year because we always make sure that it comes out at the beginning of the year. Okay. Because there are several in the in our community we live in. So we want to be the first, right? Yeah. And what we did, and we sell the ads and put everything together during the holidays. Okay. So it doesn't permit us to get to everybody. So what I did that now on the racks, there's an extended version of it. Oh, good. And it we've added like 50 pages to the from the original one. Wow. And so we're basically, and you know what we found out, y'all? This is interesting. We put them in Somerville, and they and because we're in charge of all the racks, like the racks at the grocery store, those is those are our racks.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

You gotta bring the racks in.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

Okay. So we get a really good, we pay Harris Teeter, and but we get a really good handle on what flies out of what rack in what location. Yeah. And it people people in Somerville love the island vibes. Yep. And they love Mount Pleasant magazine. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 4:28

I mean, I look at different publications to go, okay, I'm gonna go to Park Circle. I don't know where to eat. I'm gonna go to Park Circle for that. So it makes sense if you're coming to Mount Pleasant, if you're gonna look at the Mount Pleasant magazine. Right. And you do a really good job of your articles, I think, are very well done. Because you tell the story about the locally owned and operated business from start to finish. It's like very heartfelt. I think you do a really good job of making you want to live in Mount Pleasant.

SPEAKER_02 4:51

Well, we we we invest a lot of money in our editorial. And if you thumb to you guys want to hear this, it's just a secret. Don't tell anybody.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

It's not like this won't be live on everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 5:03

If you look at the magazine and something come through it, you'll notice the ads are on the left hand side. The editorial in most cases are on the right-hand side.

SPEAKER_00 5:13

Interesting. What's the psychological? Read from left.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

Because we want to because we want to emphasize we want to emphasize our editorial. Yeah. And so as a result of that, why not put it up front? And we feel our advertisers will get a larger benefit than if it's on the right-hand side, because if people want to keep the magazine around and they want to read the magazine, they're going to read the whole thing.

Editorial Design And Ad Placement Psychology

SPEAKER_00 5:34

Yeah, we have had quite a few friends that are here who are best of Mount Pleasant winners. And that campaign's coming up soon, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 5:41

It right now, if anybody that's watching uh wants to vote, we're right now voting up till the 13th of October for the 2026 best of. And all you gotta do is go to vote and vote bestofm.com. That's vote, bestofmp.com, and you too can let everyone know your favorite person.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

That's right.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Favorite business. Let's do it. That's great.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Obviously, you know who I'm rooting for. So his son and I are friends, we work together, so I'm I'm I'm Carolina Pest controller. Putting Carolina Pest Carolina Exterminating uh is the is a name. So you you know just write that down and you're 15 and 10.

SPEAKER_02 6:23

And there's no there's no nomination.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

No.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

When you go to vote, best MP, you go right right to the thing, you go right there. Oh, okay. We're the only one, only publication in the only group in the Charleston area that doesn't outsource that to a third party. Right. So uh whether it's whatever, whatever, whatever newspaper or magazine you can name here, we're the only ones that doesn't use a third party.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

Yes. Well your booth back there is very impressive. Thank you. I like that you had all the covers.

SPEAKER_02 6:54

Come on down, y'all. Come on down.

SPEAKER_00 6:55

Yeah, come on down. Yeah. That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Speaking of that, would you uh suggest coming next year to the expo? Would you suggest coming next year to the expo?

SPEAKER_02 7:05

Yeah, uh yeah, it gets better every year. Yeah, I mean it really has Rebecca, the team. It's it's more entrenched also in the community. Yes. I I tell you what I did today. There, you know, Royal Hardware is owned by somebody else now, okay? As everybody knows. And they put a little, they let they I've always John Royal always let me do it. Now they've inherited a little rack that put my magazines in there. Oh, okay. So I was in there today putting the magazines in there, and I walked in there with the magazines to the new owners. I said, Hey y'all, you're new to the community. I know. I think you should come down and visit the expo and get to know some of the people, Diamond.

SPEAKER_00 7:45

Yeah, I love that. Are they?

SPEAKER_02 7:47

His first comment to me is Thanks, man. We appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 7:50

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

Well, spreading the love.

Best Of Voting And Community Buzz

SPEAKER_00 7:51

Well, he's probably walking around here because this is a busy spot it is.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

That's right. That's right. If we all have you guys had fun doing this, oh it's a blast.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Yeah, we do a podcast together, the Charleston Marking Podcast at the Charleston Radio Group on Thursdays.

SPEAKER_02 8:03

Yeah. Do you guys ever watch or or know you put this on YouTube and the audio only? Oh yeah. So we do uh three, we do actually pool, actually pod. We do Charleston Women Podcast at Kim. We do My Pleasant Podcast. Yes. We do uh a uh Carolina real estate podcast. We do a Georgetown podcast. You go to Georgetown Podcast.com, and then I do a Charleston Pet Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Pet podcast? That sounds fun.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

What do you think? Yeah, pet. As soon as the podcast came up, I reason I bet I seriously, y'all. I probably have 50 podcast names. Sure. Yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Yeah. That's smart. That's smart. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

Because do y'all know where the the biggest platform is where people view or listen to podcasts?

SPEAKER_00 8:57

I I don't know. I was gonna say Spotify.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

It is YouTube.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:00

YouTube, YouTube, and the second one is Spotify, and on top of that, it this happened in May, so I don't know what June or July was. But if you added if you had NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, CNN, and more, YouTube had more visitors and viewers than all of those combined. Wow. Yeah. Crazy, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

And it's considered like the second biggest search engine after Google. Right.

SPEAKER_02 9:26

Oh, yeah. So it's cool. Right.

Why YouTube Leads Podcast Discovery

SPEAKER_00 9:28

Well, you have some exciting stuff to have to do. Tell our boy Zach I said hi.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

I will.

SPEAKER_00 9:33

I love it. He's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

Thanks for supporting the chamber. Thanks, definitely. Definitely. Thank you very much for that. Thanks to our sponsors, Paul and Social, PolonSocial.com. I don't know if you met them yet, but they're great. They're sponsoring our podcast. Thanks to you, Chamber, for having us here.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

Yeah, if you're here at the Chamber, stop by his sit booth. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

That's right. Okay. Thanks, listeners. See you next time.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Bye.