Press releases arrive from local businesses. Legal notices come from city and county offices. Staff members send story ideas while they’re away from the office. Community organizations share event information, photos, and announcements.

The challenge isn’t receiving information—it’s getting it onto your website.

Copying and pasting text, downloading attachments, creating drafts, uploading images, and organizing submissions all take time that could be spent reporting and publishing local news.

That’s why Our-Hometown created Email-to-Post.

Publish by Email—No Copying and Pasting Required

Email-to-Post gives your publication a unique email address that automatically creates draft content on your website.

When content arrives in your inbox, simply forward it to your site’s Email-to-Post address. Within moments, a draft is waiting in your website dashboard, ready for review.

No logging in. No copying and pasting. No starting from scratch.

Just send an email and let the system do the rest.

Your Documents and Photos Come Too

Email-to-Post doesn’t just process the text in an email—it can also build a complete draft from supported attachments.

Attach a Microsoft Word document or PDF, and the system automatically extracts the document’s text to create the body of the article. If no supported document is attached, Email-to-Post simply uses the email itself.

Photos included with the submission are also carried into the draft automatically. The first image becomes the article’s featured image, while additional photos are placed within the article for editorial review.

The result is a draft that more closely reflects the original submission, preserving the text and accompanying images together while eliminating repetitive copy-and-paste work.

Three Ways Publishers Are Using Email-to-Post

1. Write Stories From Anywhere

Not every story starts behind a desk.

Whether you’re covering a community event, attending a meeting, or following up on a breaking story, you can draft an article directly from your phone using your favorite email app.

Send it to your Email-to-Post address, and a draft will be waiting on your website when you’re ready to continue editing.

It’s one of the fastest ways to capture ideas while they’re still fresh.

2. Simplify Legal Notices and Official Documents

Many publishers receive legal notices, public notices, agendas, and official documents through email from municipalities, attorneys, and government agencies.

Traditionally, those documents require several manual steps before they ever reach your website.

With Email-to-Post, staff simply forward the original email.

The system extracts text from supported Word and PDF attachments, includes accompanying photos when available, and prepares a draft for editorial review.

Better yet, you’re working from the original submission—not a copied-and-pasted version—making it easier to preserve accuracy while reducing administrative work.

3. Turn Press Releases Into News Drafts

Press releases remain an important source of local content, but they often require editing before publication.

For publishers using our optional AI-assisted workflow, Email-to-Post can automatically transform emailed press releases into news-style article drafts.

Simply forward the original email to your publication’s Email-to-Post address. The system creates a draft using the submitted documents and images, then applies the AI-powered rewriting process to produce a cleaner, publication-ready article for editorial review.

Editors remain in complete control, spending less time rewriting routine announcements and more time adding local context and deciding what deserves publication.

Built Around Your Existing Workflow

The best technology doesn’t force you to change how you work.

Email-to-Post fits naturally into the workflow your newsroom already uses. If your staff knows how to send or forward an email, they already know how to use Email-to-Post.

The workflow couldn’t be simpler:

1. Send or forward an email.
2. Email-to-Post extracts text from supported attachments—or uses the email body when no document is attached.
3. Attached photos are added to the draft automatically.
4. Review, edit, and publish when you’re ready.

That’s it.

Optional AI—Without the Technical Setup

Not every publisher wants AI involved in every submission—and that’s okay.

Email-to-Post works perfectly as a straightforward email-to-draft system. When you’re ready, you can also enable our optional AI-powered workflows for tasks like rewriting press releases into news-style articles.

Our-Hometown can even provide and manage the required OpenAI API access as part of the service, eliminating the need to create your own OpenAI account or manage technical configuration.

You decide when—and where—AI fits into your newsroom.

Technology That Supports Editors, Not Replaces Them

Email-to-Post isn’t designed to replace editorial judgment.

It’s designed to eliminate repetitive tasks.

Instead of spending time copying text, downloading documents, uploading images, and creating new drafts, your staff can focus on what they do best: verifying information, adding local context, and producing quality journalism for your community.

Automation handles the busy work.

Your newsroom stays in control.

Ready to Simplify Your Publishing Workflow?

Every publication receives its own dedicated Email-to-Post address, making it easy for reporters, editors, and office staff to submit content directly to the website.

Whether you’re forwarding a legal notice, emailing a story from your phone, or transforming a press release into a polished article, Email-to-Post helps move information from your inbox into your editorial workflow in seconds—so your team can spend less time managing email and more time publishing local news.

Reach out to us at ops@our-hometown.com if you’d like to learn more about getting this pipeline set up for your team.

The post Drowning in Email? Turn Any Message Into a Website Draft. first appeared on Our-Hometown.

We’re thrilled to announce that our esteemed customer, The Red Hook Daily Catch, has taken home an impressive seven awards in the New York Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest for 2023! This outstanding achievement is a testament to the dedication and excellence of their team.

The Daily Catch’s winning entries include:

• First-place honors for Spot News Coverage for their comprehensive reporting on the Migliorelli barn blaze
• First-place award for Feature Series for their in-depth profiles of local businesses, including Little Pickles Children’s General Store, Shoppe Girl boutique, and Counter Corner
• Second-prize award for their podcast interview with Rhinebeck’s CENTER for Performing Arts Director Peter Risafi
• Third-prize award for online news coverage for their community-driven reporting on the Dec. 18 Hudson Valley flood

The Daily Catch’s Editor and Founder, Emily Sachar, credits their success to serving their readers with high-quality journalism that makes a difference in their community. “Awards are meaningful because they let us and our readers know that we’re doing solid and noteworthy work,” she said.

In addition to their winning entries, The Daily Catch also earned two honorable mentions for their environmental and investigative reporting. Their commitment to telling the stories that matter most to their community is truly inspiring.

At Our-Hometown Web Publishing, we’re proud to host The Red Hook Daily Catch’s website and support their mission to serve their readers with high-quality journalism. Congratulations to their entire team on this well-deserved recognition!

If you are an Our-Hometown customer, we would love to hear about any news or recognition for your publication! Reach out to us at ops@our-hometown.com.

The post Red Hook’s Finest: The Daily Catch Wins Big in NYPA Better Newspaper Contest first appeared on Our-Hometown.

We’re delighted to report that Journal Publishing, one of our valued customers, has taken home an impressive 49 awards overall in the North Dakota Newspaper Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest! This includes 15 first-place awards, demonstrating their dedication to excellence in journalism.

The awards recognize outstanding work published in 2023, and we’re thrilled to see Journal Publishing receive accolades for their reporting staff’s coverage of the Divide County School District. Additionally, their website, journalnd.com, won first place in the Best Website category for the ninth consecutive year – a testament to their commitment to delivering high-quality online content.

Other notable wins include Overall Design Excellence and Editorials Page, as well as awards for feature reporting series, government reporting, and more.

We’re honored to have played a role in Journal Publishing’s success through our Our-Hometown Web Publishing platform. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support their journalism efforts and provide them with the tools they need to produce exceptional content. Congratulations to Journal Publishing on this well-deserved recognition!

The post Journal Publishing’s Award-Winning Work Recognized by North Dakota Newspaper Association first appeared on Our-Hometown.

South Jetty staff members hold plaques won by the newspaper in the Texas Gulf Coast and South Texas Press associations’ Better Newspaper Contests. Awards were presented at a joint conference of the two organizations in Galveston Thursday through Saturday, April 18-20. Awards were for writing, photography, advertising, design and more.

South Jetty editor Dan Parker, left, was named Photographer of the Year for STPA, and general manager Kelli Hartig, second from right, was elected to the STPA board of directors. Also pictured are, from Parker’s left, co-publishers Mary Henkel Judson and Murray Judson, reporter Kathryn Cargo, Hartig and advertising production chief Elizabeth Weaver. Not pictured are advertising director Keith Petrus, staff writer/ classified ad manager Vivian Carlson and distribution manager Paul Fain. Judging the contests were newspaper professionals from the North & East Texas Press Association and the National Newspaper Association. Work submitted for judging was published in 2023.

Read South Jetty wins at regional contests on the South Jetty website!

If you are an OHT customer we would like to hear about your accolades and announcements! Share the news with us at ops@our-hometown.com.

The post South Jetty Shines: Staff Wins Multiple Awards first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Our-Hometown will be hosting a LIVE WEBINAR on Protecting Your Content from AI next month on September 21st at 2PM Eastern.

With so much focus lately on new AI technologies and the limitless potential they represent for news publishers, one negative that has often gone overlooked is the risk of AI scraping your content without your permission.

One way that AI language models train themselves to remain current is to scrape news content from across the internet, making that information available in its database to share with users or applications who may benefit from it. For news publishers who are charging subscribers for access to that information, seeing AI bots scrape and share this information for free is problematic, to say the least.

In fact, some big names have already taken action: Business Insider reports that Amazon and the New York Times are blocking OpenAI’s web crawler.

Join us for a presentation on how Our-Hometown helps to protect our customers from this threat with various safeguards. This includes utilizing paywalls to protect your content, as well as additional options such as blocking AI crawlers and robots.

Fill out the short form below to register for the webinar. As always, registration is free for Our-Hometown customers and members of our Partnered Press Associations.

The cost to general public is $25.

The post LIVE WEBINAR: Protecting Your Content from AI on September 21st first appeared on Our-Hometown.

As you may already know, Google Analytics Universal is being phased out and will stop processing new data on July 1st, 2023. This means that it is essential for you to upgrade to Google Analytics 4 by then to ensure that your website continues to track and analyze data accurately.

What’s different about GA4 compared to Universal?

For starters, GA4 offers a more holistic approach to data tracking. It takes into account the various ways customers interact with your website, including through their mobile devices and offline activities. GA4 also provides more advanced analysis features and the ability to set up custom conversion events, making it easier to understand the impact of your marketing efforts.

A few notable features are highlighted below:

• Cross-device and cross-platform tracking: GA4 enables you to track user behavior across devices and platforms, giving you a more comprehensive understanding of your audience.
  
• Enhanced machine learning capabilities: GA4 uses machine learning algorithms to automatically detect and highlight important insights in your data, saving you time and effort in analyzing your website’s performance.
  
• Improved data privacy: GA4 includes features to help you comply with data privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, giving you peace of mind that your website is secure and in compliance.
  
• User-centric data: GA4 allows you to view data in a more user-centric manner, giving you a better understanding of how individual users interact with your website.

Another advantage of GA4 is the integration with Google’s other products, such as Google Ads and Google Tag Manager. This allows for even more granular tracking and insights, helping you make data-driven decisions to improve your online presence.

Remember, Google Analytics Universal will stop processing new data after July 1st, 2023. If you are currently using Google Analytics Universal, you’ll need to upgrade to Google Analytics 4 before then.

We want to help make this transition as smooth as possible for you. If you need assistance setting up GA4, we’re here to help. Simply send us your GA4 code, and we’ll place it in your website header for you.

We also have a walkthrough for the steps to setup a GA4 account if you don’t have one and where to find the code that we need to place on your website.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Upgrade to GA4 today and take advantage of the powerful insights it has to offer. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

The post Don’t forget to upgrade to Google Analytics 4 first appeared on Our-Hometown.

The MemberPress & CircPro Integration will be offered to publishers on our platform for $100/month following an initial $250 Setup Fee. The setup fee covers all of the associated back-end setup required to create the connection between MemberPress and your CircPro system.

Don’t forget to attend this week’s LIVE WEBINAR EVENT highlighting this exciting new feature! Click here to register!

Check out the video above for more information on the feature, and keep your eyes peeled as we’ll be offering this feature to our customers in the very near future!

The post MemberPress & CircPro Integration pricing announced first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Our-Hometown is excited to present this WEBINAR INTERVIEW with the Directors of the Virginia Press Association — the innovators of the original Digital Initiative program! The event was recorded on Thursday, July 28th at 2PM Eastern.

Our-Hometown President & CEO Matthew Larson is joined by the Directors of the Virginia Press Association to discuss the ins-and-outs of the Digital Initiative program: how the idea started, what prompted the VPA to partner with Our-Hometown, and what kind of impact the program has had on association members.

As our partner on the original Digital Initiative, the Virginia Press Association has helped us build the program from the ground up, and serves as a model for future Digital Initiative programs to follow. No one is in a better position to share their thoughts on the program than the brain trust at the Virginia Press Association!

If you’re considering getting involved in our Digital Initiative, or want to build some demand for your own press association, you won’t want to skip this informative interview!

The post Webinar Interview with VPA Directors on the Digital Initiative | July 28, 2022 [Replay] first appeared on Our-Hometown.

Locally-owned and published weekly since 1959, The Crewe-Burkeville Journal is the progressive voice serving the Southside Virginia counties of Nottaway, Lunenburg, Amelia, Dinwiddie, Brunswick, Charlotte, Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward.

To learn more about the OHT Digital Initiative at the Virginia Press Association or to apply, visit here.

The post Crewe-Burkeville Journal introduces new site through VPA Digital Initiative first appeared on Our-Hometown.

The Digital Initiative program is growing!

Our-Hometown, Inc. is excited to announce that we’ve partnered with the Illinois Press Association to expand our Digital Initiative to the state of Illinois, bringing modern websites and digital revenue tools for papers in need of an upgrade.

The goal is the same as in Virginia and other states that we’re working to expand the program into: to help newspapers with little-to-no web presence transition to new, mobile-friendly websites that come equipped with all of the tools our platform offers to help increase reader engagement and generate additional revenue.

• Protect your content with a Paywall and offer Digital Subscriptions to allow readers access.
• Collect revenue from local businesses who want to advertise on your website, or enroll in the Our-Hometown Ad Network to automatically populate your site with ads.
• Use our Newsletter and Social Media Autopost features to reach new readers and keep them coming back each time new content is posted.

These are just a few of the ways publishers can use our turn-key model to start generating extra revenue immediately — and it is all available at discounted rates to those who enroll in the Digital Initiative through their Press Association!

We look forward to welcoming all of the publishers in Illinois who will benefit from the program!

The post Our-Hometown partners with the Illinois Press Association for Digital Initiative first appeared on Our-Hometown.