When we launched Amherst Now in 2025, we had one question: could a platform built specifically for Amherst serve this community better than a Facebook group or a regional news site that barely knows we exist?
The answer turned out to be yes. Over 8,400 readers, 14,000 page views, more than 2,000 community notices, all in year one, all without spending a dollar on advertising. People found us because they needed us.
Now we’re ready for the next chapter, and we want local businesses to be part of it.
Introducing Founding Partners
Today we’re launching the Amherst Now Founding Partner Program, a small, exclusive group of local businesses that will grow alongside this platform as we scale.
Here’s what that looks like in practice: as a Founding Partner, your business gets exclusive sponsorship of a community section or guide. Your banner sits at the top of the section and on every post within it. You get a backlink to your site. And every quarter, we write a featured post about your business, editorial content, not an ad, with links to the pages that matter most to you at that moment.
One partner per section. No competitors sharing the space. No rotating carousel of logos.
Why Now
2025 was proof that this community wanted what we built. 2026 is where we put our foot on the gas. We’re launching paid advertising and building a real social media presence with one goal: 100,000 page views by year end.
Founding Partners lock in today’s rates, guaranteed through the end of 2027, while the audience around their sponsorship grows. That’s the deal. You’re not buying a static ad on a static site. You’re buying in at the ground floor of something that’s already working.
Sections available now include: Food & Shopping, Home & Auto, Health & Wellness, Business & Work, Events & Entertainment, Sports & Outdoors, Family & Education, Pets & Animals, Community & Civic, Lost & Found, and our guides to Late Night Amherst and How to Start a Business.
Annual pricing starts at $1,200. Quarterly options are available. Founding Partner rates are locked through 2027.
One thing to note
We’re selective. Amherst Now has built trust with this community and we intend to keep it. Every potential partner goes through a brief conversation before anything is confirmed. It’s not a high bar, we just want to make sure it’s a good fit on both sides.
If you’re a local business that wants to be where Amherst is paying attention, let’s talk.
