TAPinto was named one of only 15 media companies in the United States to Editor & Publisher Magazine's 2025 "Media that Matters."  

TAPinto is currently the only franchise model for local news in the U.S. and have been recognized each of the last four years with numerous awards for franchisee satisfaction by Franchise Business Review. In late 2024, TAPinto, a network of 98 independently owned and operated local news and digital marketing platforms in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida, developed technology to allow the licensing of its tech stack, enabling existing publishers to have a robust digital presence that increases revenue and audience while reducing expenses.

Key members of TAPinto:

• Michael Shapiro, founder and chief executive officer
• Darlene Cullen, chief financial officer
• Adam Darsky, director of content
• Ariel McDonald, supervisor of customer service

Can you share one specific story, initiative or innovation your publication produced/created that you believe best exemplifies the kind of Media That Matters?

Women franchisees rule. Pictured are (l to r) Faith Armonaitis, TAPinto Hasbrouck Heights/Wood-ridge/Teterboro; Becky Greene, TAPinto Fair Lawn/Glen Rock; and Darlene Cullen, TAPinto South Plainfield. (Photo credit: Bobbie Peer)

Our DIY content marketing platform, which won first place for innovation from the Local Media Association in 2024, exemplifies the kind of “Media That Matters.” We saw our local news publishers spending hundreds of hours per year wading through emailed press releases and event listings and working tirelessly to post them on their sites while those same businesses, nonprofits and government agencies spent their advertising dollars elsewhere. We asked, “How can we change this dynamic?” Through the DIY platform, these entities can now submit and pay for their content to be published while still enabling our publishers to have complete control over the content. This saves our publishers time and creates a new revenue stream for them.

We also enabled the DIY platform to recognize advertisers and, for those with content marketing packages as part of their advertising campaigns, use the platform to submit their content. We have since built out new features with the DIY platform, including obituaries, classifieds, business listings and more, as well as upcharging for appearing in the daily newsletter, publishing the content ad-free and posting the content on social media.   Since we continually strive to improve and add new features for our publishers, we have also added an open house feature for realtors this year, and a new local deals & offers and a job board will soon be released, as well, with more new features on their way later in 2025.

What advice would you offer to other news organizations seeking to deepen their relevance and impact in the communities they serve?

Two franchisees pictured are (l to r) Brian Agnew, TAPinto East Orange/Orange, and Ken Simmons, TAPinto Piscataway. (Photo credit: Bobbie Peer)

It’s pretty simple: show up. Be at the meetings. Attend the events. Ensure your newsroom is seen not just as a media outlet but as a real part of the community. People notice when you’re present, and they remember it.

In the end, our editors and publishers not only cover the community, but they live there — so being there for our readers and being seen is natural. Being there for our audience goes further than attending events. When we receive a message needing a solution to a problem, we’re there for them through our content, advertising solutions and our many platforms.

When your newsroom becomes a place people turn to for answers and connection and not just news, you’re building something lasting. That kind of trust can’t be bought or scaled overnight. It comes from showing up, over and over again.