Be in the Know - Vibe Hamilton's Paul Copcutt

From Local Grit · 00:45:41

Show by Alex Hobcraft

Paul CopcuttAlex Hobcraft speaks with Paul Copcutt, founder of Vibe Hamilton, a local events guide that helps people discover what is happening across the city. Paul explains how he grew its audience, balances automation with human verification, and uses community storytelling and events to connect Hamilton residents and businesses.Paul Copcutt’s move from recruitment and personal-brand coaching into creating Vibe Hamilton after struggling to find local events across dozens of websites.Vibe Hamilton’s short weekly email and searchable website organize events by day and category; a typical issue can list 190 events, including 75 live music gigs.Audience growth through friend and family referrals, social media, Facebook ads, and Instagram-to-email automation; Paul says roughly 27% of subscribers come through Instagram and ManyChat.Why Paul values click rates over open rates, and how he maintains editorial independence while offering sponsors clear packages and in-voice ad copy.Social content lessons from Hamilton: food and film shoots can travel, while the same snow-sculpture video performed very differently on Instagram and Facebook.How an AI agent now helps check event listings after earlier AI errors, with Paul retaining a human review before anything is published.The Vibe Dinner Club matches six people using preferences and personality questions, revealing guests’ identities through emojis before dinner and an optional after-party.Paul’s advice for small businesses: lead with local stories, people, and neighborhood identity rather than copying large chains or relying on generic sales.A Hamilton Day promotion brought together eight of twelve BIAs and distributed more than $1,500 in local gift cards to encourage discovery and spending locally.Paul recommends Unreasonable Hospitality and discusses how thoughtful, low-cost customer gestures can create outsized loyalty.Vibe Hamilton’s event guide organized by day and categoryVibe Dinner Club matching via budget, food preferences, personality questions, and emoji introductionsBuild a concise email that gives readers a quick overview, then links to a complete, searchable resource.Make local listings easy to browse by day and interest category.Prioritize referred subscribers and meaningful engagement; track clicks alongside opens.Use social automation to invite interested followers to subscribe, while keeping the interaction clear and relevant.Use AI to reduce repetitive research, but verify every event before publishing.Market a small business through local stories, people, and neighbourhood connections rather than generic chain-style promotions.Look for thoughtful customer gestures that are specific and inexpensive, then adapt good ideas from other industries.Chapters00:00 Meet Paul Copcutt and the idea behind Vibe Hamilton04:10 The frustration that sparked a local events guide06:06 A three-minute newsletter and a growing audience09:52 Referral growth, ad quality, and why clicks matter13:03 Instagram automation and what local content takes off17:54 Storytelling beats chasing the algorithm22:59 Hamilton’s creative gems and hidden local experiences27:56 Finding events, AI assistance, and the human check32:08 How the Vibe Dinner Club brings people together37:46 Local marketing, Hamilton loyalty, and gift-card hunts44:02 Unreasonable hospitality and small-business customer care47:03 Podcast editing, tools, and a post-interview chatThe Vibe Hamilton - https://thevibehamilton.comBeehiiv - beehiiv.comManyChat - manychats.comUnreasonable HospitalityThe Culture Code

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