Happy two year anniversary, Charleston. These last two years have been a whirl for us + for CHS – and we love that so much has happened in the city we call home. We can’t believe that it’s been a full twenty-four months since we launched and celebrated with you all at Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company. Oh, the memories…
Our very first newsletter dropped on Feb. 15, 2018. So, to celebrate our second birthday, we put together some of our favorite stories and posts – and a snapshot of how far we’ve come – and where we’re going. Plus, a little reminder of who exactly we are.
🎉 Here’s a snapshot of two years ago today…
- Subscribers: We started with 10.5K by our launch in February. Shoutout to all of you who took a leap of faith and subscribed to us pre-launch – and are still waking up with us today.
Today: 46K subscribers. We appreciate every single one of you. - Instagram: We started from scratch in late 2017, grew to 8,000 by this time in 2018.
Today: 39K followers. Y’all make our community thrive with your tags and comments. And remember, you can holler at us by using #chstoday in your posts + stories. - Facebook: Like Instagram, we started from scratch, and grew to 4,600 by February.
Today: 13K followers. An extra shoutout to the 40+ of you who have given us 5 star reviews.
🎉 Here are a few of our favorite conversations our team has had with you this year…
- The history of the H.L. Hunley | This was my first history piece and was so, so interesting to write. Who knew they used candles to monitor oxygen levels? Or that P.T. Barnum wanted the vessel for his museum? Using these little-know fun facts was a cool way to showcase the history of Charleston’s iconic submarine, and to learn something new. – Editor Katie Smith
- Lowcountry Lowline | The plan to build the Lowcountry Lowline was one of the very first subjects I covered for CHStoday (way back in February 2018). I’ve been following it closely ever since, and was SO excited to be able to write about a major update on the project yesterday. The Lowline has the potential to transform the city in a hugely positive way – and getting to share such good news with the community is by far the best part about my job. – Editor Jen Ashley
This year, we’re excited about building our Voices platform – which allows you to take center stage and publish your original content on our website + in our daily newsletter. Our Voices pieces have encouraged self care, celebrated Gullah Geechee culture, promoted sustainability, and shared sweet memories of those who previously called Charleston home. Read more about Voices – and share your voice – here.
We couldn’t do what we do without our incredible year two Strategic Partners: Daniel Ravenel Sotheby’s International Realty, Lowes Foods, MUSC Health, Preferred Home Services, Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Sweetgrass Plastic Surgery, The Blood Connection, Explore Charleston + Kiawah Island Golf Resort. These local bizzes have invested back into their community by supporting CHStoday and help us provide this free newsletter every morning. A big thank you to our other advertising partners, as well.
Want to learn about how you can be a part of the conversation? Check out our advertising opportunities here, and see additional ways to work with us here.
We’re so excited to step into year three with you, Charleston.
And we want to know – what’s been your favorite thing about CHStoday, from features to social posts, in our first two years? We love hearing from you (and we still answer every email you send our way), so let us know below – or head over to Facebook or Instagram.
Cheers to another great year of conversations ahead. 🥂
