Hey Rhody!

This week on Business Over Breakfast we were joined by the “big guns” from Hey Rhody.

Hey Rhody is the only magazine/publishing company in Rhode Island that serves both local and regional publishing. This allows them to reach out in multiple different ways and to target different areas that they’re looking for. With four different publications Hey Rhody, Providence Monthly, The Bay Magazine, and SO Rhode Island, Rhode Islanders have access to a lot of value with no cost to it!

Hey Rhody has always been small business-oriented but during the pandemic “they felt a symbiotic relationship with small businesses and the stories that they covered '' Elyse Major, Editor in Chief shared.

During the pandemic, most businesses were shutting their doors and not placing ads which is where most of Hey Rhody’s revenue comes from. Early on in the pandemic most of the magazines had to be put on pause which led them to focus on the online component to make sure people knew that they were still around. They would continue to write new articles and even came up with a segment called “Wordy Resources” featuring businesses and how they were continuing to provide even though their doors were closed. Similar to the mission of Shoplocalrhodeisland.com!

“We’re more successful when we come together and we use our resources together as a collective and especially in a state like Rhode Island that’s so small,” Sascha Roberts the Digital Media Manager shares with us.

Through all of the difficulties that the pandemic brought to businesses, everyone came together. This positive outlook is exactly what helped get them through the last year (going on two)!

For Hey Rhody, it’s important to them as a company to be engaged with the community whether it’s through social media or their free publications. In addition to their publications, they just started their own podcast called “Hey Rhody”! This conversational podcast is all about being part of the community and getting to know the people in it.

“There’s a thing in Rhode Island where we all feel like we know everything about Rhode Island. You slowly figure out you don’t really know that much about it,” General Manager, Nick DelGiudice, shares.

To learn more about Hey Rhody and all that they have to offer visit the Hey Rhody website!

Each week on Business Over Breakfast, marketing experts Lori and Ben are joined by Rhode Island entrepreneurs who are living their dream of owning and running a business. If you’re a Rhode Island business owner and want to share your story please contact danielle@visualthrive.com and visit ShopLocalRhodeIsland to learn about other small businesses.