Case Study: Charleston City Paper achieves $170K in ballot revenue and 900,000 votes with Second Street Lab

Best of Charleston Ballot Generates $170K

Charleston City Paper, an alternative weekly newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, needed a way to grow engagement and revenue for its long-running Best of Charleston ballot, which had historically averaged only about 10,000 votes. Working with Second Street Lab, the paper moved to a more robust ballot platform and added a nomination period, category sponsorships, and expanded promotion to boost participation and advertiser interest.

Second Street Lab helped Charleston City Paper launch the new format, supported by social, print, and online campaigns plus a merchant social toolkit. The results were strong: the ballot generated $170,000 in revenue, including $30,000 from digital category ads, attracted 900,000 votes from 20,000 registered voters, and added 8,000 new email addresses to the database.

Charleston City Paper

Blair Barna

Advertising Director and Co-Owner