What the Spotlight is
A no-cost monthly feature where we:
- Tell your story to our audience across the site, email newsletter, and social channels
- Build you a complete, ready-to-use marketing kit — written, designed, and scheduled by us
- Give you assets you keep forever and can reuse anywhere
One business per month. That's not a marketing gimmick — it's the most we can do at full quality, and full quality is the point.
How it works
Spotlights are chosen from the registry. We look for businesses with a story worth telling and work worth pointing at. You can apply below, or we may simply call you.
We interview you (10 minutes, phone is fine), write your feature, and design your kit. You approve everything before any of it goes anywhere.
Your feature goes live to our audience. You get the kit the same week — use it, save it, or ignore it. It's yours either way.
Zero writing, zero design, zero scheduling required on your end.
What's in the kit
- The written feature — a real story about your business, the way we wrote about The Trough and Big Dipper. Not an ad. The kind of thing customers send to each other.
- Social posts — square and story formats, captions written, images designed
- Email copy — drop-in text if you have a newsletter (and nothing wasted if you don't)
- Website blurb — a clean 75–100 word version for anywhere you need one
- Optional extra — short interview questions for a quick video if you want one
Everything is evergreen. Reuse it next year. Print it. Frame the feature if you want — businesses do.
Who we pick
We feature locally owned businesses that do right by this town — good work, honest dealings, the kind of place you'd send a friend.
Having your own audience to share the feature with is a bonus, not a requirement. If you don't have an email list or much of a social presence, that doesn't disqualify you — half the businesses we admire most don't. The registry and this Spotlight exist for exactly those businesses.
If you're not sure you qualify: you probably do. Apply.
The schedule
One business per month, usually booked 1–3 months out. If you're selected, we confirm your month and deliver your full kit two weeks before launch, so there are no surprises.
The standard we hold features to
Want to know what a Missoula Legends feature actually reads like? Here's one:
"The cow is still there. So is the dairy behind it — and the place underneath it still runs like a neighborhood stop, not a destination."→ Read the full feature on The Trough
That's the bar. If we feature your business, that's the care your story gets.
*(NOTE: once the first official Spotlight partner is live, swap this section for that real spotlight — name, photo, links, and a one-line result if you have one.)*
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this really free?
Yes. The Spotlight is how we invest back into the businesses that make this town worth writing about. Nobody can pay to be selected, and selection costs nothing.
What's expected of my business?
If you have your own audience — email, social, a corkboard by the register — we'd love you to share the feature during launch week, and we hand you everything ready to post. If you don't have an audience, that's fine. The feature still runs.
How far in advance are features scheduled?
Typically 1–3 months out. Apply early if you have a season that matters to you — we'll try to match your month to it.
Do I have to offer a discount or deal?
No. An exclusive offer for our readers can boost the launch, but it's entirely optional and never a factor in selection.
I'm not in the registry yet. Can I still apply?
Apply for both at once — start with your free listing at /claim (two minutes), then submit the Spotlight application below. Listings are unlimited and free; the Spotlight is the curated layer on top.
Apply for a Spotlight
A few questions so we can see the story. If writing isn't your thing, fill in the first three fields and put "call me" in the last one.