Content Creators Tour

Becky and I at SaveYour.Town love to hear from our readers about the things you are doing particularly if  you read about it in one of our newsletters. Enjoy this story from Danielle, Director & Events Coordinator at the St. John’s Chamber in Lansing, Michigan.

Entrepreneurs Revive A Town

Deb & Team,

I’d like to write you to send my deepest gratitude for your newsletters! I’ve been on your email list since the Spring, and on April 23rd, 2025, you sent a newsletter labeled “How do you get them off the highway?” which I immediately opened because our community got cut off when the “new highway” went in ~20 years ago.

Over the last approximately 5 years, entrepreneurs in our town have been truly reviving our community. I took over as the Director & Events Coordinator of our local chamber in October 2023, and I’ve been very actively becoming a “mover and shaker” of our downtown community.

No One Blogs Anymore, Though

After reading the paragraph of your newsletter about the “Bloggers Tour,” I immediately had the wheels turning – in this day and age, people don’t really read blogs, they want 30-second video reels— and who does that better than Instagram travel content influencers? At that point, the Content Creators Retreat was born, and I was on a mission to make it come to fruition!!

Don’t Give Up

Shortly after coming up with the idea, I met with my strategic partners that are supposed to cover our county. I received a really negative response and left that meeting in tears and feeling defeated. BUT after reading more from Save Our Town, and having a truly incredible chamber President & Vice President— I pushed forward. We had almost NO sponsors, and some very condescending attitudes toward the wonky idea.

Success!

However, Im elated to announce that, in less than 5 months after reading your newsletter, we had an incredibly successful Content Creators Retreat!! Our small town of 7,689 residents was highlighted on platforms of over 200,000 followers as well as our local news station and I’ve been receiving emails all morning from businesses in the area that want to partner with future events!!

Thank you for all you do!!

Danielle

Content Creators Retreat ~ Event Recap
by the Chamber

St. Johns, your premier destination for daytrips and staycations

We’re excited to announce the first Content Creators Retreat was a massive success! We kicked off the day at Waypoint Coffee Co and welcomed our influencers with open arms (and lots of swag!)

This day of touring the town was a genuine, boots-on-the-ground St. Johns experience and I would like to take a moment to thank all of our business stops, sponsors, and donors for believing in our new event.

Event Highlights:

• Our creators gave us wonderful feedback about their experience. Many said they loved the chance to connect with fellow influencers and even begin planning future collaborations.
• A favorite element was the bussed tour format (thank you Clinton Transit!) —many noted how refreshing it was to enjoy a guided experience. This allowed them to focus fully on capturing content and engaging with our community.
• The retreat felt authentic and inspiring, leaving our guests eager to share their stories and experiences from St. Johns with their audiences.

Thank you Nordic Pineapple B&B for touring us around, and Joni from Creekside Gathering Place for being our networking facilitator!

We’re thrilled to see this initiative already creating buzz online and can’t wait to share more of the content as it goes live. Together, we’re continuing to grow St. Johns’ reputation as a vibrant destination for day trips, family outings, and unique experiences.

Our event was even featured on Fox47 news!

Click here to watch the report. 

We are deeply grateful to our supporters who continue to believe in and invest in our new initiatives. Your encouragement and trust make it possible for us to bring fresh, creative ideas—like the Content Creator Retreat—to life.

Thank you for standing with us as we grow, try new things, and shine a spotlight on the St. Johns community. We truly couldn’t do it without you!

 

Danielle shared lots of pictures, just click on one to see the image in a larger format.

I encourage you to showcase your town in unique ways, and invite others to participate. A Content Creators Tour is a good start! Deb