Running a business on the Central Coast means competing for attention every single day. Someone’s choosing where to eat, shop, book, visit, donate, enquire or spend their hard-earned money – and most of those decisions happen before they even leave the house. That’s where Coasties Magazine can make a real difference in how you advertise on the Central Coast.
Because you can’t just throw your logo in front of people and hope for the best. The best local advertising and marketing helps people picture themselves in your space. It builds familiarity. It creates trust. Then suddenly your classes are getting mentioned in group chats, your rooms are booked out for the weekend and your restaurant is “that place everyone’s talking about”.
Coasties Magazine at a glance
- 170,000+ engaged local audience
- 45,000+ monthly print readers
- 58,000+ monthly website views
- Quarterly magazine distributed across Gosford, Erina, Terrigal, Avoca, Woy Woy, Tuggerah, The Entrance, Umina, Killcare, Wyong and beyond
- 100,600 weekly listeners to our Central Coast Weekender segment on Star 104.5
Choose Coasties Magazine to advertise on the Central Coast
When you’re considering how to advertise on the Central Coast, local knowledge matters. Coasties reaches over 170,000 locals across the region — through print, digital, social and radio. We’ve been covering the Coast since 2020, so we’ve got a pretty clear understanding of the campaigns, stories and strategies that genuinely connect, and we’ve seen firsthand how the right mix of channels turns attention into customers.
Here’s what helps Coasties campaigns cut through.
1. Storytelling works harder than a standard ad
People don’t connect with a price list. They connect with a story.
A well-written feature gives readers a reason to care – it helps them picture themselves sipping a margi on your deck, booking a lesson for the kids, or finally checking out that tile showroom. That’s why advertorial-style content consistently outperforms straight advertising.
All Coasties articles are written by a small team of passionate locals who live & breathe the Coast. The content reads like a recommendation, not a press release.
Coasties helps businesses become part of the local conversation, not just another ad in the scroll.
2. Locals trust local recommendations
The Central Coast is a tight community. People genuinely care about supporting local, especially when the recommendation comes from a source they already trust.
That’s the real strength of local magazine marketing on the Central Coast. Readers come to Coasties actively looking for ideas – where to eat in Terrigal, what’s on at The Entrance, which tradie in Erina is worth calling. You’re reaching people mid-decision. That’s a very different headspace to someone scrolling past a paid ad on Instagram.
And because Coasties only works with businesses we’d genuinely recommend, our readers trust us. And that matters, especially with the cost of living these days – people are thinking carefully about where their money’s going.
3. Print still gets seen
Print gets written off too quickly, but it still punches above well its weight for regional Central Coast advertising.
A physical magazine sits on cafe counters in Gosford, salon tables in Avoca, kitchen benches and lounges – for weeks. People flick through it slowly. They dog-ear pages. They send photos of things to friends.
Coasties Magazine reaches more than 45,000 readers through print alone every month.
And unlike social media, where a post disappears after a few hours, print has staying power. Someone might read about your restaurant on a Tuesday morning, then make a booking two weeks later when dinner is ready to leave the group chat. Print stays in the room until that decision happens.
4. Digital articles keep working long after they go live
One of the more biggest advantages of a Coasties campaign is the longevity of the digital content.
A social media post might spike quickly, but a well-optimised online article can keep bringing traffic for months – especially when locals are Googling things like “best Central Coast restaurants”, “family activities near Gosford” or “what’s on this weekend”. Coasties articles are written with that in mind. They’re SEO, GEO and AIO-optimised, hosted for at least 12 months, and supported with social promotion, homepage placement and newsletter exposure.
That means your campaign isn’t relying on one big moment. It keeps showing up.
5. Social proof creates momentum, fast
People notice busy places.
Businesses that appear regularly across trusted local media start to feel established – worth visiting, worth booking, worth the drive out to Killcare or up to Budgewoi. It creates momentum.
That compound effect is especially powerful when campaigns include multiple touchpoints. Maybe someone sees your business in the print mag, then spots an Instagram Reel a few days later, then notices you in a “best of” roundup article. They’re not a customer (yet!), but your business feels familiar.
And familiarity drives decisions more than most people realise.
6. Engagement matters more than follower counts
Big numbers look nice, sure. But engagement is what actually moves people – shares, saves, comments, DMs, someone sending a Reel to their mate with “we should go here”.
That’s why Coasties focuses heavily on audience engagement across social, not just vanity metrics. When locals genuinely interact with content, they’re far more likely to visit the business being featured.
You can almost track it in real time – a local restaurant gets featured mid-week and suddenly the Saturday bookings start filling up.
7. Local media partnerships expand your reach
One of the underrated parts of a Coasties partnership is how many channels it opens at once.
Campaigns can include website articles and display advertising, social media, newsletters, UGC and partnerships like the Central Coast Weekender segment with Star 104.5 x Coasties. That’s print, digital, social and radio in one place.
It matters because customers rarely act after seeing something once. Marketing works best when people repeatedly bump into your business in different places. A bit like running into the same person at three different parties and deciding they’re probably worth following up with.
8. Good visuals stop the scroll
Humans are undeniably visual creatures. So you’re not just selling a service – you’re selling a feeling.
Great photography, styled shoots, experience reels and UGC all help potential customers picture themselves in your space. Authentic video content works because it feels like a recommendation from a mate, not an ad. Sometimes a slightly chaotic reel of cocktails being poured or a packed workshop tells people more about your business than a perfectly polished promo ever could.
9. The best campaigns combine multiple touchpoints
The strongest strategies when you want to advertise on the Central Coast aren’t relying on a single ad placement. They’re combining:
- print visibility
- digital articles
- social content
- authentic UGC
- display ads
- eDMs
- local partnerships
- repeat exposure
That combination builds recognition faster and keeps your business top-of-mind when people are ready to spend.
Coasties offers integrated packages that blend print, digital and social specifically designed to drive local awareness and customer action.
Because at the end of the day, local business marketing isn’t really about impressions or clicks alone. It’s about getting actual humans to choose your business.
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Who advertises with Coasties?
Mostly local businesses — cafes, restaurants, retailers, accommodation, trades, health and wellness, real estate, events. But not exclusively. We also have partners based in Sydney or Newcastle who use Coasties specifically to reach Central Coast households. You don’t need to be local to advertise here. You just need to want to reach locals.
If your business serves anyone on the Central Coast – from Patonga to Gosford, up to Gwandalan and out to Somersby – Coasties is worth paying attention to.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How much does it cost to advertise on the Central Coast with Coasties?
Depends on what you’re after. Print, digital, social, radio – pricing varies. Flick us an email and we’ll send through the media kit.
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Is print advertising on the Central Coast still worth it?
Yeah, it is. A magazine sitting on a cafe counter gets seen for weeks. It’s a different kind of attention to a scroll-past on Instagram.
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How many people does Coasties reach?
We have an audience of over 170,000 local Coasties waiting to hear your story.
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My business isn’t based on the Central Coast — can I still advertise here?
Absolutely. Plenty of our partners are Sydney or Newcastle-based and use Coasties specifically to reach Coast residents. If your customers live here, it makes sense to show up where they’re looking.
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What suburbs and areas does Coasties cover?
The entire region – Gosford, Erina, Terrigal, Avoca, The Entrance, Woy Woy, Umina, Tuggerah, Wyong, Long Jetty, Wyoming, Peats Ridge. Pretty much everywhere you’d actually want to reach.
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How long does a digital campaign run?
Digital articles stay live for at least 12 months and get social, newsletter and homepage support.
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What types of businesses advertise with Coasties?
Hospitality, retail, health and wellness, accommodation, real estate, trades, events – if your customers are on the Coast, there’s probably a fit. We work with a pretty wide range.
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What’s the difference between print and digital advertising on the Central Coast?
Print builds trust and hangs around longer. Digital moves faster and keeps pulling search traffic well after the article goes live. Most businesses that see real results do a bit of both.
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Who’s behind Coasties?
Four Coast locals – Nikki Tiedeman, Tash Robertson, Amy Buckle and Renee Butler. We live here, we eat here, we care about the Central Coast. Find out more about us.
Advertising with Coasties helps your business stay front of mind
For businesses looking to advertise on the Central Coast, visibility matters – but trust matters even more. That’s where Coasties Magazine differs from traditional advertising and other marketing opportunities. By combining storytelling, print, digital exposure and local media partnerships, Coasties helps businesses stay front-of-mind with locals and visitors actively looking for places to shop, book, visit and support.
And on the Central Coast, word spreads pretty quickly when people find something good.
Click here to work with us, find out more or just have a chat.
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