How to Create the Perfect News Categories for Your Substack

Learn how to build clear, reader-friendly categories and sections for your local news Substack site. Organize like a pro in just a few steps.

Smart Content Organization: Building News Categories That Work

Hey, Reginaldo Osnildo here again!Let me ask you something important: can your readers find what they’re looking for in two clicks or less? If not, we’ve got a problem.Good news? It’s totally fixable—and it starts with one of the most overlooked parts of your site:

Your categories and content sections.

Think of them like signs in a supermarket aisle. No one wants to wander aimlessly. When you create smart categories, your content becomes more accessible, more engaging, and more useful.

Let’s build a clean, organized structure your local audience will love.

1. Start With Core Topics Your Community Cares About

Here’s the key: your categories should reflect the interests of your readers, not what sounds fancy or “journalistic.”

Some solid starter categories for a local news site:

• Local Politics: Elections, city hall, new laws
• Economy & Business: Jobs, local shops, industry updates
• Culture & Events: Art, music, festivals, food spots
• Sports: High school teams, community leagues
• Public Safety: Police reports, alerts, health news
• Education: Schools, youth programs, academic news
• Community Life: Neighborhood stories, resident features

Stick to 5–7 categories max to avoid clutter.

2. Create Subcategories as Your Content Grows

As your content library expands, it’s time to go deeper.

Let’s say you have a “Local Politics” section—you can break it down into:

• Elections
• City Council
• Policy Changes
• Public Meetings

For “Culture & Events,” subcategories might be:

• Music
• Theater
• Food & Drink
• Local Festivals

This keeps your site well-organized and helps readers go straight to what they care about.

3. Use Categories Strategically in Your Menu

Your top menu bar is prime real estate—use it to feature your most active categories.This could look like:

Politics | Culture | Sports | Safety | Events | Subscribe

Avoid dumping every single category into the menu. Instead:

• Put secondary sections into dropdowns or the sidebar
• Use your homepage to highlight new or featured categories
• Promote seasonal categories only when relevant

4. Create Temporary Sections for Big Events

Covering an election? Major local festival? City crisis?

Give it its own section.

Examples:

• Election 2025
• Summer Events Guide
• Flood Recovery Updates

These sections build momentum, help with SEO, and show readers you’re tuned into what’s happening right now.

When the moment passes, archive them or roll their content into a permanent category.

5. Use Consistent Formatting Inside Each Section

Once readers click a category, they should see:

• The newest or featured article at the top
• A chronological list of relevant posts
• Optional: a short intro or category description

And every post in that category should follow your editorial structure:

• Clean title
• Snappy intro
• High-quality image (when possible)
• Clear CTA at the end (like subscribing or commenting)

This keeps your site professional and easy to read.

6. Tag Related Content to Keep People Browsing

Substack lets you add tags to every post. Use them!

Let’s say someone reads an article in “Education” about a new local school opening. Add tags like:

• “Youth Programs”
• “Public Schools”
• “Education Reform”
• “City Budget”

Then, recommend related stories at the bottom of each post. This keeps your readers looping through your content, not bouncing after one read.

7. Review and Tweak Your Categories Every Month or Two

The cool thing about Substack? It’s flexible.

You’re allowed to change things up as your audience evolves. So:

• Drop categories no one’s reading
• Combine similar ones into one stronger section
• Add fresh categories when trends or needs pop up

Your content structure should grow with your community.

Let’s Take Your Structure to the Next Level

If this post helped you organize your content with more clarity, then you’re going to love the full guide I put together.

It walks you through not just categories and structure—but how to launch, grow, monetize, and sustain your entire local news site using Substack.

Grab the full e-book here:👉 Local Journalism on Substack: How to Create a Low-Cost, Monetizable News Site and Newsletter Network

I poured years of experience into this book so you don’t have to figure it all out alone. Let’s build something that matters, one post at a time.