B Square Bulletin Engages Local Audience with Local Puzzles

B Square Bulletin is a local news startup based in Bloomington, Indiana that uses weekly puzzles to keep their audience engaged. We spoke with Dave Askins, editor and publisher of B Square Bulletin, about his experience with games on their website and newsletter.

To start off, could you give our readers a quick introduction to the B Square Bulletin?
The B Square Bulletin is a website and newsletter providing news and information about Bloomington, Indiana. Our specialty is local government. Right now, I am trying to transition the operation from a one-person newsroom into a fully staffed institution that serves as the local paper for the community.

Why is that transition so important to you?
Local news in the United States has diminished significantly. If I were to get hit by a bus tomorrow, the operation would end because there is no one to take it forward. I want to build a structure where an assistant editor or a team of reporters can carry on the work. We are trying to fill a gap left by traditional local papers that have shrunk to only a few reporters.

You use puzzles in your newsletter. How do those fit into your broader goals?
They serve a dual purpose of education and revenue. Every puzzle is meant to be fun, but we use them to provide reminders about the civic sphere. For example, a word search might use the last names of elected officials, or a quiz might cover current events from the past week.

Can you give an example of how a puzzle educates your readers?
I recently created a word search featuring the names of local schools. The hidden connection was that all of those schools serve as voting locations. Participation in local midterm elections is often low, so this is a low-key way to remind people that an election is coming up without it feeling like noise or a lecture.

You mentioned sponsorships. How has the experience been trying to monetize these puzzles?
It has been a challenge so far. I hired consultants to develop a sponsorship program, but they haven’t been very successful in selling them yet. Currently, the Bulletin is funded purely by donations from readers. While that covers my basic living expenses, it isn’t enough to fund a full newsroom. I believe the business community will have to play a role through sponsorships.

Why are puzzles attractive to sponsors compared to standard news articles?
Puzzles are clearly not the news. When you put a logo on a news story, it can create a perceived connection between the sponsor and the reporting. News should be independent. Because puzzles are entertainment, they allow for branding without causing confusion about the editorial integrity of our journalism.

I noticed the puzzles are often placed at the very top of your newsletter. What went into that decision?
Originally, we put them at the bottom to see how many people scrolled through the entire newsletter. Eventually, we decided to move them to the top so people have something to look forward to immediately. I’ve found that as long as the placement is consistent, people who enjoy the puzzles will find them.

As a solo editor, what is your process for creating these puzzles?
A: I don’t have a rigid system, but I try to rotate between word searches, jigsaws, and quizzes. I especially like the jigsaws because we can scramble the image at the start. The reward for the reader is solving the puzzle to reveal a civic-related image or a piece of information.

What do you like most about PuzzleMe?
It just works. I don’t have to worry about the technical implementation or whether the code will embed correctly. That allows me to focus entirely on the creative side and the content of the puzzles rather than troubleshooting.