Google Ad Grant - Voice of OC

Google Ad Grant

Case Study: Voice of OC

https://voiceofoc.org/
Data period: October 2024 – March 2025

Nonprofit Journalism Powered by Strategic Digital Advertising
MISSION

Voice of OC is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom focused on investigative and local civic journalism in Orange County, CA. With a mission to empower community voices and hold local government accountable, they needed a digital strategy that not only drove traffic but turned engaged readers into loyal newsletter subscribers.

Google Ad Grant - Voice of OC

IMPACT

Impact - Google Ad Management

Donations

Over $2,500 raised from users accessing the site via Google Ad Grants ads.

Newsletter Subscriptions

1,500+ new subscribers, with Google Ad Grants being the second-largest source.

Ad Clicks

20,724 clicks, a 32.6% increase from the previous period.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

12.37%, improving by 43.8%.

Monthly Ad Spend

+$9,500 avg, a 273% increase.

Challenge

Voice of OC came to Elevation with an established digital presence and a strong community mission—but needed support expanding their reach and deepening engagement. They had clear goals:

  • Increase high-quality site traffic from people interested in local government, policy, and accountability.
  • Boost newsletter subscriptions through targeted online campaigns.
  • Align their social media, organic content, and paid advertising under a unified digital strategy.

They were ready to take their impact to the next level—and we were ready to help.

OUR APPROACH

Partnering with Elevation

We designed a two-pronged digital advertising strategy:

1. Google Ad Grant for Brand Awareness
Using their $10,000/month in free Google Ads Grant funding, we built keyword-driven search campaigns to position Voice of OC as the go-to source for civic news in Orange County. These ads brought in highly qualified readers actively searching for local news, politics, and watchdog reporting.

2. Meta Ads for Newsletter Conversions
Simultaneously, we ran highly targeted paid social campaigns on Meta (Facebook & Instagram) to convert casual readers into subscribers. These ads were optimized for newsletter signups and used current event headlines and local stories to drive urgency and relevance.

All of this was supported by ongoing client collaboration. Voice of OC shared a steady stream of new stories, headlines, and community updates—which allowed us to refresh ad content and capitalize on trending topics.

The Google Ad Grant provides Voice of OC with $10,000/mo to help spread awareness about their mission.

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The Results

Performance Metrics

From Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, we saw a major leap in performance:

📈 Newsletter Subscriptions

  • Jan–Mar 2025: 1,134 new subscribers

  • Oct–Dec 2024: 551 new subscribers

  • ➡️ 106% increase in newsletter growth

🚀 Google Ads Grant Performance

  • Strategic brand awareness campaigns brought thousands of new readers to Voice of OC’s website—many of whom became loyal, returning visitors.

  • Monthly traffic from Google Ads nearly doubled after implementing a refined keyword strategy and location targeting.

🔁 Client Collaboration That Fuels Performance

  • The client kept us updated with timely headlines and community stories, helping us tailor ad copy that resonated deeply with their audience.

  • A six-month organic and social media content plan (renewed in January 2025) created alignment across all channels and ensured sustained momentum.

Why It Works

The success of this campaign shows the power of combining Google Ads Grant for broad visibility with targeted Meta ads for focused conversion goals. This balanced strategy delivered:

✅ New readers searching for trustworthy local journalism
✅ More engaged visitors who became email subscribers
✅ A clear ROI on time, collaboration, and paid ad investment

Voice of OC is now better positioned than ever to expand their impact—and we’re honored to be part of that growth.

Achievement of Objectives:

  • Increased Donations: Successfully raised funds to support the organization’s goals.
  • Expanded Supporter Base: Grew the newsletter subscriber list, increasing overall engagement and support.

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