Stroll’s Neighborhood-First Model Turned Local Publishing into a Scalable Advertising Business
This year marks the company’s first time back on the Franchise 500 since 2019.
For most of the advertising industry, the goal is reaching as many eyes as possible across the vast digital landscape. Stroll takes the opposite approach. It’s about the who many, not the how many. It focuses entirely on one upscale neighborhood for each publication. Each month, the brand delivers a high-quality print magazine directly to affluent homes, filled with resident stories and backed by local advertisers who want to show up where trust already exists. This is advertising that feels personal, intentional, and rooted in community.
The strategy is working. On Entrepreneur’s 2026 Franchise 500, Stroll ranks #365 overall and claims the top spot in the advertising services category. It’s the brand’s first appearance on the list since 2019, and it comes after a return to positive growth in 2025 driven by a surge in new franchise openings. The rebound reflects a business that made the right investments at the right time.
Today, Stroll produces magazines in more than 500 communities, supported by a mix of franchised and company-owned locations. This footprint helped the brand land in the top 20% for size and growth and the top 15% for financial strength and stability. For a media business operating in a fast-moving landscape, that kind of performance stands out.
Making it easier for franchisees to grow locally
Stroll is constantly refining how it supports its franchisees. Over the past year, the brand rolled out a major upgrade to the look and structure of its magazines. This includes turnkey editorial themes and feature packages that simplify planning while maintaining a consistently premium feel. The result is less time spent creating content from scratch and more time spent developing relationships with advertisers.
The brand also expanded its internal toolkit. A new performance coaching program gives franchisees structured sales guidance, while a new centralized CRM system combines operations, advertiser management, and communication. On the digital side, Stroll refined its in-house marketing services to give franchisees additional ways to serve advertisers while staying aligned with the company’s relationship-first model.
Purpose plays a role here, too. Through its N2GIVES initiative, the brand donated more than $3 million in 2025 and more than $30 million to anti-trafficking organizations over the past decade. Giving back isn’t a side project for Stroll. It is embedded into how the business operates, reinforcing a sense of shared mission across the network.
Click here to learn more about Stroll and their exciting franchise opportunities.