Partner counter-card kit · 2026-06-16

Offline reader growth without sponsor confusion.

Approval-gated counter-card and partner-share kit for converting high-footfall local businesses into reader acquisition routes without scraping, spam or sponsor confusion.

No public post, business approach, physical placement, subscriber email, paid ad, sponsor outreach, payment collection or inventory hold is approved by this kit.

Preview subscribe route Open JSON kit Community pack

Counter-card copy

St Albans and Harpenden before breakfast

Free local morning briefing: planning, roadworks, council decisions, events and useful links in one five-minute email.

CTA: Scan to subscribe free

Disclosure

Buttondown handles confirmation and unsubscribe. No sponsor relationship is implied unless separately approved.

Primary route: https://www.gmstalbans.co.uk/subscribe/?ref=counter-card

Placement lanes

Best counters to ask after approval

Rank 1

Independent cafes and bakeries

Daily regulars planning school runs, commutes, roadworks, parking, weekend events and local services.

Places

St Albans city centre
Harpenden
Fleetville
Redbourn

First ask

Would you be comfortable leaving one free local briefing card by the till for regular customers?

Risk

Must not imply the business is a paid sponsor or that the newsletter endorses the venue.

Proof before use

Owner or manager approval
Card placement date
Visible subscribe URL or QR route
No private customer data collected

Rank 2

Bookshops, libraries and cultural venues

Readers who already seek local events, culture, civic notices, author talks and weekend planning.

Places

St Albans
Harpenden
Wheathampstead

First ask

Could we leave a small free-local-newsletter card alongside community notices?

Risk

Venue policies may require neutral wording and no commercial claims.

Proof before use

Venue permission
No paid placement
Community notice policy checked
No event listing promise

Rank 3

Gyms, salons and family activity counters

Repeat local customers who value concise event, road, school-run and service-change updates.

Places

St Albans
Harpenden
London Colney

First ask

Can we share a free morning briefing card for local residents who want practical updates before the day starts?

Risk

Family and youth settings need adult-facing placement only and no child/student data routes.

Proof before use

Adult-facing placement
Manager approval
Safeguarding-sensitive copy review
No mailing-list inclusion

Rank 4

Estate agents and professional-service receptions

Residents, movers and clients tracking planning, transport, parking, schools, local events and civic decisions.

Places

St Albans
Harpenden
Redbourn
Park Street

First ask

Would a free local briefing card be useful for clients moving into or around the district?

Risk

Can blur into sponsor outreach; keep reader acquisition separate from paid inventory.

Proof before use

Reception approval
No paid sponsor wording
No property-market performance claims
No client data

QR variants

Referral routes to test after MY-2571 preflight

generic-counter-card

Default card for approved independent counters.

https://www.gmstalbans.co.uk/subscribe/?ref=counter-card

harpenden-counter-card

Harpenden-specific partner placement after venue approval.

https://www.gmstalbans.co.uk/subscribe/?ref=harpenden-counter-card

village-counter-card

Village notice route for Redbourn, Wheathampstead, Sandridge, Park Street or Colney Heath.

https://www.gmstalbans.co.uk/subscribe/?ref=village-counter-card

Approval checklist

Hard gates before any card leaves the machine

Gate

the editor approves the business route, copy, card design and timing before any approach.

Gate

Business owner, manager or venue operator explicitly approves placement before any card appears.

Gate

The card says subscribe free and does not imply sponsorship, endorsement, paid partnership, prize or discount.

Gate

The landing page is Buttondown-first and passes only public referral metadata after MY-2571 is verified.

Gate

No private customer data, member lists, receipts, emails, phone numbers or in-store sign-up sheets are collected.

Gate

Remove the card immediately if the venue asks or if referral attribution produces malformed metadata.

Proof capture

What to record privately

Proof

Approved route name and public business URL

Proof

Approver name or role, kept private

Proof

Placement date and removal date if time-limited

Proof

QR variant used

Proof

Photo proof for internal review only; do not publish without business approval

Proof

Buttondown referral metadata export after live preflight is approved

Blocked claims

Do not overclaim offline attribution

Blocked

Do not claim subscriber lift from counter cards until Buttondown referral attribution is exported and deduplicated.

Blocked

Do not describe a business as a sponsor unless a separate approved sponsor booking exists.

Blocked

Do not promise editorial coverage, event inclusion, discount promotion or review coverage in exchange for placement.

Blocked

Do not use cards in schools, youth clubs or medical settings without a separate safeguarding and compliance review.