As Indiegraf’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Sam Hoisington will be sharing his journey of building a community news outlet in this recurring column. Follow along as he shares the milestones and challenges of news entrepreneurship.
When I pitch my news startup to neighbors, many of them start criticizing the local newspaper.
Are there valid criticisms of legacy media? Sure. But joining in won’t solve anything, so I avoid piling on.
The newspaper’s journalists do important work, and I believe the only way to change our industry’s outlook is through radical collaboration.
We’re all in this together. So, I do what I can to help other outlets.
Below are a few collaborations I’ve been noodling on recently. Some I’ve started work on and others I haven’t gotten to quite yet.
These are all relatively small partnerships, and other outlets in our industry have taken collaboration much further.
But overall, my point is this: If we actively look for opportunities to support each other, we’ll find plenty.
Generous links
The Bentonville Bulletin emails a weekly news roundup featuring articles from us and other news outlets. I curate the links, presenting all articles equally based on what I think readers want to know.
The Bentonville Bulletin emails a weekly news roundup featuring articles from us and other news outlets. I curate the links, presenting all articles equally based on what I think readers want to know.
I designed it to avoid summarizing other news organizations’ articles. Instead, we provide a headline, a one-sentence quote, and a link to read more. This way, it’s clear who reported the story, and traffic is directed to other publications.
The Bentonville Bulletin benefits too, as our audience will remember us as the helpful source that shows them everything they need to stay informed. Everybody wins!
Here are some stats on how it’s going so far:
- Since our first email update on April 24, readers have clicked on links to “competing” news outlets 3,829 times.
- That number includes 862 links to our local newspaper. Over time, I’m confident some of our readers will convert to paying subscribers because of these links.
- Our email list has been growing, and so have the clicks. In the most recent news roundup, there were over 1,100 clicks to other outlets’ work.
Swapping services
Recently, I helped a different independent local media organization design its first reader revenue campaign. In exchange, they gave me some unsold ad slots. No money exchanged hands.
From those ads, I’ve gained at least 150 new newsletter signups.Their reader revenue success theoretically might impact mine. But honestly, I don’t think so. People visit multiple stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues. They can also support multiple news sites.
Welcome series shoutouts
I swear this idea could be so effective, but I haven’t had the time to execute it. I’m also not aware of any instance of this happening in the industry.
Here’s the proposal: multiple local news organizations in one geographic area add a message to their new subscriber drip campaigns promoting the others’ newsletters.
This wouldn’t cost a dime and would benefit readers, too.
Chit-chatting
Since starting my project, I’ve met with four other local media organizations and I’m prioritizing making more connections.
Reporters run into each other all the time at press conferences, but office-dwelling managers — the ones calling the shots — don’t have those built-in connection opportunities.
It has taken quite a bit of work to book these meetings, but I think it’s a worthwhile investment — a lot of possibilities come from simply making the time to see each other.
We love collaborating with local news organizations and entrepreneurs. Indiegraf’s mission is to help you find the best solutions to meet your publication’s needs. Interested in learning more? Let’s chat!
