My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   Eric Siu has a pretty massive audience; his YouTube channel boasts 161,000 subscribers and his two podcasts – Marketing School and Leveling Up – have generated tens of millions of downloads.    But Eric doesn’t bother with traditional media monetization models like advertising or subscriptions. Instead, he leverages his influence to drive clients to Single Grain, a marketing agency he owns. As that business grew, he was able to acquire more agencies and add to Single Grain’s capabilities, and it now works with some of the world’s largest brands.   In a recent interview, Eric explained how he met his co-host, where he found his audience, and why he chose to monetize his content with a services business.  

My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   When Keith Pepper bought a chain of print newspapers back in 2020, he received an email from a columnist at the Atlanta Journal Constitution that basically asked if he was crazy. But Keith had a plan for taking a company that generated 98% of its revenue from print advertising and converting it into a digital-first media company.   And he’s done just that. Today, Rough Draft Atlanta generates 27% of its revenue from digital ads, and it managed this feat without seeing a significant decline in print advertising. This has allowed Keith to reinvest in the business by hiring more journalists, and it’s now stronger than ever.   In a recent interview, Ketih explained how he consolidated all the newspapers under a single brand, his strategy for attracting online ads, and why he’s avoided placing his content behind a paywall.  

My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   Layoffs in the local news sector are, sadly, a regular occurrence, but the founders of Block Club Chicago decided they weren’t going down without a fight.   In November 2017, the news startup DNA Info laid off its entire staff, and it was only a few months later that three of its editors launched a Kickstarter that raised over $183,000;  they used that capital to launch Block Club Chicago, a nonprofit that seeks to put a journalist in each of the city’s neighborhoods.   Flash forward six years, and Block Club has a robust news gathering operation that’s funded by 20,000 paying subscribers, foundation support, and a growing advertising business. In a recent interview, co-founder Stephanie Lulay walked me through the site’s launch strategy, its unique approach to neighborhood-based reporting, and why she thinks Block Club’s model can be replicated all across the US.  

My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   For much of its 130-year existence, State House News operated as a standard newswire service. Its journalists covered the Massachusetts state government and it then syndicated their content to regional and national newspapers.    But in the late 90s, owner Craig Sandler realized that internet distribution would allow him to sell direct digital subscriptions and vastly expand his customer base. Today, the service charges $4,000 a year to any company or organization whose business is directly influenced by the state’s government.   In a recent interview, Craig discussed how he built the direct subscription business, why he decided to sell a majority stake in the company, and whether State House News is shielded from the whims of large tech platforms and AI chatbots.  

Discover how Stacker revolutionizes content syndication by offering free data journalism to publishers. Their innovative model allows brands to distribute sponsored content across over 3,000 media outlets. Learn about the collaboration between data journalists and publishers to ensure high-quality content. Explore the nuances of sponsored versus editorial content and how it can enhance audience reach. Dive into the strategies that build brand authority and the critical role of sales teams in forging partnerships!

Mignon Fogarty, a trailblazing media entrepreneur and one of the world’s top podcasters, chats about her remarkable journey with the Grammar Girl podcast and her successful transition into online courses. She shares insights on the importance of partnerships, such as her collaboration with LinkedIn Learning. Mignon discusses the evolution from casual content to structured courses and how evergreen topics keep audiences engaged. Her innovative approach has garnered thousands of students, proving the power of effective communication in today's world.

My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   Most companies buy advertising to drive sales of their products, but Andrew Curtin’s first sponsor mostly bought out of pity. It was May 2022 and he had just launched Construction Wave, a B2B outlet that covers the UK’s construction industry. He had absolutely no audience, but a major crane manufacturing company bought a $10,000 sponsorship anyway.   That $10,000 allowed him to hire his first editor, and over the next two years they built Construction Wave up into one of the leading publications in its sector. Its website is mainly monetized through high-priced sponsorships, and this year it hosted its first conference geared toward construction CFOs.   In an interview, Andrew explained how he got interested in the sector, where he found his initial readers, and why he thinks there’s an opportunity to launch a subscription data product for his industry.  

Tim Burrowes, co-founder of the renowned media brand Mumbrella, discusses his journey from traditional journalism to digital innovation. He shares how Mumbrella quickly gained traction with a lively comment section and industry events that raked in millions. Tim explains the strategic decisions behind selling the brand and dives into his latest venture, Unmade, emphasizing the power of Substack and an email-first approach. He also addresses the current challenges of launching media companies in a saturated market, highlighting the need for unique content and audience engagement.

Alex Halperin, founder of WeedWeek, shares his journey from journalism to building a B2B platform focusing on California's cannabis industry. He discusses the challenges of reaching a national audience due to fragmented legalization and how pivoting to California strengthened his business. Alex reveals insights on monetization through subscriptions and sponsorships, along with a recent collaboration with the LA Times for an investigative series. He also explores the balance of free versus paid content and innovative strategies for engaging readers in this evolving market.

My newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/   One of the great things about being a college journalism major today is that it’s incredibly easy for professors to build their own news sites and allow students to experience every aspect of the publishing process. Not that long ago, journalism students had few avenues for publication outside their college newspaper.   Lydia Chavez took advantage of this dynamic while teaching at UC Berkeley. In 2008, she and her colleagues launched Mission Local, a local news blog that covered San Francisco’s Mission District. It quickly gained traction within the community, and in 2014 Lydia spun it out into its own independent news organization. Today, it’s fully sustained by a mix of large and small donors.   In our interview, Lydia walked me through how she incorporated the site into her journalism curriculum, why she spun it out from the university, and whether she thinks Mission Local’s model can be replicated across the US.