pitch me | journalism interactive 2014
DESCRIPTION
This session explores strategies for teaching media entrepreneurshipand includes a live pitch contest in which J/i Conference attendees pitch their ideas for media businesses. Moderated by Mark Potts, serial news entrepreneur and founder of Newspeg. Panelists include Dan Shanoff, director of audience development, USA TODAY; Amy Eisman, director of Media Entrepreneurship and Interactive Journalism, American University; and Lisa Williams, digital engagement editor of Investigative News Network.TRANSCRIPT
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Pitch Me is a marketplace for quality journalism.
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I’m Kabir. I’m a writer and editor.
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This is how freelance journalism works now.
“Thanks for your email.
I’m so busy right now…”
“Dear Leader… Will you buy my
story?”
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We make life easier for creatives.
Talk to each other.
Agree quickly and easily.
Publish and make money.
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We want to be the Etsy of journalism.Pitch Me loves new publishers.
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There’s huge demand for more quality content.
• Magazine launches outnumber closures 3 to 1.
• Consumer magazine publishing is an $80bn global industry. !
• On Kickstarter, 930 journalism projects launched and $3.2m pledged; 744 periodical projects launched and $3.4m pledged since 2009.
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Business plan.• Commission-based for journalists / subscription-
based for publishers.
• Charge for Pro services - editing, offline events.
• Marketing: Through social media and partnerships.
• New publishers now, big companies / industries that need journalists later.
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Competition.Focused on new
publishersFocused on
storiesJournalism
only
Pitch Me Yes Yes Yes
Contently No No No
Ebuyline No No No
Odesk, Craigslist No No No
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Numbers.• More than 1,300 requests to join. We’ve approved
about 450 journalists.
• Average story is worth $1,000. January was best month for sales so far.
2015: Revenues = $50,000 2016: Revenues = $100,000 2018: Revenues = $400,000
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Pete Guest pitched this last year.
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These guys got funded through Kickstarter.
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They talked. And this happened…
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The Economist
“The ability of magazines to inspire fierce loyalty among readers means there are also lots of
small-time, quirky successes.”