Innovation in Focus
Innovation in Focus is a series exploring new tech, tools and methods of storytelling for journalism. We interview experts, test ideas and provide our findings with templates, guidance and how-tos so you can implement the same innovations in your newsroom.
Sign up for the Innovation in Focus Newsletter to get a monthly delivery of each topic.
Whether you’re a one-man band or a large metro, this series will help you take the next step in innovative journalism.
Email the editor: lytle@rjionline.org
Generating revenue through merchandise community partnerships
Block Club Chicago brought in $100,000 from Gator Watch, a conversation on merch and partnerships with Maple Walker Lloyd.
How to work with a local artist to design merch for your newsroom
Saco Bay News, Black Iowa News, Forth Worth Report and My Ballard created T-shirts with their communities.
How to authentically ask for audience participation in newsletters
A conversation with Sam Cholke and Andrew Haeg.
Building interactive visuals for newsletter engagement
How a newsletter drew participation through a holiday gift guide.
How to build news quizzes to encourage habitual engagement
Missouri Business Alert expands their quiz from Instagram to newsletters.
Crafting an engaging news quiz: “Help people feel that there is a human heart beating behind the in-depth news”
A Q&A with Fritz Holznagel at The Conversation.
Centering your community in reproductive justice reporting
Sourcing, context and tips for reporting.
Building relationships is the best tool for making a collaborative work
A conversation with Heather May, director of the Great Salt Lake Collaborative.
Testing tools to promote better collaboration in editorial budgets
How Notion, Coda and Google Tables (beta) stacked up.
Reaching multilingual communities starts with listening and collaboration
A conversation with Aala Abdullahi.