Five takeaways from a new study of local digital news publishers

For-profit news startups are more likely to succeed than other small businesses, but many owners aren’t getting rich. I’ve been tracking these local, independent, digital news outlets for more than a decade and started Michele’s List in 2010. Now, with an assist from the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, I updated my database and surveyed … Continued

Let technology plot the path forward

Like many journalists, I can remember when I first thought about pursuing a career in the field. As a teenager, I loved writing and reading well-done stories, and I often found them in the newspaper. By the time I reached high school, I was reading The Detroit News and The Detroit Free Press everyday, and … Continued

A LION is born

Dylan Smith was skeptical when, in 2010, he received an invitation to the first Block by Block conference. Leaving his one-person newsroom for a weekend to fly across the country for a conference aimed at local, independent, online news operators seemed like a waste of time. Smith ran a nonprofit site in a major metro, … Continued

More trust + more collaboration = more revenue

Revenue generation can be a complex landscape for digital publishers, especially those in small operations. Should you hire a sales team? Use programmatic advertising? Rely on affiliate marketing? Offer native advertising? Can the sales team collaborate and brainstorm with the news team? There’s much to sort out and consider for startup digital publishers trying to … Continued