News is where the money's at
TREND ALERT
Every once in a while, I’ll write a piece that will be subtitled “TREND ALERT.” What that means is that I’ve spotted a significant trend in the writing and publishing industry.
For this week’s Trend Alert, I’m going to talk about writing news and how several new writing platforms have established themselves over the past few years.
Why am I talking about the news?
I get that this might feel a bit random, but keep trusting me. One of my goals with Writers Are Superstars is to open up the world of possibilities. I’m talking about the news because trust in news over the past half a dozen years has dropped to all-time lows. People aren’t sure where to turn for unbiased coverage and that’s become a real problem. And where there are problems, there are opportunities.
Take the media company 1440. They send out a daily newsletter to over 2 million subscribers. They built their list in only four years, which you know is an incredible accomplishment if you’ve ever tried hosting a newsletter.
How did they do this? By putting together a nimble team of only ten employees that focus strictly on creating unbiased news content you can read in five minutes or less. They present the facts, vetted by an editorial team of four who sift through over a hundred sources, and let the reader decide what to do with those facts.
How successful has 1440 been? At the time of writing this, they have had close to three straight years of monthly revenue growth. They generate eight figures annually and are a profitable and thriving business. (In case you’re doing the math in your head, eight figures is tens of millions).
Is this really a trend?
OK, so 1440 has had a lot of success, but are they a one-off, or is this a real trend?
Let’s ask LION. LION stands for Local Independent Online News. They are “a professional journalism organization for news publishers.” They have a mission to, “provide equitable access to inclusive and impactful news and information,” and do so by supporting entrepreneurs who want to start or sustain local news businesses.
LION is essentially where you go if you want help getting your news company off the ground. They offer resources, training programs, and have partnerships with large corporations that allow them to fund growing news businesses that show special potential.
Why does LION even exist? Because local news has been hit hardest by the conversion of the industry to digital, paired with the proliferation of social media, particularly Twitter. But local news is still important, so LION is addressing a real gap in the industry by supporting local and independent newsmakers.
Then think about Substack. Substack was literally built on the premise that mass media is failing and independent journalists (writers) need an outlet. It’s not an accident that a large number of the top Substack publications deal with news—specifically politics, economics, and investigative journalism—and most of the top writers are journalists. And recent stats show that these top writers, the top ten, are earning a collective $20 million on this platform.
That, my friends, is the definition of a trend. And think about when Substack started. They first launched in 2017. 1440 launched in 2018. If you understand what happened in North America near the end of 2016 and going into 2017, you’ll understand why these launch dates are significant.
Can you take advantage of this trend?
Of course you can. If you’re looking to earn income as a writer, then producing local news stories is an option you can consider. If there’s a topic you’re passionate about, focus on that and start building your credibility in that area. Use platforms like this one or Medium to get going.
If you’d like to get your feet wet because you’re not sure, then try a platform like Scoop.It. They let you publish curated content to readers so you don’t necessarily need to write anything. It’s a good way to practice searching for local stories. Once you become more confident, then you can move on to publishing original content.
You’re already a superstar, I’m just trying to get you to show the world. Trends are one way to do that. If this trend speaks to you, then why not give it a try?