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The ‘Original Platform’: How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement International Symposium on Online Journalism Austin, Texas – April 20, 2013 Jake Batsell, assistant professor Southern Methodist University, Dallas @jbatsell

#ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

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Slides for #ISOJ presentation, 4.20.13, Austin, Texas. The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

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Page 1: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

The ‘Original Platform’:How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue ThroughFace-to-Face Engagement

International Symposium on Online JournalismAustin, Texas – April 20, 2013Jake Batsell, assistant professorSouthern Methodist University, Dallas@jbatsell

Page 2: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

GeekWire Summer Bash – Seattle, June 2012• More than 500 Seattle techies attended

• 14 corporate sponsors • Tickets began at $50

Page 3: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

Events at GeekWire• 9 total in 2012• 40% of total revenue• 20% profit margin

•Local tech executive: “People in Seattle, they have a personal connection to this thing … we kind of feed them, and they feed us back.”

Page 4: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

June-November 2012:

• Visited 20+U.S. newsrooms

•Conducted 100+ interviews

•Part of largerbook project

Page 5: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

… is emerging as an increasingly vital complement to newsrooms’ digital engagement strategies.

Face-to-Face Engagement:

Page 6: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

Face-to-Face Engagement:• Not an obligation, but an opportunity to build

community and – yes – monetize your audience.

Page 7: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

Face-to-Face Engagement:• If done well, can subsidize watchdog

reporting.• One of three potential revenue streams upon

which news organizations should pounce, according to Skok/Christensen.

• Still, returns aren’t always quantifiable.

Image credits: niemanlab.org; Nordstrom.com

Page 8: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

Conclusions / Best Practices:• Designate an event planner.• To make money, seek out sponsors.• Networking is a prime draw.• Newsroom buy-in is key.• Provide memorable experiences.• Don’t expect a golden goose, but with an

authentic approach, events can produce revenue and audience goodwill – preferably both.

Page 9: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

Community blogger in Pontiac, Mich.:• “They acknowledge us, and we

acknowledge them. That’s engagement.”

Page 10: #ISOJ presentation: The 'Original Platform': How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty and Generate Revenue Through Face-to-Face Engagement

Thanks!

[email protected]: @jbatsellSlides: j.mp/isoj13smu