Advice for Aspiring Digital Journalism Entrepreneurs

Mark Briggs is the author of Entrepreneurial Journalism (CQ Press 2011) and Journalism Next (CQ Press 4th ed. 2019), a follow-up to Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive in the Digital Age. In his consulting work for the SmithGeiger Group, he develops and executes organizational transformation initiatives that have reshaped cultures, helped increase performance, and created more fulfillment among employees. He has traveled to speak and consult in dozens of cities in the U.S., Europe, China, and the Middle East and spoke at SXSW Interactive in Austin for four straight years (2010-13). In his interview with FOREIGN PRESS, Briggs offers advice for Journalism Entrepreneurs in the Digital Age.

Mark Briggs

What do you think about the current startup field in media?

Wow, that’s a tough question to answer. It depends on what segment of startups or what area geographically you are looking at. You can be bullish if you focus on the $1 billion acquisition of Politico and the momentum that Substack has created, both from a platform and a publisher perspective. But local media hasn’t fared as well, and I think most observers of the field would like to see more traction around local media projects. We need more Texas Tribunes and 6 AM Cities around the U.S. 

What does it take to become a journalism entrepreneur?  

The same qualities that make a successful entrepreneur in any field. An inspiring vision, the passion to pursue it, and the ability to motivate people to join you in the pursuit. But most importantly, product-market fit with that vision. If the product is journalism, it still doesn’t change the rest of the variables in the equation, but I think a lot of journalist entrepreneurs underestimate how difficult building a great product can be. Jessica Lessin started The Information and once said, “Frankly, the really hard part is the journalism. Everything else can be learned and shared.” Her product is kick-ass journalism which is why The Information has been so successful. She didn’t invent the paywall; she just found a way to create an amazing product and put it behind one (with some savvy marketing techniques to get people into the funnel - but that’s another story.) 

What are the major trends in news consumer needs? 

The challenge here is separating needs from wants and finding a balance between both. Many consumers want more positive, inspiring news amid the doom scrolling that spawned in 2020. But news organizations must report the realities of the pandemic, climate crisis, social justice movement, and vitriolic politics. Still, other consumers have given up on mainstream media and left fact-based, evidence-based reporting for skewed opinions and inciteful rhetoric that matches their worldview. That’s what they want, but not what our society needs. We need to be able to come together and agree on a set of facts as truth to inform our opinions. I’m not sure how we get those people back. 

Throughout your book Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive in the Digital Age, you provide unique insights and advice to journalists and media organizations about surviving and thriving in the digital age. What prompted you to write the book?  

That was such a long time ago! Seriously, before Facebook, Twitter, and even the iPhone! But the advent of blogs and YouTube made it clear to me (and lots of other people) that digital technology was disrupting traditional forms of journalism, so I wanted to help people seize the opportunity. I was surprised that no one had written a college textbook at the time, which led to Journalism Next, which is now in its fourth edition. Even though technology has changed dramatically, the raison d’etre remains the same. 

How can a journalist be successful in the digital landscape? 

Dive in. Take chances. Learn from the risks and experiments of others, both successes, and failures. Keep your values but get out of your comfort zone. 

Which digital tools do you recommend journalists investigate to expand their audience and engage more with them? 

What’s interesting about this question is that it’s less about the tools and more about the product-market fit. Or, in the case of journalism, it’s the content-audience fit. Look at what is succeeding on Substack, and there isn’t anything revolutionary about the tools or technology. It’s an email newsletter. Reporting, writing, and publishing, just like I was doing in my first job as a sportswriter at a weekly newspaper in the 1990s. Sure, it helps if you are a savvy marketer on social media and can grow your network to your funnel, but the bottom line is whether your content resonates or not. And that’s true across all platforms. 

What new reporting methods has the digital age created?

Data journalism is my favorite. One of the best gifts of the digital age is access to data sets, the ability to synthesize the data and make sense of it in ways that everyday audiences can better understand complex subjects.

What advice would you give to media and journalism aspiring entrepreneurs? 

You must be passionate about your idea or your vision to be an entrepreneur. But that’s not enough; you must be super clear on your value proposition to the audience (the consumers). How is your idea unique or different than what already exists? And most importantly, how will you make money? Money is the lifeblood of any business. I like to remind aspiring entrepreneurial journalists what several publishers from the golden era of newspapering used to say: “We don’t publish a newspaper to make money. But we make money so we can publish a newspaper.”