Our Story
BlueLena was founded by an experienced team of publishers, journalists and newsmedia marketing executives to create a sustainable future for independent local media. We do so by deploying world class technology, and delivering the expertise and professional services to build and support subscription, membership and donation models for long-term success.
Prior to starting BlueLena, Daniel Williams and James Gold (along with a third partner, Tom Ratkovich) founded and managed LEAP Media Solutions, a full-service marketing solutions provider that supported over six-hundred global media brands. LEAP’s client base included Gannett, Hearst Publishing, the Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Dallas Morning News and hundreds of other small-to-medium sized daily publishers.
LEAP was acquired by BlueVenn, LTD in 2017.
In early 2020, BlueLena as formed specifically to support community-based alternative news and emerging digital media with audience management, and the creation of long-term sustainable reader revenue models.
A Unique Solution to a Common Challenge
Traditional, established publishers and new digital startups alike are recognizing the importance of developing audience revenues to sustain their business models and build a stronger future for community journalism.
There are a variety of coaching programs and learning resources available to assist publishers with charting a path to successful reader revenue strategies, including the Membership Puzzle Project, GNI Subscription Lab, the Facebook Accelerator Program and the Table Stakes Local News Transformation Program.
However, to pursue this strategic path successfully, publishers are faced with the daunting challenge of investing in the technology, the talent AND the expertise to successfully implement consumer revenue strategies that are critical to long-term viability.
BlueLena removes those barriers and helps accelerate transformation.
BlueLena carefully identifies and partners with best-in-class software and technology that we deploy and resource on behalf of our publishing clients.
We refer to this model as shared resource management (or “SRM”), where audience growth is built upon both the technology and the end-to-end professional managed services that drives growth and accelerates business model transformation.
The SRM approach allows even the smallest publisher to benefit from the same technologies deployed at some of the largest global media brands, and we provide you the assurance of continuous support and resourcing that allows you to invest in, and focus on, high quality content creation.
As part of our fully-managed professional service, BlueLena drives rapid audience growth and monetization by working with publishers and editors to align your brand, newsroom resources and content strategy with your audiences’ needs.
BlueLena is “CMS-agnostic” meaning we can be deployed with any existing content management system. Currently, we operate on WordPress, Newspack, Metro Publisher, Foundation, Scenethink, TownNews, Creative Circle and Graphene.
Through our rigorous test-and-learn methodology, and tracking of various creative approaches, campaign messaging, social media management and on-site marketing we discover the most efficient ways to attract and retain your key audience segments.
Our highly personalized reader journeys are designed and optimized to engage readers and continually build loyalty, engagement and and brand advocacy.
Through our carefully managed and proven optimization practices, BlueLena provides sustainable growth in the value of each reader relationship.
BlueLena clients can launch in days with minimal support from local management, no startup costs, and a licensing and managed services model that ensures even small publishers can realize short and long term returns on sustainable growth.
The BlueLena Community
In the short time since our founding, we have quickly grown to support leading community-based alternative and digital media brands coast-to-coast across the United States and Canada, including in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Detroit, St Louis, Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Tampa, Orlando, San Antonio, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Raleigh, Omaha, Little Rock, Washington, DC and many other markets.
Our one-hundred plus member publishing consortium represents a diverse mix of non-profit and for profit newsrooms, pure digital and print plus digital publications, as well as established and new media brands. Our clients represent membership with the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN), LION Publishers (LION), the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), the National Association of Hispanic Press (NAHP), the Black Press Association (NNPA), and the Local Media Association (LMA).
We facilitate the sharing of best practices through a weekly newsletter, community Slack channel, and monthly Zoom meetings where we spotlight success stories from across the BlueLena publisher consortium.
BlueLena is founder-funded and backed by investment from Old Town Media a New York-based firm that has supported The Colorado Sun, Block Club Chicago, Chalkbeat and Medium, among other successful media-related projects. Let’s get to work.
