Launching a hyperlocal news site for Black and Brown women
“Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation which is not nurturing to the whole woman.”
- Maya Angelou
I’ve lived my entire life knowing that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. Achieving goals take action, courage, perseverance, and direction. Direction was what I was lacking before enrolling in the Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program. I’m launching a hyperlocal news and information website for Black and Brown women and teenage girls. The site will first launch in Philadelphia before expanding to other cities along the East Coast. Rhondies Beat Philadelphia (rhondiesbeatphl.com) will help underserved communities by reporting on social issues that impact their neighborhoods. It is my goal to help my audience find solutions to their problems by providing them with access to quality information and resources.
Here are some key takeaways from EJCP:
The program helped me refine my vision for the site and taught me ways to make it sustainable. I had a list of topics I wanted to cover: climate change, politics, health, culture, and personal finances. All things important to me. But, I learned in order to really serve my readers, I have to listen, observe, and understand their needs. Right now, I’m doing that by conducting audience research. I’ve created a survey to find out how my readers consume news, the biggest challenges they face, and what type of content they like to read. I’m also meeting with local community leaders, and organizations that serve Black and Brown women and teenage girls.
It’s my goal to create sisterhood, a community, not an audience. An audience is passive consumption. A community is more interactive and engaging. Health and wellness are important to me, and running is one of my favorite things to do when I need to clear my mind. A running club is one thing I’m considering. It’s low-cost, mostly free, and Philadelphia has great places to run. I will launch a monthly newsletter, but first the website. I will publish content every Saturday morning. It’s important to create habits and routines. Trust is hard to win and easy to lose.
My current job is a morning television news producer. It’s impossible to produce and get a newscast on air by myself. Collaboration is key. For some odd reason, I thought I would be able to launch my site on my own. Who was I kidding? Only myself. EJCP taught me my goals are too big to do it on my own (and why would I want to?). I learned interesting ways to create partnerships with local organizations and other content creators. An organization may not have money to help fund my project, but they may offer a free space where I can hold gatherings for my readers.
Partnerships need to be linked to specific goals. Tip: If you are looking to create a partnership give 3–4 options of what you can offer each other and be specific about what the collaboration looks like.
Email is powerful. It helps build a relationship with readers, plays a role in growth strategy, and helps converts readers to subscribers, supporters, and loyal fans.
Making money requires thinking outside the box. Some options I plan to explore: events, workshops, consulting, eCommerce merchandise, and reader revenue.
It’s important to treat going paid as a product launch. Put a lot of energy into it. It’s a big deal. Spread the word on social media, and maybe give top readers a free subscription for promoting.
Don’t hide the best content behind a paywall, making it free will help convince readers to subscribe.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
- Maya Angelou
Execution and growth:
