This session explores strategies for teaching media entrepreneurshipand includes a live pitch contest in which J/i Conference attendees pitch their ideas for media businesses. Moderated by Mark Potts, serial news entrepreneur and founder of Newspeg. Panelists include Dan Shanoff, director of audience development, USA TODAY; Amy Eisman, director of Media Entrepreneurship and Interactive Journalism, American University; and Lisa Williams, digital engagement editor of Investigative News Network.

1. Pitch Me is a marketplace
for quality journalism.

2. I’m Kabir. I’m a writer and editor.

3. This is how freelance journalism works now.
“Thanks for your
email.
I’m so busy right
now…”
“Dear Leader…
Will you buy my
story?”

4. We make life easier for
creatives.
Talk to
each other.
Agree quickly
and easily.
Publish and
make money.

5. We want to be the Etsy of journalism.
Pitch Me loves new publishers.

6. There’s huge demand for
more quality content.
• Magazine launches outnumber closures 3 to 1.
• Consumer magazine publishing is an $80bn global
industry.
!
• On Kickstarter, 930 journalism projects launched
and $3.2m pledged; 744 periodical projects
launched and $3.4m pledged since 2009.

7. Business plan.
• Commission-based for journalists / subscription-
based for publishers.
• Charge for Pro services - editing, offline events.
• Marketing: Through social media and partnerships.
• New publishers now, big companies / industries
that need journalists later.

8. Competition.
Focused on new
publishers
Focused on
stories
Journalism
only
Pitch Me Yes Yes Yes
Contently No No No
Ebuyline No No No
Odesk,
Craigslist
No No No

9. Numbers.
• More than 1,300 requests to join. We’ve approved
about 450 journalists.
• Average story is worth $1,000. January was best
month for sales so far.
2015: Revenues = $50,000
2016: Revenues = $100,000
2018: Revenues = $400,000

10. Pete Guest pitched this last year.

11. These guys got funded through Kickstarter.

12. They talked. And this happened…

14. The Economist
“The ability of magazines to inspire fierce loyalty
among readers means there are also lots of
small-time, quirky successes.”

15. Join us.
!
Email me at kabir@pitchme.org
!
Sign up at pitchme.org