Journalists create brands in growing ‘direct’ sales model

Journalists create brands in growing ‘direct’ sales model

NEW YORK: Anna Codrea-Rado built a name for herself as a freelance journalist, building an audience of 2,500 for her email newsletter, "Lance“, aimed at helping other independent writers. Then in 2019 she joined a wave of writers charging a subscription fee for her weekly newsletter using the Substack platform, moving to the direct-to-consumer model. "At the time, I thought it was crazy to charge people for emails,“ said the British writer who also produces her own podcasts.

But being a freelance writer, this has become "a game changer in terms of actually getting paid on time, and like your cash flow,“ she said. The number of her subscribers quickly dropped to 130 but then bounced back progressively to over 300. "It was a good revenue stream,“ even though she suspended the pay model during the coronavirus pandemic.

Codrea-Rado's experience highlights a growing movement in the news media, where legacy organizations are facing growing economic woes, of writers creating their own brands to connect with readers, bypassing traditional outlets. Independent writers may have their own online web page, newsletter, podcast, or even connect by text message via the Subtext platform.

Jeremy Caplan, director of teaching, learning and assessment at City University of New