Subscribe
for just...
plus
Note: This article was written by Penelope Jones, the founder of My So-Called Career, a company that helps women take ownership of their careers. She previously spent 17 years in media working for both the Guardian and Conde Nast.
It's nothing new to say that traditional media has a diversity problem, a gender problem, an inclusivity problem, a representation problem, a millennial problem, a pipeline problem - you name it, media probably has it. Perhaps it would be more refreshing to flip the narrative and accept that the mainstream media has an average white man with an opinion problem?
With so much to rail against, you might think that those excluded by traditional media could make use of new platforms and technology to create a more representative media from the bottom up, but at the moment, it feels as if the world of independent publishing is at risk of recreating the same structural inequality.
In part, this is a platform problem. Platforms such as Substack, Patreon, Ghost and Mailchimp which are facilitating much of the current 'pivot to newsletter', have much in common with the mainstream media that they are increasingly positioned as a potential alternative to. Founders are overwhelmingly white and male, and operating with all the privilege that gives them, along with significant sums of VC funding - with big name investors seeing the 'passion economy' as a new area of growth.
There is also the role of the media echochamber, highlighting stories of the 1% who occupy the top spots on any given platform and giving a skewed sense of the opportunity for the rest of us. We are told that all you need to succeed as an independent publisher is 1000 'true fans' from whom you can extract the equivalent of $100 net per year but the examples we are given are of those who achieved that with the benefit of public profiles built up over years in the public eye.
Register to try out Baekdal Plus completely for free for one week.
Baekdal Plus is your premium destination for trends and analysis for the media industry. Every year you get 25 reports about the future media trends, business and editorial strategies, monetization analysis and insights about how to use analytics specifically for publishers.
As a subscriber, you also get full access to all the Plus reports (more than 200) published over the past 8 years, as well as the ability to share what you read.
Yes, of course, please write to plus@baekdal.com and I will send you a regular invoice that you can pay via your bank. I will need your company name, address and VAT number (if within the EU). Also, please note that due to this process being manual, this will be for an annual subscription only.
Yes, please write to plus@baekdal.com for details. But for 25-99 users: the price is 20% off the subscription price ($79/year per user), 100+ users is a fixed price at $5,000 (for all combined).
Yes, please head over to Baekdal Media to read about consulting where I can help you with strategy reviews, trend and strategy reports, and strategic guidance for you media company or a specific publication.
What service do we actually provide as newspapers?
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
In a health crisis, the worst thing we can do is to report about it as just another news story.
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
What tactics should independent journalists focus on?
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
The trend of independent media has never been stronger, but what exactly should your strategy be?
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
People often talk about the objectivity of the press, but few understand what that really means.
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
This is a good time to start a new magazine
Free for subscribers
...or full access for $9
Founder, media analyst, author, and publisher. Follow on Twitter
"Thomas Baekdal is one of Scandinavia's most sought-after experts in the digitization of media companies. He has made himself known for his analysis of how digitization has changed the way we consume media."
Swedish business magazine, Resumé
plus
plus
plus
plus
free
plus