Journalism and independent writing… How to escape from extinction
People working in journalism are accustomed to frequent updates and changes because the industry has developed so quickly over the past century, but they probably never imagined things would get so chaotic in the last 20 years. Many individuals believe that since everyone has access to social media and cellphones that allow us to report on everything that happens in real time, we no longer need professional journalism. Of course, that is untrue; we still require objective information from reliable sources who are knowledgeable in their subject. However, journalists today face the challenging task of persuading us of this requirement.
The modern context
Additionally, numerous periodicals are on the verge of closing their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic's detrimental economic effects, which has forced them to let go of a large number of their staff. Many of those who were able to keep their employment also believe their pay is too low given the quality of their work. Many authors and journalists are searching for alternatives in the midst of all of this, with starting their own businesses being the most obvious one. But is working as a freelancer a viable option today? Is there a different option?
The first question has a potential answer of "it could be, but there's a lot of competition," and the second question has a potential answer of "yes, there are alternatives, and at MintMe we'd like to offer one of them," but only after you respond to this inquiry: "Have you ever thought about monetizing one of your projects so that you can get a regular income?" If the response is "yes," we'd like to offer some thoughts.
“There are no magic methods to succeed... but hard work, some imagination, and treating your followers as an important part of your project will take you a long way...”
You can utilize our platform to assist you with this new step whether you are creating a blog, a YouTube channel, a newsletter, or any other type of content distribution. Being directly compensated by your followers will give you all creative control and ownership, including branding, marketing, and price. While working for a media corporation, your work would only be judged in terms of clicks and views, driven by advertising. Finally, all of the freedom you'll have will convert into extra obligations, but if you handle it well, it will be well worth it. You will be solely responsible for earning the money you require, and you will be able to produce material for a more specific audience.
Being the writer, editor, publisher, marketer, and social media manager is not a job that everyone can do. You will need to organize everything very well and be efficient with your time. At some point, you will be able to hire someone to help you with some of these tasks, and eventually you might need a team. On the plus side, you will have the option of selecting your topics or taking into account followers' suggestions. You will also be in charge of establishing your production and posting schedule as well as making decisions regarding the project's expansion.
Important elements
You may want to consider how you will determine the worth of the services you are giving before you begin to accept your token as payment for them. Typically, large organizations will concentrate mostly on producing exclusive content and they will establish a fixed (Take it or leave it) pricing. To set these levels, you must be very clear about the differences between them and how you justify the price, providing information about both additional benefits and why this content costs you more to produce. We advise getting some feedback from your followers on this and then setting several levels according to what people are comfortable paying.
The second thing you need to think about is how you handle communication. Traditional media tends to focus on vertical communication, where they "own" the information and their followers are merely readers with the occasional comment that is not always appreciated and only occasionally receives a satisfactory response. In addition, try encouraging horizontal communication by creating channels or communities where they can interact with you and each other. You'll find this is an interesting addition where you'll gain new insight about the themes you share. We advise you to share the information and then consider your followers' opinions and demonstrate that it's important for you.
Once you decide to take this route, there are no shortcuts to success, but perseverance, a little creativity, and treating your supporters with respect will go a long way. If your supporters feel like partners rather than just customers or supporters, they will be your best marketing team, bringing new supporters and adding value to your token and project.