Creating a Media Outlet: Building a Project That Makes an Impact
A 7-day workshop to transform your project into a media outlet that makes an impact and stands the test of time: from the initial idea to a project that’s already up and running but needs to take it to the next level. Magazines, fanzines, podcasts, newsletters, social media, or long-form videos: all media projects are welcome.
Temporality
40 hours over 7 days
Tuesdays and Wednesdays for 4 weeks
Who is it for?
Just an idea or already launched?
No experience required
Price
Starting at €1,800 including tax (€1,500 excluding tax)
Coverage may be available, depending on your status.
Location
Via video conference and in person in Paris
Our approach
"Creating a Media Outlet"Médianes is a training program based on an entrepreneurial and responsible approach. We encourage the development of media outlets whose business models are centered on their audiences, balancing project viability with independence (technical, editorial, and economic). It is also a space to connect project leaders united by the same journalistic and ethical values.
For whom, and under what conditions?
This training is designed for professionals and non-professionals in the information and journalism sectors who wish to launch or develop a media project. Is your project still just an idea? Or has it already been launched? Help it become a reality as a media outlet!
This training course helps you define your identity and your mission—who you are and what you do—and structure your business model and organization to take your project to the next level of growth.
To register, you must:
- A media project that upholds the values championed by Médianes(see our editorial and ethical charter)
- Proficiency in French, as the course is taught in that language
- Availability to attend all training sessions
- A personal computer (the room is equipped with Wi-Fi and a projector)
No prior experience in the media is required.
Waiting period: Approximately one month between the announcement of the selected projects and the start of the training program.
Accessibility: We are also committed to making our training accessible to everyone. If you have a disability, we will work with you to adapt the training to your specific needs.
If you have any questions or specific needs, please contact our disability liaison, Laurie, at [email protected].
What You'll Learn
By the end of the training, you will be able to:
- Oversee the development of a media project at every stage, through to its integration into the media ecosystem;
- Develop editorial products with a strategic, design, and technical vision centered on the audience;
- Monetize your project in a sustainable and ethical way;
- Understand the digital ecosystem (social media, artificial intelligence, GAFAM);
- Become familiar with graphic design, visual identity, and user experience;
- Acquire the essential administrative skills for a media organization;
- Prioritize your steps and adjust your action plan based on the results;
- Develop expertise in marketing and communication.
Support Structure: Your progress is supported throughout the program. This includes an initial assessment, personalized advice and feedback from instructors during the training, a post-training review, and a one-hour mentoring session within six months of the program’s completion.
Methods Used: The training is led by instructors who are experts in their fields. It is structured around specific topics and includes:
- Masterclasses,
- Sessions to share best practices and concrete examples,
- Workshops focused on hands-on practice,
- Group and individual discussion sessions with the trainers.
Throughout the training, deliverables and resources are provided to help you go further.
Price
Starting at €1,800 including tax (€1,500 excluding tax) for individuals, with partial or full coverage available depending on your status (France Travail, OPCO, AFDAS). Please allow at least three weeks for processing; be sure to plan ahead.
- You are self-employed (self-funded): €1,800 including tax (€1,500 excluding tax)
- If you are a job seeker (France Travail — AIF): €2,000 (excluding tax)
- If you are a performing artist and songwriter (AFDAS): €1,400 (35 hours funded), excluding tax
- You are a freelance journalist (AFDAS): €2,800 (excluding tax)
- If you are an employee (OPCO-affiliated company): €2,200 (excluding tax)
Not eligible for funding through the CPF account.
Email us at [email protected], and we’ll work with you to find the right solution.
Registration Procedures
Sign up by filling out a short form to tell us more about your project. A maximum of 12 projects are accepted per edition, in keeping with the values promoted by Médianes.
The schedule, day by day
The training program lasts 7 days (every Tuesday and Wednesday for 4 weeks) and consists of 40 hours of instruction.
Day 1: Introduction to Media Production
This general introductory module explores the methodology and the various questions to consider during the ideation or development phase of a project, with the goal of building a media outlet using an entrepreneurial, sustainable, and ethical approach grounded in an understanding of its audiences.
Deliverables: 1 to 2 personas, feedback from a media founder.
Day 2: Establishing the Editorial and Economic Coherence of Your Media Outlet
By presenting an overview of potential revenue streams, this module helps participants explore possible monetization strategies for their projects. The goal is also to examine the various business models from a strategic perspective by considering how they can be adapted to target audiences and products, as well as their potential implications in terms of structure, legal issues, and brand image.
Deliverables: one-year projected budget; mapping of potential revenue sources; development or optimization of the business plan.
Day 3: Defining Your Media’s Identity, from Value Proposition to Art Direction
This module allows participants to explore the media project’s vision, its purpose, and the problem(s) it aims to solve, while taking into account its target audiences. It is divided into two parts: in the morning, a module focused on developing the media outlet’s value proposition; in the afternoon, a module focused on designing a cohesive visual identity.
Deliverables: brief on the overall value proposition and by editorial product; list of editorial products tailored to the target audiences; framework (a tool for aligning editorial products, value propositions, and the target audiences’ financial resources); creative campaign brief.
Day 4: Building Your Audience: Acquiring, Engaging, and Retaining
This session focuses on the strategies and mechanisms needed to acquire, engage, and retain an audience. Central to the discussions will be presenting your media outlet through its manifesto and pitch. Marketing strategies will also be addressed, particularly the concept of “funnel marketing,” its role, how to build it, and the various levers available for activation.
Deliverables: feedback session with a media founder; manifesto; pitch; mapping of target audiences and influencers.
Day 5: Learning How to Manage Your Project on a Day-to-Day Basis
This module provides an overview of the methods, tools, and requirements essential for effectively managing a media outlet on a day-to-day basis. It covers administrative, legal, and financial aspects, while also presenting best practices for structuring your organization, automating certain tasks, and increasing efficiency.
Deliverables: one-on-one meeting with the facilitator; a set of automation and monitoring tools.
Day 6 (Part 1): Rethinking Your Digital Ecosystem Through the Lens of (In)dependence
This module examines the various forms of (in)dependence on major digital platforms—particularly the GAFAM—to help participants better structure their online presence and understand the challenges involved. It provides a list of practical alternatives to strengthen their autonomy. The uses and challenges of AI will also be addressed from strategic, ethical, and responsible perspectives.
Deliverable: List of alternatives to GAFAM.
Day 6 (Part 2): Learning How to Plan a Fundraising Campaign
This module provides insight into all the preparatory steps involved in launching a fundraising campaign (choosing a fundraising platform, launch timing, duration, setting goals, estimating costs, etc.), in order to maximize the campaign’s chances of success and secure the resources needed to develop the project.
Deliverables: feedback session with a media founder; strategic framework document for a fundraising campaign.
Day 7: Creating a Roadmap for Your Media Outlet, from Launch to Growth
When developing a media outlet, it’s easy to get sidetracked and not know where to start. This final module helps you prioritize actions and goals and organize them into concrete steps so you can move forward effectively, one step at a time. The goal is to turn the project into a clear plan for the coming months, so that the launch and development of the media outlet are both viable and manageable, with a clear direction to guide every decision.
Deliverable: Roadmap covering 6 months to 1 year.
The Training Team
The training is provided by members of the Médianes team and a network of founders and media executives, depending on each person's expertise and your needs.
Marine Doux
As co-founder and editorial director of Médianes, Marine advises media executives on audience engagement, business models, and management. She is a visiting researcher at the Tow Center (Columbia), where she works on media independence.
Francesca Festa
Deputy Director of Development at Médianes and co-founder of the Sphera network, Francesca specializes in European fundraising and multi-partner projects. She helps media outlets and civil society organizations build sustainable models.
Owen Huchon
As a journalist at Médianes, Owen covers the European media from a digital perspective: dependence on major platforms and paths toward technological independence. He edits the newsletter *Les 10 liens*.
Agathe Kupfer
As the Impact Manager for Médianes and its European network Sphera, Agathe has been a journalist since 2023. She has worked, among other roles, on the social media channels for 28 minutes (Arte). She develops strategies that place impact at the heart of content, both before and after it is published.
Julia Lasry
An editorial and marketing consultant, Julia supports independent media outlets from their creation through their growth (La Déferlante, Le Monde diplomatique, Fracas, etc.). She teaches in Médianes' training programs and at several schools, including CELSA.
Christelle Perrin
As co-founder and design director of Médianes, Christelle creates visual identities, websites, and magazines to reinforce the positioning of media outlets. A former graphic designer and cartographer at Libération, she co-founded the magazine Pays, where she served as art director.
Dorine Planté
Head of Support at Médianes since May 2025, Dorine built her expertise in communications and fundraising in the nonprofit sector (Fondation des Femmes, Sherpa). She advises media founders and leads training sessions at the studio.
Baptiste Thevelein
As co-founder and director of projects at [organization name]Médianes, Baptiste leads the team responsible for digital products, advocacy, and business strategy. An expert in web development, subscription and donation campaigns, and business models, he advises numerous executives.
Sixtine Yung
Project Manager for Assignments and Training at Médianes since September 2024, Sixtine supports project leaders and media executives from launch through structuring (Le Monde diplomatique, Socialter, Les Surligneurs, etc.).
Médianes?
Providing information isn't enough. We also need the resources to produce, fund, and disseminate that information in order to have a real impact. Médianes is the toolkit for media independence: editorial, economic, and technological.
With a media outlet, a studio, and a journalism network, we help media organizations, institutions, and NGOs build sustainable and ethical models that directly serve the public, both in France and across Europe.
They have all been featured on "Créer un média"
Since 2025, Créer un média has supported 22 project leaders. Some have since launched their media outlets, while others are still in the process of building them. Among them are: Rural, Facto !, MicroCanap’, Jeux&Stratégie, and Humanité(s).
“You’ve helped me gain a practical understanding of the concepts and tools. These three weeks will certainly be extremely valuable as we work to bring our media project to fruition.”
Nicolas Lavallée
“I’m extremely satisfied—the training exceeded my expectations. I came in with an empty mind, and I’m leaving with a wealth of new ideas and a determination to take my project to the next level.”
Anthony Poix
“A warm welcome and a willingness to listen from the facilitators and the group, fairly personalized support, and a hands-on approach.”
Victor Drouin
“I chose journalism because this profession embodied a certain ideal. During my time at [publication name]Médianes, I rediscovered that standard: the idea that a media outlet can still take itself seriously, be built methodically, and champion a vision.”
Émilien Guillon
Key Figures
22 trainees supported over 4 sessions
0 dropouts across all sessions
8.2/10 average trainee satisfaction rating
9.5/10 average speaker satisfaction rating
8.6/10 on average in terms of the sense of having learned something
8.8/10 overall organization (average)
We're here for you every step of the way.
We strengthen the editorial, financial, and technical independence of media organizations, NGOs, and institutions through customized projects and training programs.
We stand by you, leaders and teams, to help you design and implement the strategy that best aligns with your editorial vision, the needs of your audiences, and your mode of operation.
Frequently asked questions
Is the training eligible for funding?
Yes, this training program may be eligible for funding depending on your status: OPCO (AFDAS), France Travail, etc.
Do you need to already have a media outlet?
No. The training is designed for both projects still in the planning stages and media outlets in the launch phase.
Is there any follow-up after the training?
Beyond the six-month mentorship (with the expert of your choice, based on your needs), you become part of the Médianes ecosystem. Other forms of support are possible, and you benefit from a privileged position to access the Programme Médianes or the Club Médianes.