No. 59 — Just a Text Message
It's June 22, 2023, and you're reading the newsletter from Médianes.
Today, we're playing the piano
Hello, everyone,
The episodes of the second season of our podcast *Chemins* are coming one after another, and—much to our delight—each one is unique. Coming soon to your ears: six fascinating insights into how to take your media project to the next level.
By the way, do you have any plans for July 10? We’d really love to celebrate the release of this second season with you. So join us at 8 p.m. at the Belleville Sauvage bar in the 20th arrondissement. It’ll be a chance to meet each other, chat, and raise a glass to the return of those wild summer nights.
Back to this issue. Today, we’re sharing three examples of media outlets that have chosen text messaging to reach and engage their audiences. And in our roundup: the charter of the Association of Women Sports Journalists, a project that combines street art and journalism, and job listings, of course.
Enjoy the read,
— Marine Slavitch and Baptiste Thevelein
Why not?
Ideas for Your Media
A text message just came in—what a great idea! Whether you want to switch things up from push notifications, build audience loyalty by offering exclusive content, or grow a community by encouraging your readers to reply easily, text messages are real drivers of engagement.
The accessible version
In the United States, the Sahan Journal, which serves Somali communities in Minnesota, has been experimenting since November 2022 with newsletters in the form of voice notes sent via text message. The newspaper has found that its audience prefers to consume news through videos or audio files rather than by reading it. Moreover, the voice note format allows the publication to forge a more intimate connection with its subscribers.
The VIP Version
For $3.99 a month, listeners of the “Buckeye Talk” podcast get the latest episodes before anyone else, receive a daily analysis of the issues covered on the show, and can ask questions that the hosts answer via text message. This helps build an exclusive community while generating revenue. The result? A 10% monthly increase in subscribers.
The free version
If sending text messages seems too technical to set up, we recommend checking out the distribution channels currently being tested on Instagram. Exclusives, photos, polls… Follow the example of the rap magazine Mosaïque and keep your community updated by inviting them to your private messages. Please note: Recipients of these private messages cannot—for now—reply to them directly.
From the studio's perspective
Spotlight on a Project
We are pleased to support the Mediavivant team in their ongoing fundraising campaign! To fund the next phase of the project—including a new season of exclusive investigations in Marseille and elsewhere in France—the media outlet is now reaching out to its community.
By reaching out to its readers, Mediavivant has made it its mission to bring information to places where it doesn’t normally reach. Each month, a journalist takes the stage for an evening to present an exclusive investigation and facilitate a discussion among the audience, the author, the sources, and the witnesses involved in the investigation.
To help develop Mediavivant and stay updated on the project, check out the campaign.
MEDIAVIVANT
On Our Radar
Our market monitoring to support your projects
ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN SPORTS JOURNALISTS
A DIGITAL AND HIERARCHICAL GAP
85% of sports newsroom staff are men. The Association of Women Sports Journalists (FJS) is presenting a charter, developed in collaboration with the Union of Sports Journalists in France (UJSF), aimed at achieving greater equality. Among the proposed solutions are: interviewing all female applicants for every open position and setting quantifiable gender diversity targets.
TAYLOR LORENZ / ROLLING STONE
INDEPENDENT AND POWERFUL
“If we add up all the media outlets represented here, how much revenue and how many press credentials would that be? “We can be proud—it’s growing,” noted Mathieu Molard, editor-in-chief of StreetPress, during a panel discussion on media independence organized by Vert last Tuesday. These fascinating discussions—in which MédianesI participated—can be found here.
On medianes.org
It's homemade
OWEN HUCHON – MEDIANES.ORG
HYPERLOCAL MEDIA STANDS TOGETHER
Based in small geographic areas, some media outlets practice what is known as “hyperlocal” journalism, operating as close to the ground as possible. Some are now choosing to pool their resources for practical, economic, or journalistic reasons.
In Brief
That way, you'll know
→ Marsactu, Gaze, Kometa: These media outlets are hiring. Check out their job openings.
→ The Désoriental newsletter, in collaboration with the studioMédianes, is preparing to publish its first special print edition, which will explore new Franco-mixed cultural imaginaries.
→ Check out ORIGAMI, a new independent video game media outlet set to launch soon on Twitch.
→ The Breton cultural media outlet Sorties de secours is launching Artybao, a project that combines street art and journalism by posting its pages on walls.
→ Editor's Pick: *Métal Hurlant* is publishing a special issue dedicated to *Ah! Nana*, the first and last comic book magazine created by women, for women.
See you on July 6!
We’d like to take this opportunity to welcome the teams at Contexte, Ouest-France, and Louie Media, as well as everyone who has recently subscribed to this newsletter.
Thank you for your messages and ideas, which helped shape this issue of the newsletter. Please feel free to share your feedback with us and let us know what topics you’d like to see covered in future issues!
See you on July 6 for the next edition. Until then, take care of yourselves and your social media.
— THIS NEWSLETTER WAS PREPARED BY MARINE SLAVITCH AND BAPTISTE THEVELEIN WITH THE MÉDIANES TEAM.
MEDIANES.ORG — MEDIANES.STUDIO
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