The rise of independent journalists and tips for engaging with them

News speech bubble. Loudspeaker

Matt Purdue is senior strategist at Magnitude, Inc. 

The rise of independent journalism is a booming trend that bears watching by all PR professionals. Impacted by shrinking newsrooms, budget cuts and other negative pressures, more journalists are leaving traditional media platforms to start their own brands.

Some of these personalities have robust reputations and massive followings, making them a potentially vital component to a successful communications strategy. However, engaging with them effectively requires careful consideration and coordination.

What’s driving this trend?

In 2023, more than 21,000 corporate media jobs were cut, a 467% increase over 2022. Companies from NPR to the Washington Post and News Corp. announced massive layoffs. Simultaneously, journalists at traditional brands are exhausted from doing more with less. More than half of them have considered quitting in 2024, citing fatigue and/or burnout (recent Muck Rack survey), so there’s no reason to think the trend of journalists jumping ship will end anytime soon.

In fact, media consumers don’t want it to end. They are demanding changes in the industry. Today, Americans’ trust in media is at an all-time low, with only 32% of people feeling “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of confidence that the media is reporting the news fairly and accurately.

Consumers are more than willing to seek out alternative news sources. Per a recent Free Press survey, 51% agree that “having more independent news outlets is important to stopping disinformation.” Meanwhile, 72% of Americans are consuming at least some of their news via social media.

All these forces are driving a growing market for indie journalists and the PR pros who work with them. “The media space has never been more fragmented,” said Ashley Forrester, Director, Strategic Communications, Samsung Electronics Americas, who is speaking next week on a panel at Ragan’s Future of Communications Conference called The New Newsroom: Earning Attention in a Seismic Media Landscape. “Newsrooms are shrinking while consumers have so many options. What they want is relevant, authentic news they can consume in the way they want to consume it.”

What’s different about today’s indie journalists?

The concept of independent journalism isn’t new. PR pros have been working with freelance reporters for decades. But these aren’t your grandmother’s freelancers. Many of today’s indie journalists are award-winning industry veterans who come with tens of thousands of followers to their new platforms..

A list of names that have gone independent recently reads like a roster of journalism all-stars:

• Taylor Lorenz left the Washington Post to start User Mag, focused on tech and online culture.
• Jason Koebler, Joseph Cox and Samantha Cole left Vice to launch 404 Media, which also covers tech-centric topics.
• Tech reporter Casey Newton, formerly of the San Francisco Chronicle and The Verge, now runs his media brand The Platformer.
• Oliver Darcy moved on from CNN to start Status, covering media and the information space.

For PR pros, it’s important to note that these creators are not following one consistent business model. Some have started their own websites, others newsletters and still others podcasts and/or Substacks. (PR Daily’s Allison Carter recently wrote about the rise of Substack journalists.)

This diversity can make it  confusing for PR practitioners looking to engage with these journalists – but it’s a challenge that must be overcome given the huge reach some of them boast. “Traditional media are not going anywhere,” Forrester said. “But PR pros need to fire on all cylinders. If you are not building relationships with these independent journalists, that’s only playing half the game.”

Tips for engaging with indie journalists

When it comes to building fruitful relationships, experts offer several best practices.

Remember, they’re still respected journalists: Even though they no longer have a WaPo email address, be sure to work with them like the seasoned pros they are. “Treat them the same way you would treat the traditional press,” said Meredith Klein, a former communications executive at Pinterest and Walmart who pitches indie journalists on a regular basis. “Offer them exclusives. Take them out for coffee. Don’t just add them to your media list – get to know them.”

Do your homework. Then do it again: Without corporate owners or editors looking over their shoulders, indie journalists are free to develop their unique styles. Woe to the PR pro who ignores this reality. “There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to working with them,” Klein added. “Each one is different, so acclimate yourself with each one.”

Klein suggests analyzing the tone of their content and gauging how much personal opinion they inject into it. “Some of them can get snarky, so use caution,” she says.

Put on your creativity hat: Given the various types of platforms launched by indie journalists, PR pros need to be inventive when pitching them. While one might be open to a written Q&A, another might need a podcast guest. “They may not want to do a long interview,” said Klein. “They want Skim-esqe stories. They want to hear news quickly from a credible source so their audiences can easily understand what they need to know.”

Samsung’s Forrester suggests getting creative when pitching subject-matter experts. “The doors are open to a wider array of voices,” she explained. “They are not just looking for traditional spokespeople. Instead, offer the researcher in the lab or the employee on the frontline. There are few limits as to what the content needs to look like.”

Open your wallet: These journalists are also businesspeople who need to drive revenue. Make sure you are supporting them financially by subscribing to their paid content. Also, view their revenue-producing programs as options for serious return on investment. “Ask yourself: Does it make sense for me to connect with a content creator to fill any gaps in my strategy with an audience that has opted in and is really engaged?,” Forrester said. “You can work with them to create a story that can really hit home with your target audience in ways that are authentic, personalized and land in near-real time.”

Klein summed up the relationship-building opportunities this wave of indie journalists presents to PR pros. “You have to be an early adopter,” she said. “Create and nurture those relationships.  If you are there for them, they will be there for you.”

PARKING LOT & STATISTICS

Journalists are finding new business opportunities flourishing

• Substack now has 20 million+ subscribers and more than 2 million paying subscriptions. Over 17,000 writers make money on Substack.
• Number of global podcast listeners reached 7 million in 2024, a 7.85% increase over 2023.
• In the US, an estimated 135 million consumers have listened to at least one podcast per month this year, an increase from 120 million monthly podcast listeners in 2023.

What’s driving this trend?

Pressure on traditional newsrooms.

• Layoffs: In 2023 as a whole, more than 21,400 media jobs were lost, the highest (excluding 2020) since 2009, when more than 22,300 jobs were cut, and 2008, when 28,800 or so jobs were cut – both in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession. (Challenger, Gray & Christmas via Fast Company)

The trend is not likely to abate any time soon, as more journalists want to leave their jobs.

• More than half of journalists in the U.S. have considered quitting in 2024 citing fatigue and/or burnout, according to a recent Muck Rack survey.
• Poll of 402 journalists in August:
  • 56% of journalists have thought about quitting this year
  • 40% have previously left a job because of burnout.

Meanwhile, the demand is hot for new media platforms.

• Americans’ trust in media is at an all-time low. (Gallup poll)
• ​​Only 32% of the population reports having “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of confidence that the media reports the news in a full, fair and accurate way.
• 72% of Americans get at least some of their news from social media (Pew)
• Recent Free Press survey: 51% agree that “having more independent news outlets is important to stopping disinformation.”