There is a new news broadcasting outlet that becomes ever more successful lately (and I am hooked to their daily emails I receive through subscription): Quartz (qz.com).
The development of this brand and the associated business model is explained in detail in these two excellent blog posts by Frederic Filloux (link to post 1 and link to post 2). What I retain from this detailed explanation is that
- Journalists are professional journalists drawn from established newsrooms
- Yet, journalists are asked to provide the full content including all the links and pictures, exactly like if they were independent bloggers (and the website works on the basis of a blogging tool)
- Revenue is provided by a specific advertisement strategy with few high value ads, which makes it free and profitable at the same time
- the platform is designed for sharing and spreading the word
This is clearly the future of information business: high value content with specific angles on the current news that can’t be found anywhere else and a deep socialization of interaction with readers.
Traditional news outlets must be scared to death!
