“Few traditional journalists (even those of the ~early internet~) ever expected to expose themselves so fully, face and all, to the slavering jaws of the audience.”
This is one of the more complicated outcomes of the patronage model. Nice to see Kyle acknowledge it.
The 'One Thing' I find so fascinating about The Verge is it seems to be running the playbook, except its identity *is* old-school journalism in many ways (full of disclosures, and ethics policies, and naming sources, etc.) It's an embrace/defense of trad media rather than a rejection of it, just updated for the times.
Would also add Pablo Torre (and obviously Pat McAfee) to the list of folks who have figured out the formula. Maybe it comes naturally to the radio set?
totally agree on The Verge! They use all of those vectors toward delivering more journalism with tons of integrity. Super inspiring, and possibly the only major digital only publication to truly nail that?
"Plus, readers want more than just you. They want a variety of voices and subjects." isn't this the entire purpose of what people call "legacy media"? End of day, I keep reading everywhere "legacy media is dead" but everybody just try to recreate it.
A great point! It's worth asking what people don't like about legacy media, which may be less its quality than its ... actual legacy, the weight of a reputation for conservativism or boredom. People will leap at a "collective of high-end youtube creators" in a way they may not for "a print magazine crew of great writers and editors". It's a bit of a branding problem.
how big can any one media brand get when there are so many decentralized competitors all aiming for the same attention and audience members? also, is this exclusively a game for journalists and writers -- how would anyone outside the quote quote culture industry get involved?
great questions! I think most new media brands are aiming smaller than they once did; no one is trying to be the new NYT or CNN. So aiming for your niche of 1000-10,000 people is way more doable, and there are possibly infinite 10,000-person niches. As far as getting in the game, all it really requires is posting and hustling — just like getting on Twitter in 2012. There's more potential to break through right now than there has been in years I think. (Kyle Chayka)
Kyle… thank you for believing in me!
“Few traditional journalists (even those of the ~early internet~) ever expected to expose themselves so fully, face and all, to the slavering jaws of the audience.”
This is one of the more complicated outcomes of the patronage model. Nice to see Kyle acknowledge it.
there is a lot of pressure to be parasocial to elicit more patronage!
exactly. you’re not just supporting Human Pursuits, you’re supporting Ethan from Human Pursuits
The 'One Thing' I find so fascinating about The Verge is it seems to be running the playbook, except its identity *is* old-school journalism in many ways (full of disclosures, and ethics policies, and naming sources, etc.) It's an embrace/defense of trad media rather than a rejection of it, just updated for the times.
Would also add Pablo Torre (and obviously Pat McAfee) to the list of folks who have figured out the formula. Maybe it comes naturally to the radio set?
totally agree on The Verge! They use all of those vectors toward delivering more journalism with tons of integrity. Super inspiring, and possibly the only major digital only publication to truly nail that?
There’s way too much mediocre writing and tedious opinion-offering on Substack. Wading through it is deadening and finding One Thing is my reward.
so happy you like this newsletter!
"Plus, readers want more than just you. They want a variety of voices and subjects." isn't this the entire purpose of what people call "legacy media"? End of day, I keep reading everywhere "legacy media is dead" but everybody just try to recreate it.
A great point! It's worth asking what people don't like about legacy media, which may be less its quality than its ... actual legacy, the weight of a reputation for conservativism or boredom. People will leap at a "collective of high-end youtube creators" in a way they may not for "a print magazine crew of great writers and editors". It's a bit of a branding problem.
how big can any one media brand get when there are so many decentralized competitors all aiming for the same attention and audience members? also, is this exclusively a game for journalists and writers -- how would anyone outside the quote quote culture industry get involved?
great questions! I think most new media brands are aiming smaller than they once did; no one is trying to be the new NYT or CNN. So aiming for your niche of 1000-10,000 people is way more doable, and there are possibly infinite 10,000-person niches. As far as getting in the game, all it really requires is posting and hustling — just like getting on Twitter in 2012. There's more potential to break through right now than there has been in years I think. (Kyle Chayka)
appreciate the reply, the insight, and the inspiration =)