News Helpers Are Making a Difference

There’s a popular Fred Rogers quote that goes: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”?

When I look around the news industry, I see many tireless helpers making a difference in local journalism every day. They come in many forms — associations, nonprofits, consultants, collaborators and educators — all working toward a common goal: to see the Fourth Estate continue to guard our democracy.?

There has been tremendous growth in the number of news and academic organizations, nonprofits and public interest groups that offer a variety of strategies to help community news outlets thrive, according to research commissioned by the New Jersey Press Association and Corporation for New Jersey Local Media. However, “the existence of these groups, and the benefits they can provide to struggling news organizations and digital startups, is not well known by many in the news industry,” per the report.?

Since I founded TAPinto in 2008, I’ve learned some important lessons from these types of news helpers. They’re invaluable to our future, driving innovation across revenue, audience and technology. Just to name a few: Knight Foundation, Press Forward, LMA, ONA, LMC, and many state and regional organizations.?

People I’ve met along the way see a grave risk to publishers operating in their own silos. It’s bad for business and our communities. We should actively engage with mission-driven organizations to advance journalism and collaborate with other media outlets to strengthen our reach and impact.

It’s not enough to recognize the helpers out there. We have to become helpers.?

TAPinto was built to scale. How we’ve done this is something I gladly share with peers. We make publishing easy to launch, affordable to maintain and profitable to operate. We support TAPinto franchisees and Hyperlocal News Network licensees with everything they need to build and grow a thriving media business. We’ve tested and seen just how well an ad-supported, franchise model works for hyperlocal news.?

What are your organization’s strengths? How are you sharing your knowledge to help the broader industry??

News Insights About the News Industry

• Leaders in the nonprofit journalism world highlighted the importance of news organizations working together across different platforms and leveraging each other's strengths to reach wider audiences and foster trust.?
• John Celestand recently shared ways news outlets can boost operational efficiency and productivity, including developing strong internal communication plans and facilitating effective meetings.
• Rick Edmunds at Poynter made a clever comparison between Disney's strategy of doubling down on expansion in tough financial times and how news outlets should do the same — bold reinvestments to attract and engage audiences in fresh ways.?

What’s New With TAPinto and Hyperlocal News Network?

We’ve rolled out five new site designs at TAPinto, giving our franchisees more flexibility and enhancing the user experience across our network. Each site is tailored to reflect the unique character of the communities they serve, providing a true hyperlocal experience for both readers and advertisers.

TAPinto also now offers an audio feature, allowing our readers to listen to local news stories on the go. Thanks to our partnership with Trinity Audio, we’re making our content accessible in multiple languages, further expanding our reach and impact.

Nieman Lab shared a nice writeup about the takeoff of Hyperlocal News Network and the need we’re addressing by bringing a suite of much-needed technology solutions and backoffice services to the market.?

That Was Fun ???

Earlier this year, TAPinto received 1st place in the Local Media Digital Innovation Awards for Best Reader Revenue Strategy for our DIY Marketing Platform. This tech empowers businesses and organizations to submit their own marketing content to TAPinto local news and digital marketing platforms, generating nearly $200,000 in revenue for TAPinto publishers in 2023.?

See You Soon

• If you’re headed to ONA24 in Atlanta Sept. 18-21, please say hi! I’ll be there representing Hyperlocal News Network and TAPinto, and would love to chat about collaboration, franchising, licensing, and what you’re learning from the sessions. Can’t wait to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

• Looking to bring local news to your community and build a profitable local news business? Our TAPinto franchise webinar on Sept. 18 is your gateway to becoming a successful owner/publisher. Discover how to launch a hyperlocal news platform backed by our proven model and support. RSVP here .?

• For existing publishers, on Sept. 26, tune into the Hyperlocal News Network webinar to explore our technology and services, and learn how our comprehensive suite of tools can grow your audience, increase revenue — all while maintaining your unique brand identity. RSVP here.

I hope you had a fun and restful Labor Day weekend! I’m looking forward to all that September brings.