Business Development Toolkits
Business development follows a very similar process for media and non-media alike. This also means that there are many different sites with tools and toolkits available for media outlets seeking to take their business development to the next level.
General business development tools
There are three main sites with tools, many of them available to download for free:
Media Specific Toolkits (general business development)
- Local News Labs has published different guides, including on the use of events, and on developing a crowdfunding campaign.
- See also ‘A Useful Guide for News Organisations Assessing Revenue-Making Opportunities in Small Teams: Learn from Bureau Local’s Seven-Step Business Development Process‘. This guide, developed by the European Journalism Centre in collaboration with Bureau Local (in the UK), aims to support community-driven news organisations in their efforts to become more resilient. (Ben Whitelaw, 2019)
- Practical Guide to to Product Management in Digital Media
- Full toolkit for media: Google News Initiative Playbook
- A Guide to Assessing Your Local News Ecosystem: A step-by-step toolkit to help you gather the information you need to fund local news and information in your community. (Democracy Fund)
- Deutsche Welle Akademie has published a handbook for digital media start-ups, called “From Start to Success“. They describe the handbook as a practical guide written from the perspective of the Global South, made by and for start-ups.
Setting Up Specific Revenue Streams
(Guides and Toolkits)
- Guide to Native Advertising: A practical tool explaining the basics of native advertising, but also the ethical considerations that media businesses need to take into account when developing native advertising as revenue stream. (Ava Sirrah, 2019)
- Digital Pay Meter Playbook: This publication offers concrete best practices and recommendations for media businesses looking to implement a subscription model online. (Shorenstein Center, 2019)
- Launching a Paywall: What You and Your Team Need to Know
- Reader Revenue Playbook (Google News Initiative)
- Guidebook: Getting Grants to Fund Your Journalism. (API)
- The Membership Puzzle Project published its Membership Guide, a handbook taking into account all steps of developing a membership model: from exploring the idea to making sure members remain committed to you.
Gaining Insight in Your Audience
(Tools, Guides and Toolkits)
- Videometrics App developed by Deutsche Welle; allows direct audience feedback on videos
- Markup: streamlines feedback on the website (paid)
- Remesh: for online focus groups using artificial intelligence (paid)
- Hearken: establishes platforms for audience engagement (paid)
- News Revenue Hub blogs and tools: focuses on 4 different aspects, (1) search discoverability, (2) loyalty funnels, (3) newsletter products, and (4) audience-first culture.
- Guide: Facebook News Feed Changes, Impact and Actions
- Memberkit 1.0: Upgrade your analytics and build a data-powered membership program
New Formats and Channels
(Guides and Toolkits)
- Guide: Introduction to Podcasting (podcasts)
- Guide: Best Practices for Data Journalism (data journalism)
- Toolkit: WhatsApp for Radio (WhatsApp)
- Guide: How to Create a Newsletter and Newsletters as News Products: A Guide for Local Newsrooms (newsletters)