Questions for Mr. Snyder
We owe Mr. Snyder a big ‘thank you’ for the insightful advice offered in his entrepreneurial journalism paper. Connecting the need for health and tech entrepreneurial journalists with my travel subject seems challenging, but it will make my column more valuable.
The town I’m exploring is home to many affluent families. Amy Rosenberg, feature writer for the Jersey shore at The Philadelphia Inquirer, explores the great migration to the shore that happened this year because of the pandemic.
I mention this article because it talks about disposable income in the area. Many people in Margate are second homeowners. I connect this to Snyder’s statement about prospects:
If you’re an expert in a business or recreational field where affluent people are accustomed to paying for digital content, you may successfully launch a widely read newsletter. Don’t assume even affluent prospects will pay for your newsletter when you switch from free to even occasional paywalls.
My question: how do I use the demographic to my advantage and get paid for my content? What do I have to offer that seems exclusive?
In the same section, we explore what people are actually paying for.
The two most popular types of paid subscriptions regularly used by millennials are those that access online movies and TV (77 percent) and cable television (69 percent). A majority of millennials also use paid content for music (54 percent) and video games (51 percent).
If ¾ of millennials pay for online movies and TV, and many still pay for cable television, music and video games, how can I adjust my content to be subscription worthy? What content can I produce other than writing?
I need to be seen as an investment. I wonder what I can offer that will benefit my readers in more ways than entertainment.
I like Snyder’s ideas about individual journalism grads possibly not being able to offer a complete spectrum of communication services. I will be able to use my graphic design and marketing backgrounds to my advantage, but I also recognize that I will need help.
Another question: how do I sell my idea to a potential business partner? It would be valuable to have another person on my team, but why should they join? How will it benefit them?
Finally, as a student, I’ll need to establish myself in a more professional way. I know word of mouth influence is big in Margate. Everyone seems to know everyone. How do I get comfortable with being vulnerable? How do I sell myself? Will my ideas be taken seriously?
Snyder mentioned we must understand opportunities, challenges and needs of our prospective audiences. This advice is a great way to organize content for my column. It allows me to come up with solutions and ideas to ‘sell’ to my audience.
With confidence in my idea, I hope to continue this project over the summer months. Snyder’s insights were extremely valuable to me and I look forward to referring to this resource!
