A co-operative business model could change your magazine game
In the second episode of our new Making Money From Magazines podcast, Nikki Simpson talks to Seán Wood, CEO of Positive News, about how to fund and publish a magazine through a co-operative publishing model.
Positive News raised £250,000 in a month through the launch of their co-operative model, and Seán tells us how he’s now focusing on revenue diversification. We touch on the role of grant funding and brand partnerships, maintaining a strong community focus with a small team, the magazine’s journey from a grassroots initiative.
Seán highlights the importance of community engagement, financial sustainability, the challenge of news avoidance in society, and the impact of solutions-based journalism.
Takeaways
- The cooperative model allows readers to have ownership and a voice
- Community support was crucial for financial growth and was a significant milestone
- Building a supporter base is key to long-term success
- Diversifying revenue streams is essential for financial sustainability
- Events for co-owners fostered community but required careful management
- Grant funding can enhance projects but can be difficult when relied upon
- Solutions-focused journalism empowers readers and fosters a sense of agency
With thanks to our production partners
We’ve been working with Simon Elliott at crowdfindervideo on this podcast for the past 7 months or so.
He’s consistently supportive, responsive, enthusiastic and, we hope you agree from the high quality production, great at his job!
Crowdfindervideo helps magazine publishers to extend their brand into video.
They focus on small publishers, so offer a service that won’t break the bank, and can provide you with everything you need from ideation and set-up, through production, to publishing your final product.
If you’d like them to do something similar for your brand, drop Simon a line.