The document outlines the formation of product teams at Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) and Chalkbeat, emphasizing the need for a product-centric organizational structure in the evolving news landscape. Key achievements include the development of cross-functional teams, integration of product thinking, and the establishment of strategic goals aimed at enhancing audience engagement and revenue generation. The teams focused on continuous improvement, collaboration, and transparency while adopting an experimental approach to processes.

1. We built a product
team in one year.
Here’s everything we learned.
Join the conversation with #ONA19
Jessica Morrison
Product Manager, C&EN
j_morrison@acs.org
@ihearttheroad
Amanda Yarnell
Editorial Director, C&EN
a_yarnell@acs.org
@amandayarnell
Becca Aaronson
Director of Product, Chalkbeat
baaronson@chalkbeat.org
@becca_aa
Alison Go
Head of Growth, Chalkbeat
ago@chalkbeat.org
@alisonmaego

2. Intro to News Product
In a world where the internet has turned news business models
upside down and inside out, the ability to (re)connect the dots is
critical to survival.
The best news product teams sit at the intersection of content,
audience, business, and technology.
They have been hired to break down silos, reimagine “best
practices,” and build strategies that adapt as fast as the times.

3. Who we are — Chemical & Engineering News
● C&EN is the world's most comprehensive and
authoritative news source about chemistry and
related fields.
● C&EN has been published by the American Chemical
Society since 1923.
● C&EN publishes daily news online, a weekly
magazine in print and digital formats, weekly email
newsletters, a video series, a podcast, a daily Alexa
briefing, and more.
● C&EN has ~100,000 print and digital subscribers.

4. Our legacy newsroom
had a legacy org chart
With roles and workflows
that couldn’t keep up with
our ambitions.

5. What we’ve done — C&EN
Product-centric re-org
We started to untangle our org chart,
and structure it around work to be
done.
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
CONTENT
PRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTION
CONTENT CREATION
AUDIENCE
ENGAGEMENT
PRODUCT
MANAGEMENT
PRINT DESIGN
WEB DESIGN & UX
DEVELOPMENT
MAINTENANCE
SALES & ADVERTISING
AUDIENCE MARKETINGNATIVE ADVERTISING

6. What we’ve done — C&EN
Product-centric re-org
We prioritized continuous
improvement, journalistic integrity,
user experience, collaboration,
transparency, and sustainability.
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
CONTENT
PRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTION
CONTENT
CREATION
AUDIENCE
ENGAGEMENT
PRODUCT
MANAGEMENT
PRINT DESIGN
WEB DESIGN &
UX
DEVELOPMENT
MAINTENANCE
SALES &
ADVERTISING
AUDIENCE
MARKETING
NATIVE
ADVERTISING
OPERATIONS EDITORIAL CREATIVE
TECH REVENUE

7. What we’ve done — C&EN
Product-centric re-org
And at the center, we built C&EN
Product.
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
CONTENT
PRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTION
CONTENT
CREATION
AUDIENCE
ENGAGEMENT
PRODUCT
MANAGEMENT
PRINT DESIGN
WEB DESIGN &
UX
DEVELOPMENT
MAINTENANCE
SALES &
ADVERTISING
AUDIENCE
MARKETING
NATIVE
ADVERTISING
OPERATIONS EDITORIAL CREATIVE
TECH REVENUE
C&EN
PRODUCT

8. What we’ve done — C&EN
OPERATIONS
EDITORIAL
CREATIVE
TECH
REVENUE
C&EN Product is a cross-functional newsroom
team dedicated to the development and
maintenance of C&EN’s portfolio of brand,
content, distribution, and revenue products.
C&EN Product is responsible for product strategy,
product research, and product development.
Key accomplishments, the first 18 months:
● First newsroom-wide roadmap
● Product request management, sprints
● C&EN Reader Lab
● Product portfolio

9. Who we are — Chalkbeat
● Nonprofit education news network
● One of the fastest growing & largest nonprofit
newsrooms in the country:
○ More than 60 employees
○ Reporting teams in seven states + national
○ Revenue for FY18-19 reached $9 million

10. Our unique
business model
Creates challenges and
opportunities best
addressed with product
thinking.

11. What we’ve done — Chalkbeat
Integrated product thinking across the
organization
● Set organization-wide, cross-functional goals
● Established cross-functional squads
○ AudSquad - “Audience and engagement”
○ MODSquad - “Money or Die”

12. What we’ve done — Chalkbeat
Shifted the product team’s identity from
service desk to diligent strategists
● Created space to focus on larger initiatives
● Hired great people with hybrid skillsets
● Built a roadmap

13. What we’ve learned

14. ● Hire outside the box.
What we’ve learned
● Align your team, align your stakeholders.
● Persist & repeat.
● Find ways to share ownership, celebrate wins.
● Find a petri dish.
● Experiment with process, too.
● Learn to say no.

15. We built a product team in one year.
Questions?
Jessica Morrison
Product Manager, C&EN
j_morrison@acs.org
@ihearttheroad
Amanda Yarnell
Editorial Director, C&EN
a_yarnell@acs.org
@amandayarnell
Becca Aaronson
Director of Product, Chalkbeat
baaronson@chalkbeat.org
@becca_aa
Alison Go
Head of Growth, Chalkbeat
ago@chalkbeat.org
@alisonmaego