Face-to-face engagement events can generate revenue and build loyalty for news organizations. The document discusses how GeekWire, a Seattle tech news site, earned 40% of its total revenue from events in 2012, with profit margins of 20% by hosting sponsored meetups and conferences. It also summarizes research from interviews at over 20 US newsrooms finding that events provide opportunities to subsidize watchdog journalism when done authentically to build community connections. The key is designating an event planner, seeking sponsors, and gaining newsroom support to create memorable networking experiences that produce both financial returns and audience goodwill.

1. The ‘Original Platform’:
How Newsrooms Build Digital Loyalty
and Generate Revenue Through
Face-to-Face Engagement
International Symposium on Online Journalism
Austin, Texas – April 20, 2013
Jake Batsell, assistant professor
Southern Methodist University, Dallas
@jbatsell

2. GeekWire Summer Bash – Seattle, June 2012
• More than 500 Seattle techies attended
• 14 corporate sponsors • Tickets began at $50

3. Events at GeekWire
• 9 total in 2012
• 40% of total revenue
• 20% profit margin
• Local tech executive:
“People in Seattle,
they have a personal
connection to this
thing … we kind of
feed them, and they
feed us back.”

4. June-November 2012:
• Visited 20+
U.S. newsrooms
• Conducted 100+
interviews
• Part of larger
book project

5. … is emerging as an
increasingly vital
complement to
newsrooms’ digital
engagement
strategies.
Face-to-Face Engagement:

6. Face-to-Face Engagement:
• Not an obligation, but an opportunity to build
community and – yes – monetize your audience.

7. Face-to-Face Engagement:
• If done well, can subsidize watchdog reporting.
• One of three potential revenue streams upon which
news organizations should pounce, according to
Skok/Christensen.
• Still, returns aren’t always quantifiable.
Image credits: niemanlab.org; Nordstrom.com

8. Conclusions / Best Practices:
• Designate an event planner.
• To make money, seek out sponsors.
• Networking is a prime draw.
• Newsroom buy-in is key.
• Provide memorable experiences.
• Don’t expect a golden goose, but with an authentic
approach, events can produce revenue and
audience goodwill – preferably both.

9. Community blogger in Pontiac, Mich.:
• “They acknowledge us, and we acknowledge
them. That’s engagement.”

10. Thanks!
jbatsell@smu.edu
Twitter: @jbatsell
Slides: j.mp/isoj13smu