This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
1. THE BEGINNING
This innovation came to life when…
I was working as a journalist at Network Ten and realised that the news industry was evolving. Newsrooms were shrinking and due to that down-sizing, more journalists were becoming freelancers.
One day I was working on a story and the network paid a civilian $1500 for a short phone video. So, I worked on developing an iPhone app that allowed freelancers to capture and upload stories to a marketplace for the media to review and purchase or commission. Within a few months, we had attracted additional investment. Newsmodo was good to go!
2. WHAT & HOW
The purpose of this innovation is to…
Empower freelance journalists around the world to create a profile and work directly with publishers and brands. The service helps clients extend their coverage, whilst also helping freelancers find work.
It does this by…
Freelancers can create a profile and pitch exclusive story ideas via the platform. We have a sales and editorial team who work directly with the freelancers to help their stories get commissioned.
At the same time, if a brand or publisher needs content for their news services or websites, we help them find journalists to create that material exclusively.
3. PURPOSE & BENEFITS
This innovation improves on what came before because…
It allows clients around the world to tap in to a global network of 14,000 freelance journalists to create content or get coverage of events anytime, anywhere around the world.
Previously the media had to rely on cumbersome methods of coverage, including having to sometimes endure expensive travel to get that coverage. It also provides a source for exclusive content that didn’t exist previously.
Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…
Customers can now achieve bespoke content, generated by journalists who have specialised knowledge, fast and cost effectively. They can also get coverage anywhere around the world by tapping into our network, saving time and money.
4. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
In the past, this problem was solved by…
Clients would have to buy content or coverage from their competitors, pay large sums to get their internal team to cover the content or go completely without.
Without having our network to set briefs to, our brand or corporate clients would typically have to generate all the content in house or pay high amounts to copywriters.
Its predecessors/competitors include…
News ‘wire’ services such as Reuters and AFP are examples of high expense, high volume and mass distributed content. There are also some ‘copywriting’ agencies, but none that specialise in journalists and their varying skill sets.
5. TARGET MARKET
It is made for…
Newsrooms, magazines, newspapers and online news providers to get access to freelancers who can assist in generating bespoke articles.
More recently, there has been a trend towards ‘content marketing’ or ‘branded content’ whereby many brands are looking to create ‘newsrooms’ of their own to keep their audiences informed and updated. We find now that brands and creative agencies that create their content are comprising a larger portion of our business each month.
We provide content to all the major TV networks, papers and dozens of brands across Australia and all over the world.
It is available for sale through…
Publishers, media outlets, brands and agencies can find us at www.newsmodo.com.
They would typically make contact with our content specialists who can assist them in matching their needs with the most appropriate journalists to create that content.
Our marketing strategy is to…
Let our great service speak for itself. Through the dynamic and unprecedented nature of our business model, we have attracted a lot of organic coverage, including here on Anthill.
Some of the biggest exclusives in Australian media over the past year have come from our service and that has also naturally led to coverage.
Your Turn — VOTE!
The Readers’ Choice Index was created to provide an opportunity for Anthill readers to vote on SMART 100 applications, in one of three ways:
- Tweet it: Top left of each page (3 points)
- Trigger a Reaction: Facebook ‘Like’, etc (2 points)
- Leave a Comment: Anonymous comments excluded (1 points)
We’ll use your vote to create the 2014 SMART 100 Readers’ Choice Index.
FINE PRINT
This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
