Growth consulting for local news organizations

I help local news organizations build strong systems behind their journalism.

My approach centers on aligning coverage, audience, revenue, and operations into unified strategies that generate meaningful community impact.

My background combines more than a decade of newsroom leadership, with hands-on experience building a media company from startup to $10m in annual revenue along with dozens of consulting partnerships with local outlets.

Partners

My consulting approach

One of the biggest challenges in modern media organizations is when editorial strategy, audience development, revenue generation, and operations operate in silos. I help organizations align these functions into a unified strategy.

When these systems work together, organizations develop sustainable models that are built-to-last. My approach pairs extensive research with proven strategic frameworks for driving growth.

Research & Ideation Intensive

My work begins with a deep understanding of your organization and the broader media landscape.

That process often includes reviewing analytics and audience data, interviewing key staff and stakeholders, and studying industry research from organizations like the Nieman Lab, CJR, LION Publishers, and the Institute for Nonprofit News

This ensures strategic guidance grounded in real data and proven industry practices.

Proven Strategic Frameworks

Rather than producing abstract recommendations, I focus on building practical frameworks and decision-making tools teams can use long after the engagement ends.

Engagement typically involve editorial strategy mapping, audience analysis and feedback loops, revenue growth frameworks, and operational workflows and capacity assessments

Organizations receive systems they can use and adapt over time.

Focus areas

  • Helping newsrooms design coverage strategies that deliver meaningful community impact while supporting audience growth.

    Work may include:

    • Mapping coverage strategy to business outcomes

    • Strengthening investigative, data reporting, video, and service journalism

    • Editorial product development (newsletters, guides, explainers)

  • Building sustainable audience growth through editorial strategy, product design, and distribution.

    Focus areas include:

    • Newsletter growth strategy

    • Search and evergreen content strategy

    • Social and syndicated distribution partnerships

    • Audience funnel design and conversion strategies

    • Retention and engagement tactics

  • Developing revenue models that allow news organizations to sustain their journalism over time.

    Work may include:

    • Subscription, membership, and donor programs

    • Advertising and sponsorship strategy

    • Developing recurring events

    • Grant strategy and philanthropic positioning

  • Helping organizations build systems that allow teams to operate efficiently and scale.

    This may include:

    • Workflow analysis and optimizations

    • Cross-team collaboration structures

    • Strategic planning and OKRs

    • Leadership coaching for newsroom managers

    • Organizational design and capacity planning

Types of Engagements

Strategic Advisory

Best for: organizations seeking an experienced partner helping them think through complex decisions over time.

Ongoing advisory relationships for leaders navigating newsroom launch, growth, or major strategic decisions.

Strategic advisory engagements typically involve regular strategy sessions with newsroom leaders, support for board-level planning, and guidance on major decisions around editorial strategy, audience growth, and revenue models.

Common advisory work includes:

  • Organizational strategy and growth planning

  • Leadership coaching for founders and executive teams

  • Board effectiveness and strategic planning

  • Revenue channel development

  • Scoping major editorial or product initiatives

Project-Based Engagements

Best for: organizations seeking practical plans that teams can implement to drive growth.

Focused consulting engagements designed to solve a specific challenge or produce a defined set of deliverables.

Project engagements typically run 3-12 months and produce concrete outputs such as strategy roadmaps or operational frameworks that teams can implement internally.

Examples include:

  • Membership program launch and growth

  • Audience segmentation and distribution strategy

  • Editorial strategy development

  • Revenue diversification and growth plans

  • Technology stack assessments

  • Newsletter growth strategies

These engagements are designed to deliver practical plans that teams can implement immediately.

Fractional Support

Best for: organizations seeking ongoing operating capacity embedded inside their team.

Hands-on leadership support for organizations that need experienced capacity but are not ready for a full-time hire.

Fractional engagements typically involve ongoing operational involvement, helping teams execute strategy and build internal systems.

Fractional leadership examples include:

  • Audience development strategist

  • Revenue Leadership or Revenue Channel Director (i.e. Sponsorships, Events, Membership)

  • Content Strategy or Editorial Operations

  • Operational and Product Leadership

  • Building systems for sustainable growth

Let’s Work Together

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