Everything we learnt from our ‘How to start your own Publication’ panel

Have you ever wondered what it takes to create your own publication? News Associates podcast host Plamedi Mbungu hosted a panel with three website founders and asked about their stories to success, top tips and biggest challenges on our ‘How to start your own Publication’ panel.

Plamedi with 'How to start your own publication' panellists.

Here, postgraduate sports journalism trainees Godwin Mathew and Aman Mahmood share what they learnt from our ‘How to start your own Publication’ panel.

The panellists were The Culture Crypt founder Niall Smith, 9Bills founder Nelson Adeoti and Frontline magazine founder Patch Fennelly.

The panel discussed how a publication’s success is measured by the methods it uses to cater to the audience, how to use your network effectively and the practical aspects of starting your own creative space.

All the panellists emphasised the importance of networking when creating a publication and how important it was to share ideas with those in the industry.

Fennelly created Frontline magazine to give early-career writers their first bylines and kickstart their careers.

 

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He advises young creatives to ‘network sideways rather than up’. Knowing and connecting with your peers in the industry builds up a reliable sourcebook which can be helpful for stories in the future.

Adeoti helped us understand how important it is to adapt to industry trends. For example, his journalism journey started on X and he has now expanded onto other platforms such as Instagram and TikTok as these are more popular today.

Smith said his time as a journalism student plays a major role in him being able to produce refined pieces for The Culture Crypt. He said he still uses the skills he learnt when structuring an article.

All the panellists were very honest with the financial aspects of the industry.

Adeoti spoke about the financial advantages of working in journalism-adjacent roles when you are starting out as a freelancer, such as social media marketing or copywriting. This gave us an insight into how to make money in the industry.

Another key takeaway from the whole panel was the fact that all three focused on how important it is to create journalism with the audience in mind. Creating a platform full of content that people want is key for the success of a publication.

Did you enjoy our ‘How to start your own Publication’ panel? Join our next free journalism event here.