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Telling the underreported stories ¡°beneath the shell¡±
Stories Beneath the Shell (SBS) News
0UMDSBS.com
0Stories Beneath the Shell (SBS) News is a web
publication devoted to covering
diverse, under-reported stories at the
University of Maryland and surrounding
communities through multimedia storytelling
and social media.
SBS Pitch | Journalism Interactive 2014
SBS Pitch | Journalism Interactive 2014
SBS Pitch | Journalism Interactive 2014
How we make money
0 On a college campus, there are hundreds of student
groups vying for an affordable place to advertise
0 Local businesses rely on students¡¯ business and are
always looking for innovative ways to advertise
0 In addition to a website, we also have an SBS
Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Storify and Facebook
account. All of these can be used for advertising.
0 Businesses are always looking for innovative ways to
advertise¡­ the SBS platform is the ideal solution
Projected advertising plans
0 Red package $250
0 4 months
0 Includes one 500 x 500 ad on our website
0 Black package $500
0 6 months
0 Includes one 500 x 500 ad on our website, social media promotion
0 Gold package $1,000
0 12 months
0 Includes one 500 x 500 ad on our website, a custom social media
plan and one event sponsorship
We¡¯re different¡­ that¡¯s why we
work
0 We aren¡¯t the local newspaper or niche web
publication. We¡¯re new, innovative and fun, and that is
marketable trait for many students who follow SBS
0 Our audience is very diverse.
0 Our target audiences are often groups on campus that
are frequently overlooked.
0 We¡¯re giving advertisers the opportunity to reach
those same audiences.
Additional opportunities
? We host several professional
development events a
semester, which serve as prime
opportunities for advertisers
? Advertisers can sponsor an
event and receive a custom
advertising package
corresponding with the event
and all event promotion
The cost of maintaining the
SBS website
0 Web hosting, tech support, templates and premiere
accounts are the key annual costs to maintain the
website
0 Combined, the cost to maintain the website for 3 years is
around $2000
0 Other costs, such as workshops and equipment
repair/upgrades are estimated to cost approximately
$1,000 each year
0 Staffing is inexpensive and often free
Staff payment
0 We currently do not pay any staff members
0 Many student reporters receive course credit for their
work
0 We pay for services outside of reporting, such as
branding or web development
0 With expansion and success in advertising, we could
provide student executive board members or
reporters semester scholarships or stipends
0 The scholarships and stipends would depend on
profit for the semester
The SBS News team
Staffing
0 Executive Director Jatara McGee
0 Multimedia Coordinator Mia Simon
0 Public Relations Coordinator Shannon
Clash
0 Events Chair Kareek Best
0 Sports Chair Benjamin Strack
0 Features Chair Natasha Nieves
0 Photography Editor Drew Rauso
0 Public Relations Assistant Nikki Dei
0 9 editors, 6 staff reporters and over 30
contributing reporters
Why we¡¯re an advertiser¡¯s best value
0 Maryland¡¯s independent daily newspaper: The Diamondback
0 We are online; therefore, our website is our top priority. We also offer
much lower rates than the Diamondback.
0 Niche cultural publications: The Mitzpeh, La Voz, the Black
Explosion, the PublicAsian, Eclipse
0 Each of these publications serves a target audience. We serve all of
these audiences. We also publish on a more regular basis and upload
stories as often as every day, bringing more daily traffic to our
website.
0 Other niche publications: The Campus Trainer, Her Campus, etc
0 We publish more frequently than these publications and our stories
reach their target audiences as well.
Potential revenue
0 Scenario: obtain a consistent 10 advertisers for a full year duration
0 If all 10 advertisers buy the red package, our revenue would be $7,500
0 If all 10 advertisers buy the gold package, our revenue would be $12,000
0 Our revenue would likely be somewhere between $7,500 and $12,000
0 With costs estimating under $2,000 a year, estimated profit = $5,500 to
$10,000 per year
0 Red package $250
0 4 months
0 Black package $500
0 6 months
0 Gold package $1,000
0 12 months
Potential for expansion
0 After we solidify the SBS groundwork at Maryland, we
want to expand it to other schools in the DMV area
and beyond
0 Branding would remain the same: Stories Beneath
the Stories (SBS) News.
0 The title per school would differ based on the school's
mascot, for example: Stories Beneath the Shell
(UMD), Stories Between the Stripes (Towson), Stories
Between the Beak (American), Stories Beneath the
Wings (Catholic University)
Milestones
0 Founded on January 26th 2013 by six University of
Maryland sophomore journalists, with a mission of
using multi-platform journalism to tell the stories that
are often overlooked
0 In less than one year¡­
0 Awarded an $11,000 Moving Maryland Forward grant
from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the
University of Maryland
0 Awarded $500 from the Pepsi Enhancement Fund
0 Awarded ¡°Outstanding Multi-ethnic Student
Organization¡± for the 2013-2014 academic year
Bottom Line
0The operating costs to maintain Stories Beneath
the Shell (SBS) News are very low
0Student journalists are paid in experience and
often receive course credit for their work
0 If advertising revenue is as high as we predict, we
would consider providing staffers with scholarship
stipends per semester
0We can offer potential advertisers low
prices, diverse platforms for advertisement, AND
customization
SBS Pitch | Journalism Interactive 2014

More Related Content

SBS Pitch | Journalism Interactive 2014

  • 1. Telling the underreported stories ¡°beneath the shell¡±
  • 2. Stories Beneath the Shell (SBS) News 0UMDSBS.com 0Stories Beneath the Shell (SBS) News is a web publication devoted to covering diverse, under-reported stories at the University of Maryland and surrounding communities through multimedia storytelling and social media.
  • 6. How we make money 0 On a college campus, there are hundreds of student groups vying for an affordable place to advertise 0 Local businesses rely on students¡¯ business and are always looking for innovative ways to advertise 0 In addition to a website, we also have an SBS Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Storify and Facebook account. All of these can be used for advertising. 0 Businesses are always looking for innovative ways to advertise¡­ the SBS platform is the ideal solution
  • 7. Projected advertising plans 0 Red package $250 0 4 months 0 Includes one 500 x 500 ad on our website 0 Black package $500 0 6 months 0 Includes one 500 x 500 ad on our website, social media promotion 0 Gold package $1,000 0 12 months 0 Includes one 500 x 500 ad on our website, a custom social media plan and one event sponsorship
  • 8. We¡¯re different¡­ that¡¯s why we work 0 We aren¡¯t the local newspaper or niche web publication. We¡¯re new, innovative and fun, and that is marketable trait for many students who follow SBS 0 Our audience is very diverse. 0 Our target audiences are often groups on campus that are frequently overlooked. 0 We¡¯re giving advertisers the opportunity to reach those same audiences.
  • 9. Additional opportunities ? We host several professional development events a semester, which serve as prime opportunities for advertisers ? Advertisers can sponsor an event and receive a custom advertising package corresponding with the event and all event promotion
  • 10. The cost of maintaining the SBS website 0 Web hosting, tech support, templates and premiere accounts are the key annual costs to maintain the website 0 Combined, the cost to maintain the website for 3 years is around $2000 0 Other costs, such as workshops and equipment repair/upgrades are estimated to cost approximately $1,000 each year 0 Staffing is inexpensive and often free
  • 11. Staff payment 0 We currently do not pay any staff members 0 Many student reporters receive course credit for their work 0 We pay for services outside of reporting, such as branding or web development 0 With expansion and success in advertising, we could provide student executive board members or reporters semester scholarships or stipends 0 The scholarships and stipends would depend on profit for the semester
  • 12. The SBS News team
  • 13. Staffing 0 Executive Director Jatara McGee 0 Multimedia Coordinator Mia Simon 0 Public Relations Coordinator Shannon Clash 0 Events Chair Kareek Best 0 Sports Chair Benjamin Strack 0 Features Chair Natasha Nieves 0 Photography Editor Drew Rauso 0 Public Relations Assistant Nikki Dei 0 9 editors, 6 staff reporters and over 30 contributing reporters
  • 14. Why we¡¯re an advertiser¡¯s best value 0 Maryland¡¯s independent daily newspaper: The Diamondback 0 We are online; therefore, our website is our top priority. We also offer much lower rates than the Diamondback. 0 Niche cultural publications: The Mitzpeh, La Voz, the Black Explosion, the PublicAsian, Eclipse 0 Each of these publications serves a target audience. We serve all of these audiences. We also publish on a more regular basis and upload stories as often as every day, bringing more daily traffic to our website. 0 Other niche publications: The Campus Trainer, Her Campus, etc 0 We publish more frequently than these publications and our stories reach their target audiences as well.
  • 15. Potential revenue 0 Scenario: obtain a consistent 10 advertisers for a full year duration 0 If all 10 advertisers buy the red package, our revenue would be $7,500 0 If all 10 advertisers buy the gold package, our revenue would be $12,000 0 Our revenue would likely be somewhere between $7,500 and $12,000 0 With costs estimating under $2,000 a year, estimated profit = $5,500 to $10,000 per year 0 Red package $250 0 4 months 0 Black package $500 0 6 months 0 Gold package $1,000 0 12 months
  • 16. Potential for expansion 0 After we solidify the SBS groundwork at Maryland, we want to expand it to other schools in the DMV area and beyond 0 Branding would remain the same: Stories Beneath the Stories (SBS) News. 0 The title per school would differ based on the school's mascot, for example: Stories Beneath the Shell (UMD), Stories Between the Stripes (Towson), Stories Between the Beak (American), Stories Beneath the Wings (Catholic University)
  • 17. Milestones 0 Founded on January 26th 2013 by six University of Maryland sophomore journalists, with a mission of using multi-platform journalism to tell the stories that are often overlooked 0 In less than one year¡­ 0 Awarded an $11,000 Moving Maryland Forward grant from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Maryland 0 Awarded $500 from the Pepsi Enhancement Fund 0 Awarded ¡°Outstanding Multi-ethnic Student Organization¡± for the 2013-2014 academic year
  • 18. Bottom Line 0The operating costs to maintain Stories Beneath the Shell (SBS) News are very low 0Student journalists are paid in experience and often receive course credit for their work 0 If advertising revenue is as high as we predict, we would consider providing staffers with scholarship stipends per semester 0We can offer potential advertisers low prices, diverse platforms for advertisement, AND customization