How to Build Durable News Products

Cory Brown brings his years of experience working with journalists to help news publishers grow revenue, reduce churn and build loyal audiences.

As is on trend on this podcast, today’s guest has roots in journalism that go back pretty far. Cory Brown‘s first time punching a clock was to load bundles of newspapers onto a truck at age seventeen.

What really hooked him into the news industry was creating something entirely new every day that thousands of people were out there waiting on. This was more appealing than say working at a restaurant, where every day they made the same thing over and over again.

As with many others in the journalism world, Cory was laid off during the 2008 financial crisis and went elsewhere for a while. In 2017, he was hired on a contract for ProPublica and became reinvigorated to work with journalists again, eventually launching Impact TK where he helps newsrooms develop reader experience and subscriber strategies that grow revenue, reduce churn and build loyal audiences.

Cory is also the creator of the 99 Newsletter Project, a learning library for newsletter and audience professionals.

On this episode of Small Press, Big Ideas I sat down with Cory to talk about the importance of audience engagement, the relationship between editorial and the business sides of news organizations, and his role in helping news orgs develop richer reader experiences.

How Can I Help?

That’s the question Cory Brown asks himself when working with a new client. Cory is not a journalist. He came up on the business side of news publishing organizations and knows that the divide between business and editorial must be navigated carefully. He understands that people don’t like being “graded” or having their work evaluated through a purely commercial lens. Instead, he focuses on helping them reach their own goals. For Cory, success is not about maximizing numbers at any cost—it’s about ensuring newsrooms can do meaningful work while remaining financially viable.

Cory approaches his consulting work as a coach rather than a strategist who simply delivers a report. He works directly with clients to fine-tune their systems, focusing on practical ways to engage readers and build products with lasting emotional connections. It’s about sustainable impact and avoiding the short-term mindset. As Cory puts it, “the slow dime is worth more than the fast nickel”.

Stone Soup and Building Trust

Cory shared a great story during our conversation—the parable of stone soup. In this fable, two hungry travelers enter a town where the villagers are reluctant to help them. They start boiling a pot of water with nothing but a stone, claiming to make “stone soup.” One by one, curious villagers contribute carrots, salt, and other ingredients until they collectively create a hearty meal.

This illustrates how Cory approaches his relationships with clients and colleagues. His goal is to pique curiosity and foster collaboration, building trust by showing up consistently with a genuine desire to help. It’s not about walking into a newsroom and dictating what’s wrong; it’s about adding value to the collective process so everyone can succeed together.

Editorial vs The Business Side

One of the key takeaways from our conversation was Cory’s belief in the distinct roles that editorial and business departments play in a newsroom. He emphasized that without the integrity and ethics of journalism, there is no viable business model. The content’s mission is to inform, educate, and connect communities—not simply drive revenue.

On the business side, it’s about packaging and presenting content in ways that encourage people to engage with it, subscribe, or donate. The two departments may have different goals, but both need to work toward supporting the community’s access to reliable, impactful information.

Cory also highlighted that a successful business strategy isn’t just about profit margins. It’s about building relationships with readers who see themselves reflected in the newsroom’s work.

Emotional Durability

“Value to the business is quantitative,” Cory says, “but value for the audience is qualitative.” This is one of his guiding principles when helping newsrooms build durable products.

While business stakeholders often focus on metrics like subscriber numbers, conversion rates, and lifetime value, audiences connect to news products emotionally. Readers subscribe because they feel a connection to the stories, people, and communities featured in the content. Great news products reflect their audiences—they feel like an extension of the readers’ identities.

To illustrate this point, Cory contrasted two distinct news products: The New Yorker tote bag and Block Club Chicago’s neighborhood-centric merchandise. The New Yorker tote signifies sophistication and cultural savvy, while Block Club’s products celebrate hyper-local pride with slogans and references that only Chicago residents understand. Both examples highlight how news organizations can connect with their audiences on an emotional level.

The Importance of Balance: Vegetables and Dessert

Cory believes that a well-rounded news product must offer both “vegetables” and “dessert.” The vegetables represent serious, hard-hitting journalism that informs the public and holds power to account. The dessert is the lighter, more entertaining content that brings joy and community connection.

Without balance, readers may become overwhelmed by a constant stream of heavy news. In a time when burnout from negative headlines is all too common, newsrooms need to offer moments of levity, local interest stories, and cultural features that help readers stay engaged without feeling drained.

Small, Local Newsrooms: The Future of Journalism?

Cory is especially excited about the rise of smaller, independent newsrooms. While legacy newspapers once held monopolies over their local markets, today’s news ecosystem is more diverse and decentralized. In cities like Chicago, news consumers can choose from an array of publications that cater to different neighborhoods, demographics, and interests.

Cory described Block Club Chicago as a prime example of this trend. Block Club operates on a neighborhood-level model, offering newsletters for specific areas of the city. This hyper-local focus ensures that readers receive news that directly impacts their lives. Other organizations like The Tribe (which focuses on Chicago’s Black community) and Borderless (which serves immigrant communities) also exemplify the power of targeted, community-driven journalism.

To hear about another great example of this trend, go back and listen to my episode with Keith Pepper from Rough Draft Atlanta.

Advice for Small Publishers and Newsletter Creators

For anyone launching their own newsletter or small news operation, Cory’s advice is simple: “Just start.” Getting from zero to one is the hardest step, and many people never move beyond the idea phase. But once you’ve launched, you can refine and iterate.

He also emphasizes the importance of knowing your audience. A successful news product, and any digital audience based business, must have a clear purpose and target a specific group of people. It can’t be for everyone—it needs to be personal, driven by a sense of mission, and focused on serving the community.

Finally, Cory advises small publishers to embrace the role of luck in their success. Sometimes the best ideas emerge from unexpected circumstances, and it’s important to recognize when something is working—even if it wasn’t part of the original plan.

Final Thoughts

Cory Brown’s approach to news publishing is built on collaboration, trust, and the belief that journalism can still thrive by staying connected to its communities. Whether he’s coaching a newsroom through reader engagement strategies or sharing insights on the business side of journalism, his work is guided by a simple yet powerful question: How can I help?

For newsrooms struggling to adapt in an ever-changing media landscape, that’s the kind of support that makes all the difference.