Building trust in a new media DC media entity

Even brand new media outlets can survive and thrive in the current climate, and the key element in building a following is trust.

“Everyone that we talked to basically said the same thing: they were feeling overwhelmed, they were getting news and information from multiple sources but always felt they were behind… we thought, this doesn’t make any sense,” said Roy Schwartz, co-founder of Axios.

With technology continually simplifying our lives, it baffled Schwartz and the other cofounders that news consumption was becoming more of a chore.

To combat that, “we came up with this concept called smart brevity,” Schwartz told What’s Working in Washington. By hiring only experts in specific subjects and ensuring their format is concise and well-informed, Axios can help people catch up.

The media entity was found in 2016 and launched in January 2017 by Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei, Politico’s former Chief White House correspondent Mike Allen, and Schwartz, Politico’s former Chief Revenue Officer.

“Everything that we would convey to the audience, the listener, the reader, the viewer, would be in a form that’s the most efficient way to communicate that information.”

“What they see is that they get caught up quickly,” he said. “We have to be worthy of people’s time, attention, and most importantly, their trust.”

Trust is a key point for Schwartz, and building that trust over a digital medium is tricky. “I think the advantage of this day and age is that you get an opportunity to. It’s easier than ever to launch a media company, because technology has enabled it,” said Schwartz.

“They’ll give you a chance. And then you have to prove that you’re truly worthy of their time and attention,” he said.

“If you’re looking to just get clicks, you have to be sensational in some way. But what we’re trying to do is build trust and credibility, and we really start with people who have that need from a professional standpoint.”

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