Strategies
In today’s rapidly changing media landscape, media organizations need to adapt quickly and be creative to generate revenue and continue reaching their audiences. For exiled media, these challenges are amplified due to the additional obstacles they face while operating from new locations. The JX Fund provides them with targeted support.
STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE MEDIA
Strategic development is essential for the long-term success of media companies, but exiled media teams often struggle to find time for this amid their daily operational challenges. Matters are often complicated further with teams being spread over different countries or even continents. Our strategy coaching projects address this by organizing intensive workshops where media teams can convene, often for the first time in person since a long time, to collaboratively develop their strategic plans. These workshops, guided by experienced trainers, focus on various aspects such as audience strategy, team building, financial sustainability, and digital security.
During these sessions, teams conduct SWOT analyses, set strategic goals, and devise plans for community engagement and fundraising. By the end of the workshops, participants leave with actionable plans, clear timelines, and assigned responsibilities, ensuring a cohesive approach to their media operations. The outcomes of these strategic sessions are not only beneficial for immediate organizational improvements but also crucial for building a resilient and adaptable media presence in the long term. After the in-person strategic sessions, coaches support the teams in the strategy implementation process via online follow-up sessions.
- Implementation: JX Fund
- Runtime: established August 2023
“The workshop allowed us to think critically about the direction we need to take to achieve our goals. The structure and facilitation of the workshop encouraged open discussion, deep reflection, and practical strategies for moving forward. It helped us see our shortcomings with clarity and, more importantly, envision what needs to be done next.”
Project participant from Afghanistan
STRENGHTENING MEDIA THROUGH AUDIENCE INSIGHTS
Understanding the target audience is crucial for any media outlet’s success, yet it poses a significant challenge especially for media in exile. These media outlets often struggle with the disruption of distribution channels and a rapidly shifting audience landscape due to political pressures and displacement. To address these issues, our audience research projects provide media outlets with the tools and insights needed to effectively reach and engage their audiences.
By collaborating with professional research teams, participating media outlets explore critical questions about audience demographics, preferences, and behaviors. This research helps media teams tailor their content and formats to better align with audience needs, identify new potential audiences, and explore monetization strategies.
- Implementation: JX Fund
- Runtime: September – December 2023
“For us, this research was extremely important – we previously lacked the resources to analyze our current audience, relying solely on assumptions about who our readers were, whether readers and viewers from different platforms intersected, and which materials were most important and interesting to them.“
Project participant
PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP: INCENTIVE GRANTS AND MENTORING FOR CREATIVE BUSINESS IDEAS
Almost all media today must innovate their business models to survive. This need is even more urgent for exiled media, which operate in foreign countries under strategically and financially vulnerable conditions. Formerly successful models must adapt to new environments and constantly shifting challenges, such as blockages and evolving media regulations, both in their countries of origin and in exile.
Despite these challenges, many exiled media actively work to develop sustainable business models and diversify their revenue streams. These efforts also help reduce donor dependence, which often increases after going into exile. To support this, the JX Fund has awarded media entrepreneurship grants to selected outlets from Belarus and Russia, providing both financial backing and mentorship for promising business initiatives.
- Implementation: JX Fund
- Runtime: October – December 2024
“With the support of the JX Fund, we have full confidence in our business idea. The project has been validated by industry specialists who recognize its relevance and potential.“
Project participant