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Content Distribution and Licensing

Consider distributing your news content via these third-party platforms

Digital platforms provide news publishers of all sizes and orientations with the opportunity to reach millions of potential new readers in their market and beyond. In addition to providing INN members access to new audiences, many of these distribution partners provide revenue based on the traffic your content generates on their platform. This revenue share can range from a few hundred dollars per year to a few thousand dollars per month, based on individual performance. And it’s not always the biggest organizations that do best on these platforms.

The INN team is always considering new opportunities for helping INN members take advantage of third-party platforms. That can include negotiating deals that members can opt into, as well as helping all members join platforms they haven’t previously had access to. If you’re an INN member interested in taking advantage of any of the opportunities listed below, please reach out to Sam Cholke at sam@inn.org. If you’re a platform that would like to work with INN members to distribute their content, you can also reach out to Sam. New opportunities are added often, so check back for updates.

In addition to content distribution opportunities, INN members also have access to content archiving and licensing deals by virtue of their INN membership. Learn more about those opportunities below. See also general information on distributing through third parties on our Marketing & Social Media Support page.

Apple News

Share your stories with millions of Apple News readers and learn about the unique benefits for nonprofit newsrooms. Apple News is the easiest way to stay up to date with the news, with a seamless experience across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and is the No. 1 news app in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia. Experienced Apple News editors curate the day’s top stories from trusted sources, and help users discover new publications and interesting stories.

Fill out this form and reference your INN membership in the comments section to learn more about joining Apple News.

Microsoft Start

Get your stories in front of one of the largest news audiences in the world through Microsoft Start. The news feed reaches more than 512 million people each month online through its dedicated app and through native alerts in the Windows operating system. Microsoft Start offers readers the option to donate directly to your organization, revenue sharing on ads served on stories, and the opportunity to shape how Start evolves through direct connections to Microsoft staff.

Contact INN for more information about signing up for Microsoft Start.

Flipboard

Reach more than 145 million monthly active users on the web or from any mobile device with Flipboard, a service that allows people to gather stories according to their interests. Flipboard links back to members’ websites and also provides analytics to members about how much their content is seen on the platform.

Members: Sign up for a publisher account and then get in touch with INN to accelerate the onboarding process.

SmartNews

Reach more than 50 million readers in 150+ countries by showcasing your content on SmartNews. SmartNews provides an option where publishers can host their content on SmartNews — called SmartView — or they can receive traffic on their own website via links. SmartNews doesn’t provide analytics or revenue share, but traffic driven to your own website can be monetized through your existing donation callouts or sponsorship messaging. INN members are featured in the Public Interest channel, as well as in channels that are geographically or topically relevant.

Email partners@smartnews.com and reference your INN membership to get access to the platform.

NewsBreak

As the most downloaded news app in the United States, NewsBreak makes local news easily accessible to a new generation of readers. NewsBreak welcomes INN members to become  publisher partners. As a partner, your organization’s content is hosted by NewsBreak and you earn a share of revenues generated. The app’s publisher platform makes it easy to control your content, access insightful analytics and generate more revenue.

Inquire here to speak to the NewsBreak team.

Nextdoor

Put your content in front of more than 27 million monthly active users near your newsroom by sharing your content with Nextdoor, a hyperlocal social networking service for neighborhoods. Local news organizations that are members of INN can have their content featured in relevant Nextdoor neighborhoods.

Contact INN for more details on sharing your content with Nextdoor.

Spotlight

Reach college students by sharing your content with Spotlight, a news aggregator that brings college students and staff all the stories they care about from the sources they can trust. Spotlight has worked with INN and members to develop special collections of member content and to highlight INN member content in interesting ways. INN members participate in Spotlight’s revenue share program and can also opt into Spotlight’s premium content program.

Contact INN for an introduction to the Spotlight team.

In addition to third-party distribution, you can generate additional revenue by licensing your content to content archiving services. INN has relationships with two of the largest players in the space that you can opt into.

NewsBank

NewsBank gets your content archived and available to researchers — and pays you a small amount for that privilege. Newsbank serves content “aftermarkets” — they are not syndicating for real-time publication, but for research and reference markets.

Fill out this form to take advantage of INN’s master contract with NewsBank.

Newstex

By working with Newstex, you will generate revenue while your content is exposed to more people and lives on into the future for use by academics and researchers. Like NewsBank, Newstex serves content “aftermarkets.” Newstex aggregates a variety of news and other information providers in feeds for reference services such as LexisNexis.

Fill out this form to take advantage of INN’s agreement with Newstex.

Questions? Meet the INN staff member who can help.

Manager, Distribution & Audience Growth

Sam Cholke

Sam Cholke works with INN members to better understand their audiences and take their direct audience to the next level.

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