GOING SOLO

Ready to take your journalistic passion into the world of independent creator journalism? The Going Solo 6-week online Creator Journalism Workshop will equip you with the tools, insights and strategies to turn your vision into a sustainable, impactful venture.

new cohort! register soon!

new cohort! register soon!

The next 6-week newsletter cohort will be held April 10 - May 15.
Classes will take place every Thursday at noon ET.

Registration opens on this page on Tuesday, March 18!

Going solo is for you if you:

  • ✺

    Are interested in launching your own project. Growth and revenue strategies vary by medium, so we focus each cohort so you’ll learn strategies directly applicable to you.

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    Have a nugget of an editorial idea. We’ll help you vet and refine your concept, but this isn’t for you if you’re starting from nothing.

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    Want a quick, reliable a way to learn business and growth essentials.

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    Need an accountability partner to get you over the finish line to launch.

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    Are tired of the instability in the journalism industry, and want to be in the drivers seat of your own career.​

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    Want an intellectual community. We keep classes small,and participants get lifetime access to Project C’s Slack community for independent creator journalists.

What you’ll learn

Week 1: Charting the course

  • Understand the creator journalism ecosystem.

  • Begin crafting your personalized launch plan.

Instructor: Liz Kelly Nelson

Liz writes Project C, an independent newsletter about independent creator journalism. She previously worked at Vox, USA Today and The Washington Post.

Week 2: Editorial planning

  • Develop and refine your content concept.

  • Create a sustainable editorial calendar.

Instructor: Caitlin dewey

Caitlin Dewey Rainwater is a journalist, essayist and cultural commentator who runs the Links I Would G-Chat You If We Were Friends newsletter.

Week 3: Financial & Emotional REsilience

  • Learn the basics of establishing an LLC, managing taxes and budgeting.

  • Get strategies for balancing work, health, and personal life.

Instructor: Blair hickman

Blair spent 15 years building audiences, teams and strategic plans in fast-growing newsrooms like Vox and ProPublica.

Week 4: AUDIENCE BUILDING

  • Kickstart your audience growth with practical tools and strategies.

  • Set achievable subscriber goals with expert guidance.

Instructor: ryan kellett

Ryan studies creator journalists at Harvard and will be teaching young creators at the Harvard Extension School in 2025. Formerly Axios, The Washington Post.

Week 5: REvenue 101

  • Explore diverse revenue streams, from subscriptions to merchandise.

  • Build a roadmap to sustainable income as an independent creator.

Instructor: lex roman

Lex Roman is the newsletter writer and paid subscription expert behind Journalists Pay Themselves.

Week 6: Ethics & standards

  • Develop a personal ethics statement and transparency practices.

  • Learn how to combat misinformation and build audience trust.

Instructor: lynn walsh

Lynn is Assistant Director at Trusting News and has worked in investigative journalism at the national level and locally in California, Ohio, Texas and Florida.

What you’ll get

➕ Detailed launch and growth strategy to last through your first year as a creator

➕ Editorial calendar template

➕ Audience development template, to help you zero in on your target and identify new audiences to pay you

➕ Annual personal finance worksheet to help you learn exactly what you need to earn to make your new business work

➕ Email template to help you negotiate terms of growth partnerships

➕ 20% off up to three 1:1 coaching sessions with each of our instructors

➕ A community of supporters and the confidence that you can do this!

What our students say

  • The Going Solo workshop was a crash course in the business realities of becoming an independent creator journalist. With a focus on what it takes to transition your career, the workshop offered practical advice, actionable tools, and real-world examples to help you build a sustainable solo journalism business.

    Matt Kiser, author, WTF Just Happened Today

  • I've been contemplating this for a long time, but didn't know where or how to start. This workshop gave me a roadmap on how I can leave my job and remain financially secure.

    Going Solo ONA '24 workshop participant

  • One of the best-run digital media workshops I have ever participated in.

    Mark Stencel, former co-director of the Duke Reporters' Lab and founder, Assignment: Future

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • Format: Virtual 90-minute weekly sessions at Noon ET (recorded in case you miss a week)
    Duration: Six weeks. You’ll also have lifetime access to course recordings and all materials are yours forever.

  • $1,000 per student, non-refundable after week one.

    U.S.-based journalists may be able to deduct the cost of this course from their taxes, especially if they're self-employed.

  • All six instructors are all independent journalists and/or consultants, so this is part of how we make our livelihood. We factored in the time it took to develop the learnings, presentations and templates we’ll share with you and the hours we’ll spend teaching the classes. We also had costs for some of the tools we used to develop the courses and how we’re presenting all this to you – Canva, Stripe, Adobe Express, Notion, Miro, Squarespace. We think you’ll get your money’s worth.

  • No worries. If you're looking to launch or grow a newsletter that helps your audience get smarter about any topic, you'll learn how to develop, launch and grow a newsletter business. (We won’t teach journalism in this course, but we can connect you to people who can, if that interests you.)

  • Independent journalism is a growing field, but success requires more than just passion—it takes a plan. Whether you’re just starting out or refining an existing idea, this workshop will help you develop a strong foundation for sustainable growth.

  • We do. You can reach out to us at info@projectc.biz to find out more about personalized coaching. Going Solo students get a 20 percent discount on coaching.

The Going Solo origin story

Going Solo started as a conversation among four journalists –Caitlin Dewey, Blair Hickman, Ryan Kellett and Liz Kelly Nelson — all passionate about the rise of independent journalism and the need for stronger support systems for those taking the leap. The idea took shape in summer 2024, when Ryan proposed that we put together a workshop for the Online News Association conference focused on helping journalists successfully transition to the creator model. The response was overwhelming. The session was a smash hit, and it was clear there was demand for something bigger.

From there, we expanded Going Solo into a six-week virtual workshop, designed to give journalists the practical skills, business know-how and emotional resilience to build sustainable solo ventures. Each co-founder, and our expanded roster of instructors, brings a different expertise — whether it’s audience growth, business strategy, editorial independence, or financial resilience — making Going Solo a truly holistic program.

What started as a single workshop has now grown into a thriving community of journalists redefining what it means to go independent — together.