Start your creator journalism journey now!
Be one of the first five to sign up to receive a 20% discount! Use promo code "FIRST5"
“Great energy and content! Loved the variety and depth of topics addressed, and there were lively discussions that included perspectives of classmates. Seemed that the instructors shared authentically from experience and took care to present helpful, actionable information.”
- Going Solo ONA '24 workshop participant
"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
"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
"It's super lonely breaking out on your own and, as a journalist, you have to all the sudden become your own editor, bookkeeper, financial advisor and operations. Going Solo offers a structured way to approach your set up piece by piece so you can focus on what you actually want to do: publish."
- Lex Roman, Journalists Pay Themselves
"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
"The tangible tools and frameworks were so useful to me. Thanks so much!"
- Going Solo ONA '24 workshop participant
🚀 Launch Your Independent Journalism Journey
Are you ready to take your journalistic passion into the world of independent creator journalism with your own newsletter? The Going Solo: Creator Journalism Workshop will equip you with the tools, insights, and strategies to turn your vision into a sustainable, impactful venture.
Why join?
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.
The course is taught by successful journalism creators and industry vets, working on the leading edge of the expanding creator-model journalism space. It’s capped at 10 people, so that you can get personalized guidance and answers to the questions you want.
Who is this for?
This course is for newsletter writers who want to be part of one of the fastest growing, most trusted segments of media today: independent creator journalism. This workshop isn’t about freelancing. It’s about learning how to start and run a business that puts you in control of your IP and revenue.
Not a trained journalist? 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.)
This workshop is for you if you are:
► Interested in starting a newsletter. Growth and revenue strategies vary by medium, so focusing on newsletters means you’ll learn strategies directly applicable to you.
► 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.
► Want a quick, reliable a way to learn business and growth essentials.
► Need an accountability partner to get you over the finish line to launch.
► Are tired of the instability in the journalism industry, and want to be in the drivers seat of your own career.
What You’ll Learn
This six-week online workshop is designed to guide you step-by-step through the essentials of building and growing your independent journalism newsletter. Here’s what you can expect:
🌎 Week 1: Charting the Course, Feb. 20
• Understand the creator journalism ecosystem.
• Begin crafting your personalized launch plan.
🗓️ Week 2: Editorial Planning, Feb. 27
• Develop and refine your content concept.
• Create a sustainable editorial calendar.
⚖️ Week 3: Financial and Emotional Sustainability, March 6
• Learn the basics of establishing an LLC, managing taxes, and budgeting.
• Get strategies for balancing work, health, and personal life.
📈 Week 4: Audience Building, March 13
• Kickstart your audience growth with practical tools and strategies.
• Set achievable subscriber goals with expert guidance.
💰 Week 5: Revenue 101, March 20
• Explore diverse revenue streams, from subscriptions to merchandise.
• Build a roadmap to sustainable income as an independent creator.
📚 Week 6: Ethics & Standards, March 27
• Develop a personal ethics statement and transparency practices.
• Learn how to combat misinformation and build audience trust.
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!
Workshop Details
Format: Virtual 90-minute weekly sessions at Noon ET (recorded in case you miss a week)
Duration: Six weeks, starting Feb. 20th. You’ll also have lifetime access to course recordings and all materials are yours forever.
Cost: $1,000 (first five to sign up get a 20% discount - use promo code "FIRST5")
U.S.-based journalists may be able to deduct the cost of this course from their taxes, especially if they're self-employed.
How did we arrive at $1,000?
Five out of six of the 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, Wix. We think you’ll get your money’s worth.
More questions? Reach us at goingsolo@projectc.biz.
🧑🏼🏫 The instructors
Caitlin Dewey | Writer, Links I Would Gchat You if We Were Friends. Formerly WaPo
Caitlin Dewey Rainwater is an journalist, essayist and cultural commentator who runs the Links I Would G-Chat You If We Were Friends newsletter. Caitlin began her career covering technology for The Washington Post, where she served as the paper’s first digital culture critic before leaving and launching the newsletter critic David Carr called "witty and intelligent."
Blair Hickman | Consultant, 2024 Sulzberger Fellow. Formerly Vox, ProPublica
Spent 15 years building audiences, teams and strategic plans in fast-growing newsrooms like Vox and ProPublica. Most recently, Blair was the Executive Director of Strategy at Vox, where she oversaw consumer revenue, brand narrative and product strategy. Before that, she oversaw off-platform content, audience development for text, audio and video and led a strategic pivot or seven.
Ryan Kellett | 2025 Nieman-Berkman Fellow @ Harvard, former Axios, WaPo
Ryan studies creator journalists at Harvard and will be teaching young creators at the Harvard Extension School in 2025. He also regularly lectures on audience topics like community engagement and analytics at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. He is a consultant for the Blue Engine Collaborative, most recently coaching local news leaders on audience- and revenue- building. Prior to teaching, he was VP of Audience at Axios where he started an in-house creator team in five local cities across the country.
Liz Kelly Nelson | Consultant writer, Project C. Formerly Vox, WaPo, USA Today
Liz writes Project C, an independent newsletter about independent creator journalism. Liz also advises journalists transitioning into independent work and, along with Trusting News, is developing best practices for ethical, rigorous creator journalism. She previously was VP of Strategy and Operations at Vox, VP of Content Development at USA TODAY/Gannett and was one of The Washington Post’s first bloggers (aka creator journalists).
Lex Roman | Subscription marketer and writer, Journalists Pay Themselves
Lex Roman is the newsletter writer and paid subscription expert behind Journalists Pay Themselves. Before starting their own growth design consultancy in 2019, Lex led conversion and recurring revenue projects for tech companies like Gusto, Prosper, and Burner. Counter to many growth practitioners, their expertise is in small audience monetization and how to turn each casual viewer into a loyal paying fan.
Lynn Walsh | Trusting News
Lynn is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has worked in investigative journalism at the national level and locally in California, Ohio, Texas and Florida. She is the former Ethics Chair for the Society of Professional Journalists and a past national president for the organization. Based in San Diego, Lynn is also an adjunct professor and freelance journalist.
More questions? Reach us at goingsolo@projectc.biz.