Independent journalism is reshaping the media landscape — and it shows no signs of slowing down. According to Axios, mainstream media's influence over the 2024 election was diminished significantly. With a single podcast interview, both candidates reached a wider audience than they could through traditional media spots with major news networks.
But politics isn't the only sphere in which traditional media's dominance is wavering. Across industries, the ways people access information have become fragmented between traditional and nontraditional media channels. This trend has fueled the rise of independent journalists — individuals who leave corporate media to launch their own newsletters, podcasts, or media companies.
To explore this shift, I recently caught up with Phil Rosen, a former Business Insider reporter turned newsletter writer and podcaster. My goal was to learn more about how these non-traditional mediums work and what PR professionals should know when pitching them.
A Journalist Turned Entrepreneur
Rosen, a journalist based in New York City, took an unconventional path into journalism. He pursued a pre-med degree, but after graduating from San Diego State, he chose to take a gap year and write a blog while teaching English in Hong Kong.
Returning to the U.S., Rosen completed his master's in journalism at the University of Southern California and was offered a role at Business Insider reporting on financial news and markets. In March 2024, Rosen left the media outlet and became an entrepreneur. Alongside investor Anthony Pompliano, he co-founded Opening Bell Daily, a platform that delivers independent financial news and research at no cost to readers.
Reaching A Curated and Loyal Audience
Today, Opening Bell Daily is trusted by over 215,000 long-term investors to deliver data-driven financial news and analysis to their inboxes. But their audience reach extends well beyond their direct subscriber base. The Opening Bell Daily newsletter not only hits subscriber inboxes every morning but is also syndicated and distributed by Inc. Magazine and Bloomberg Terminals.
"[The] range of distribution gets us a lot of eyeballs, and on a given day, across three platforms, we can have as many as half a million readers."
Pitching to Newsletters and Substacks: What PR Pros Need to Know
For PR professionals, independent platforms like Opening Bell Daily offer valuable but nuanced pitching opportunities.
"I get pitched probably 100 emails a day and I read every single one."
Rosen shares that while he aims to respond thoughtfully, time constraints mean he can't reply to every single one. However, he accepts pitches via email regularly and is always open to meeting new sources and people, especially those with unique or contrarian perspectives that can make a story stand out.
Beyond looking for sources with a unique point of view, Rosen's go-to sources are often economists, market strategists, financial professionals at banks or hedge funds and stock researchers.
What's Driving Independent Media Success?
The rise of curated newsletters, podcasts and Substack platforms marks a new era in journalism. According to Rosen and his co-founder, what makes their content unique is that they are the only financial news outlet that delivers original content with no paywalls. Opening Bell Daily is data-driven and chock-full of visuals and charts you can't find anywhere else, and it's all free.
By eliminating these traditional barriers to access and prioritizing high-quality and original reporting, independent platforms like Opening Bell Daily are not only building engaged and loyal audiences but also redefining what the next generation of journalism can be.