What will be the the third legs of the creator journalism economy?

When Project C published its list of The Top 50 Creator Journalists, we were proud to celebrate the journalism itself: The storytelling, scoops and explanatory work that each creator brings to their beat. 

As Liz Kelly Nelson explained in her introduction to the list, the financial models used by creator journalists were a consideration because building a durable, for-profit business is a key part of the creator economy.

So how exactly does a creator journalist make money these days? We’re finding out in real-time. But looking to our recent past helps put our current journey in context: 

In 2010, Ken Doctor, writing for Nieman, talked about the ‘Newsonomics’ of a potential three-legged stool for revenue to support news: 

Fifteen years later, not every publisher made the journey back to those two legs of consumer revenue and advertising. As Ken said then: “While two legs are good, and better than one, consider that three would be better still.”

In 2025, we see most independent journalists pursuing some combination of the first and second legs.

When I wrote my piece on "The Poly-Platform Path Forward” for creator journalists, I saw the “Newsletter-Centric Ecosystem Builders” focused on consumer revenue and “Video First Monetization” experts clearly targeting bespoke advertising revenue that they solicit from ads/brands directly.  

But what third legs are emerging? 

Below are some examples categorized into a few different buckets. This list is not complete. We didn’t include some common examples like affiliate marketing, notion templates, and so much different merch.

We’re eager to hear more! Please respond to this email or engage with us on LinkedIn and tag your favorite examples. We want to keep categorizing and socializing and draw more eyes from across the industry to nascent efforts that keep funding the pursuit of journalism in the creator economy. 

Software tooling

U.K.-based Sophia Smith Galer has created Sophiana, a scripting and teleprompter tool for journalists (or any communicator) drawing on her decade of experience. Sophiana is a free tool but can be customized for larger organization’s bespoke needs. It also serves as a lead-gen for Sophia’s work as a consultant for her company Viralect as explained in her TikTok announcement.

The media startup Every has a suite of productivity products that they sell individually or offer as part of a subscription to their digital magazine:

The Every newsroom regularly publish service-journalism oriented pieces about working with AI software — their own tools and others. And so their product offering is getting regular promotion, alongside their editorial content.

Educational Resources

Dave Jorgenson, the erstwhile Washington Post TikTok dude who recently launched Local News International, includes a relationship with Free the Facts, with whom Dave has created a playlist of 22 videos that he features on his TikTok page. 

Craig Silverman and Alexios Mantzarlis’ disinfo-fighting The Indicator offers what they call an “Academic Library” of online researching tools as part of a paid subscription. The last few weeks proved a perfect way that those products fit into their audience funnel.

They published a pair of scoops about disinfo networks on Facebook/TikTok. Craig/Alexios touted the tools they used while promoting their stories on social. And that led the CEO of an AI anti-fraud company publicly complimented Indicator, their approach to tooling and committing to a Founder-level membership right on LinkedIn.

Data Products 

Ryan Broderick’s Garbage Day newsletter offers a Garbage Intelligence product for paying subscribers, delivering monthly, platform-level analyses of internet trends. Beyond newsletters, Broderick consults for brands and agencies, providing custom digital trend reports and talks worldwide. 

Just this last week, Bryan Vance at Stumptown Savings shared on LinkedIn how one of his hyper-local grocery shopping website’s data products – an Egg Tracker!! – can show local shoppers how to save as much as $6.36 on a dozen organic eggs within the Portland, Oregon market. 

Matt Brown’s Extra Points operates a premium document database offering in-depth financial insights into the sports business and industry. This service is comparable to the specialized financial reporting provided by outlets like The Information or the American City Business Journals (ACBJ), focusing on delivering exclusive, high-value data and analysis to its subscribers.

Internet Service

Bob Kronbauer curates Now You Know BC, covering British Columbia’s local history and culture. Bob also co-owns Babbl,  a home internet service provider that launched in British Columbia in 2021. Similar to fellow Canadian Ryan Reynolds and his telecom startup Mint, Babbl uses the same infrastructure as major telecom companies but operates as a third-party internet service provider (ISP), allowing them to offer lower prices due to reduced operational costs.

Bob explains his involvement this way: “I came on board as a co-owner in January and my job is simply letting people know about the service. I started using it at my home before I became involved, and looking at the company the one thing I felt was missing was trust. I can tell you that I don't currently make money from it. I'm in it for equity and the joy of helping people save money in this hellish economy.”

Project C contributor Justin Bank is a principal at Better Media Studios, which focuses on developing better media products within the creator economy.