New app funds local news with innovation

(NATIONAL) Update: VNN advertising capabilities were upgraded in December 2022. To view the updated VNN Revenue Policy for VNN Journalists and VNN Affiliates, click here.

The days of network owners taking the lion’s share of revenue from content contributors are numbered. 

VNN launched their new social news media platform on Tuesday, and with it comes big ways for VNN Journalists and Affiliates to support local news in their communities. 

That’s because journalists and affiliates get 50 percent of the display ad revenue generated through Google AdSense advertising on the stories they contribute. The other 50 percent goes toward paying off the vehicle that generates it: VNN’s new $40k platform. Once the first phase of the project is paid off, that revenue share increases to 90 percent. 

The idea of independent local news sources pooling their resources is the driving force between VNN Collaboration, a new program that launched simultaneously with the new app’s public release. VNN Journalists and Affiliates can now collaborate on videos across the country, and monetize their work on YouTube faster than they might be able to individually. That’s due to YouTube’s threshold of 1,000 subscribers that must be met before a contributor can start receiving revenue on their own videos. 

VNN Journalists and Affiliates get 90 percent of their ad revenue on videos they contribute through VNN Collaboration, which will begin as soon as the collective channel hits the required threshold. 

The other 10 percent share of display ad revenue and 10 percent share of video ad revenue funds VNN app maintenance and development. 

VNN’s dedication to being a voice for communities came full circle with their first VNN Collaboration video Missing and Murdered: What Happened to Britney Tiger? The investigation is told through a new storytelling concept coined “illustrated news stories”. Through collaboration between journalists and graphic artists, illustrated news stories are able to bring stories to life like never before. The new concept is anticipated to increase engagement and connection by incorporating original artwork into in-depth journalism. 

VNN launched its beta social news media app “PlugIn” with its first investigative report on the case of Britney Tiger, a missing woman turned homicide victim, in 2019. 

We believe better treatment for journalists and other content contributors will result in better news and information for everyone- but, of course, VNN’s new app isn’t just for journalists and affiliates. 

Users can register as citizens, experts and officials. Citizens do not have to meet any additional verification requirements. Experts and officials do. 

Once registered, users can upload news stories, like new stories and leave comments on stories. They can also customize their news content preferences by topic and location and personalize their profile.

It is our mission to increase stories from diverse viewpoints, including those of minorities, women and youth. VNN will reach out to more than 800 college news organizations this summer to help achieve that goal.

Click here to register your free account on the new VNN app.

To learn more about VNN and the new VNN app, click here.