CHIANG MAI, Thailand – “Our focus now shifts from a mass target to a very specific targeted audience,” said Sonny Swe, founder of independent media outlet Frontier Myanmar. 

Swe has recently revealed the secrets to his organization’s survival in exile in Chiang Mai, a city in mountainous northern Thailand.   

Forced to flee neighboring Myanmar, Swe has successfully adapted his business model by diversifying revenue streams and catering to specific audiences. 

“Now a lot of people talk about online being very toxic, but if you properly fact-check and prepare all the details for your readers, they’re happy to pay for it. So, make it unique, make it niche, to benefit people who understand the value of journalism, the value of data and they’re happy to pay for it,” Swe said in an interview on November 4. 

Swe’s remarks come amid a challenging media landscape in the region, with declining revenues and news outlet closures exacerbated by the rise of social media.

In Cambodia, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a $7 million media support grant to back independent media following the closure of the Swedish embassy in August.

“Grants are great but…”

Frontier Myanmar targets five key audiences with its content: diplomats, business CEOs, business owners, NGO leaders, and academics/journalists. These communities are crucial for both readership and potential donor support, Swe said. 

While Frontier offers free access to its regular reporting on its website and social media, it uses a tiered subscription model for its in-depth content and exclusive features. This approach allows them to generate revenue while still providing valuable information to the public.

“I think grants are great, but we should not rely on grants all the time. Also, I think the donor perspective is changing, I mean I think they want to do something much bigger than media content,” he said.

Swe added that it is always good if a media outlet can somehow generate its own revenue and then rely only marginally on grants because one day they will dry up. “It’s a lot safer to create your own revenue rather than waiting for grants.” 

Swe began renovating a former warehouse in Chiang Mai last year, naming it the Greenhouse, a co-working space and cafe that is designed to be a space where people can come together to work, collaborate, and learn. 

The Greenhouse also sells coffee and food, and it offers a variety of events and workshops.

He said it has been fascinating to learn and grow through the experience of running a media outlet, cafe, and co-working space, and through making fewer mistakes, they now have a better understanding of which venues generate more revenue. 

Swe added that by hosting more events, training and exhibitions, he can also support the Myanmar exile community in Chiang Mai.

Swe said that media can still be profitable, but the approach must evolve. He encourages leveraging technology and focusing on niche strengths to create valuable content that people are willing to pay for.

In 2018, Frontier started feeling economic pressure because everything was changing and technology was growing, so they decided to start a membership model, which is community-driven, while communicating with readers through weekly newsletters.

“That’s my revenue model. I also have a data agency so I basically monitor what people are saying online and I turn it into a special business intelligence report. So, that’s another revenue string, and the third is basically the Greenhouse and the restaurant,” he said. 

So, it barely works…

Many claim that the media is a dying industry, but Swe disagrees. He believes the key to success lies in adapting to the digital age. While traditional models relying on print, advertising and subscriptions struggle, online platforms and tools offer new opportunities.

“You have to print, you have to look for advertisements, you have to look for subscriptions. That’s what we used to do, and that model doesn’t work for anyone. So, it barely works.” – Rappler.com

Prak Chan Thul, Kiripost‘s Editor-in-Chief, is a seasoned journalist with over two decades of experience, including 14 years at Reuters. He is one of Rappler’s #FactsMatter Fellows for 2024.