Making it in the media market is tough as many traditional media outlets are downsizing due to financial strains, while others trying to approach the market from a new angle find themselves burned out quickly.
Marketer Isabelle Debnam and UX/UI designer Lara Salameh realised the informative power of Twitter and the hyper-locality of Yik Yak from their own experiences as media consumers in the age of the 24 hour news cycle. The gap in the market for a cross between traditional news and social media – something that would be conversational yet informative and useful – gave them the idea of a new approach in the media startup scene with the founding of Daily Crow News.
The Brisbane startup is a news-focused audio Twitter feed that delivers 10 second snippets, or ‘crows’, of hyper-local audio news, allowing listeners to get quick updates on what’s happening around them.
The app essentially allows users to become citizen reporters where users can upload their own stories. These stories can then be upvoted or downvoted by other users, where users are also able to follow other users they enjoy.
To use the app – you simply open it and click on the ‘record’ tab to record your own crow and upload it, while another tab allows you scroll through the app feed. The app has a funky, colourful design that makes it pleasant to use. The team is working on integrating visual components into the app to accompany the audio.
The startup has found that many Brisbane users are responding positively to light-hearted, conversational content with the incorporation of funny weather reports are always a hit. Currently, the startup has a few hundred returning listeners, and focusing on ways to make them engage with the app every day.
[Source] Brisbane startup Daily Crow News is another startup looking to take on the tough media space
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