The rise of journalists on Substack with Alexis Benveniste
These newsletters are growing in power.
Amanda Coffee is CEO of Coffee Communications and ex-Under Armour, PayPal and eBay.
Alexis Benveniste had a successful run at traditional media brands including Bloomberg, CNN, The New York Times and The New York Post before going freelance.
She represents a new wave of seasoned journalists who are becoming entrepreneurial and launching their own media brands. Benveniste debuted her Substack “Extra Credit” earlier this year and has already published exclusive executive interviews, talking to people like the co-founder of CAVA. What’s fresh about Extra Credit is it covers trending topics that currently don’t have a space in traditional media. I’ve been influenced by Benveniste’s newsletter to buy NYC dog toys, aesthetic workout weights and rethink my standards on restaurant manners.
Benveniste works with PR pros on her steady drum of lifestyle features. Her stories can be found in outlets including New York Magazine’s The Cut, The New York Times and Travel + Leisure. She also works with brands like Food Network and Michelin Guide. Personally, I’ve worked with Benveniste for content strategy when I need a journalist to tell me how to make a story newsworthy or up my storytelling game.
Hear from Benveniste on how she lands her big story ideas, how to grab her attention and why she’s not taking pitches on BBQ grills.
Alexis, what advice do you have for PR people who want to put their firm or client on your radar?
Do your research. It’s important to know who you’re pitching. This means having a grasp on what they cover, how they cover it and who they cover it for. If I get an email about something I’ve never covered before, I’m not inclined to read it – or even open it.
What would surprise many PR people about how freelance journalists operate?
A story isn’t immediately interesting just because it falls under a writer’s beat. Freelance writers are still picky – maybe even more so than staff writers because they have to focus on maintaining a good relationship and reputation with the editors they’re pitching to. And freelancers work incredibly hard, although you probably already know that. We’re all running our own businesses.
You’re on the cutting edge of journalists leveraging Substack with your newsletter Extra Credit. Your content runs the gamut from exec interviews, restaurant roundups and trending news. What’s on your vision board for Extra Credit as subscription grows?
I want Extra Credit to become a media company of its own. Yes, it’s a newsletter, but I also want it to become a destination where people go to read about incredible people, places and things. In the next year or so, I hope to really focus on producing amazing content for Extra Credit. This will include interviews, travel guides and deep dives on trends.
Take us through a day in your life starting with your morning routine. How have things changed now that you’re freelance? My morning routine is pretty wild. I wake up around 6:30 a.m., head to WeWork, crank out a few hours of work, go to a workout class, go home and shower and then dive into the workday. I’ve found that I’m most productive first thing in the morning, so I’ve been trying to take advantage of that. I’ve been full-time freelance for about three years now, and when I was working in newsrooms, my mornings felt like they didn’t really start until I got to the office. Now, I dive in right away.
How do you come up with story ideas? How did the dads in Brooklyn stroll club The New York Times piece come to be?
I try to pull from conversations I have with people– family, friends, strangers I strike up a conversation with at a restaurant – and get inspiration from the real world. Yes, I have found stories on social media, but nothing beats having a conversation with a person face-to-face and coming up with a story idea that way. With that in mind, my New York Times piece was inspired by a video I stumbled upon on Instagram. It’s good to be open to inspiration from different directions.
What recent story of yours drove the most conversation on social media?
My New York Times piece about the Brooklyn Stroll Club drove a lot of conversation on social media. And I had a lot of people mention it to me in person, which felt great. I’m really proud of that story, and it was heartwarming to see dads leave wholesome comments on the story itself and on the New York Times instagram post.
What’s the worst or most off base pitch you’ve received?
I receive a lot of off-base pitches. It’s so important to know who you’re pitching to. Don’t get me wrong, I love a grill (invite me to a BBQ, and I’m in), but I’m never going to use a grill – at least not in my Brooklyn apartment.
When interviewing important people, such as your profiles on The Cut, what makes for a good interview question?
A good interview question is the kind of question that would make you think if the tables were turned. Instead of asking someone for the best advice they’ve even gotten, for instance, ask them if there’s advice they wish they hadn’t followed. Going one level deeper always pays off.
