It's a question we're asked regularly: "So what exactly do you do at Médianes?". Even if you read our newsletters, our articles or follow us on social media, part of what we do remains largely invisible: our studio work. So, as summer arrives — and we're gearing up for the new season — we wanted to tell you more: share what we do for media outlets, and how we work.
A clear mission: strengthening independent journalism
When we launched Médianes in 2020, our goal was to bring new voices to the fore, sustainably. Five years later, the media landscape has evolved — so has our mission. Today, we seek to strengthen independent journalism, by equipping those who make it thrive every day.
We believe a media outlet is more than just its editorial line. It's also an organization, an interface, a distribution strategy, an economic model, a relationship with its audiences. That's why we chose, from the start, to adopt a "product" approach to media. An approach that brings together journalism, design, marketing and technology, with constant attention paid to the experience of our readers.
A toolkit for media
This conviction informs everything we do: through our freely accessible content — articles, newsletters, practical guides, podcasts — but also, and above all, in the support we provide to many editorial, technical and leadership teams in France and Europe, through the Médianes studio.
We designed Médianes as a useful, practical, and modular toolkit for media founders and leaders. Whether it's to strengthen a business model, rethink an interface, grow an audience, or build a team, we work alongside those who create independent, rigorous, and grounded journalism.
What we do, concretely
Every mission is different. Yet a series of major undertakings comes up often. Most of the time, our support starts with a need expressed by a team: structuring a fundraising campaign, establishing a positioning, clarifying an editorial line, rethinking a website, choosing digital tools, or working better together. From there, we move forward with you, mobilizing the expertise needed at the right time.
Here's how we intervene, across several complementary areas of expertise.
→ Marketing and audience: We help you activate or strengthen a business model centered on your audiences and community engagement. This includes marketing plans, membership campaigns, fundraising or awareness campaigns, as well as defining your offerings and positioning.
→ Design and identity: We create visual identities, mockups, publications, newsletters, and editorial interfaces designed with your audiences in mind. This graphic work goes beyond appearance: it aims to create desirable, cohesive universes that carry meaning.
→ Tech and product: We bring your ideas to life by mobilizing the right tools at the right time, with one clear objective: strengthen your technological independence. We advise on CMS selection, automation, functional scoping, and program management. While ensuring you stay in control.
→ Editorial strategy: We help you clarify your direction, refine your formats, design new products, or structure a publishing strategy. This work spans the long term, closely aligned with your project and your audiences.
→ Management and project management: We support you through internal changes in your newsroom: team structuring, transformation of work methods, recruitment, collaborative practices… with particular attention paid to your values, your history, and the human dynamics already in place.
→ Administrative and funding: We secure your projects by helping you prepare funding applications — whether local, national, or European — or obtain the necessary approvals. As a Qualiopi-certified training organization, we can also intervene in professional training.
Who we work with
For five years, we have supported more than a hundred media outlets in very different contexts, sizes and rhythms. Established titles such as POLITICO, Beaux Arts Magazine, Le Monde, Arrêt sur images, Le Monde diplomatique, Socialter, Contexte, AOC, and 60 Millions de consommateurs. Organizations like Reporters Without Borders, CCFD-Terre Solidaire, the INA and RFI. But also emerging media outlets such as La Déferlante, Disclose, Kometa, Climax, Fracas, Gaze, StreetPress, Les Jours, L'Informé or Vert.
These collaborations enabled us to develop a pragmatic, thoughtful approach — and to strengthen our conviction: there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are methods, perspectives, and strategic choices that can enable lasting scale.
Want to learn more? We pull back the curtain on a selection of our projects on our website.
Finance your projects
We know that access to resources often determines the ability to get support. That's why we offer flexible formats tailored to the nature of your project and available resources.
We also support teams in identifying and preparing funding applications: local, national or European grants, sectoral or territorial support schemes. And since Médianes is a Qualiopi-certified training organization, many of our missions can also be funded through professional training programs.
Our goal is simple: that money is not a barrier to building a media structure, and that existing resources can be mobilized efficiently.
Contact us to discuss this — we'll be happy to explore the most suitable options with you.
See you very soon,
Marine Doux
