A former regional journalist is enjoying success after setting up a company that offers free features to newspapers.
Free Features was set up by Janet Kelly who started her career at the Horsham Advertiser and also worked for the Croydon Advertiser.
The company has been running for more than eight years with website freefeatures.co.uk and has recently been re-launched to include freefeaturesforbusiness.co.uk and more digital-compatible content.
It is funded by sponsorship and sees brands take ‘ownership’ of different subject sections. Though they don’t have influence on the editorial, their adverts are placed near the content by the publishers in exchange for them using the editorial free of charge.
Said Janet: “Clients can be any bona fide publisher, print or online, and include titles such as The Daily Express and their websites, many regional titles and groups, large website publications and a vast number of independent publishers.”
“We are also working on sponsorship opportunities, where companies can sponsor sections – for example, we are keen to get a sponsor for our Olympic coverage.”
After starting her career in the regional press Janet worked on national magazines and newspapers and BBC Radio Four.
She then set up a PR agency which she ran for ten years before becoming an advertorial consultant working on the national titles such as the Daily Mail as well as for national magazines.
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Free… the cheapest common denominator.
It’s generated content with bells on – or filler, as I call it. I assume it’s page ready too?
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Free Features – I think they’re called press releases
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Said Janet: “Clients can be any bona fide publisher, print or online, and include titles such as The Daily Express and their websites, many regional titles and groups, large website publications and a vast number of independent publishers.”
Still, when the one title named is “The World’s Greatest Newspaper” ….
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Guys / girls,
Would you lot ever cut Janet some slack? She’s trying to earn a living like the rest of us during these hard times.
If someone is willing to pay her for what she writes then it’s fair play. She’s just offering a service that’s obviously required.
Someone has to do the job so why shouldn’t Janet earn a living from it?
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