In this episode I interview Nil Zacharias, co-founder and editor-in-chief of independent publishing platform One Green Planet in New York.
After more than a decade working in the digital media space, at companies including Yahoo!, DoubleClick (which was acquired by Google), PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory, and as an attorney specializing in privacy and intellectual property law, Nil decided to take his passion for the environment into building a purpose-driven media company.
Since its inception in 2013, One Green Planet has become one of the fastest growing media outlets in the food sustainability space.
With a team of just two people at the beginning, within a year of its launch, its audience of largely millenials had grown from 300,000 to 3 million. It currently stands at more than 6 million and the company now employs a team of staff in a dedicated office.
Interestingly, despite the liberal use of the term ‘vegan’ in its content, the majority of One Green Planet’s audience are not vegan.
In April 2016 One Green Planet launched Food Monster, the biggest vegan recipe app, containing more than 5000 recipes with new ones added each day.
Nil oversees strategy, editorial, and social media at the company and also writes about sustainable business trends.
In this interview he discusses:
• The two key things an independent publishing platform that’s short on money and resources needs to focus on to be successful
• How narrowing down your focus and demographic helps you build a larger audience
• Why he decided not to go down the route of seeking external investors and how this has helped the brand grow
• The one strategy that’s essential to getting your content shared as widely as possible
• Why it’s wise not to talk too much publicly about your idea before you’ve built something, especially if you don’t yet know what your product or story is
• The importance of measuring the impact of the content you put out and adjusting your strategy accordingly
• And much more
Visit the One Green Planet website
Find out more about the Food Monster app
Brands mentioned in vegan business news roundup:
Insecta Shoes
Globally Local
3 Twisted Vegans
David Chang, Momofuku
Impossible Foods
New Wave Foods
Absolutely Fabulous Vegan Market (no website – check Facebook for future events)
VegNews magazine (Vote HERE for Veggie Awards 2016)
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
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Vegan Business Media is a multi-media, multi-author blog for aspiring and existing owners of vegan-run businesses, designed to equip them with the information, tools, inspiration and resources they need to start and grow their enterprises. It is hosted by award-winning journalist Katrina Fox.
