As part of the Ukraine Innovative Media Program, implemented by the Association Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine in collaboration with the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), five regional media outlets were selected in April to receive support for their business initiatives.
The winners include:
📌 Hryvna (Kherson)
📌 Kremenchutskyi Telegraph (Kremenchuk)
📌 Kolo.News (Poltava)
📌 Odesa Life (Odesa)
📌 Molodyi Bukovynets (Chernivtsi)
Each of them received €10,000 to implement their business ideas.
— Over the past year, teams from five regional media outlets have been creating new content tailored for YouTube and TikTok, developing their advertising departments, and learning to effectively monetize social media under the guidance of mentors. We are pleased with the successful progress made and proud that the Association, together with its partners, continues to support the development of regional journalism. Through initiatives like the Ukraine Innovative Media Program, we help local media implement innovations, expand their monetization opportunities, and produce high-quality content,— says Oksana Brovko, СЕО of the Association Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine (AIRPPU).
In this feature, we will highlight the achievements of three regional editorial teams: Kremenchutskyi Telegraph, Kolo.News, Odeske Zhyttia.
They chose a path of monetizing video content on their YouTube platforms. Their experience can serve as a valuable example for other media outlets looking to adapt to modern challenges and discover new opportunities for growth, even in times of war.
We will soon publish a follow-up, where we share insights into exciting projects from two more media outlets.
Kremenchutskyi Telegraph
«Know more — live better» — it is under this motto that the Kremenchuk media decided to develop its YouTube channel. They currently have 37,400 subscribers. Over nine months of work under the close supervision of mentor Dmytro Kovalchuk, the audience grew by 57%, and content monetization revenue increased 35 times.
— We introduced regular content creation (two videos per week), expanded the variety of formats (reviews, interviews, surveys, reports). We ensured cross-platform content integration, which allowed us to increase reach across various social networks, — says Lesia Lazorenko, CEO and editor-in-chief of the media outlet.
To achieve such results, the editorial team optimizes SEO titles and tags for videos. This content is also distributed across various social media platforms — Telegram, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. Additionally, the introduction of a regular publishing schedule helps the audience get used to the fact that they can regularly receive a «dose» of engaging video stories.
In total, during the entire project implementation period, Kremenchutskyi Telegraph released 105 videos. They also published 175 short videos.
With the help of partners, the team purchased the necessary filming equipment (cameras, lenses, storage) and covered the cost of SMM management services, which significantly improved content quality and expanded audience reach.
We have only just begun our active work on YouTube channel monetization. We plan to continue adhering to regular content releases, expanding cross-platform promotion, and developing various video formats.
We also want to expand the use of short video formats, as they help us engage a significant portion of our audience. In addition, we are moving towards regular implementation of live broadcasts (streams) to enhance audience interaction, introduce specialized thematic sections, and plan to launch a media literacy course for local residents, — says the interviewee.
Found a second wind
The support of the Association and the Media Development Investment Fund was key to the reboot and further development of the YouTube channel of the media outlet Odesa Life.
As a result, the number of subscribers increased from 3,670 to 8,744. A channel team was formed, with instructions and rules developed for each role. Videos now appear regularly, following a content plan and pre-approved scripts. The audience quality has improved: it has become younger, and the share of viewers from Odesa and the Odesa region, which is the target audience, is gradually increasing. Additionally, the quality of video design and thumbnails has been enhanced. The channel has reached monetization.
— The biggest challenge was that the channel was created back in 2014. Over the years, it was mismanaged, leaving a trail of ineffective practices. We had to invest a lot of time and effort to neutralize the consequences of this, to revive the channel and make it attractive to YouTube, shares Yuliia Kotliar, Deputy Editor-in-Chief.
Currently, the team is testing various video formats on the platform. Entertaining travel content about the city, surveys, and explainers perform well.
They discontinued poorly performing formats, such as Zoom interviews, interesting food facts, and some human stories. They also tested a vlog-reporting format, which is suitable for special projects. The team continues to search for new formats.
— Before this project, the channel was mostly used as a storage for videos from the website. Publications were irregular, not properly designed, and lacked A/B testing for thumbnails and consistent publishing formats,— says Yuliia. — Now, we have hosts appearing on screen, which has helped increase audience loyalty. We shifted from a TV-style editing approach to a more dynamic YouTube-style to match the platform’s algorithms. Each video is published with links to other channel content, ensuring audience retention and increased views for the targeted videos.\
Thanks to consistent work with a mentor, the number of monthly views more than doubled – from 64,002 in June to 139,336 in January.
Subscriber growth per month improved significantly:
- 175 new subscribers in June
- 1,097 new subscribers in January (+527%)
Monthly comments increased nearly 9 times:
- 51 in June → 448 in January
Monthly video shares grew 22 times:
- 136 in June → 3,014 in January
— Previously, the work was chaotic. Now, it is structured and follows a script. Brainstorming sessions helped us identify optimal formats and select the best topics that fit both the hosts and the editorial team’s interests, — continues the Deputy Editor-in-Chief. — We want to attract local advertisers for sponsored video integrations. We also plan to introduce subscriber-based sponsorship options. The goal is to develop a channel that appeals to audiences across Ukraine.
Kolo.News: launching a video podcast studio
Meanwhile, the initiative of the Poltava editorial team focused on launching its own video podcast studio, developing the YouTube channel «Life of Poltava», and monetizing it.
— In June, we launched our entertainment YouTube channel, which is fundamentally different from our news content. In July, we published our first video with a rather clickbait title — «Poltava Lice» — where we talked about well-known Poltava natives who fled to Russia and publicly supported the invasion. The video, starting from zero subscribers, gained 4,000 views and brought us our first 200 subscribers. It’s a small number, but considering that we relied only on organic traffic, didn’t invest in advertising, and had no donor channel to «pour» traffic from, it was a pretty good result. Now, after six months of regular posting, we have almost 1,200 subscribers, — says Tetyana Tsyrulnyk, CEO of the media.
Before this project, videos were produced on a residual basis, meaning that text articles were the priority. Now, the team regularly creates two long videos per week and five Shorts. This workflow has organically integrated into the editorial process.
— In fact, it was the mentoring sessions and the firm requirement from our mentor to plan and publish videos consistently over these months that helped us develop a habit of video content production. Now, it has become part of our editorial meetings (whereas before, we didn’t plan video content at all). Through videos, we started expressing our opinions and editorial perspectives, which we previously didn’t show on our website. For example, we have videos discussing what we think about politicians handing out food aid packages, or the lack of Christmas lights in Poltava. We believe that such honest viewpoints from journalists or the editormake our channel more human and relatable to viewers, — adds Tetyana.
The editorial team is trying to integrate AI tools into their work. With 1,200 subscribers, YouTube is expected to grant monetization access soon.
Almost 75% of the funding received for the project was spent on equipment.
— We now have a studio, good lighting, cameras, and microphones. However, there were difficulties with purchasing equipment—since it’s quite specialized, not everything was available on Rozetka (Ukraine’s largest online retailer). We had to look for gear in specialized stores, and not all of them were willing to work with NGOs. In some cases, suppliers refused to deliver equipment because they preferred cash payments, —explains Tetyana. — While YouTube monetization is still pending, we are monetizing the same videos on Facebook. Some of them have already earned $100 per video, so we now have a benchmark for our financial goals.
The team plans to continue developing the channel. They also want to launch a YouTube shop to sell branded merchandise—an idea that emerged while working on the channel. Additionally, they are considering launching an English-language channel and producing videos in the True Crime genre, where the host investigates crimes and thoroughly describes the actions of those involved, as well as the victims.
And that’s not all! The regional media teams are grateful to the Association and MDIF for the opportunity to develop video production within their media. We hope that the success of regional editorial teams will inspire you to create new projects as well.
