Alex Wilhelm
Editor in Chief at Mattermark, Previously at TechCrunch & TheNextWeb. Also likes whiskey and heavy music.
Discussion
M
Alex
@alex · Writer, TechCrunch
Hi -- I'm Alex Wilhelm, Editor in Chief at Mattermark. Apart from Mattermark, I've also written for TechCrunch and TheNextWeb. In the past I founded a failed startup, and worked for several others. I am obsessed with technology, finance, media, and politics. Ask me anything. [Thanks everyone! I am going to go eat salad.]
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Hey @Alex! My first question is: are you going to SXSW? 🤔
Also, what was the most memorable thing while working at TechCrunch? (P.S. I used to love watching the Friday shows, you always had Major 🔑's around earning season)
@nivo0o0 I am not going to SXSW. When SXSW was cool, I was in college and couldn't go due to finals and so forth. Now that I could go, it's not cool. Sometimes you just miss things. For example: I want to go back in time and play in the symphony that recorded the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, but can't; this makes me sad to this day.
@nivo0o0 The most memorable thing at TechCrunch was and is the people. TechCrunch is as much a family as it is a publication. There is a large ex-Crunch mafia as well that I get to watch thrive. In fact, I am having lunch on Friday with one of my favorite TechCrunch denizens, Joey Hinson on Friday. This means I get to drop back by the office and see everyone. Mattermark has more office dogs, however, which is not to be discounted.
@drew Well, Martin Bryant is still there, as is Boris and the rest of the crew, so I will not say never. I have nothing but love for those guys. Remind me to tell you the cigarette in the coffee shop story some time. Amsterdam is an amazing place.
Diane Florescu
@dianeflorescu · Marketing Assistant @ConnectiD Ltd
Hi Alex, Thanks for this AMA. An avid reader of TechCrunch and TheNextWeb, in fact I had the chance to attend both TechCrunch Disrupt in London in Dec 2015 and TNW in New York in November 2015. What would be your piece of advice for a new start-up to get press coverage before a conference like these two? What could possibly persuade you to write about a tech startup ?
@dianeflorescu In my experience, companies send out terrifying quantities of email to journalists that are attending, or helping to host events. It's so much that I honestly gave up trying to care about it. What normally caught my eye were day-of tweets from interesting sounding companies who wanted 5 minutes of my time. It didn't work every time, but it worked better than most anything else. To your second question, when I was covering startups -- I now cover the broader startup industry -- companies that were willing to share the most were the most interesting. If you are willing to actually answer questions about revenue, and margins, and so forth, you are far more interesting to speak to. Companies that over-media trained their executives were the worst, and least interesting. I can spot a canned messaging response about 94 miles away. And I walk the other direction.
Diane Florescu
@dianeflorescu · Marketing Assistant @ConnectiD Ltd
@alex thanks Alex. Indeed, being transparent about your company and its corporate culture does help most of time. Nice to have you here!
Nik Sharma
@mrsharma · Stealth Ad Agency CEO
Hey Alex, thanks for the time! Now that FB has just made Instant Articles available for all publishers to join in and try out, I wanted to know your thoughts behind it in terms of reach/engagement vs. ad revenue. Which do you value higher? Also, what does it mean to be an Editor in Chief at Mattermark? Thanks!
@mrsharma Great question. The tradeoff of engagement and reach versus revenue is massive in certain circumstances. I think I philosophically lean towards the idea that more distribution will lead to more revenue over time, but that could be naive. Luckily at Mattermark our editorial work isn't accretive in terms of revenue, so I would certainly take wider distribution as there is essentially no cost.
@mrsharma Editor in Chief at Mattermark means that I am in charge of our editorial work. Mattermark has a history of journalism -- it's actually part of how the whole damn company got started -- and I intend to keep things rolling. We have a marketing team as any company of our scale does, but I am separate from that group. Editorial, if you will, is completely independent. And we have some cool things coming, so get ready.
Nik Sharma
@mrsharma · Stealth Ad Agency CEO
@alex Very cool! And, super excited! Thanks for the insights!
@drew Well it depends on the day, setting, and so forth. Let's do this properly: The only drink you should have at brunch is whiskey, with a ginger back. Dinner may involve wine, but only an older red. White wine is for rooftops and sunshine. Margaritas are celebratory, and dangerous given their sugar content. Tequila itself should always be viewed with suspicion, really. Rum is only for Ken Yeung to consume. Mostly, you should have a drink that you depend on and can order anywhere. That or you can order a proper martini: Extra dry, vodka (Kettle One) shaken, with a twist, and no olives.
ALL DEATH METAL
@alldeathmetal · ALL DEATH METAL
Harry Stebbings
@harrystebbings · Podcast Host @ The Twenty Minute VC
Hi Alex, obviously massive fan of @mattermark here @twentyminutevc I would love to hear what was the defining reason for you making the move from traditional publishers to Mattermark and @daniellemorrill recently stated on the @ProductHunt podcast that there is no WSJ for our industry, is that something you are looking to create at Mattermark?
@harrystebbings @mattermark @twentyminutevc @daniellemorrill @producthunt Two questions, so I'll do them in sequence. Why did I move to Mattermark? A new challenge, I suppose. I spent around 6 years at TNW and TechCrunch, from my second year in college through to the end of 2015. I loved the news grind until I realized I was tired. The news cycle is incredibly fun to chase, and try to lead, but can also lead to burnout. Mattermark wanted to build up its journalism work, and it sounded like an interesting challenge. So, I took it. What's lovely about being in the wider TechCrunch family is that I still get to see that crew on a regular basis. Much love to everyone there.
Emily Hodgins
@ems_hodge · Community and Marketing, Product Hunt
Hi Alex thanks for being here today! What 3 qualities make a good writer?
@ems_hodge What's terrible and lovely about being a writer is simply that you have to spend more time reading than writing. This seems unproductive to outsiders. If you are a journalist, this is doubly hard. You have to read so that you can write, and you have to read all the damn news so that you have context for what's going on. So you have a double workload. The upside is that you get to read lots and not feel too bad about the time you are investing. So that's one. Two would be spending as much time as you can with interesting people. In person, if you can manage it. They will teach you new words, phrases, jokes, references and so forth that are ammunition for your writing. No one is interesting in a vacuum. And thirdly, the normal response: You have to write very day. No exceptions.
Erik Torenberg
@eriktorenberg · Former Product Hunt
Yo Alex - can you tell us a bit about your failed startup experience?
Jordan Gonen
@jrdngonen
Hi Alex! Thanks for saving some time to do this. I've got two questions for you.
What motivates you to get up in the morning ?
What metrics do you use to decide your growth, both personally and for your role at Mattermark?
@jordan_gonen I feel you on these. Mostly what motivates me in the morning is that lots of interesting things have happened since I fell asleep, and I want to find out what happened. Markets, politics, business, tech, there's always something interesting going on. And I want to know what it is. Then I want to think about it, and write about some of it. Happily, my life allows me the chance to do just that. Journalism is more lifestyle than career, as the saying goes, and I agree with the sentiment. The day that I lose my curiosity is the day I'll have to go and get a real job.