Real-time multimedia reporting: Storytile offers a new blogging tool. The startup, like the editorial team of Munich Startup, is located in commercial yard Westend. We asked one of the two founders, Oliver Seidl, our seven questions.
1. Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
For us, it's all about presenting stories in real time in a multimedia live blog, thus engaging our readers. The tile design of our communication and marketing format ensures a captivating reading flow and allows the editor to customize the live blog layout, like a magazine. This is where the name of our startup came from: storytile.
My co-founder, Paul Knecht, and I (Oliver Seidl) are aesthetes. This stems from our shared roots in design studies and our eye for detail in photography. We also share a passion for telling authentic stories and the vision of making this possible for a broad audience with our live blog. We recognized the need for curated live coverage of events and happenings, because let's be honest: Who has time to watch an hour-long live stream? Except for my grandma, no one. From this, the live blog evolved as a new format for our own marketing and product placement.
Our team develops software for editorial departments, but we also offer customers a complete, worry-free package, with our team creating the live blog on-site. Especially at offline events like trade fairs, our live blog allows you to reach a broad audience of professionals online, keeping them informed and engaged throughout the event.
The storytile live blog workflow is simple and simplified. Here's how it works:
- The storytile.reporter app allows images and videos to be transferred from the photographer's camera to the storytile.edit editorial system in real time.
- Editors can add the necessary editorial polish to the live content and complement it with social media posts. Now, it's just a click away, and the real-time multimedia report is online on the client's website. 1TP1454 Your story in real time
Photo: Storytile
2. But that's been around for a long time!
Yes, at storytile. 😉 Of course, there are already live streams and live ticker formats, but not in the form of the storytile live blog.
Live streams cannot be compared to our live blog because live ≠ live. Very few people have time for hours-long live streams. During working hours, for example, there is no opportunity, but many still want to follow important news events or a conference. Our format takes up precisely this idea and shows curated highlights of an event in short multimedia contributions. This way, readers can always stay up to date and experience the latest impressions of an event online. Unlike other live ticker formats, the storytile live blog offers not only a communication format but also a platform for marketing messages and product placements. In addition, our live blog offers event organizers a revenue model by expanding their upselling portfolio and offering sponsorship opportunities, for example in the form of advertising banners or advertorials.
In addition to a compelling real-time story, we deliver a marketing and sales tool, as well as a revenue model. We serve the needs of the 21st-century digital world – that's what makes the difference.
3. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
One of the biggest challenges was (and sometimes still is) building long-term customer relationships from the often initial reaction of "We think that's good and interesting, but we don't have the resources or budget for it right now." We continue to improve this qualification every day to better serve our customers. The secret to overcoming this challenge is perseverance.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
Since its founding in March 2015, the number of employees has quadrupled. With our own office in Munich's Westend district and an investment from our business angel in 2016, not only the team but also the customer base has grown significantly. Now, in addition to publishers such as the Tagesspiegel and the Berliner Morgenpost, companies, organizations, and political parties also use our live blog, including TÜV Süd, XING, ProSiebenSat1 Media, Jaguar, Microsoft, Fraunhofer Venture, the BMW Herbert Quandt Foundation, and the Bavarian SPD.
5. What does Munich mean to you?
Both Paul and I studied design at the Munich University of Applied Sciences and gained our first experiences as freelance photojournalists. This naturally gave us a strong connection to the city, its people, and its culture. We've settled into Italy's northernmost city. Contrary to what everyone claims, we've found very good conditions for founding a startup here. From the support at our university's business incubator (the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship) to the office in Westend Commercial Park. In Munich, there is definitely a breeding ground for the successful development of one's own idea. We continue to maintain close contact with friendly startups such as adnymics, with whom we shared an office in the early days. We still exchange ideas regularly and, of course, learn from each other. Tips and experience are worth their weight in gold, especially during the startup phase. In addition to good conditions, Munich also offers cool people. This allowed us to find good employees and optimally strengthen our team.
6. How will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
By replacing the daily news with our live blog! Real-time communication is one of the biggest trends. Whether it's Facebook Live, live Instagram Stories, or the classic live stream, it's everywhere. The catch is the unstructured flood of information.
Fundamentally, it's still important to raise awareness that there are new formats, like the storytile live blog. And, above all, what opportunities our format offers the customer. Once we've reached a benchmark of organic leads, we can consider the next steps. And then, of course, we'll be happy to report on our progress in a second interview.
7. Bavaria or '60?
The main thing is Italy.
