Award winning travel publication surpasses 100,000 readers— revives long form content

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— An online travel publication is changing the landscape of journalism one story at a time.

In an age where consumers scroll through viral videos and short lived trends, two women embarked on an expedition to revive long-form content. 
 
The result? "Hidden Compass." 
 
“We consider ourself a place where journalism, literature and exploration collide. And so our stories are very literary and we want them to be immersive and transportive. We want people to take 15, 20, 30 minutes and feel like they're in someone else's shoes and in a different place, even if that place isn't so far away from home,” said Cofounder and CEO Sivani Babu.
 
Through its rich storytelling of experiences around the world, "Hidden Compass" has amassed 100,000 readers in just 6 years. 

Cofounders Sivani Babu and Sabine K. Bergmann were at the forefront of that change.
 
“We have talked to readers who have told us that when they were dealing with COVID, this was a place that they turn to, to read a story that could take them somewhere else,” said Babu.

Travel journalism here is rooted in a modern version of what exploration is.

“ Not about conquering, not about that historical type of exploration that saw stories about being the first to do something. It's about more understanding the world around us and our place in it,” said Babu.

The independent journalism outlet uses a unique business model to increase journalists’ pay and audience participation.
 
It's called a patronage campaign.
 
Articles are free to read, but readers can contribute money on a story-by-story basis.
 
The money is split between "Hidden Compass" and the writer.
 
“For our writers, that's a second paycheck on top of what we have already paid them for our readers. It's a way for them to to be supportive. And we set the initial goal for those campaigns at $1,000. And then once the story reaches that goal, we continue to set stretch goals,” said Babu.

Avid readers can even become "allies" with exclusive perks which includes influencing who will win the coveted Pathfinder Prize.
 
"Hidden Compass" publishes stories on a quarterly basis. each issue features 5 stories.
 
And as its name suggests Hidden Compass leads readers in unexpected directions, allowing them to uncover the hidden gems in our world.