Welcome to Car Revs Daily!

by


BMW X4 Teaser Shows LEDetails 10

 

 

 

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10.31.13
Tom Burkart
This is a work-in-progress on an exciting new business venture called Car Revs Daily.

 Kickstarter Intro Video

Mission Statement: CarRevsDaily.com

We are hoping to bring the best-of-web:
– car news
– first drive reviews
– press loaner journeys
– track day events
– concepts
– design studies
– and more

Overall, CarRevsDaily.com strives to bring first-hand experience, facts, and insights about all the latest 2014 models. As we get the site into tip-top condition over the coming months, the layout of the photo galleries will improve dramatically.

Growing Pains Likely…

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Until then, the freedom of this new platform is very exciting as a car-obsessed writer.  My most recent claim-to-fame is working as an editor at TopSpeed.com. Frustration with overseas articles that were barely read-able… meant that I had an uphill climb to get on-board with the major OEM press fleets.
They looked at the site, came back confused. All these stories are .. from one person, they would say.  One person who was harming their business.

Part of the KickStarter video (below) discusses what TopSpeed.com’s hacky “car reviews” are actually doing to the sales of these models here in the US.
If a “reviewer” has never even seen XYZ brand of car…. what are the chances that he or she wil have *anything* new or interesting to say?
No mind.

Layer-4

…But Only High-Quality Writing, Artwork, and Cars

On this new site, we are looking for writers with professional journalism degrees, but not much experience in the ‘driver’s seat – per se.  Writing and producing automotive news content is AWESOME.

But it is also a job. A demanding one that takes skills, might cause chills, and …. eventually might even pay the bills.

If you are a writer, artist, car-nut, traveler — we want to hear from you. Let’s publish your coolest photos, articles, and adventures!!!

Thanks
Tom Burkart
@tommyburkart

thburkart   at    gmail.com
Subject: Full Throttle Car News

________________________________________________________

10.31.13

(draft) New Media Launch: Full Throttle – Car News and Video Reviews

by TBurkart 10.31.13

 

 

  • Pro writer and digital marketing expert is launching an new media project called “Full Throttle Car News” with a v brilliant designer

Hello!

Glad you are interested in this project – pls let us know questions and donate to this series A round — to literally help us prime the pump and kickstart the life-long dream.

Our ambition is huge – to be the best global automotive news brand in the digital age.  We want the professionalism of BBCTopGear UK, but the youthful spirit of Jalopnik and other social car sites.

Without any print media restrictions on video content, time and publishing delays.

OUR car news and editorial content will be always be:

– more relevant to buyers

– at least 90 days more current than even iPad versions of print-based magazines

– respectful to auto companies, their goals,

– respectful the intellectual property of any other car site’s images, breaking news, etc.

 

Auto News – Situation Analysis

It is a crowded market for auto news, but most of it is total garbage written abroad by someone trying *just hard enough* that the articles are not clearly stolen. For hard-core car guys, these Press Release ‘spit-backs’ and opinion articles have no place in our passion area.

 

CarRevsDaily.com – Business Mission

— free and ad-supported car news, updated hourly across desktop, mobile and tablet

— Profitability of 40% or higher with 12 months

— the highest-quality designers and writers — with access to virtually all press loaner cars (via manufacturer press fleets) and hundreds of valuable PR and agency contacts.  these elements will make these reviews some of the hottest anywhere on the globe

— 100% honest content, with about 100X the amount of data, videos, photos and info in a “Digital Car Review.”  Unlimited YouTube embeds, creative production design, sound effects, video highlights, performance videos — and much more — will make even iPad editions of paper magazines seem …….

**hopelessly yester-tech** =]

CarRevsDaily.com – The Team

Tom Burkart – (me)

http://www.topspeed.com/team/tom-burkart-as64150.html

https://www.facebook.com/tommy.burkart

https://t.co/Tr5vvXbKCj

UW-Madison 2005 Journalism major, who after college became very successful digital advertising, media planning, buying and selling:

– Starcom Worldwide

– Pandora Media

– BrightRoll Video Advertising

– TopSpeed.com     and many other sites.  

Tom made the below video in one day

http://youtu.be/142yq153T0k

—- lots of other video car reviews and content there

 

Selling the Sizzle or the Steak?

**The Steak** !!!

 

 

2016 GT-R Speculative Preview – Tom and Pratyush

 

Not only are we ambitious and *love* cars almost more than life itself —- we are down-to-earth about our needs and earnings for the first 6 months or building the site audience, integrating with ad networks, and ensuring all our Google adsense and video pre-roll contracts are best-in-class.

Our background in advertising and design presents unique opportunities for direct brand selling of sponsorships and other marquee ‘integrated marketing’ techniques.  Sponsorships of ‘energy’, telecom, tires, and other categories will allow brands to be front-and-center of these site sections.

These advertorial type contracts will supplement the SEO-optimized display advertising throughout the site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our work … so far on TopSpeed.com

** Words: Tom / Images: Pratush**

350+ Facebook likes for the below, 100 other twitter shares, 200+ Pinterest posts, re-blogged by MotorTrend and many others so far.

Future cars – article

Delehaye Mullin Museum

— Car Review example… Q7 TDI S-Line

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/audi/2014-audi-q7-tdi-s-linedriven-ar160691.html

www.youtube.com/jkbOMVVrBXA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Risks and challenges 

Hooray, you made it this far!

Risks:

– technical, site admin to allow future additional writers to directly edit and pub their work
– engineering: the site needs to load rapidly and with near 100% reliability all over the world. with huge image files and other content, the design must ensure ease of use on Desktop, Mobile or Tablet — either via app store, mobile web, or reader-style NewsStand applications.
– financial: we have to get the ad tracking, google ranks, and ad formats up ASAP to de-bug anything before big volume of automated-buy ads arrive

Challenges:
– writing is hard. even in a passion area, it takes *serious* ambition and “Drive” to write over 5,000 words a day about cars.

But that is what we both have done for years – and want to keep doing at even higher volume.

Most of my “full reviews” are 10+ pages in Word before being uploaded and formatted for web.

*********Overcoming revenue hurdles: ************
– my background in digital media ad sales will be helpful here
– designed-in formats for ad placements, optimized sharing and more wil bring ads to life
– sponsored content
– app store downloads rev share
– custom merchandise for sale
– Content is king, but even automated ad robots know when something does not “read right”

CarRevsDaily.com ——> “Expert Car Reviews, News, Videos, Wallpapers and Games”

THANKS SO MUCH FOR GETTING THIS FAR!

Care to come along a bit furhter?

 

Please contribute a reasonable sum to help create — and guide — the development of this exciting digital car news space.

800 words and two pics on a sheet of paper will never be as good as FullThrottle-CarNews by the end of 2014!

Thanks again,
Tom and Pratyush

PS- we are already working rapidly on this project full-time – and will continue regardless of Kickstarter funds outcome.

Even so, with the Kickstarter community’s help —- we can rapidly accelerate the growth of this media property — with additional engineering talent, more writers, and more marketing support across Facebook, etc.

With talent comes content, and FullThrottle-CarNews wants to be the top destination for the best and most influential car reviews — anywhere in the universe. =]

0

Backers

$0.00

pledged of $8,000 goal

THIS PROJECT IS NOT LIVE This is only a draft that the creator has chosen to share.

 

Project by

TBurkart

Chicago, IL Contact me

See full bio

  • Pledge $10 or more

0 backers

At the $10 level, we will send a big shout-out of support from our popular twitter account @tommyburkart noting your brilliance =]

Estimated delivery: Dec 2013

  • Pledge $22 or more

0 backers

For less than the cost of a decent paper monthly car magazine, this pledge earns you Full Throttle Bad Ass status – with special site privileges to and comment highlighting.

Estimated delivery: Mar 2014

  • Pledge $150 or more

0 backers

At the $150 pledge amount, you become one of FullThrottle’s earliest founding supporters. Your contribution will contribute to web site and staffing costs.

Estimated delivery: Jan 2014

  • Pledge $500 or more

0 backers

At the $500 pledge level, you will become a super-user of Full Throttle, with a full section and page of your own to share the car news you like best, or just pics of your cherished favorite car.

Estimated delivery: Feb 2014

  • Pledge $2,000 or more

0 backers

At this huge pledge level, you become a managing partner, with input at quarterly status meetings of the Full Throttle Board.

Estimated delivery: Jan 2014