Q&A with Sherrell Dorsey, Founder of The PLUG
Q&A with Sherrell Dorsey, Founder of The PLUG

This week, The Idea caught up with Sherrell to learn more about The PLUG — a digital platform that covers the black tech sector. Read to learn about The PLUG’s data-driven journalism, how the outlet plans to close the gap between journalists and black innovation communities, and why Sherrell thinks media outlets struggle to draw diverse audiences. Subscribe to our newsletter on the business of media for more interviews and weekly news and analysis.

Tell me about The PLUG.

The PLUG is a subscription-based digital news and insights platform. We cover the black innovation economy and report on black tech, investment, ecosystems, workforce development, and anything pertaining to the future of technology from the perspective of black leaders and innovators.

We deliver exclusive stories once per week. We’re increasing this frequency to two times a week in June. We also provide data indexes, reports, and other intelligence on the black tech space like black CIOs and S&P 500s. We also have monthly pro member calls where we feature different leaders in the space. Back in February, we launched a live summit to bring together researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors.

We currently have several thousand subscribers with hundreds of paid members. Most of these pro members actually opt for an annual subscription instead of a quarterly one.

And, how did you come up with the idea?

I actually stumbled across the idea accidentally. I have always worked in tech and one of the challenges for me was not seeing folks that looked like me in the tech scene in the media I was consuming. I grew up in Seattle, so I was constantly around black engineers, black programmers, black network administrators. It bothered me that I wasn’t seeing that reflected in the material that I was reading and that there wasn’t a rigorous and analytical look at what people of color are doing in the tech space

In 2008, I started a blog and began writing about black tech innovators who were developing models to provide formerly incarcerated people with employment by training them in solar panel installation. At the time I didn’t have a journalism background, but I was calling publications asking to write about these topics. I found that as I was building up my freelance repertoire, people began reaching out to me because of my knowledge of this space. This inspired me to launch a daily tech newsletter in 2016. Our readers not only included black techies at companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon but also investors and other tech reports who felt that they had been missing a diversity lens on tech.

The newsletter was getting traction and advertisers like Capital One and Goldman Sachs started reaching out to me asking to connect with my audience, which eventually allowed me to grow the newsletter into a platform that provides readers with highly data-driven journalism.

How has the platform’s business structure evolved since its inception?

When I first started, it was just me, my laptop, and my WiFi. Then, when Capital One and other sponsors came on board, I was able to grow revenue and start doing some testing on the structure of the business. I would also go on to secure a six-month publishing partnership with Vice Media where we co-published pieces on diversity and tech onto the tech vertical they had at the time, Motherboard.

It quickly became apparent, however, that advertising isn’t the best way to play the long game. So, I started looking into how The PLUG can build a sustainable subscription model. In 2019, The PLUG participated in The Information’s Accelerator, which is an initiative that supports next-generation news publications. Shortly after, we launched a paid version of The PLUG in July.

Aside from that, we also license our content and publish sponsored content. Every now and then, we also secure grants.

What do you think mainstream outlets get wrong when trying to attract black and brown audiences?

Way too often people treat these audiences as a charity and think that giving them free access will solve the issue. It unsettles me when media leaders treat this issue as a philanthropic initiative. We overestimate how much money factors into this. I grew up in the inner city; people pay for what it is they value at the end of the day, rich or poor. You have to have content that these audiences find valuable. Even if you give it to them for free, the content and coverage are not valued if it does not reflect their community or voice in an authentic way.

Did you consider VC funding?

Yeah, I initially thought I was going to secure VC dollars. But, I found that a lot of the pushback I was getting was “Well, we already invested in another black media outlet.” The real question is: why can there only be one? Do black and brown people not have needs and nuances?

What do you think sets The PLUG apart from other black tech media outlets?

Definitely our depth and analysis — The PLUG has extensive data libraries. For instance, we were the first one to develop a map of all black-owned coworking spaces in the country. We cover topics that no one else is asking questions about.

Unfortunately, there’s no centralized source on black tech, and so The PLUG’s ability to bring this data, comprehensive indexes, and in-depth coverage has allowed us to garner a lot of attention. A talent scout for ABC’s Shark Tank recently told me that they use The PLUG to stay informed on emerging start-ups across the nation.

What’s your long-term vision for The PLUG?

I’d like to offer more city-specific reportage on black innovation communities across the country and the world and build a global network of reports.

I’d also like to move into more research-based initiatives to help fuel academic research, investor analysis, and government policy on black innovation.

In all honesty, though, I don’t even have a 10-year plan. The impetus behind our work is greater visibility and I hope that in 10 years we don’t have to continue staying niche. My hope is that more businesses and tech publications will cover communities of color with the same diligence and rigor as The PLUG. I hope that this kind of reportage is not seen as ancillary but instead more integrated in tech and business reportage.

And with that, I hope that we get purchased and can grow within the walls of a publisher that recognizes our value and the importance of delivering this information to readers.

RAPID FIRE

What is your first read in the morning?

The Wall Street Journal’s tech news briefing and The Daily Stoic.

What was the last book you consumed?

Arlan Hamilton’s It’s About Damn Time and Kevin Kelly’s The Inevitable.

What job would you be doing if you weren’t in your current role?

This is tricky because I like the grind of building something from the ground up. If I wasn’t working on The Plug, I’d probably be teaching inclusive entrepreneurship at the collegiate level or within vocational training ecosystems.
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['Journalism', 'Startup', 'Technology', 'Subscriber Spotlight', 'Media']