Capsule’s fifth birthday celebrates Kiwi journos with new fund

Capsule is celebrating its fifth birthday after launching in 2020 as digital media platform for Kiwi women.

Owners and co-founders Kelly Meharg (née Bertrand) and Alice Hampson (née O’Connell) say they are excited to mark this milestone with an update look and fresh strategy as they also announce a new fund for writers and journalists in Aotearoa.

Capsule Collective

On May 30, Capsule announced the Capsule Collective, a fund dedicated to supporting Kiwi freelance writers and providing a platform for the issues and stories that need to be told. 

Writers can pitch their stories, series or projects, enabling more diverse, creative and interesting viewpoints to be seen, heard and told. 

Hampson, who is head of content, says, “I’ve watched this industry shrink for the entire 23 years I’ve been in it. Kelly and I both know how devastating and demoralising it is to lose your job, or to have to rally yourself for yet another restructure when your nerves have only just got over the last one.

“As a result, we’re continuing to lose so many talented and wonderful writers from this industry. Kelly and I are passionate about telling women’s stories and having trusted, credible journalists working alongside us. We’re hoping our fund will be a lifeline to those who are now embarking on freelance careers, or can help talented writers keep a foot in this industry. We’d love to hear your pitches.”

Capsule itself will be making an initial $10,000 into the Collective’s fund, and is seeking commercial sponsorship to grow this amount further to support the local media industry. 

Meharg, who is head of commercial says, “We refuse to accept any diminishing of the female voice in Aotearoa. While we ourselves have contributed to this fund, we are also looking for brands who are equally invested in the local media industry to come on board to help us tell these stories.

“At Capsule, we are firm believers in the beauty of collaboration, as well as the idea that a high tide rises all boats – and we’re up for doing things a little bit differently to ensure we’re at the forefront of positive change within the industry. If you are interested in being part of this journey, please do get in touch – our contact details are below!” 

Record growth

Over the last five years, Capsule has seen record growth, with almost 80,000 page views per month, more 20,000 Instagram followers and a newsletter community that delivers an open rate of 50%.

Hampson says: “When we started Capsule, we were really just writing for each other. We were in lockdown, writing the kinds of stories that we wanted to read about. At first it came as a bit of a surprise to see those stories resonating with a rapidly growing circle of people. We soon realised we had something quite special on our hands. Now, we have a large community of women (and a few men!) who come to Capsule for that sincerity, compassion, credibility and heart that we bake into all of our stories. We tell the stories that connect women; that make them feel less alone, that lift them up and bring attention to the issues that really matter.”

Capsule’s staff has grown to include Wellington-based features writer, award-winning journalist Sarah Lang, and new hire, journalist and content creator Vivien Beduya, who comes to Capsule from Re: News.

Co-founder Emma Clifton recently stepped away from ownership to embark on a new career in book publishing, but continues to be part of the Capsule whānau. 

Reader-driven

“Our ongoing series on The Motherhood Penalty was an instant hit with our readers and continues to drive conversation. We proudly led the conversation around the need for creating laws against stalking. We’ve had similar success discussing everything from fertility, baby-loss, perinatal mental health, pay equity, burnout and divorce. Many of our stories are reader-driven. It’s thanks to input from our audience who bravely and generously share their experiences, which we then pair with expert commentary and discussion, to create content that really makes a difference,” says Hampson.

“In 2025 you can expect us to concentrate on giving a platform to more of those unique female experiences, issues and challenges (including perimenopause and menopause), whilst of course, also delivering hits of pop culture, fun zeitgeist moments and whimsy. We’ll continue to tell these stories through traditional stories on our site, but will also be expanding into new formats to deliver content to our readers, including an increased focus on video.”

Long-lasting partnerships

In what is an undeniably challenging time for local media, Capsule has also grown in commercial viability, thanks to long-lasting partnerships with Kiwi brands.

Capsule has welcomed back Toyota, Shark/Ninja, Caci, The Warehouse Group, Samsung and Resene as major clients. 

Meharg, who is head of commercial, says: “Without advertorial support, Capsule simply would not exist. We are incredibly proud of the relationships we’ve built with our commercial partners and their incredible support, and faith that we’re representing their brands in a way that works for not only themselves, but our readers and followers.

“The best thing about our amazing family of partners is that they all understand the most important people in this equation are our readers, and we pride ourselves on working with them to craft stories and series that we know will tell stories that are of huge value to our audience. More than 90% of our revenue comes from integrated content and we pride ourselves on being able to balance commercial realities with editorial integrity.” 

Capsule has always been 100% solely owned by its co-founders. “Independent media isn’t just possible – it’s powerful,” says Meharg.

“While we’re a smaller organisation, we certainly are not niche – because women are not niche. We have so many stories to tell, and we’re privileged to be the space and voice to do so. Being independent means we answer only to our readers and we feel this is an important and non-negotiable part of Capsule’s DNA, even if that makes life a little more challenging every now and then!”