Please tell us a bit more about Macao News and your role as publisher?
Macao News is an online news and lifestyle media platform, which was founded by my father Gonçalo César de Sá in 2008. Up until early 2021, we only covered the latest top stories, news and profiles on Macao’s movers and shakers.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in February 2020, we were able to cover breaking news really quickly which gave us a leg up in Macao and as a result our audience base has grown by more than 250% over the past year. This surge made us realise we could do much more.

A few months ago, we re-launched Macao News with everything from the latest news to the best restaurants in town, wellness, sustainability tips, heritage, culture and history. We debuted a new website sporting a fresh style and look, as well as several e-newsletters, a new social media strategy, and more video content. We’re a small yet nimble team, which means we all juggle multiple roles and work closely together. As the Publisher, I plan the editorial content; review all the stories before publishing; oversee our social media platforms; produce video content; analyse and implement new systems; identify emerging trends; and pitch potential sponsors, clients and partners.

Could you share some top tips for success?
Hard work. This industry demands a lot, and to be successful, you need to put in the hours, both in the office and outside. Besides that, I’m a pretty curious person and am willing to try just about anything. I think that has served me well, from editorial ideas to out-of-the-box video campaigns and strategies...I’m all for it! If it doesn’t work, what’s the worst that can happen? I really believe in the saying: “If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t trying hard enough.”

What initiative are you most proud of and why?
Macao’s COVID-19 vaccination rates have been slow to pick up, so last month, we decided to use our platform to encourage people to get the jab with a multimedia campaign called, “This Is Our Shot”. Essentially, we sought to address the various concerns with testimonials from leaders across different communities - entertainers, educators, entrepreneurs and more. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and you can watch it here. In total, the video is reaching around 680,000 people a day, which is nearly Macao’s total population!

The best part, though, has been the community response. We’ve received many messages saying that the video was the final push people needed to go get their shots. So, end result: we really can impact change.

Any editorial plans for the following year?
Yes! I’ve always found it frustrating that Macao has a reputation of just a ‘gaming town’ with nothing else going on. That’s far from true, but language barriers may prohibit some English-language media companies from covering all the corners of the city.

From shows to festivals to art, there is so much going on in the Chinese and Portuguese communities that don’t get picked up by English-language media. That’s one of the things I want to change. There are so many stories waiting to be told, and we intend to share them. We also want to build Macao News into more than a media company, but also a community. We want it to be the place you go to for your daily news brief, but also to find inspiring stories about people, sustainability, wellness dining, events, and culture. To that end, we hope to launch skills workshops, mentorship programmes, wellness events, guidebooks and much more!

We have already been seeing a lot of momentum, with more people reaching out to us with story ideas, potential event collaborations and content partnerships, so that is very exciting.

We’re currently looking for contributors with experience in sustainability, dining and wellness to help with some of our upcoming projects, so please email me if you’d like to get involved.

How can PRs work with you more efficiently? What is the best way to contact you?
As a news organisation, we get dozens of press releases every day, and it can really flood our inboxes. It would be great if we could receive more tailored information that is specific to what we cover. It’s also always beneficial to meet in person for a quick coffee, so we can better understand your company, services or products - and explore potential angles that would be suitable for our audience. I’m always open to partnerships or collaborations and can be reached at mariana@macaonews.org