<aside> 📌 For journalists and press collectives who want to self-support their work, a growing collection of how, where, when to grow, monetize, and make a living wage.
Page maintained by Lex Roman @betonlex Want to contribute? [email protected] Interested in hearing more as this project develops? Follow it on Beehiiv
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Page Contents
💸Paid subscribers: readers buying subscriptions
💰Sponsorships: longer running support for podcasts, on site series or newsletters
🌐Ads: one time/algorithmic display ads, text ads on the site or in the newsletter
👕Merch: NPR style beanies, tote bags, mugs
🎟️Events: ticket sales
💳Donations: small dollar donors, tip jars
💼Grants: public or private large dollar donors
🎤Speaking Engagements: ? (not sure why this money goes to the publication and not the speaker)
Note that this is in progress and may be missing information. Email me corrections ([email protected]). Reader subscriptions are the top revenue stream sited by many of these individuals and outlets (reporting roughly 80% of rev from that)
References on Pricing
This section shares campaigns, pop ups, mechanisms used to prompt paid subscriptions
Here’s my current assumptions of the problems getting to a self-sustained publication where the staff is making livable wage and the costs are covered (working to validate through research and conversations).
<aside> 📌 AUDIENCE GROWTH: Reader subscriptions seem critical based on annual reports. How much audience do you need to have “enough” paid subscribers? And what are the repeatable plays to get that audience self-growing?
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<aside> 📌 CHANNEL SPREAD: Where does the publication and its marketing need to exist? What channels are important for audience growth and paid subscriptions?
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