The Dutch start-up Revue, which is now positioned as an "editorial newsletter platform", adds the option of charging subscribers. This means that newsletters can be monetized directly, rather than relying on sponsorships or advertisements.
The new feature requires registration to a Stripe account, which you log in to Revue . You then write a description of why people should become a paid member and set a monthly fee.
As a first step, Revue encourages its newsletter publishers to publish a free version and a paid version simultaneously so that subscribers can choose to become a paid member or to remain only the free version of the newsletter.
"In the past three years we have created Revue to help people create their editorial bulletins and reach their audience in a meaningful way," says Martijn de Kuijper, co-founder and CEO.
"In these three years, we have seen writers and publishers move away from purely commercial models based on advertisements, so we wanted to help them monetize their newsletters. There is no all-in-one solution, we thought it was the right time to introduce it. "
Kuijper did a cautionary note on paid subscriptions a few months before its release, since I publish my own newsletter titled "Steve's ITK" on the Revue platform, but for now I'm I refused to start charging for access. This is partly because my number of subscribers is still quite modest but my publishing schedule is a bit erratic to justify monetization, even though writing a decent newsletter takes a lot of time.
However, the ability to bill subscribers is certainly an option that will appeal to other journalists and editors more generally who are increasingly targeted by the startup.
"We are seeing more and more reporters on our platform, and their publishers are becoming more interested in our new publisher plan," adds Kuijper. "[It] allows editors to manage multiple newsletters, team members, and roles.It also has an integrated approval workflow that allows editorial teams to work together on these newsletters."