Open its capital to its readers
Rather than asking for donations, give your audience the opportunity to participate in your project's development by selling them shares of your capital. That's what La Déferlante notably did through the Lita.co platform, with the goal of raising a total of 300,000 euros. The magazine, dedicated to feminisms and gender, has already been able to count on the support of major figures like Annie Ernaux and Mona Chollet.
Go fishing for subscribers
The Danish media outlet Zetland was looking for new ways to attract subscribers. It therefore set up a referral system to turn its existing subscribers into true ambassadors. The media also maintains strict financial transparency and offers an interactive experience where its readers can imagine themselves running the organization by engaging with the media's finances. What would happen if we laid off 10 journalists, for example? Result: since 2019, subscription growth has hit record levels.
Beyond the information
It's possible to run subscription campaigns while supporting the local economy. Looking to attract new subscribers, the Keene Sentinel launched a special campaign: offering a bag of coffee from a local roaster with every new subscription. The initiative resulted in 55 additional subscribers, with 44 still active 10 months later. It was a success for the local news outlet, which repeated the initiative multiple times with chocolate, confections, and soap produced in New Hampshire.
To go further
- For more tips and practical examples, consult our two practical guides on the subject: Everything you need to know about crowdfunding and Running a crowdfunding campaign.
- Read our coverage of the Mediacités Toulouse funding campaign.
- Interested in the La Déferlante example? Emmanuelle Josse was our guest for season 2 of Chemins.
