How Marsactu celebrates ten years of independent journalism

On April 3, 2015, in a room at the commercial court of Marseille, five journalists made a bold bet: to take over a local media outlet in liquidation, rebuild it without advertising, and become its collective owners. Ten years later, Marsactu is still standing. Better yet: it champions a rare form of independent journalism, rooted in its city and funded by its readers.

For its ten years of revival, Marsactu is not simply celebrating an anniversary. The team is staging a struggle — one for independence, transparency, and an economic model built to human scale. Long-form content, public events, editorial partnerships, and a restructuring of subscription offerings: the year is designed as a full strategic sequence. How do you tell ten years of struggles and rebuilding without falling into self-celebration? How do you embody the media while preparing what comes next?

Interview with Julien Vinzent, journalist and president of Marsactu, and Alix de Crécy, director of development and distribution for the media outlet, on this moment of assessment and forward planning.

You're not celebrating Marsactu's fifteen years, but the ten years since its relaunch. Why?

It's a question that comes up almost every year. We actually explain it in a long-form piece: Marsactu was launched in 2010, but for us, the real story begins five years later. At that time, Marsactu had been placed into judicial liquidation. The Marseille commercial court accepted the takeover bid from former employees on April 3, 2015.

It then took a year to revive the project, relaunch the website, and rebuild the editorial team. We found our rhythm by covering the legislative elections and the 2017 presidential election. The following year, the idea of celebrating the anniversary of the relaunch established itself for the first time as a special occasion: a genuine campaign designed to assert our values, our editorial direction, our history, and to present ourselves, to embody the media.

At the time, it seemed logical to mark three years since the revival because we were still in the midst of reconstruction, almost in survival mode. Every month, we would do the accounts and wonder if we'd be able to pay salaries. It's stayed that way since: that date became our reference point. It's what brings us together. This adventure is that of a team that took over a media outlet, became its owner, and rebuilt it around strong principles, starting with independence — especially financial independence. Controlling our business model is what guarantees our freedom today. It's not that Marsactu was "worse" before, but the media didn't have this structural independence. And that actually led to liquidation.

How did you envision the narrative around Marsactu's ten-year milestone? And how did you decide to situate it in time?

Pretty quickly, we told ourselves we had to mark the occasion, but we weren't sure exactly how, or for how long. A one shot? A celebration over a month? In the end, we realized we'd probably get very little sleep if we didn't space it out, so we might as well make it last the whole year.

Next, we had to think about the narrative. In marketing, people often say that each medium serves a specific objective. But our reason for being doesn't boil down to a single objective. It's bigger than that.

Our primary mission is to inform. One of the long-form pieces we published looks back on ten years of investigations and their impact on society and politics. That's at the heart of what we do.

The second dimension is our economic model, which makes this investigative freedom possible. Without independence from economic and political powers, we probably wouldn't have been able to work with such freedom. That's what a second long-form piece tells.

The third reason for being, finally, is our connection with our subscribers. We only exist thanks to their support. And above all, readers are part of the newspaper's shareholders.

In fact, we couldn't imagine celebrating this anniversary without them, who have supported us from the beginning. Which is why we organized an event on Saturday, April 5th: a full day and evening with our readers, our partners — Disclose, Mediapart — and everyone who participated in this adventure in one way or another. This event was essential. And we're not going to stop there. Throughout the year, we plan to continue telling this story with our partners, using original formats. The idea is to surprise, to showcase our unique way of covering stories and doing journalism.

For instance, this fall, Benoît Gilles, our co-founder and co-editor-in-chief, will publish a letter in La Disparition, an epistolary media outlet. It will also be available on our website. It's one of the chosen formats. We're also releasing a special issue on Marseille with the magazine Invendable. We'll discuss field investigations, from the North neighborhoods to the South neighborhoods, and how we work in these territories, sometimes full of paradoxes.

Was the idea of pooling resources and building connections with other media outlets important to you this year?

Yes, absolutely. In fact, that's a question we were recently asked: does the current proliferation of new media outlets, niche or otherwise, give us pause? We believe that we can't do it alone. So the more of us there are, the better. And if we're going to do this, we might as well be in solidarity with one another. There's truly a coming together of forces taking shape.

« We think that on our own, we won't make it. So the more of us there are, the better »

Marsactu is a daily publication. The pace is demanding, and the publishing schedule heavily shapes our editorial work. Even though we produce in-depth investigations, that daily rhythm remains very strong. So, to mark this anniversary and make it a significant moment, we need to create an event—otherwise, we risk staying locked in our daily work. Working with partners also requires an additional level of commitment. It's bigger than just us. These collaborations allow us to move forward, to renew ourselves, to work on different formats. And that pushes us to do something truly impactful; otherwise, we could easily slip back into the daily grind, which in itself is more than enough to fill our days. Working with partners is the best way to ensure we're equal to the occasion.

Did you also take this opportunity to overhaul your subscription offers?

A week before the anniversary date, we changed our pricing and increased it — the monthly subscription went from €6.99 to €7.99, the annual subscription went from €69.99 to €79.99, editor's note. Between inflation and rising editorial costs, we had no choice. Our prices hadn't changed in quite some time: the monthly subscription dated back to 2015, the annual one to 2021.

For the ten-year anniversary, we launched a campaign offering people the chance to benefit from the old rates before the price increase. At the same time, we also rolled out a new annual support plan. It was something we were asked for a lot.

The subscriber readership of Marsactu is very loyal and highly engaged. We have a word-of-mouth phenomenon: people talk about us to others, share our stories, support us. During our fundraising at the end of 2024, several people told us: "I don't have the means to become a shareholder but I'd like to be able to help you more. When will you offer a support option?" This formula is a direct response to that expectation. It also addresses our cash flow needs, so we can continue to do more on-the-ground reporting.

When you talk about your community as a network of newspaper ambassadors, what are you referring to? Word of mouth, activist networks?

Exactly. And then we're in Marseille! There's a village feel to it. People talk a lot, run into each other, know each other. And we really feel that our readership is very loyal.

An example: this year, like every April 1st, we played an April Fools' joke. We announced that Bruno Retailleau would be our guest of honor at our anniversary event because he was in Marseille for an official visit. On Bluesky, one of our readers posted an Excel spreadsheet that lists all of our April Fools' jokes from over the years.

« The long-form story where we go through ten years of independence step by step is for our hardcore fans. »

We really do have some absolute fans. People who have followed us from the start, who read us all the way through. Typically, the long-form piece where we tell the story of ten years of independence step by step—that's for our hardcore fans. At last Saturday's event, someone came up to us and said: « I read the long-form piece all the way to the end. I had to go through it twice because I'm dyslexic, but I read it in its entirety, and I wanted to thank you. » That's the kind of feedback that warms your heart, especially when you're wondering if anyone is really going to make it through such long texts! »

Moreover, in our communication around the event, we sent an email to our community offering them the chance to come to the newsroom to pick up posters, flyers, and stickers. We know they'll know how to distribute them and make good use of them. For us, this ambassadorship isn't just a marketing strategy: it's truly in our DNA.

When did you actually start preparing this 10-year celebration? Not just the content, but the entire project, including the event itself?

We started thinking about it from mid-December onward, just after the Rue d'Aubagne trial ended. And after Christmas, we really got going. It was three months of non-stop work. Of course, we weren't just doing that — there was also the simultaneous overhaul of subscription offers — but it was intense.

What made it even more demanding was that we did everything at the same time: events, visual identity, long-form content, subscription overhaul… We condensed an enormous amount into a very short timeframe. We had to coordinate with all our partners, build a coherent visual charter and have it ready in time for the public announcement, produce the merchandise… Everything was interconnected. We made a Gantt chart to keep track of everything. Now that everything is launched, things will unfold naturally. Starting next month, there will be a mini-event with each of our partners, whether it's an in-person meeting or the publication of co-produced content.

How did the implementation of long-form content go from a technical and organizational standpoint?

We first discussed the longer formats in December. We brought them back to the table in early January. After that, on the editorial side, work really started three weeks before publication, with the planning phase. The actual writing began about two weeks before. It was quite an intense rush.

We released our first long-form piece last fall, for the trial of the Rue d'Aubagne disaster. It was a very significant moment both for the city and for Marsactu. Once again, there was this need to make an impact with this moment that was key in our history and in Marseille's history.

We wondered whether to look for an existing solution or develop an in-house tool. And somewhat paradoxically, in the rush, we built a CMS. The idea was to create a tool we could reuse, even if it was just for five publications a year. We wanted something we could control, that we could evolve, without depending on an external subscription or a service that might not be sustainable. For moments as exceptional as these, it's worth going into project mode.

The very first long-form piece was published on October 31, just before the November 5 trial. Since then, we've released two new ones, making three long-form pieces in six months. For us, that's a sustained pace, but it also shows that this tool has found its place in our approach to journalism.

Are you seeing a lot of engagement on these formats?

Yes, really. We received enormous amounts of messages thanking us, telling us what it meant to them, sharing their emotions. There are two very distinct types of content: on one hand, the Rue d'Aubagne format, which clearly falls under public interest editorial. For several weeks, throughout the trial, we were cited daily. Marsactu became a reference on this event.

"This kind of format may not generate spectacular view counts, but in terms of human impact, it's huge."

On the other hand, there's everything related to the anniversary. Here, we come back to our community, to that famous ambassadorship. These are our long-time readers and supporters. This format allows them to remember the path we've traveled, the time when betting on digital was still an exception.

Internally, we have a Slack channel we call the 'book of compliments', where we take turns sharing all the messages we receive following this type of post. Honestly, this anniversary is also team building. It does us good, it reminds us why we do all this.

This format may not generate spectacular scores in terms of views, but in terms of human impact, it's huge. These aren't just passive reads, they trigger something stronger. We publish daily, we know it's being read, but it's not always tangible. Here, it generates emotion, momentum, a desire to connect. People think: "I really need to send them a message, I need to tell them what this meant to me". And that's precious.

Our tagline for the anniversary was: « 10 years of independence: a source of pride, a celebration, a struggle. » And we stand by it completely. The struggle continues, and it's not easy. But we're not going to deny ourselves the chance to celebrate either, and to do it well. What we do deserves to be brought to light, and our readers deserve it too, because we're still here thanks to them. And we need to step up because the next major milestone is the municipal election campaign, in a few months. We want to show that readers, as citizens, will need the tool that is Marsactu for that moment.

Do you have any tips for maximizing your birthday's impact without blowing your budget?

Everything is carefully calculated, truly. We're fortunate to have readers and partners — who want to contribute in their own way, and that allows us to offer more accessible pricing. It's a real advantage.

Next, we approached things with clear economic logic. For example, merchandise was produced only if it could be sold at a price that covered the costs. We had a stand on site, and even though many people were close to us, they had to pay for the merchandise at the listed price so we wouldn't make a loss.

And of course, we factored the anniversary subscription campaign into the equation. We learned from previous campaigns. Last summer, we ran a very visual campaign that worked great in terms of subscriptions. But financially, we had to make a significant upfront investment—it took a while to break even because it was mostly monthly subscriptions. This time, we focused on annual subscriptions with an offer at 59 euros per year, which we presented as 5 euros per month. It's more compelling that way. We're more accustomed to consuming on a monthly basis. The offer is both more engaging for readers and more financially secure for us. We know the invoices will be covered fairly quickly.

Do you already have initial indicators on the results of the anniversary subscription campaign?

We haven't formalized the report yet because the subscription campaign ends at the end of the week (Week of April 7 at the time of the interview, editor's note). The full report will be completed within the next two weeks. But we're already seeing very positive results.

It's all about timing when it comes to speaking up: we had a very strong start when launching the campaign, then we deliberately gave it some breathing room by focusing on communicating our events, long-form content, and so on. This allows us to remind people who we are and why we do this. And now, coming back with a clear reminder, things are picking up again. So we're pleased.

The review will be conducted in stages. There will be an initial review of immediate results — the sales of the promotional offer. And a second, more complex to measure, on the impact in terms of retention.

We've noticed that people are much more reactive to payment issues. A changed bank card, a rejected debit… They contact us very quickly. And we think that's directly linked to everything we've shared about ourselves, our story, our project. We've rekindled a sense of belonging.

Could you tell us more about your growth objectives?

Today, we're at 5,000 subscribers. We've been at this level for a while now. The real challenge now is to take things to the next level.

« Goal: 500 additional subscribers by year-end, and 500 more after the municipal elections. »

At the start of this year, our priority has been making information accessible. Not everyone can afford a subscription. Yet we believe that independent journalism is a public good. So we worked to make Marsactu available in libraries in Marseille and the region, in addition to partner cafés and community centers, through our Marsactu Illimité offer. This initiative started in November, and it's a major achievement for us.

Beyond that, we have our individual subscriptions, our B2B offerings… and so, those famous 5,000 subscribers.

To achieve this, we're putting everything possible in place: this anniversary year, events, content about municipal elections... And also, over the next 18 months, a technical overhaul of the site, both on the front-end and back-end. Our goal is 500 additional subscribers by the end of the year, and 500 more after the municipal elections. It's ambitious, but it's commensurate with what we want to defend, with what we're offering our readers.

To go further

• With Marsactu Illimité, the media outlet offers free access to its content in various locations, including cafés and community centers. By making its offering tangible, it hopes to reach new audiences, sometimes disconnected from news, while reducing its dependence on digital platforms. A strategy analyzed in this article by Owen Huchon.
• Whether it's an event, a communications campaign or discounted subscriptions, three ideas for a legendary anniversary, with examples from Libération, Mediapart and La Disparition.
• Whether you're revisiting management methods, improving new employee onboarding, optimizing meetings and work tools, or reviewing the past year to better anticipate what comes next, here are some best practices to start a new year with confidence.
• A Scop is a cooperative and participative society. It's a business model where employees own more than half the capital and participate in decision-making. In France, Alternatives Économiques, Rue89 Lyon, Le Crestois and Fracas have adopted this model. What does it enable?