When we first conceived of the idea for Subtext we knew that we wanted to achieve a number of things, but we also knew we had to be principled about the core tenants of our product and by extension our business. Principal amongst those tenants was the concept of empowerment. We saw the number of resources media companies, journalists, artists, and brands were pouring into building up huge audiences on social channels only to have the rug pulled out from underneath them when algorithms or monetization policies changed. We knew that by empowering our clients to reach their audiences in a way that felt more direct and human we could create a meaningful ecosystem. However, it would only be meaningful to our clients if they could own the relationship with their audience, instead of renting it.
Subtext got its start working with media companies, helping them forge more direct connections to their audiences but we would likely not be here if it weren’t for an individual journalist who fielded a crazy concept from our founders and turned it into a business he still operates on our platform today (thank you Joe Eskenazi!).
Our ties to the industry are deep which is why we were so disheartened to see the rounds of layoffs the sector has endured over the last six months. Many people have provided insightful analyses on why the layoffs happened, but the Subtext team is choosing instead to focus on the individuals impacted – both journalists and the audiences that love hearing from them. We've given it a lot of thought and instead of pontificating, we want to act. With that, we’re excited to announce: Any journalist who has suffered a layoff in the last six months will be given free access to our platform to create a paid subscriber community to stay in touch with their most loyal readers and create a revenue stream that they will own in perpetuity.
Program Details:
- For the next year, any qualifying journalist will receive 100% of the revenue they generate from their subscribers on our platform.
- In addition, we will be providing regular strategy and best practice sessions to any qualifying journalists looking to grow their subscriber base or take advantage of the unique opportunity the text messaging space has to offer.
- Finally, because empowerment means nothing without durable equity, any journalist using our platform will maintain 100% ownership of their subscriber base and the associated data – it is yours to keep and move with you as you see fit.
We recognize that this is a small gesture considering everything the media industry has and will endure but we hope that it can have an outsized impact.
To sign up: fill out this form by March 31st and we'll reach out to get you set up for success. Unfortunately, we cannot accept participants from outside of the US and Canada at this time.
For additional questions, please email us: hello@joinsubtext.com
Best,
Mike Donoghue
Co-Founder & CEO of Subtext