Substack vs Publishers? Here's How One Outlet Is Making It Work /w Ethan Cox From Ricochet

Ethan Cox is one of the foundesr of Ricochet, a public interest membership funded news outlet.

Last year Ethan partnered with an independent journalist to launch The Rover, a crowdfunded Substack publication. The difference? It's part of Ricochet, an existing media brand.

In a discussion that every publisher should listen to, Ethan walks through how his outlet has integrated the independent writer Substack model, why it could be a model for other outlets and why you don't need a paywall to create sustainable journalism.

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Show Outline

4:27 - What is the Rover and how it was created

7:41 - The model, why traditional publishers are not evil and how others could replicate this model

11:15 - How to make a payment model work without a paywall

13:37 - Why they used Substack instead of building a custom solution

17:52 - How Christopher Curtis engages with members and why this model fits with him as a reporter

23:01 - How did they decide to price a Rover membership

24:55 - The benefits of gift subscriptions