I'm making Communiqué a paid newsletter

After 4.5 years of free publishing, it's time to take Communiqué behind a paywall. Here's why, and what it means for the future.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

From next week, I am putting Communiqué behind a paywall. For the most part, at least. It’s not an easy decision, given how I feel and what I think of the subscription model. But it is necessary.

Three years ago, I wrote in this newsletter:

It is easier for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than it is to build a subscription business in Africa. Moreso with media products or services.

By asking your audience to pay for content, you are competing with the necessities of life – food, shelter, health, leisure, etc. It’s tough when most people don’t have substantial disposable income. What’s more? The number of people who do is paltry.

My thoughts on the subscription model haven’t changed since. The realities of the business model haven’t changed either. Why then am I doing this? Where is the sense in this decision?

Well, for one, this newsletter has been free-to-read since 2020. In that time, I have published 40(!) essays, each averaging 1,200 words and 6 hours of research. In other words, it’s taken a lot of time and effort to deliver everything I have delivered. Thankfully, some of these newsletter editions were covered by a sponsorship deal that ran over 6 months. But that’s about it.

Furthermore, I published these editions from the “comfort” of a 9-5. I had a safety net, if you will. I could put in all that time without worrying about significant financial returns. Any additional operational costs (paying researchers, freelancers, and illustrators, software subscriptions, and staff salaries) have come from my pocket.

But as with all things in life, change is necessary, especially now that I have decided to go all out with building this newsletter into a multi-million dollar media venture.

Going deeper

So, what does a paid version of Communiqué look like? And what will subscribing for the newsletter do for you and our team?

1. The paid version of Communiqué will have three plans: standard monthly subscription ($10), annual subscription ($80), and the executive/founding member subscription ($500/year). There will also be group subscriptions for corporate subscribers at an annual rate of $80 per person.

   1. Standard monthly subscription: This gives you access to all weekly essays and the full archive. You will also be able to post comments, share your feedback directly with our team, and help support our high-quality work.

   2. Annual subscription: This offers the same benefits as the monthly subscription, but with a 33% discount.

   3. Founding member/diplomat subscription: Diplomat subscribers will access to all benefits of the monthly subscribers. In addition, they will receive official recognition as founding members of the newsletter, they will be financially supporting our work with the Communiqué Academy, they will receive discounts on all our products and services, including events and advisory, and they will have access to our quarterly exclusive events. Finally, you will receive a copy of the annual Communiqué print edition.

2. Current and future subscribers will still have the option to stay on the free plan. This gives readers access to one essay per month.

3. Our free newsletter editions (on Substack and LinkedIn) will be backed by a sponsor. If you are open to sponsoring the newsletter and getting in front of over 41,000 subscribers, please reach out to us.

Looking ahead

The future is both terrifying and exciting. But the only way to live is to do. You have to first get out of the boat so you can walk on water. You cannot fly if you do not first lift off.

Thank you to everyone who has followed this journey so far. We would not be anywhere near here without your support. I hope you will continue with us. The future we want to build is possible.