Advertisement

The Local has 7,000 reasons to celebrate the first anniversary of Membership

Paul O'Mahony
Paul O'Mahony - [email protected]
The Local has 7,000 reasons to celebrate the first anniversary of Membership
Cheers to all the Members of The Local Spain. Photo: DepositPhotos"

This time last year we asked readers to support us by becoming Members. This marked a new adventure for us and we are thrilled that 7,000 of you have joined us on the ride.

Advertisement

We really had little idea what to expect when we made our first articles available to Members on our Sweden site last November. We were determined to develop a closer relationship with readers to forge the future together, but would anybody really be willing to pay for something they’d been getting for free since 2004? 

We asked you what you would like to see more of, we dedicated more resources to our journalism, we held our breath and... you started joining.

I’m not going to lie, it was a massive relief. We’re a small independent news organization surrounded by giants in a turbulent media landscape. Facebook and Google have gobbled up vast portions of the industry’s ad revenues; we really needed our readers to back us. And you did, in greater numbers than we had anticipated, and for that we are immensely grateful. But this is just the beginning, and we still need all the support we can get. If you haven't yet signed up, you can do so here and qualify for a discount.

Reassured by our first attempt, we rolled out Membership in Germany and France in the spring, followed by Spain and Italy this autumn. The result was the same: readers showed a (very welcome) willingness to pay. 

For me the most positive aspect has been the development of a more collaborative approach to our journalism. Readers are much more visible on our sites than a year ago. We ask Members for tips on everything from citizenship applications to the best supermarkets, we offer advice on things like buying a home or getting a pension, and we are on the side of internationals in increasingly nationalist times.

In case you missed them, here are some of the articles that have prompted most readers to join us as Members in Spain:

Earlier this month we were happy to see our work recognized as we won two awards in two days, one each for our editorial and commercial teams. It’s no accident that the awards coincided with our Membership programme. Getting to know our readers better has improved our sites immeasurably. 

Many thanks for your support,

Paul O’Mahony
Managing editor
The Local Europe

Not yet a Member? Support our independent journalism and qualify for an introductory offer.



 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also