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Facebook is stopping its effort to compete with Substack and other newsletter services by shuttering its Bulletin subscription service.
Facebook, which is now a subsidiary of the parent company Meta, has contacted program writers to inform them that the Bulletin platform will be discontinued in the first quarter of 2019.
The company said in a statement on Tuesday that “Bulletin has helped us to learn about the interaction between creators and their audiences and how to best support them in creating their community on Facebook.” While the off-platform product itself is coming to an end, we are still committed to fostering the success and growth of these and other creators on our platform.
When more writers were looking to leave magazines, have a direct interaction with their readers, and keep all of their own income, the initiative was launched in June of last year in an effort to draw them in. It aimed to imitate Substack, another mailing platform, which had found success in encouraging writers to create their own newsletter brands. Bulletin would help authors with a variety of publishing and subscription methods, as well as services like legal resources and design.
Anthia Watson Strong, her manager of news products, and Campbell Brown, vice president of news partnerships, wrote: “Bulletin started with a group of established writers and well-known names like Malcolm Gladwell, James Hamblin, and Erin Andrews, as well as up-and-coming writers.” We also pledged $5 million in assistance of regional news reporters.
Deals that were six figures in some cases. Until 2024, a portion of the agreement was in effect, but will now be fully paid, according to two persons with knowledge of the matter. Both the author’s material and subscriber list are portable.