Crowdfunding For Bloggers, Podcasters, And Others - Interview With Steady
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| Crowdfunding For Bloggers, Podcasters, And Others - Interview With Steady |
However, the American provider is not ideal for Germany and a German counterpart has now been found.
In this interview with the founder of Steady, I talk about goals, opportunities, safety, and more.
Hello Sebastian, Please Introduce Yourself To My Readers
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| Crowdfunding For Bloggers, Podcasters, And Others - Interview With Steady |
I'm Sebastian Esser, a journalist and one of the founders of Steady. I studied politics and graduated from the Berlin School of Journalism.
I then worked as an editor and writer for newspapers and magazines and founded several companies, including the online magazine Krautreporter, which I still publish today.
How Did You Get Into The Internet And Online Business In Particular?
At the beginning of my professional life, the media were still largely analog, but this business has crumbled away faster with each passing year.
At the same time, I was enthusiastic about the great freedom and design possibilities of the Internet.
What Experiences Have You Had Yourself With Making Money On The Internet?
I originally founded Krautreporter in 2012 as a crowdfunding platform for journalism and turned over almost a quarter of a million euros in one year. The campaign for Krautreporter-Magazin 2014 then became the largest crowdfunding ever in Germany with a good million euros.
Krautreporter is now a completely ad-free, independent digital magazine with a dozen reporters, financed by thousands of members alone. So it works! However, the way there was associated with a lot of effort.
How Did You Come Up With The Idea For Steady? What Is It Exactly?
After we realized the Krautreporter-Magazin, we noticed that it is a big technical challenge in the many small details to develop a functioning membership model.
But there are countless people out there who create good, independent podcasts, blogs, or videos entirely on their own and who cannot make themselves dependent on advertising funding.
How should they talk to all the payment providers, deal with the different VAT regulations within the EU and issue their supporters with correct invoices?
That's exactly what Steady does. Anyone who posts on the net can start a membership model in minutes.
What Is Special About Your Crowdfunding Platform And What Distinguishes It From The Top Patreon.com?
With Steady, unlike Kickstarter or Startnext, publishers receive money not just once, but monthly. As a reader, I support my favorite blog, for example, with a small amount of 3 euros per month. If other readers do the same, gradually a sum comes together that secures the blogger a regular income.
Patreon focuses on America and is more specialized in music, Youtube, creative projects. They also want to lure the audience to their site - which we avoid by integrating them into the publisher's websites.
Who Can Organize Crowdfunding Through Your Website And What Is Possible With It? Are There Any Examples?
Yes, bloggers, Youtubers, podcasters, open-source code developers - anyone who publishes content can sell digital subscriptions with Steady.
There are already a couple of successful examples. Georg Watzlawek already earns almost 1,000 euros a month with his digital local newspaper, the Bergisch Gladbach citizen portal, through Steady.
Schmalbart, an initiative against fake news and right-wing populism, is already receiving more than 1,600 euros a month in support.
But also media for interesting niche communities - for example, “Grenzwissenschaften Aktuell” - regularly earn a lot of money through Steady.
What Requirements Do You Have To Meet To Find Fans Who Support You Financially?
It is ideal if you already have an active community. You only have to inform them then. In our experience, around five percent of readers are willing to pay voluntarily.
But even with a completely new project, you can use Steady to gradually build up a member base.
What Other Tips Can You Give For Successful Steady Campaigns?
Transparency is particularly important to many supporters. You should therefore make it clear from the start what you intend to do with the money. The sustained dissemination of the campaign page via your channels is important.
An additional incentive can be created through bonus packages, such as supporter meetings, exclusive Facebook groups, newsletters, and so on. You should keep your supporters up to date regularly.
How Did The Implementation Of The Service Go And What Challenges Did You Have To Overcome?
So far everything has been going pretty well! Of course, it's always straightforward when it comes to taxes, payments, and security.
Data Security Is Very Important In Your Service. How Do You Ensure This?
We initially use the high-security standards of the payment service providers. With us, you can choose one of the conventional payment methods PayPal, credit card, or direct debit. We have service providers who take the issue of security very seriously, as it is their core business.
We do not store any of this sensitive data and cooperate with reputable companies for payment processing. We use the GoCardless company for direct debit and we work with Braintree for credit card payments.
What Are You Planning For The Future?
Steady should become known and establish itself as a platform with the help of which one can earn part of a living by writing, making music, blogging, or producing podcasts and videos.
We want to accompany as many publishers as possible on this path and support them with our experience.
With Steady, you can support your favorite publishers easily and safely. Everyone should know that.
Finally, I Would Love To Hear Your Most Important Tips For Founders
- Start small, but start.
- Talk to users early and often.
- Only develop solutions for which there is also a problem.
- Have fun!
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