We're Monetizing Ourselves, Just Like You

Issue #234 | May 2, 2024

Passionfruit readers! Today’s a big day, and not just because my childhood best friend just put out a banger of a song that I’m personally jazzed to be namechecked in. No, today’s a big day because like a good chunk of you reading this, we’re finally monetizing!

Yes, we’re launching our Passionfruit Patreon and Discord communities! ::applause, applause::

For those who don’t know, Passionfruit is owned by a small company called Fragment Media, which publishes some excellent sister sites of ours, like dailydot.com, nautil.us, and one5c.com. Fragment is not heavily funded by private equity or venture funding like a lot of other media companies, most of our profits come from ad revenue generated by Daily Dot and subscription revenue at Nautilus, but we’re starting to run our own advertising promotions at Passionfruit as well (if you’d like to sponsor this newsletter you can just respond to this email, tell ‘em James sent ya…except it’s actually just me, you’ll wind up just talking to me).

But if you’ve been paying attention to anything we’ve been saying here, the best revenue strategy for people making things on the internet (including us) is: All of Them. Platform revenue shares, licensing, classes, affiliates, sponsors, events, and yes…membership. Journalists are creators too (in some ways they are the original creators), and your Patreon subscription helps ensure that we can keep covering the people and platforms who matter, independently and doggedly. Membership makes us primarily accountable to our readers, and that’s exactly how we like it.

Our offering is going to evolve and grow over time (as all good things do), and we intend to eventually provide things like mentorship opportunities, masterclasses, discounts for things like insurance and legal, and the ability to connect with available talent, brands, and platforms.

But for now, the best thing we can offer to you is more of each other. We’ve been on the receiving ends of your tips, your compliments, your comments, and your concerns, and it dawned on us that truly “social” media isn’t about our one way megaphone repeating to you what you’re telling us, it’s really about letting you connect with each other in an environment that’s supportive, informative, and–between the lot of ya–pretty well connected within these creator-y circles.

Patreon is the way in, Discord is where the party is. Access is for our friends and members only, and your discretion in Discord is kind of part of the deal. We’ll be hosting group live sessions every week with creators known and unknown, and we’ll be inviting in more of the industry insiders whose names you might not recognize, but their work is what makes all this creator business into actual business (if this is you, you can also reply to this email and make yourself known, we’ll have comp passes for industry insiders because of course we will).

You may also notice some of these newsletter intros getting shorter, but that’s all we really intend to change about our free product. You’ll still get daily news coverage, twice weekly emails, event invitations, and all the regular Passionfruit juice you’ve come to know and love.

But if you really love us and want more of our hottest takes (and each other), come say hi on our Patreon (you can subscribe for free there too if you just want a taste, but we’re running some limited time early bird pricing for the early adopters, so don’t sleep on it).

Endlessly thankful for everyone’s support and clicks, and extra excited to meet those of you who decide to join us. We’ll be slogging off together on Discord tomorrow after work around 6pm ET, BYOB but good hangs with good people making stuff online just like you. Come stop in!

– James Del, Publisher

NOTED BY LON HARRIS

How Creators Can Take Advantage of YouTube’s Relentless Focus on Ad Revenue

Creators are working within a rigged system.

By Lon Harris, Passionfruit Contributor

→ READ THE FULL STORY

Overwhelmed by questions from your audience? You’re not alone.

Most creators can’t keep up. And yet every unanswered question is a missed opportunity to engage, build loyalty and generate revenue. With AsqMe, you can answer those questions fast while monetizing your expertise. Passionfruit readers can get started today for FREE.

START LEARNING

IN THE BIZ

LinkedIn has introduced three new “thinking-oriented” games aimed at engaging its professional community and enhancing connections.
Lawyers are mobilizing TikTok creators to participate in a class action lawsuit to challenge the platform’s potential U.S. ban, arguing it violates free speech rights.
Instagram is updating its algorithm to deprioritize aggregators by promoting original content creators and penalizing accounts that repeatedly repost without adding value.
TikTok and Universal Music Group (UMG) have resolved their disputes with a new agreement that will reintroduce UMG’s catalog to TikTok that includes enhanced AI protections, better remuneration for UMG’s artists, and new promotional and monetization strategies.

PLATFORMS

Kick Says ‘We Will Make Mistakes’ in Response to Weekend of Controversy

‘It’s getting embarrassing here if I’m being honest.’

By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

TIPS & TRICKS

sell on tiktok - how to open your own merch store, image of a woman at a desk making a list for her store

Merch 101: How To Sell Stuff on the TikTok Shop

The TikTok shop is a great place to sell merch.

By Jen Glantz, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

Rob Squad’s Movie Reactions watched the 1988 film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
Sofa and Chill watched 1997’s “Titanic.”
Diegesis watched the 1957 film “12 Angry Men.”
SebScreen watched 2015’s “Minions.”

FROM OUR FRIENDS AT ONE5C

The potential ban on TikTok raises concerns about its impact on climate action advocacy, as the platform has become a vital tool for mobilizing support and spreading awareness among millions, particularly for critical campaigns like stopping natural gas projects. As Maddy Lauria writes, this has left advocates and creators worried about losing a powerful medium for environmental activism and dialogue.