Hi,
If you’re getting this email, you’re already a Dispatch member (the guys in our vast marketing department don’t like me using the word “subscriber,” but you go with whatever makes you most comfortable).
We think the very best indicator that we’re doing something right is the incredible quality of our members. Not to toot our own horn, but we kind of planned it this way. When Steve and I went out to raise money for The Dispatch, we decided halfway into the process that we didn’t want any of the private equity money that so often ruins journalistic startups. If you take money from people who want a “10X” return on their investment, you have to care more about the quantity of your readers than about the quality. We wanted to build up an audience that would stick with us for a lifetime, not a fiscal quarter.
And we did that. We have an amazing retention rate for existing members, in part because they—you—get what we’re trying to do. The loyalty, support, and critical feedback of our members is something we take enormous pride in.
But when we said we wanted to put quality above quantity, that didn’t mean we don’t care about quantity. We care about it, a lot. We just don’t want to sacrifice the former for the latter. I want to be clear: We’re still not desperate for subscribers. We’ve been hugely successful already—thank you, again—and we’re growing at a nice clip. But we really do want to grow our audience for all the right reasons: to hire more reporters, to launch more newsletters, to expand our coverage, and do even more cool and important work. Remember, we don’t make money from annoying clickbait-fueled advertising, we make it from members—i.e., people who understand the value of what we’re doing, and what they’re getting.
And that’s where you can help. As part of our spring membership drive, we’re giving you five gift subscriptions to The Dispatch. They’re free. And don’t worry, we’re not idiots. (“Sure, we lose money on each sale, but we’ll make it up in volume!”). They’ll only last a month. But we’re betting that you know someone who might be a good fit for The Dispatch. We’re also hoping that some fraction of them will decide after a month of the primo stuff – access to the full Morning Dispatch, every French Press, Capitolism, Uphill, The Current, and G-File – that you were a genius both for subscribing and for recommending us to them.
Here are the nuts and bolts.
You get five one-month gift memberships to give to anyone you want. You can customize your message to each recipient by entering their name, email address, and personal message one at a time. The 30-day free membership will only start if/when someone accepts the gift
Neither you nor the lucky recipient has to enter any credit card info and there is zero obligation to join at the end of the month. And that’s it. Obviously, we’d prefer it if you didn’t give away these precious items to psychopaths or malingerers. But we trust you to be responsible stewards of this awesome power.
We’re not hard sell types around here. So, if you don’t want to participate, that’s fine too. No worries (though you might make Steve cry).
But, we’d be grateful and we think some of your friends might be grateful too. So please consider it.
Thank you.
If you have any questions, please direct them to members@thedispatch.com.
Please note that we at The Dispatch hold ourselves, our work, and our commenters to a higher standard than other places on the internet. We welcome comments that foster genuine debate or discussion—including comments critical of us or our work—but responses that include ad hominem attacks on fellow Dispatch members or are intended to stoke fear and anger may be moderated.