Case Study: Springfield Daily Citizen

BlueLena fueled the Springfield Daily Citizen’s successful launch

Originally published in Editor & Publisher (Saturday, March 4, 2023) – The challenges are many when launching a new local, nonprofit news outlet, especially in the current newspaper industry climate. Deciding to be a digital-only news source with a hard registration wall meant the Springfield (Missouri) Daily Citizen had to rely…

Case Study: Social News Desk (Partnership)

How BlueLena and Social News Desk maximized paid social ROI for new subscriber growth

Social News Desk has teamed up with BlueLena following a successful joint-pilot program that delivered returns of up to 300% for news publishers’ reader revenue programs. 

BlueLena, a company founded by news media executives focused on helping publishers monetize content by building sustainable subscription and membership model, found great synergy…

Case Study: INDY Week

How BlueLena helped INDY Week launch a robust membership program

A streamlined approach to tech helped INDY Week’s reader membership program bring in over $150,000 in one year. Here’s how your online publication can replicate it. Steph Zimmerman, January 15, 2021 (Original article from MetroPublisher.com viewable here) This spring, many publishers were financially reeling from the effects of the coronavirus…

Case Study: Shawnee Mission Post

How the Shawnee Mission Post tripled its paid subscriber growth rate

By Alex Wagner | The Byline (republished from Pico) Roughly a decade ago, when Jay Senter and Julia Westhoff moved back to their hometown in Kansas, they noticed the metro area news sources were providing no consistent coverage of local government and schools where they lived in northeast Johnson County. Senter and…

Case Study: The American Prospect

Case Study: Lookout Santa Cruz

Journalism has impact. So do business models

In November 2020, Lookout Santa Cruz was launched with a singular mission: to “make Santa Cruz County a better place for all who live here.”  Six months later, the pure digital brand startup boasts more than 11,500 newsletter subscribers and a paid membership program that has thus far exceeded its initial growth projections.…