Facebook's new platform is called Bulletin , and it's how Mark Zuckerberg's company is entering a market that's been booming for months and looks set to continue growing even more, judging by recent developments. We're referring to newsletters, especially those seeking to monetize by adopting a subscription-based payment model. So, we're going to tell you everything it offers and how this new option compares to others already available.
What is Facebook Bulletin
To fully understand what this latest move by Facebook means, you first need to know what Bulletin is, although surely many explanations are not needed either, since the concept is something that most users will already know due to the popularity that it has been gaining in recent months.
Bulletin is a newsletter service where any user can create their own newsletter and share anything that interests them and that they think might also be appealing to other users. This makes it a platform geared towards all types of users, not just freelance, novice, specialized, established, or company-affiliated writers.
However, it is true that there will be a series of profiles that will be able to take much more advantage of the proposal due to the additional options it will offer. Like, for example, the possibility of monetizing the content in a fairly simple way. Something that is not new either because alternatives such as Substack or Revue have already been offered for a long time. Of course, being in Marc Zuckerberg's company has its advantages.
The advantages of Bulletin
Bulletin, the new Facebook newsletter service, does not reach this new market first, but it does have all the machinery available to Zuckerberg to make its launch relevant and not a simple proposal that is forgotten after a few weeks . Still, you don't have to sell the bear skin so quickly either. But that it has a series of interesting advantages, no one doubts it.
The first and most obvious advantage is being part of the Facebook product ecosystem . This means that, as you can imagine, users who subscribe to a newsletter will not only receive them in their email inbox, but they will also be able to access a website where all the newsletters are published across the company's other networks and platforms.
Thanks to this integration, it will be much easier for content creators to grow their user community . While other platforms offer the option to share on Twitter, Instagram, etc., it's even better if many of these networks belong to the owner of the newsletter platform itself.
The second point relates to payments for newsletters that switch to a subscription model. Users won't need to configure anything unusual; simply activate the Facebook Pay option , and you're all set. This also reduces the friction many users experience when they have to sign up for another online payment system to access content they might be interested in.
And finally there is the security that it is Facebook who is behind it. We are not saying this because of the use of the data that the company may or may not make, that is another controversy that never ends, but because of the financial support that ensures that the platform will not fall in a matter of months because they no longer have anyone to help them. invest as might be the case with many startups.
What Facebook gains with Bulletin
As we mentioned, Bulletin is a newsletter service with a paid subscription option . These subscriptions are determined by the author, who sets the price based on what they deem appropriate, considering the quality of the content, the contributions made, and other factors.
However, Facebook currently receives no revenue from these subscriptions ( 0% commission ), so the real question is whether this will remain the case when the final version is released. Because it's currently in beta, which also explains why there are basically only writers from the United States and not from other countries. Or rather, there are writers from other countries, but only two—a very small number.
When the final version is released and anyone can create their newsletter, we'll see what happens. Although you will have to be careful, because Substack only takes 10% of the subscription and Revue 5%. So much shouldn't go up. Moreover, it should not go beyond that 5%, which would be more than symbolic.
How to sign up for Facebook Bulletin
Bulletin is currently only available to creators from the United States and those two foreigners mentioned above. So for now no one can really create an account to start posting. What can be done is start reading the content that users who are currently registered with the service already have to offer.
Facebook doing Facebook
Facebook's strategy with Bulletin does not seem to surprise anyone. Like they've done in the past, if they see something that works and they can't buy it for whatever reason, they just throw in their own clone, which usually has a much better chance of eating their opponent than the other way around.
The latter was already demonstrated when I copy the Snapchat stories on Instagram. We all clearly saw that they were cheating. Most of us let it go and now it would be difficult for the vast majority to tell you which shower option is copied by the social network. Something that will surely happen again here.
However, it is what it is, these are things that are not surprising and those who copy only have to continue demonstrating that they are more original and will always have better benefits, users, interest, etc.