? Steps, resources, tips… This practical guide was created by the studioMédianes, which has been helping media founders structure their business models since 2020. Want to take it a step further or need some guidance? Learn more about our areas of expertise or contact us using this form.
1. Crowdfunding: What Is It?
A crowdfunding campaign involves asking a large number of people to fund a project in exchange for rewards, whether symbolic, material, or experiential.
Fundraising is a process through which you bring your audiences to contribute directly and financially to your media project, whether in a membership or service logic. Beyond having access to an editorial product, participatory funding methods allow readers to take a stand, assert their support, and commit to a project.
We can distinguish between two types of data collection:
- The rewards-based campaign: This allows for the (pre)sale of one or more editorial products or services—such as the launch of a media outlet, the presale of an issue, or a diversified product—in exchange for rewards devised by the project creator. In this case, the focus is on services;
- Fundraising: it allows you to collect financial contributions to carry out a project. You receive one-time or monthly donations with no rewards in return. These campaigns may pursue a communication objective around a media project, and are in this case centered on the notion of support (donation logic). Audiences donate because they believe in the cause championed by the media. It's worth noting that donations are driven by a sense of community: the fundraising campaign offers no particular rewards in exchange. Additionally, donations are tax-deductible, with donors able to deduct 66% of the donation amount from their taxes.
2. Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I organize my fundraiser?
A campaign can be run independently on your website or on dedicated platforms such as Ulule or Kickstarter. This choice depends on the resources (financial and human) and the time you have available, as well as the strategy you wish to implement.
You can choose to launch your publication on an external platform and then run subscription campaigns directly on your website, as La Disparition does; integrate a support page into your website; or create a dedicated page, as Vert, StreetPress, or Pays have done.
When should you launch your fundraiser?
- Once you’ve created your first community: A fundraising campaign alone won’t help you build a community. Instead, it helps engage your audience and community at a specific point in time. To launch your campaign, you must have already built an initial audience (social media, email list, etc.) and received some initial feedback from “fans.” To transition from an audience to a community, we recommend Maxime Leroy’s article on our website. If you’re launching your media outlet, be sure to set up a pre-acquisition campaign beforehand;
- When anticipation is high—whether for the launch of your media outlet or a dedicated editorial product—you need to build anticipation and generate as much interest as possible before you launch;
- Depending on your audience’s financial situation: whenever possible, launch your campaign when contributors receive their paychecks—at the very beginning or very end of the month. Assume that the campaign isn’t linear; for example, if a major contributor or a public figure shares it with their network, there will likely be a spike in participation;
- Based on your audience’s habits: adapt to the habits of the audience you’re targeting as well—will they be on vacation at that time? Will they be looking for gifts for the holidays? Start with the audience you’re addressing.
How long does a collection take?
A campaign typically lasts between 30 and 40 days. Imagine that a campaign takes the shape of a
Note that the shorter the campaign, the more dynamic it is. Below two weeks of campaigning, it is difficult to communicate effectively and build loyalty. Above that, campaign fatigue sets in and potential contributors who tend to procrastinate will tell themselves they have time to do it later. The goal is to avoid a triple inertia: that of the project creator, the contributors, and the platform.
What objective(s) to pursue?
It is important to set financial and strategic objectives to achieve within a limited timeframe, targeting specific audiences. Keep in mind that a campaign also serves to increase media visibility: it opens a sequence of communication. Remember to define clear objectives to reach and set a budget for your campaign (cost/time spent/returns/investments).
3. Why launch a campaign?
There are many benefits to holding a fundraiser! Whether strategic, financial, or marketing-related, a fundraiser allows you to:
- Diversify your sources of financing;
- Find simple and fast financing;
- Expand your target audience and/or strengthen your connection with your community ;
- Test your project with the public and validate (or invalidate) a concept;
- Communicate by building your community on social networks.
4. The Major Campaign Categories
A. Launch Campaigns
In the case of a subscription model or individual sales, a fundraising campaign can help launch the media outlet.
Spotlight on *The Scream*
? Transparency note: In 2025, the studio Médianessupported Le Cri as part of its launch campaign.
Le Cri, a Christian, radical, and joyful media outlet, launched in 2025 with a campaign aimed at two goals: securing its initial funding and recruiting its first subscribers.
The first funding goal of €50,000 was reached in two days, and then more than €120,000 was raised in one month, with over 2,000 orders placed. By the end of October 2025, the final goal of €150,000 had nearly been reached, thereby ensuring financial stability for the Cri.
? Why is this interesting?
Le Cri has successfully built its initial community and attracted numerous advocates. Subscriptions are now at the core of its business model, with donations coming in second. As of 2026, Le Cri has more than 3,500 subscribers to its monthly magazine.
B. Campaigns by issue number, vertical, or editorial topic
In the case of a print magazine or journal, create a campaign for each issue, special edition, new editorial product, or vertical development (audio, publishing, etc.)
Spotlight on Socialter
? Transparency note: In late 2025, the studio Médianesworked with Socialter to design and launch a crowdfunding page in connection with the release of a special edition.
Socialter is a bimonthly print magazine featuring radical criticism and alternative perspectives, launched in 2013, which occasionally publishes special print editions. Its business model is based primarily on the sale of subscriptions and single-issue copies. Before distributing them at newsstands and bookstores, Socialter funds its special issues through pre-sales via a crowdfunding campaign and launches a marketing campaign.
? Why is this interesting?
Socialter not only engages its core community but also attracts a new audience based on the theme of the special issue and the community associated with the featured personality or personalities. Here, too, the act of funding appears as a form of activism and engagement, potentially reflecting a sense of belonging to a community.
C. Subscription Campaigns
Whether on an external platform or directly on the media outlet’s website, presale campaigns can be organized several times a year, during key subscription periods (the holiday season, the release of an issue, an anniversary, or renewal dates).
Spotlight on Countries
The magazine *Pays*, co-founded and supported by Médianes, offers special subscription campaigns in addition to single-issue sales and sales in bookstores. This is a way to reach a new audience with each issue, turn every release into a special event, and also provide concrete funding for the printing and production of the issue.
A look back at the release of Issue 4, dedicated to Mayotte, in December 2022, featuring a campaign on KissKissBankBank, a launch page on the magazine’s website, and activities on social media and via email, in addition to a press relations campaign.
For its issue 5, dedicated to the Ardennes, we developed Pays our own pre-sale campaign, directly on the magazine's website. A way to create a unique and personalized experience, and to invest time in a marketing and technical environment that can now be mobilized for each campaign.
D. Awareness and Acquisition Campaigns
Spotlight on Vert
? Transparency note: In 2022, the studio Médianeshelped Vert design its very first fundraising campaign.
Vert, a general-interest environmental media outlet, launched in 2020 as a newsletter and operates on a donation-based business model. In May 2022, two years after its launch, the studio Médianeshelped Vert launch its first donation campaign tied to the presidential election, centered on the idea of supporting the media outlet. Readers donate because they believe in the cause championed by Vert: the environment.
Result? 32,000€ out of the 20,000€ target, or 160% of the goal. In one month, there were as many donors as in the first two years of Vert.
? Why is this interesting?
Beyond the financial benefits, a campaign like this is a key communication opportunity to reach a new audience, increase brand awareness, build loyalty among your existing audience, and turn your readers into donors.
It should be noted that Vert, in partnership with the studioMédianes, launched a fundraising campaign in the spring of 2023 that allowed it to test the membership model with the community by promoting a pitch focused on recurring donations. The milestone of 2,600 regular donors (members) was reached at the end of May 2023, representing 130% of the initial goal (1,500).
E. Campaigns for a New Editorial Product
The campaign for the ecology-focused newsletter Vert on KissKissBankBank launched in late 2022 offered a reward (posters) to ultimately build a "poster library". This crowdfunding campaign, the first of its kind for Vert, allowed it to raise over €52,000 against a target of €9,000.
Note that Vert derives another portion of its revenue from event fundraising campaigns, grants, B2B services and subscriptions (businesses, schools, etc).
? Why is this interesting?
Based on a donation model, Vert used this presale campaign to fund a “physical” editorial product. It’s a way to have a little piece of the media at home—and to become its best ambassador.
It’s worth noting that a fundraising campaign can also finance a non-physical editorial product that offers no rewards. This was the case with StreetPress in the winter of 2021, in connection with the launch of FAF, a newsletter aimed at combating the far right. The campaign, supported by the studioMédianes, raised €75,000 against a goal of €48,000.
F. Campaigns to rally support from its target audiences
Spotlight on StreetPress
? Transparency Note: In 2022, the studio Médianeshelped StreetPress develop a donation campaign based on the "pay what you want" principle.
StreetPress, an investigative and urban culture media outlet, has spent the past three years developing an editorial and business model based on voluntary reader participation. More than 6,000 people have already contributed, making donations an essential part of its revenue model. In 2022, donations accounted for 23% of the outlet’s revenue (€138,000).
In November 2022, StreetPress, working with the Médianes studio, launched a fundraising campaign and called on its readers for support to fund its value proposition: "€80,000 to fund a media outlet on a pay-what-you-want basis". Each message was built around a key argument (the benefit of donating). At the same time, the media outlet published content (FAQ video, manifesto article) to explain its approach.
Result? Over 100,000€ collected, or 125% of the initial target.
G. Campaigns to Test a Project and Fund a Pilot Issue
It's often overlooked, but a fundraising campaign is like a test with your potential audience. Alpha, beta test, and launch campaign—on our site, we tell you about those media outlets that managed to launch well prepared.
Just like the newsletter platform Brief.me, you can use crowdfunding as a way to get started and beta-test your project. In 2014, the platform convinced more than 800 people to help build its editorial product alongside them. As of 2022, Brief.me offers several newsletters (General, Economy, Science) and has 12,000 subscribers. In December 2021, Brief.me once again launched a funding/beta-testing campaign to create its new newsletter dedicated to science news.
? On the topic of beta testing and fundraising campaigns, learn about the experiences of Brief.me and the media outlet Les Others with the Recto Verso project.
5. How to Prepare Your Campaign?
We recommend referring to our dedicated practical guide on the subject. Steps to take, case studies, educational resources… You'll have everything you need to get started with the actual implementation of your fundraising campaign.
6. Further Reading
- On Donations: Check out our case study, which uses a series of examples from independent European media outlets to outline the key strategies for turning your readers into a community of donors.
✉️ Have you read and used this guide? We'd love to hear your feedback! Do you have a question or comment? Email us at [email protected]. Thank you for your help, the team at Médianes.
