For several years now, new platforms have made it easier to launch independent newsletters. Substack and other players have enabled journalists and media founders to publish easily, manage subscriptions, and build a direct relationship with their readers. On paper, the promise is appealing: simplicity, speed, built-in monetization.
But this ease comes at a cost. These platforms rely on strong technological and economic dependence on private actors, most often from outside Europe, whose model is based on capturing data, usage patterns and a share of revenues. Even when alternatives exist, the logic is always that of an intermediary platform, with its own rules, limitations and trade-offs that are not those of traditional media.
More and more journalists, collectives, and emerging media outlets want to take control today: over their tools, their data, their business model. Beyond a newsletter, these founders need a real website, a subscription offer, and sustainable infrastructure, without sacrificing a simple and seamless experience.
Socle CMS was born out of this observation and our experience working with 150 editorial teams.
CMS Platform, an open alternative to closed platforms
CMS Socle enables media outlets, as well as any organization or group that produces content, to achieve digital independence—without having to start from scratch, without requiring technical expertise, and with a budget tailored to the realities of emerging projects.
The idea is simple: provide the key features of an all-in-one platform (publishing, newsletter, paid subscriptions, paywall, member management) while guaranteeing complete data ownership, economic independence, and full GDPR compliance.
With Socle CMS, you’re not publishing on a platform—you’re publishing on your own site. Your website, your newsletter, your subscriber base, your business model.
What sets this offer apart
Socle CMS is neither a simple tool nor just another platform. It is a reliable, proven, and scalable technical foundation, built to last, on which you can build your project at your own pace:
- No dependence on a single vendor ;
- No commission on your earnings (excluding bank fees);
- No technical or contractual lock-in;
- The ability to evolve, migrate, and customize.
La Déferlante, Vert, Le Monde diplomatique, Les Jours, Le Monde, POLITICO…discover our projects and expertise on our studio's website.
A free, robust and proven technical foundation
At the heart of the Socle CMS offering, we have chosen Ghost, an open-source CMS specifically designed for media outlets and newsletters. Ghost is now used by many independent media outlets around the world for its ease of use, stability, and clear focus on subscriptions and membership.
Médianes handles Ghost configuration for you, either through GhostPro or on a dedicated server hosted in France. In both cases, you have full access to your site and data, and you can migrate to another solution at any time if you wish.
The Socle CMS theme, developed by Médianes, is designed to meet the specific needs of independent media outlets: a website that’s easy to read and customizable, and newsletters that are visually consistent with your brand identity. It provides a solid foundation that you can build upon.
Our entire technical infrastructure is designed to be open and reversible: payments via Stripe with your own account, analytics via Matomo, paywall built into Ghost or, if needed, dynamic paywall via our partner Poool at preferential rates.
Our long-term goal is to be able to offer fully European solutions, including at the payment provider level.
An economic model that belongs to you
With Socle CMS, you keep 100% of your subscription revenue, excluding unavoidable technical payment fees. does not actMédianes as an intermediary in your financial transactions.
You choose your rates, your offers, your publishing pace. You build your relationship with your readers without depending on an algorithm, a platform, or imposed rule changes.
This economic independence is inseparable from editorial independence: it is the core of Médianes' approach since its inception.
A partner, not just a tool
Socle CMS is a technical and strategic support service designed for teams that want to focus on their content…without compromising their financial and technical independence.
We handle the setup, maintenance, updates, security, and monthly support. We remain available to answer questions, adjust settings, fix technical issues, or help you get the most out of the tool.
And if your project evolves, Socle CMS can evolve with you. We offerMédianes—based on a quote and at a preferential rate—graphic customizations, specific development projects, the addition of features, or more strategic support.
A clear, accessible and transparent offer
Socle CMS aims to make technical independence financially accessible, without compromising on quality.
- The complete setup of the website and newsletter is offered for €850 (excluding tax), including the installation of Ghost, domain configuration, payment setup, newsletter setup, and the Socle CMS theme.
- Operation is then based on a subscription of €150 ex. VAT per month, covering maintenance, security, updates and one hour of support and assistance per month, which can be accumulated. Hosting and third-party service costs are calculated as a supplement at the best rate depending on the solution chosen and the number of members, starting from €30 ex. VAT per month.
No hidden fees, no contractual dependency, no lock-in.
With Socle CMS, you can also take advantage of our studio’s strategic and operational support for audience growth, marketing, and design.
Who is Socle CMS intended for?
Socle CMS is designed for independent journalists, collectives, emerging media outlets, or existing projects that want to launch or revamp an online media outlet or newsletter and monetize them without relying on a closed platform. It’s for those who want to test a subscription model, build their audience, or lay the groundwork for a sustainable media outlet. But it’s also, more broadly, for any organization that produces content and wishes to strengthen its technological and economic independence.
Build your foundation
Socle CMS is currently in the deployment phase and is available to a limited number of media outlets. We are compiling an initial list of interested projects in order to discuss their needs, refine requirements, and provide support to the first media outlets.
Would you like to stay informed about the launch of Socle CMS or discuss your project? Sign up for our mailing list.
About Médianes, the studio
Media, network…and studio: since 2020, Médianes strengthens the impact and vitality of media through a consulting studio. To make media independence concrete, we support leaders in developing sustainable models, designed for and with their audiences, by combining design, marketing, tech and management expertise.
La Déferlante, Vert, POLITICO, StreetPress, Louie Media, Les Jours, Disclose, Contexte… to learn more about our projects and expertise, visit medianes.studio.
