What is Redescribe?

Over the past year or so, many major national outlets and publications have laid off some of the most talented writers in their respective fields because online advertising revenues are not what they once were. Publishers have shifted to video because it pays them better ad rates. We think that’s wrong. For most people, reading is still one of if not the main ways they consume content, and other forms of media are best used selectively, to benefit the reader, not the bottom line. So, it’s not that no one wants to read anymore– it’s that publishers can’t make money with advertising on the written word.

We’ve decided that the subscriber model is best to support good writers. It turns out, most people will pay for quality. But unlike many other subscriber-based sites out there, we wanted to create a SUSTAINABLE solution for writers through focused, niche sites, all networked together.

Rather than pay a bunch of writers gobs of investor money and then attempt to make it back on advertising or subscriber revenue, we’ve decided to flip the model around and reward writers who bring their own supporters with them. In many cases, writers will be able to earn much more than they would have before, as their followers are essentially paying them directly. This allows for some level of certainty and all but does away with the need for layoffs due to the loss of a big advertiser, investment cash or any other factor. For some, this model will allow for decent freelance revenue. For others, with large followings, this means full-time income and, in some cases, substantial earnings. We feel that this model allows writers to focus on what they do best and earn what they’re worth.

How much does it cost?

A monthly subscription to the Redescribe costs $7.99 per month. This gets readers access to all sites within our network. We think this is a better offer than having countless subscriptions to multiple sites. By using bundle economics – the same principle that Netflix uses – we’re able to offer a lot of things for the cost of maybe one or two things. Our writers share in the revenue from both the supporters they bring in and also all subscribers to the network. Again, we feel this is the best way to provide a sustainable solution for quality Journalism.

Are we changing the world?

We think so.

Do we have advertising?

By virtue of using a subscription based model, we get to eschew many of the crummy tactics that have plagued websites for years. In fact, most sites are laid out specifically to accommodate advertisers forcing their unwanted messages on readers. We built our site with the latter in mind. Everything is laid out to be easy to read and fast to load. As we grow, we may occasionally have one advertiser per page, but these will be directly sold ads that are designed specifically for this site and to not be intrusive or slow loading time. We may also, from time to time, promote our own events or apparel. But our sites will never, ever have any ad networks, annoying pop-ups, autoplay videos and so on.