Editor’s note: We didn’t really have a big news story to explain today, so we thought we would instead focus on the biggest story of all:)
Splainer & you: A love story
The TLDR: This is the story of how we got here thanks to your love for splainer. But more importantly, it is also a call out to all of you to come write the next chapter with us.
Origin story
We launched splainer in early June, in the midst of the hellish early months of the pandemic. I’d shut down my earlier venture at the end of March. And to start over again within a few months seemed like madness or… madness. Yet I took that absurd leap of faith without a paisa to our name, armed only with a belief in our vision and (above all) our amazing team.
Then a magical thing happened: Hundreds of people stepped forward to become founding members, contributing between Rs 2,000-50,000 to support our initial costs—at a time of widespread fear of layoffs and salary cuts. We were overwhelmed then, and we remain overwhelmed now. We say a little prayer of gratitude every day for all of you.
Doing more for you
Dear founding members: Now that we’ve passed the tumultuous early months, we want to do more for our generous members, and to deepen our relationship with you. We have some ideas—gift baskets, more networking, events etc.—but we’d like to get your feedback and suggestions. To this end, we will be hosting a Zoom/Google AMA and brainstorm session on March 6. Please expect an invite soon—plus a very short survey for those who can’t attend.
Dear subscribers: We’re working toward an app that will address many of your shared pain points, and offer added features:
- Bookmarking your favourite content so you can save it for later.
- Offline reading to allow you to read splainer anytime anywhere.
- Tools that allow you to react or comment.
- A splainer community to help you connect with one another.
- Guest editors and writers to mix things up—or even do a weekend edition that everyone seems to want.
We plan to do a short survey as we work on the app. But if you’re up for a quick phone call, please email us at talktous@splainer.in—because in-person feedback is the best!
Asking for your support
Over the next six months, splainer will have to grow quickly in order to survive and thrive. And your help is critical to our future.
Become a founding member: Now that we’ve paid our initial launch costs, your contribution will go toward expanding splainer’s reach, offering and future tech development. If you want to become a founding member—and we dearly hope you do:)—please head over here to learn more and hit that ‘Renew’ button.
Use our improved referral system: As you may have noticed, we have increased our subscription prices—which are now Rs 1,500/year and Rs 150/month. But we’ve also built in a permanent discount into your unique referral link (learn how it works here). Anyone who uses your link to sign up will get:
- One month free if they opt for a monthly subscription.
- Or a Rs 200 discount if they opt for an annual subscription—which already has a built-in two-month discount at Rs 1,500.
What you get: Right now, we offer either 12 extra months on your current sub or a Rs 1,000 Amazon gift card for every ten annual referrals. But we’re working on a more dynamic benefit system on the backend, and will unveil it soon!
Point to note: Your special referral link is at the bottom of your daily email AND the bottom of your account page (see: top right corner).
Gift a subscription: We noticed that our subscribers gift splainer to their friends & fam on almost every occasion—birthdays, weddings, V-day, festivals. So we decided to offer you that same Rs 200 discount when you buy an annual gift subscription. How do you gift a sub? Just head over to the ‘Subscribe’ page.
Advertise your love: Share your love for splainer on your WhatsApp groups, social media handles, over dinner or drinks—along with that lovely referral link! Totally optional: shouting from rooftops:)
Help us grow: subscribers and revenue in two significant ways:
Bulk subscriptions: We offer a significant bulk discount to organisations and educational institutions or programs that makes us very affordable. If you or someone you know is interested, please email me at lakshmi@splainer.in.
Brand sponsors: We want to build partnerships—around sponsored content and events—that reflect our commitment to quality and integrity. We have a highly networked and influential audience. Also: 60% of our subscribers are women—which is an outstanding achievement for a general news product anywhere in the world! Again, please email me at lakshmi@splainer.in for more details.
The bottomline: I am grateful and amazed at the relationship we have built with our subscribers. In all my years in journalism—both in the United States and in India—I have never experienced this kind of loyalty and support. It is truly what gets us out of bed at 5 am every day without fail (and I say this as someone who is sooo not a morning person!). We promise to do our best to deserve it.