The Roseville Reader is moving!
Why and how we're moving off Substack
Greetings Readers,
[Update: The site migration is complete! This is an archive of the post published on May 28, before the site migration]
I’m writing with an exciting update! With over 80 articles published over the course of eight months on Substack (and closing in on 800 subscribers!!!), the Roseville Reader is moving to a new platform called Ghost.
The platform is the digital foundation upon which the Roseville Reader is built and how this newsletter ends up in your inbox and online. It’s the engine “under the hood” of this website.
What changes for you? Almost nothing.
The website will still be rosevillereader.com and will look almost identical. Most people won’t notice a difference.
Your subscription information is unchanged. Whether you’re a free or paying subscriber, your subscription is being moved for you.
If you’re a paying subscriber, the transactions will continue to be handled securely through the same payment processor, Stripe.
You’ll continue to get each new article by email, and as before, they will come from the Roseville Reader. Except now, those emails are delivered by Ghost instead of Substack. The next newsletter will be published and emailed from the new platform. If you don’t get anything from the Roseville Reader next week, check your junk mail or Promotions tab and be sure to mark the message as “safe” or “trusted.”
The only downside of the change comes for those using the Substack app to view articles. If that’s you, you’ll need to view them on the web or in your inbox instead.
What changes for the Roseville Reader
Rest assured that the Roseville Reader will continue publishing the same kind of hyperlocal journalism you’ve come to rely on.
Most of what will change is behind the scenes and improves my ability to manage the business side of the Reader:
Fewer fees. Substack takes a 10% cut on all subscriptions. That’s too much for a small business like this. Ghost’s pricing model is more cost-effective, meaning more of your subscription payments go to support the work.
Better support. Substack offers little to no customer support for small publications like this. Ghost has accessible, helpful support. This means I can spend less time troubleshooting and more time doing journalism.
Independence. This change reflects the Roseville Reader’s identity and mission as an independent, digital news outlet, not simply “a Substack.” Ghost is a nonprofit, open-source platform that specializes in digital newsletters and local news start-ups. It’s not beholden to shareholders or investors, and neither is the Roseville Reader.
Optimized for growth. The Roseville Reader is a solo-journalist endeavor right now, but it won’t always be. The new platform provides more customized design options and a runway for growth.
When is this happening?
The move is currently in progress! We just need a few more days to wrap it up, but I wanted to notify you before the changes take effect so you are not surprised.
Questions?
If you have questions about the change, feel free to send an email to news[at]rosevillereader [dot] com and I’ll do my best to respond. My hope is that the migration will be so seamless you’ll barely notice! However, it’s possible there will be some bumps in the road along the way, so thank you for your patience while I work things out.
Thank you!
This move would not be happening if the Roseville Reader wasn’t being supported and read by so many community members like you. The Roseville Reader has almost 800 subscribers and is financially supported by 17% of you. Thank you!
Check out this chart of subscriber growth over the last 90 days. Can you guess which article caused that big spike?
This migration to the new platform is coming on the heels of the Star Tribune mentioning the Roseville Reader again in the Sunday paper, in an article about the current state of HarMar Mall. So if you found the Roseville Reader because of that article, welcome!
Thank you for your enthusiasm, support, and interest in Roseville local news!
Onward,
Naomi Krueger
Founding Journalist
The Roseville Reader
