At Media Party, Richard Hoechner Gallicani, co-founder of the Swiss digital magazine Republik, shared how an older technology proved vital for his publication’s survival. As an ad-free cooperative, the magazine relied entirely on member subscriptions, which often fluctuated and created financial uncertainty. The team found that traditional marketing campaigns were too labor-intensive to execute frequently, leaving them in search of a more sustainable way to maintain growth and stability.
To address this challenge, Republik revamped its email strategy to focus on building genuine user loyalty. Instead of relying on a traditional marketing team, they tasked journalists with writing high-quality, editorial-driven emails to engage their audience. This approach yielded impressive results, successfully converting 5,000 paid subscribers from a pool of 70,000 free users. By prioritizing professional storytelling over promotional tactics, they transformed a simple communication tool into a powerful engine for financial conversion.
Hoechner emphasizes that the effectiveness of email lies in its nature as an open, universal, and direct protocol. Unlike social media platforms, which are governed by unpredictable algorithms that can limit reach, email allows for an uninterrupted connection between the publisher and the reader. Ultimately, the experience of Republik demonstrates that leveraging the autonomy of email can safeguard the independence of digital media, proving that sometimes the most reliable solutions are found in well-established technologies.
Don’t miss the complete analysis! Watch the full presentation by Richard Hoechner at Media Party 2025.
Speaker Profile
Richard Hoechner Gallicani
Co-Founder and Community Director, Republik Magazine
