Revenue Streams & Finance

Mecseki Müzli relies on multiple revenue streams to sustain its operations. Despite three years of existence, the platform is still striving to achieve self-sustainability. At present, grant funding, along with subscriptions, supports a team of three people and covers operational costs until September 2024. The revenue mix includes:

• € 370/month from paid Newsletter subscriptions: Subscriptions are at the heart of its revenue structure, offering different tiers with varying levels of access and exclusivity. Presently, there are 685 newsletter subscribers, with 89 of them paying for the service. Furthermore, 33 individuals voluntarily contribute a little extra.

• € 100/month from Sponsorships: A local NGO is sponsoring a section on local history in the newsletter, contributing $25 per newsletter.

• € 30.000 in grants from IPI (20.000 for one year) and Internews (10.000 for 6 months)

• Donations: So far, three individuals have made small donations.

• Content partnership: A content-sharing arrangement with the media outlet Telex, where Ervin works. This partnership offers the opportunity to generate additional value through regular long-form pieces that can be incorporated into the Mecseki Müsli newsletter.

Güth sees the greatest potential for revenue growth by expanding the Telex partnership to a higher level and increasing the number of subscribers. He is contemplating discontinuing the free version of the newsletter and transitioning to a model where everyone is required to pay, especially since the current conversion rate from free to paid subscribers already stands at 50%. Güth believes he could potentially reach a total of 3000 people with his newsletter.