Newspack Opens Up Application Process for Phase Two

Earlier this year, Newspack chose twelve publications to take part in the initial rollout phase of the platform. Newspack is a collection of themes, plugins, and features geared towards newsrooms such as revenue generation wizards, mobile delivery, and search engine optimization.

Steve Beatty, head of Newspack Communication says they’re seeking up to 50 newsrooms to be part of phase two which lasts from September 1st – February 29th, 2020.

“What you’ll get: a new Newspack website, including the migration of your existing site; free hosting, security, updates, backups and support on WordPress.com through February 2020; membership in the Newspack community of users; access to Newspack developers; exclusive performance benchmarking against your peers; and more,” Beatty said.

Organizations that are selected are expected to provide feedback, test new features, and help shape the overall direction of the platform.

Free hosting for charter members will expire on February 29th, 2020. News organizations with revenue under $500K can expect to pay $1,000 per month and organizations that generate revenue of over $500K will pay $2,000 per month. Newspack is currently in negotiations to provide subsidies for organizations that encounter difficulties with the pricing structure.

Those interested in participating in the charter program have until August 15th to fill out the application.