The FatChilli Knowledge Base

7 myths and perceptions holding publishers back from going all-in on subscriptions

Audience revenue is the proven path, yet most newsrooms are stuck on ads. Here's what's really blocking the shift, and what the publishers furthest along did.

Inside Denník N's newsletter strategy: The spine of a 75,000-subscriber business

How Slovakia's leading independent newsroom turned newsletters into the spine of its 75,000-subscriber business, and what publishers can learn from the way Denník N runs them on REMP Mailer.

Four publishers, one growth playbook: what The Guardian, Denník N, Uusi Juttu and Kyiv Independent told Perugia about reader revenue

Four reader-funded publishers shared how they grow. The common thread: campaigns on a calendar, members as ambassadors, growth as everyone's job.

13 sessions on AI, business models, and product in journalism we are looking forward to in Perugia #IJF26

Our team compiled a list of sessions we are excited to during the twentieth edition of the International Journalism Festival.

Avoid the platform crisis. Here's what smart news publishers are betting on instead

The frictionless paywall: How Parameter monetized reader loyalty without credit cards

Discover how rewarded ads turned a potential 40% year-on-year drop into significant revenue and eCPM growth.

How Telegram.hr in Croatia built a successful subscription model in a country where users won’t pay

Telegram.hr grew subscriptions 54% in 2025. The 10th anniversary campaign exceeded goals with 3,209 new subscribers & 80% retention rate.

Beam+ is the editorial and business analytics tool built for news media

Built for every role in your newsroom. Beam+ brings editorial analytics, audience intelligence, and automated recommendations into one platform.

Unlock what truly moves audiences: How Beam+ empowers editorial & business teams with actionable insights

See what content builds true audience loyalty, where readers come from and what your team should do next, all without digging through dashboards.

The AI hangover: What smart publishers will do in 2026

Forget the AI gold rush. Sustainable journalism rests on 3 truths: original insight, authentic audience engagement, and owned data infrastructure.

The symbiotic stack: How WordPress and REMP empower independent publishers

Unlock independent growth. WordPress and REMP are an open-source publishing stack you own, built to be robust and scale with your content and reader revenue needs.

The art of the good goodbye. Why personalisation matters most when subscribers leave

Your retention strategy's most critical phase is the goodbye. Don't burn the bridge: a graceful, personalised exit keeps the door open for subscribers to return. Here are some useful tips to help you with it.

The hidden dangers of AI-generated traffic: what publishers need to be aware of

Robot readers are stealing your ad money and poisoning your data. Discover why traditional defenses fail and what actually works.

A brief history of pivot to subscriptions with Tomas Bella & changes coming in the AI age

Homepages are fading, platforms are volatile, and AI is reshaping discovery. Tomáš Bella of Denník N shares hard lessons on subscription strategy, the failed pivot to video, and what publishers must do next.

Media and journalism predictions for 2026 from Fatchilli for Publishers

The end of the year is a great time for reflection. Here’s what our colleagues have been thinking lately and see as shifts and trends in 2026.

Case study: This new approach to article lock kept it free, yet resulted in higher conversions & increased revenue

Discover how The Shift News, an investigative news platform from Malta, pioneered a 'soft lock' strategy using rewarded ads to boost revenue by 68%.

When competitors join forces. How a single account gives media a better fighting chance against large online platforms

After Switzerland and Czechia, Slovakia is also considering creating a nationwide ID solution to strengthen its local digital market.

Stop guessing your prices: Free survey template inside to reveal what people will really pay for

Most audience surveys get it wrong because people don’t say what they actually do. The fix is simple: ask about real behaviour, check answers against what your audience actually does, and use those insights to shape smarter pricing and audience segments.

Why does FatChilli's web look like a news website?

No, this is not a regular corporate one-pager website explaining what we do illustrated with good-looking, nicely dressed and smiling people in stock images and videos. That’s not us.

Maximize your video ad revenue with FatPlayer, even without video content

Even without video content you can grow your video ad revenue thanks to FatPlayer.