Facebook is preparing to launch its newsletter feature soon. This follows on from the success of Substack, and Twitter’s launch of its own newsletter feature. Facebook’s iteration will be called Bulletin, and it offers some interesting differences compared to its competitors.
How will Bulletin work?
Readers will be able to browse through Bulletin’s writers and select the ones that appeal to them the most. You will then be able to subscribe to them and receive a new newsletter whenever they post something. Initially, Facebook intends for this service to be mostly free. It is likely that they will introduce some sort of paid subscription at some point.
With over 2.85 billion users, this appears to be Facebook’s latest way of creating communities. The social media network has always been about nurturing and creating communities online. Though Bulletin is going to exist outside of Facebook, meaning you will be redirected to a new site if you choose to read a piece, it is still going to use its own platform to promote the new one.
Who will be able to write for Bulletin?
This new newsletter feature is not going to be a free-for-all in terms of who will be able to write for it. Facebook is going to heavily control who will be able to write through the platform. They aim to avoid anyone who might be deemed to have controversial or overtly political views.
At launch, writers will cover topics such as fashion, entertainment, sport, and local news. Facebook has stated that they want the platform to be somewhere that up-and-coming local journalists can make their mark.
There is even a chance that Bulletin might be the first step in Facebook’s creation of a new content platform. With goals of launching podcasts and discussion rooms akin to Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces, Bulletin might be one of the key things that ties this service together, offering a blog or article alongside the new styles of audio content and Facebook’s existing video features.
How could affiliates use this new newsletter feature?
If affiliates are able to get approved to write newsletters, it puts them in a fantastic position for being able to create new types of content. Social media is a very important part of any good affiliate’s arsenal, and this is a brilliant way to offer an audience more content.
With subscriptions in place, an affiliate will be able to upsell parts of their program to their audience, or they might decide that they want to offer insights and other tips to them. This could be another great tool to use to build engagement with an audience, and an affiliate will hopefully be able to gain subscribers straight away from their existing Facebook following.
Though aspects of this newsletter feature are being regarded with some suspicion at the moment, there is no denying that it carries a lot of potential. Affiliates should watch closely for the launch of Bulletin, and try to work out how to fit it into their social media strategies in the meantime.
