Bulletins

Facebook launches Bulletin, its Substack competitor

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Photo illustration: Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

On Tuesday, Facebook launched a new platform for independent writers, called Bulletin, setting the company up as a direct competitor to Substack's growing newsletter business.

The platform launched with an array of marquee names, including New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell and sportscaster Erin Andrews.

During Bulletin's launch event, which Facebook streamed on its new live audio tool, Mark Zuckerberg aimed to set Bulletin apart from other similar platforms, noting that Bulletins will integrate with Facebook pages and will be eligible for pickup in Facebook's own News section.

All Bulletin writers will also get to keep their subscription revenue, Zuckerberg said, differing from Substack, which has revenue-sharing agreements with some of its most prominent writers. "Andevenifwriterschoosetomovetodifferentplatformsinthefuture, they'regoingtoholdtheirowncontentandemailsubscriberlists," Zuckerberg said. "Wethinkthatthisconceptofportabilityisextremelyimportantforthe creatoreconomy."

Issie Lapowsky

Issie Lapowsky ( @issielapowsky) is Protocol's chief correspondent, covering the intersection of technology, politics, and national affairs. She also oversees Protocol's fellowship program. Previously, she was a senior writer at Wired, where she covered the 2016 election and the Facebook beat in its aftermath. Prior to that, Issie worked as a staff writer for Inc. magazine, writing about small business and entrepreneurship. She has also worked as an on-air contributor for CBS News and taught a graduate-level course at New York University's Center for Publishing on how tech giants have affected publishing.

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