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Ask HN: Would you join a paid newsletter with daily uplifting news?

8 points by jiblyyyy ↗ HN
I hardly ever follow mainstream news, because of its focus on evil and negativity.

I do find myself however hooked on searching for uplifting news items. Stuff that makes you feel good and slightly restores faith in humanity.

I was wondering if it'd be worth launching a daily newsletter for $3/mo to get uplifting news items sent to your inbox.

Looking forward reading your feedback.

23 comments

[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 53.9 ms ] thread
Powerofmene
I probably would not want them daily as time is at a premium but would be willing to pay for either a weekly or biweekly newsletter that focused on news that is uplifting.
jiblyyyy
Ah, good feedback, tnx. What would be a no-brainer monthly price point?
Powerofmene
As many have said these are available for free through subreddits etc. if you have time to go search. Personally time is very critical to me so I would not mind paying to have this delivered to me. I would not mind paying $25-$35 a year for it but would much prefer an annual fee to a monthly one and as I said, a biweekly or weekly delivery or update"

I am not sure it is a sustainable business model given how many are out there for free but if you are doing it for side income you might be able to make a little $ at it.

AznHisoka
why would i pay that when i can get it for free in sites like upworthy.com?
darrelld
No, I wouldn't pay for it. As otheres have mentioned there are subreddits for this and some newspapers already have a uplifting section on their websites.

I like uplifting news, but I'm not willing to pay for it.

kronos29296
Go 9gag yourself. Though 9 out of 10 posts are bad the tenth one always makes my day.
tmaly
I think if I were to pay for a newsletter, it would be something that gives me a super productive way to learn something new. Maybe some sort of lessons that build on each other, but do not take more than 30 minutes to do.

I would not pay for news, personally it does nothing for me.

maxxxxx
Honestly no. I think to make this work you have to filter out inconvenient news which opens the path to manipulation.

I would like something like "bare news". Just report what happened but don't try to explain or editorialize.

jacek
No. I would, however, pay for a weekly summary of all important information from the world and places that interest me. Just facts, no opinions, no spins. I am sick and tired of clickbaits, sensationalism, tabloid news, blowing things out of proportion and commentary of people who know next to nothing about the particular issue.

Don't get me wrong, I love good commentary, but I want facts first. Then I can choose to read commentary if I think that's worth it.

PascLeRasc
You might like Up First by NPR. Daily instead of weekly, but it's very well-balanced and informative.
jacek
Thanks, this looks great.
paulcole
No. There are already subreddits for this and I already get enough emails.
corobo
I too am subscribed to /r/UpliftingNews/ and pondered making a website based on its content at one point

Serious answer though no. I'd not pay for a newsletter with any kind of bias, no matter how good the bias made me feel. Bring me a paper with real journalists and no (or as little as possible) bias and I'll pay for that

deegles
I feel like monthly is too much cognitive overhead. Why not $25-$30/year? Or have a free version with ads + the paid version without ads. Paid subscribers could also get extra content or access to you.

Also, if you're getting started the priority (after good content) is to get lots of subscribers. Maybe give free premium for X referrals.

agitator
I personally feel like psychologically i'm more willing to give $3 a month a try, and end up sticking with it since its only $3 a month, than to commit to $25 right of the bat.
mankash666
No. I'm OK with real news being unpleasant as that's the real world we live in.
mattm
News is news because it's unusual and not normal. How much of your daily life has anything to do with what's talked about on the news? I'd imagine very little.
qwtel
appreciate that you go so directly after evaluating a business idea, but it's a bad one. if you were hellbent on making this work, you'd have to approach it from a different angle: Instead of "paying" for a "newsletter" (nobody gets excited about those things), you'd offer "membership" in a "community of uplifting individuals" or something along those lines. Personally, this kind of marketing newspeak turns me off massively, but I still remember a time when some flat design, sans-serif font and copy of this sort would get me excited. Since it's practiced by pretty much every startup, presumably somebody still likes to hear it.

also, i sell a jekyll theme that you can buy here: https://qwtel.com/hydejack/

[dead] qwtel
appreciate that you go so directly after evaluating a business idea, but it's a bad one. if you were hellbent on making this work, you'd have to approach it from a different angle: Instead of "paying" for a "newsletter" (nobody gets excited about those things), you'd offer "membership" in a "community of uplifting individuals" or something along those lines. Personally, this kind of marketing newspeak turns me off massively, but I still remember a time when some flat design, sans-serif font and copy of this sort would get me excited. Also, since it's still practiced by pretty much every startup, presumably somebody still likes to hear it.

also, i sell a jekyll theme that you can buy here: https://qwtel.com/hydejack/

cheezburger
how would you chronicle Donald Trump misfortunes with an "uplifting" POV? Risks with "uplifting news" is talking only on details, naives anecdotes that ultimately don't shape as much the world as what's reported in the NYTimes.
Top19
There is already a service that does this that I pay $5 a month for.

Optimist Daily...I believe it's run out of the Netherlands.