Facebook is planning to offer a  newsletter tool for independent journalists and writers, The New York Times reports.

Facebook says that the option will help writers in attracting new followers, arranging their emails and managing existing subscribers. Interest in newsletters is currently on the rise, as confirmed by the fact that one of the most popular newsletter services, Substack, has won over 250,000 new subscribers since last September, and that Twitter acquired Revue, a Substack’s rival, last week. Numerous renowned journalists have decided to leave traditional publications and turn to independent writing, which brings more revenue from subscribers and full control over work.

– We’re exploring ways to help journalists benefit from the news products we’ve built, like Facebook News and subscriptions – said vice president for global news partnerships at Facebook Campbell Brown, adding that the company has built new tools to complement what journalists already find useful.

In a statement for NYT, Facebook spokesperson did not directly confirm the report on the newsletter tool, but he said that the company is working on supporting independent journalists.

Source: bug.hr, SEEbiz