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Case Study
Steady App
Steady App
How Steady, the leading membership platform in the German-speaking world, gives subscribers and publications a mobile home. One app where every publication has its own space and subscribers become a community.
How Steady, the leading membership platform in the German-speaking world, gives subscribers and publications a mobile home. One app where every publication has its own space and subscribers become a community.
About Steady
About Steady
Steady is the leading platform for memberships and paid newsletters in the German-speaking world. Podcasters, bloggers, magazines and independent media fund their work directly through their audience: with subscriptions, paywalls and community offers. Steady handles the entire operation, from payment methods and billing to invoicing.
Sebastian Esser and Philipp Schwörbel founded Steady in Berlin in 2016. Both had previously launched Krautreporter, one of the best-known crowdfunded journalism projects in Germany. The idea: turn what Krautreporter achieved for a single magazine into a complete product for everyone else. The model at the time was Patreon, which focuses far less on journalism than Steady does.
Today the platform counts more than 260,000 paying members. Over 2,000 creators earn at least 100 euros per month with Steady, and many make a full living from it. In 2024 the company generated 18 million euros in revenue, up 26 percent on the year before.
Steady is the leading platform for memberships and paid newsletters in the German-speaking world. Podcasters, bloggers, magazines and independent media fund their work directly through their audience: with subscriptions, paywalls and community offers. Steady handles the entire operation, from payment methods and billing to invoicing.
Sebastian Esser and Philipp Schwörbel founded Steady in Berlin in 2016. Both had previously launched Krautreporter, one of the best-known crowdfunded journalism projects in Germany. The idea: turn what Krautreporter achieved for a single magazine into a complete product for everyone else. The model at the time was Patreon, which focuses far less on journalism than Steady does.
Today the platform counts more than 260,000 paying members. Over 2,000 creators earn at least 100 euros per month with Steady, and many make a full living from it. In 2024 the company generated 18 million euros in revenue, up 26 percent on the year before.
Berlin, Germany
Headquarters
Headquarters
2016
Founded
Berlin, Germany
Headquarters
2016
Founded
Creator Economy
Industry
Creator Economy
Industry
30+
Company Size
Challenges
Challenges
Publications without a mobile home
Publications without a mobile home
Members who support publications on Steady used to get the content as a newsletter in their inbox, a podcast in one of the usual podcast apps, or an article in the browser. There was no central place where members could use all their memberships and premium content at once. That left potential for loyalty to Steady untapped.
Members who support publications on Steady used to get the content as a newsletter in their inbox, a podcast in one of the usual podcast apps, or an article in the browser. There was no central place where members could use all their memberships and premium content at once. That left potential for loyalty to Steady untapped.
The inbox is a one-way street
The inbox is a one-way street
Newsletters reach members reliably, but they end in the inbox. Nobody can comment there, nobody can discuss, nobody can meet other members. That exchange is the core of every membership: people pay on Steady not only for content, but for closeness to the makers and to like-minded members. Until now that exchange happened somewhere else, on social media, or not at all.
Newsletters reach members reliably, but they end in the inbox. Nobody can comment there, nobody can discuss, nobody can meet other members. That exchange is the core of every membership: people pay on Steady not only for content, but for closeness to the makers and to like-minded members. Until now that exchange happened somewhere else, on social media, or not at all.
Retention decides every subscription
Retention decides every subscription
Memberships live on recurring usage. Members who miss content or newsletter issues start asking what they are paying for. Creators need a direct line to their members that does not depend on spam filters, inbox tabs or social media algorithms. Their own app is a key part of the retention strategy.
Memberships live on recurring usage. Members who miss content or newsletter issues start asking what they are paying for. Creators need a direct line to their members that does not depend on spam filters, inbox tabs or social media algorithms. Their own app is a key part of the retention strategy.
A custom app is out of reach for most
A custom app is out of reach for most
Native apps with push notifications, community features and a premium reading experience cost five-figure sums to build in-house. For individual podcasters or small newsrooms that is rarely an option, and maintenance, development and support add ongoing effort. The Steady App fills that gap for many publications.
Native apps with push notifications, community features and a premium reading experience cost five-figure sums to build in-house. For individual podcasters or small newsrooms that is rarely an option, and maintenance, development and support add ongoing effort. The Steady App fills that gap for many publications.
Our members support many publications because they want to be part of a community. With the Steady App, these communities get their own place on the home screen for the first time.
Our members support many publications because they want to be part of a community. With the Steady App, these communities get their own place on the home screen for the first time.
Sebastian Esser
Sebastian Esser
Founder and CEO, Steady
Founder and CEO, Steady
From vision to reality
From vision to reality
One app for all publications
One app for all publications
tchop™ and Steady built the Steady App together over several weeks: one app where members use all their publications. New issues, podcast episodes and posts appear where members already spend their day, on their smartphone. One feed with all content and comments plus new community formats, one login, one icon on the home screen.
tchop™ and Steady built the Steady App together over several weeks: one app where members use all their publications. New issues, podcast episodes and posts appear where members already spend their day, on their smartphone. One feed with all content and comments plus new community formats, one login, one icon on the home screen.
Every publication gets its own channel
Every publication gets its own channel
Every publication has its own space in the app, with its own look, its own content and its own community. Makers decide through their own dashboards where and how they use additional community features. Members see exactly the channels of the publications they support, so each publication keeps its identity. Connected to the Steady account, everyone signs in with their existing credentials.
Every publication has its own space in the app, with its own look, its own content and its own community. Makers decide through their own dashboards where and how they use additional community features. Members see exactly the channels of the publications they support, so each publication keeps its identity. Connected to the Steady account, everyone signs in with their existing credentials.
Discussion right at the content
Discussion right at the content
Comments, reactions and discussions bring the exchange where it belongs: into the news feed. Members talk to each other and to the makers of the publication, in a moderated space without algorithms and without trolls. A subscriber list becomes a community for every vertical. Publications gain additional formats such as threads, polls, events or a chat.
Comments, reactions and discussions bring the exchange where it belongs: into the news feed. Members talk to each other and to the makers of the publication, in a moderated space without algorithms and without trolls. A subscriber list becomes a community for every vertical. Publications gain additional formats such as threads, polls, events or a chat.
Push instead of inbox
Push instead of inbox
New issue, new episode, new discussion: push notifications reach members directly, with no detour through the spam folder. Creators reach their paying core audience in seconds. For retention between two issues, it is one of the most effective channels.
New issue, new episode, new discussion: push notifications reach members directly, with no detour through the spam folder. Creators reach their paying core audience in seconds. For retention between two issues, it is one of the most effective channels.
tchop™ features utilised
tchop™ features utilised
The Steady App builds on core tchop™ features, made for platforms that combine content and community:
Channels per publication: Every Steady publication gets its own channel with its own space, its own look and its own feed. The architecture scales: new publications can be added without development work.
Newsfeed: All subscribed publications come together in one personal feed for each member. Members who support one publication see just that one.
Community features: Comments, reactions and discussion formats sit right at every post. The exchange the inbox never allowed now happens in the app.
Push notifications: Editorial and automated push notifications announce new content and replies.
Multimedia content: Articles, podcast episodes, videos and short formats in one feed, instead of spread across inbox, podcast app and browser.
User management and login: Members sign in with their Steady account. Their memberships determine which channels they see.
Analytics: Steady and the publications see which content gets read and where members are active.
The Steady App builds on core tchop™ features, made for platforms that combine content and community:
Channels per publication: Every Steady publication gets its own channel with its own space, its own look and its own feed. The architecture scales: new publications can be added without development work.
Newsfeed: All subscribed publications come together in one personal feed for each member. Members who support one publication see just that one.
Community features: Comments, reactions and discussion formats sit right at every post. The exchange the inbox never allowed now happens in the app.
Push notifications: Editorial and automated push notifications announce new content and replies.
Multimedia content: Articles, podcast episodes, videos and short formats in one feed, instead of spread across inbox, podcast app and browser.
User management and login: Members sign in with their Steady account. Their memberships determine which channels they see.
Analytics: Steady and the publications see which content gets read and where members are active.
Mobile apps are a complex but important channel for member retention. We are glad to be working with tchop on this.
Mobile apps are a complex but important channel for member retention. We are glad to be working with tchop on this.
Christina Wunderlich
Christina Wunderlich
Head of Product, Steady
Head of Product, Steady
Impressive results
Impressive results
The Steady App shifts the relationship between publications and members: away from the anonymous inbox, towards a place of their own where membership becomes part of the daily routine.
The key benefits at a glance:
One app for every membership: Members use all their publications in one place, in one app, on their smartphone.
Community plus quality content: Creator content and community discussions in one feed, without hate speech or fake news.
News on the lock screen: Push notifications reach paying members reliably, independent of inbox filters and platform algorithms.
Native apps for all publications: What individual creators could never afford, the Steady App delivers to all of them at once, without development work on the side of the publications.
Stronger loyalty to Steady: The app makes the value of the platform visible to members every day and strengthens creators and Steady alike.
The Steady App shifts the relationship between publications and members: away from the anonymous inbox, towards a place of their own where membership becomes part of the daily routine.
The key benefits at a glance:
One app for every membership: Members use all their publications in one place, in one app, on their smartphone.
Community plus quality content: Creator content and community discussions in one feed, without hate speech or fake news.
News on the lock screen: Push notifications reach paying members reliably, independent of inbox filters and platform algorithms.
Native apps for all publications: What individual creators could never afford, the Steady App delivers to all of them at once, without development work on the side of the publications.
Stronger loyalty to Steady: The app makes the value of the platform visible to members every day and strengthens creators and Steady alike.
Other interesting stories
Build your fan-first platform with tchop™
Want to engage your audience like never before? Try tchop™ with a branded app tailored to your community and content.
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Build your fan-first platform with tchop™
Want to engage your audience like never before? Try tchop™ with a branded app tailored to your community and content.
Request your free branded app
Build your fan-first platform with tchop™
Want to engage your audience like never before? Try tchop™ with a branded app tailored to your community and content.
Request your free branded app
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