Communities and newsletters for sale

A newsletter, community or podcast rarely has much technology or stock. The value sits in an audience that keeps coming back. So look at engagement over time, not just today’s subscriber count: open and click rates for a newsletter, active members for a community and listeners per episode for a podcast. A large list with falling open rates is worth less than a smaller list that reads every issue.

The next question is whether people follow the medium or the person behind it. If the seller writes under their own name, is the face of the community or the voice of the podcast, there is a real risk that part of the audience leaves after a change of owner. Ask how other writers, hosts or moderators have been received, and whether the seller will stay for a period to hand over.

Income usually comes from paid subscriptions, sponsorships and ads, and affiliate commission. Paid subscriptions and sponsorships on fixed terms are the most predictable. Affiliate income and one-off ads vary more. Sitavo’s indicative range is 2–3.5 times annual profit (SDE: profit plus the owner’s own salary and one-off items). There is no revenue cross-check for the category, because costs vary widely. Paid subscriptions, fixed sponsorships and low owner dependence push the price up. This is a general market range, not a valuation — use the price estimate and the market data for the category.

• Income split between subscriptions, sponsorships, ads and affiliate.
• Subscribers and members month by month, with sign-ups and cancellations.
• Open, click and listener numbers over at least a year.
• Owner’s hours per week and what could be handed to others.
• Platform costs and other fixed expenses.

Newsletters run on platforms such as Substack, Beehiiv or Mailchimp, communities on Circle, Discord or Facebook groups, and podcasts with a podcast host. Check the platform’s rules on whether an account, group or feed can be transferred, and how paying members are moved. For an email list, consent must cover a new owner sending to subscribers under GDPR. Ask the seller to document how and for what consent was collected. Review the rights to the back catalogue too: articles, episodes, images, music and the name.

• Payouts from the platform or payment provider that match the stated income.
• Sponsorship contracts: term, price and whether they transfer to a new owner.
• Consent records and privacy policy for the email list.
• Platform rules on transferring accounts, groups and feeds.
• Rights to content, back catalogue, name and domain.

Sellers can share figures and contracts in a data room behind an NDA. See also the pre-purchase checklist.

The handover usually covers accounts, payment set-up, domain, back catalogue and social media. Agree how the audience will be told about the new owner — an open handover where the seller introduces you keeps readers and members better than a quiet switch. Read more in the handover guide. Messaging sellers and making offers on Sitavo is free, and price and terms are agreed in the deal workflow. The purchase price is paid directly to the seller. See also content sites, courses and digital products and other digital businesses for sale.