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Lede

The Platform for Subscription-Driven
Media Organizations

Lede is the publishing platform and growth program for the next generation of journalism startups and news media organizations. Enjoy the benefits of shared technology and community, while the brand, design, content, and audience remain entirely yours.

Defector desktop

Lede launched Defector, an employee-owned, subscription-based sports and culture website that serves more than 36,000 members around the globe.

Check Out Defector
Jasper Wang

The Lede team has been an amazing partner since Day 1 of our business, and we continue to be proud members of the Lede publishing community.

– Jasper Wang, Defector.com

Discourse Blog [has] decided to leave [Substack] for a rival platform, Lede, after finding it hard to attract readers through internet searches. They also wanted more detailed data on their readers.

– The New York Times

Defector desktop
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The River Logo
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Features

Lede is a platform and product program that packages the digital technologies and best practices required by news organizations.

  • Custom visual design for your brand
  • Analytics to grow subscriptions and revenue
  • Strategy and support for subscription-, ad-, and sponsor-based revenue models
  • WordPress publishing, hosted by WordPress VIP
  • Membership and customer management with Pico
  • Community commenting powered by Coral
  • Newsletters built and sent within WordPress
Pico paywall example

Lede partners with Pico to create a seamless membership system that includes custom paywalls, messaging, and calls to action for visitors.

Explore Pico's Features