First subscription Substack launched by trailblazing publisher The Lead
A newsletter newsroom blazing a trail with launches across the North of England has announced its first subscription title.
The Lead North, which has founded newsletters in towns and cities including Middlesbrough, Blackpool, Bolton and Stoke-on-Trent, has unveiled The Lancashire Lead, its first publication on Substack.
Written by former LancsLive journalist Jamie Lopez, it is described as ‘your weekly one-stop shop for everything you need to know from across the county.’
The newsletter blends original journalism and sharing stories seen elsewhere, including on the Lead’s newsletters for specific areas of Lancashire.
A particular focus will be the devolution deal announced by the Government for Lancashire, which is set to place millions of pounds and extra powers in the hands of a new combined authority sitting on top of the county’s two-tier council system.
Subscription options are available from £5 a month.
Jamie said: “I’m a proud advocate of the excellent journalism which is done across Lancashire and this Substack provides an exciting way of showcasing it. Changing habits and algorithms mean it’s harder than ever for outlets to find their audience, and for audiences to find well informed, trustworthy reporting.
“Supporting The Lancashire Lead will not only bridge that gap, but also enable more original journalism to be published. The Lead has repeatedly shown itself to be an innovative and impactful publisher in a relatively short period of time and I’m excited to play a part in the next stage of that.”
Luke Beardworth, one of the Lead’s Northern editors, said: “Despite the challenges the industry has faced, over the last few years especially, there is still so much fantastic journalism produced in Lancashire every day. Our launches in Blackpool and Hyndburn have bolstered that significantly.
“The Lancashire Lead will pull all of it into one place, as well as featuring our own exclusive work from Jamie and other talented reporters, and we’re excited to see what everyone thinks.
“Taking out a paid subscription is an investment in thoughtful, thorough journalism delivered in a way that doesn’t crash your device. We hope to have your support.”
The Lancashire Lead will be supported by a print edition in the coming months, which will also incorporate some of The Lead’s original journalism from Blackpool and Hyndburn.
The Lancashire Lead is the latest launch from The Lead, which is now publishing across Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent, Bolton, Teesside, Altrincham & Sale, Hyndburn and will shortly launch in Warrington with two further launches planned during the summer of 2024 and a total of 200,000 free newspapers delivered during the 12 month period across ten places in the North of England.
