Facebook is preparing to offer newsletter tools for freelance journalists and writers, they mention The New York Times.
The tools are believed to have possibilities to help authors get more followers using the social network, edit their email lists and manage paid subscriptions.
Although the project is reportedly in the early stages, according to information, Facebook executives hope it could start this summer.
The news comes as interest in newsletters grows. THE service Newsletter Substack acquired more from 250.000 subscribers who have been paying since September last year, and just this week Twitter acquired the company newsletter Revue.
Some high-profile journalists have left the traditional publications to start independent newsletters, which promise full control of their work and the ability to earn more direct subscription revenue.
Facebook is trying to better highlight the news sources on its platform. The News Tab is a section of the service that includes content from affiliated media organizations, some of which are paid to include their articles.
In a statement given to the NYT, afaceFacebook did not immediately confirm the publication, but said the company is working on ways to support independent journalists.
"We want to do more to support freelance journalists and business-creating experts and online audiences," said Campbell Brown, Facebook's vice president of global news collaboration.
"We are looking for ways to help them benefit from productthe news tools we've built, like Facebook News and subscriptions, while creating new tools to complement what journalists already find useful."
Given the explosion in popularity of newsletters, it was only a matter of time before Facebook. The CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly asked his team to make the project a priority after noticing the trend.
