Validating: Journalist aggregator for the Substack/YouTube/Rumble era
Glenn Greenwald left The Intercept for Substack. Then added a Rumble show. Matt Taibbi writes on Substack, posts on X, and does podcasts on YouTube. I was following 30+ independent journalists across 5 platforms. Total nightmare.
So I'm building Sourced Up: RSS/API aggregation of independent journalists. One feed, tap to open in original platform. No journalist buy-in needed.
Before spending 4 weeks building, I'm validating demand:
- Built landing page in 2 days
- Curated list of 30 journalists for social proof
- Goal: 100+ email signups in 7 days = green light to build
- Currently at: 5
Would love brutal feedback:
- Is this solving a real problem or am I alone in this?
- What's YOUR biggest frustration? (missing posts, too many apps, notifications, or...?)
- Would you pay $39/year for this? (Free tier: 5 follows, Pro: unlimited)
Landing page: https://www.sourcedup.news/
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I think a lot of software over-constrains its users
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This is a real problem, but the signal won’t come from asking people hypotheticals. it’ll show up where they’re already complaining. I’ve seen a lot of “I missed X’s take on Y” or “I can’t keep up across Substack/YouTube/X” threads that never frame themselves as feature requests.
One thing that’s worked well in validation is using Reddit less as a launch surface and more as a demand scanner: finding those threads, answering with how you solve it today, and watching whether people lean in or ignore it. The engagement quality there tends to predict willingness to pay better than signup counts alone.
If you want, I’m happy to point you to the specific Reddit patterns/subs where this kind of aggregation pain already shows up so you can validate faster before building.
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The validation approach is solid - 100 signups in 7 days is a clear pass/fail threshold. Smart to set that before building.
Re: your questions -
The problem is real. The fragmentation happened fast - even 2-3 years ago most journalists were still on legacy platforms. Now following anyone means Substack + podcast + YouTube + X + sometimes Rumble or Locals. It's exhausting.
Biggest frustration for me is discovery - not just aggregating people I already follow, but finding out when someone I follow does a guest appearance or cross-platform collab. The "tap to open in original platform" is clever though - avoids the content licensing nightmare.
On pricing: $39/year feels right for heavy users (10+ follows). The free tier limits might be tight - maybe 10 follows instead of 5? That gives people enough to feel the value before upgrading.
Question: How do you handle journalists who post different content per platform? Some do full articles on Substack but just clips on YouTube. Do you aggregate everything or let users filter by content type?
Great feedback, I appreciate it. I think I would want to offer suggestions for people at some point, too.
I am trying to aggregate a journalists different platforms so that they will all be available to a reader/viewer.
Your input on pricing and allowing 10 follows for free is something I've been going back and forth on. Thanks.
The suggestion feature could be a great retention hook - "people who follow Glenn Greenwald also follow..." But that's a v2 feature. For now the aggregation alone is the value.
The 10 follows vs 5 follows decision is worth testing. One approach: start with 10 free, watch what percentage of users hit the limit. If most users stay under 10, you've validated the ceiling is too high. If 30%+ are bumping against it regularly, you've found your conversion moment.
Good luck with the 100 signup goal - the validation framework is solid. Keep us posted on how it goes.
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