How Uusi Juttu added 10,000 paying members in three weeks

Forget expensive marketing campaigns and influencer partnerships. When Zetland's Finnish sister publication Uusi Juttu needed to grow fast, it turned to its secret weapon: its own users.

The power of word of mouth and referral links is all is took to welcome in 10,000 new members in just 21 days – proof that in media, community isn't just king, it's the entire kingdom.

Denmark's Zetland is no stranger to ambassador campaigns. In 2015, it launched a crowdfunding campaign aiming to sign up 1,000 supporters and raise 170,000 kroner (about £19,000). The campaign exceeded expectations, attracting 1,388 backers and raising over 533,000 kroner (£60,000). It then managed to secure investment of some 8 million kroner (about £900,000) to fund its relaunch.

Zetland's member base later grew to 40,000, and this year the title launched a Finnish sister outlet - Uusi Juttu - via another crowdfunding campaign, which now has 30,000 members, exceeding its 20,000 end-of-year goal.

Jakob Moll, international director of Zetland, on expanding into Finland and beyond

The Danish media outlet has made a good head start in its neighbouring Nordic country, securing 13k annual memberships in a crowdfunding campaign

Journalism UKJacob Granger

The Zetland philosophy: Community - not content - is king.

"We don’t see our readers as passive consumers," explains Jakob Moll, Zetland's co-founder and international director, a role that looks at potential markets to expand into.

"They are our partners, our ambassadors, and our best advocates."

Whoa whoa whoa! In Finland, now more than 10,000 Finns have chosen to become members in just three weeks during Uusi Juttu’s big ambassador campaign, where existing members help the media grow by… | Lea Korsgaard

Whoa whoa whoa! In Finland, now more than 10,000 Finns have chosen to become members in just three weeks during Uusi Juttu’s big ambassador campaign, where existing members help the media grow by spreading the word to friends and family. That means the still-new newspaper, which launched in January of this year, already has over 30,000 members. It is absolutely wild! We are jumping and dancing here at the Zetland newsroom in Copenhagen to celebrate our sister media’s fantastic and well-deserved success. I am honestly moved by that incredible team up there, making journalistic magic and creating connections with people simply by sounding like the smart and lovely human beings they are.

LinkedInLea Korsgaard

But how did Uusi Juttu gain 10,596 members in just three weeks? They simply gave their loyal audience members the tools, talking points and referral links to invite their friends and families.

This encouraged most people to pay – even when given the choice not to: only 10 per cent of new members chose not to pay anything, as the campaign worked on a 'pay what you like' model.

It also had an internal leaderboard that showed the top referrers and average donation fee.

Moll's top five takeaways:

1. Community-driven growth outperforms traditional marketing
The campaign did not need to rely on traditional advertising, though it paid for a small amount. It found, however, that simple word of mouth and personal recommendations were a more effective approach that created an unmatched sense of ownership and excitement.

2. Trust and personal connection drive higher conversion and retention
Ambassadors weren’t just sharing a link—they were vouching for the product. This personal endorsement led to much higher conversion rates than typical digital marketing. New members who joined through an ambassador were more likely to stay, participate in events, and provide feedback, because they felt part of a trusted community from day one.

3. Ambassadors need support and recognition
Zetland provided ambassadors with clear messaging and regular updates on the campaign’s progress. Ambassadors were celebrated and kept in the loop, reinforcing their sense of belonging and motivating them to keep spreading the word.

4. The model builds a feedback loop for product improvement
Because ambassadors and new members felt invested, they were more likely to share honest feedback and suggestions. This created a virtuous cycle: the product improved, which made it easier for ambassadors to recommend, which brought in more engaged members.

5. Cultural adaptation is key
Zetland didn’t simply copy and paste its Danish model. Instead, the campaign was run entirely by the Uusi Juttu team in Finland who best understood how to make the onboarding process feel relevant, credible and welcoming for local communities. Lessons were brought across from Copenhagen to steer the project.

Next up for Zetland is expansion into Norway and the uncharted waters of Germany, after being acquired by Bonnier News group in October 2025.

This article was drafted by an AI assistant before it was edited by a human

Corrections: a previous version of this article made a few errors that have since been corrected, as follows:

• Uusi Juttu's ambassador campaign was not run without any paid advertisement – we previously claimed it was
• Zetland's initial crowdfunder took place in 2015 – not 2016 – and did not directly lead to investment
• Previously reported internal leaderboard data was incomplete and has since been removed for accuracy
• Uusi Juttu independently ran the crowdfunding campaign