If you work with WordPress, chances are you’ve come across The Repository, Rae Morey’s newsletter keeping the community in the loop.
What started in 2019 as a side project has grown into one of WordPress’s most trusted reads, and last year Rae made the leap to running it full-time.
We caught up with Rae to talk about the surprises along the way, how she puts each issue together, and why independent journalism matters in open source.
You’ve shared how The Repository began as a side project to become your full-time focus. What’s surprised you most about the transition from side hustle to full-time publisher?
I wasn’t surprised so much as genuinely humbled by all the support when I went full-time last October.
Relaunching The Repository at that particular moment in WordPress history was a bit wild, so the encouragement from folks really meant a lot.
The transition itself felt pretty organic. I started The Repository in 2019 with Kim Gjerstad from MailPoet, so by 2025 I’d been working on it for years, had built a loyal audience, and working on it full-time felt like the next step.
Can you walk us through your workflow for curating and producing each issue of The Repository? What tools and routines keep you on track?
My workflow hasn’t changed much since my days working as a newspaper journalist.
Most mornings start with a sweep through Slack, social media, and the dozens of publications I follow in Feedly to catch up on what’s happening.
But honestly, the best leads come from conversations. I spend a lot of time DMing, jumping on calls, and checking in with people across the ecosystem.
My setup is intentionally simple: everything lives in Apple Notes, where I track tips and draft stories.
Fridays are “newsletter day,” when I pull it all together in MailPoet and edit it down to what matters most.
Before it goes out, Mike Johnston, The Repository’s proofreader, gives it a final once-over before hitting send.
From working in newsrooms to writing The Repository, what lessons from your journalism days still shape your editorial priorities today?
In newsrooms, you learn pretty quickly that trust is built by getting things right, even if you’re not first — at least, that’s how it was when I was a cadet back in the days before social media!
That’s why I usually publish fewer stories with more detail, and I always try to get comments from folks rather than rush out quick takes.
The biggest lesson I brought with me is that accuracy and depth matter more than speed.
I also learned the value of listening and building relationships. It’s seems pretty obvious, but people won’t talk to you if they don’t know you.
How do you decide which WordPress stories to elevate, and what criteria or editorial intuition guide your choices?
When I’m deciding what to cover, I start by asking: does this matter to the WordPress community?
After nearly six years of running The Repository, I’d like to think I have a pretty good sense of what’s going to resonate with folks when I’m curating the newsletter.
I recently talked about how I choose stories on the Media Playbook podcast I co-host for OpenChannels.fm, in an episode called How to Pitch Stories That Matter in the WordPress Community
https://openchannels.fm/how-to-pitch-stories-that-matter-in-the-wordpress-community/
You’ve covered high-stakes issues like legal disputes around Automattic and community governance. How do you balance urgency with depth and journalistic fairness?
For me, it’s about slowing down.
Even when news breaks quickly, I take the time to check facts, do research, and get comments.
I try not to speculate, and I always aim to add context. WordPress has been around a long time, so there’s a lot of history behind the people and businesses shaping the ecosystem.
What do you believe independent journalism contributes to open-source communities like WordPress?
There’s always a lot going on in the WordPress ecosystem but it’s not always easy to follow, or people just don’t have the time.
My goal is to connect the dots, ask the questions others aren’t asking, and explain why things matter.
Has there ever been a moment when you questioned whether you should keep going with The Repository, and what pulled you through?
So. Many. Times.
Especially during Q4 last year when WordPress news was going off and I was working seven-day weeks just to keep up.
Running an independent publication is exciting in many ways, but it’s also exhausting and financially precarious.
There have definitely been moments when I wondered if I could keep going. But here I am, almost a year since going full-time, signing up sponsors well into 2026.
I’m incredibly fortunate to have the backing of corporate sponsors (like 20i!) and a wonderful community of individual supporters and readers who believe in the value of independent journalism. I’m truly grateful for this support.
It’s what keeps me going.
How has your community of readers and supporters evolved since launch?
When I first started The Repository, the audience was mostly WordPress freelancers and developers who work with WordPress.
Over time, the audience has grown to comprise a wide variety of people from across the ecosystem — agency and enterprise owners, executives, contributors, engineers, etc. — all people who work with WordPress professionally and are invested in its success.
What strategies have worked best for monetizing and sustaining an independent newsletter like The Repository?
I’ve leaned into sponsorships and do my best to separate editorial and advertising.
I work with companies that value independent journalism and want to support a stronger, more informed WordPress ecosystem.
I also publish clearly labeled sponsored posts, which I treat with the same editorial care as news content.
Transparency is key — I want sponsors to succeed, but never at the expense of reader trust.
The Repository works with up to 10 sponsors at a time, so we’re not beholden to any one company.
This model keeps us independent while giving brands visibility in a trusted publication alongside other respected names in WordPress.
Could you walk us through an ideal media outreach scenario from brand to journalist?
I covered this on the Media Playbook podcast I mentioned above: How to Pitch Stories That Matter in the WordPress Community.
It’s a great episode — give it a listen! TL;DR: Have a clear, newsworthy angle and tell me why it matters to the WordPress community.
That’s all there is to it, really.
Is there anything non-WordPress, maybe a side passion or creative endeavour, that’s inspiring your work lately?
I’ve spent so much energy building The Repository over the past year that I haven’t made much space for other passions, TBH!
That said, I love hiking, especially multi-day hikes, and hope to do some walks in Poland when I travel there for WordCamp Europe 2026.
Closer to home, I recently hiked the Light to Light trail on the south coast of New South Wales and saw lots of humpback whales migrating south with their calves.
It was really energising switching off for a few days, but also having the time and space to think through ideas.