What Simple Politics does

Simple Politics is a UK-based political education media company founded in 2015 by Tatton Spiller. It produces simplified, accessible content about UK politics for a general consumer audience that wants to understand and discuss political issues without jargon. The core product set comprises a multi-award winning weekly podcast hosted by Spiller and Diane Daniels, two published books (The Breakdown and Politics, But Better), two card games (Policy Odyssey and Policy Odyssey 2), and a weekly Friday email newsletter distributed via Substack. Distribution runs through owned social channels on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube, with the company claiming the largest following for its brands on Instagram. The company has extended into adjacent verticals with Simple Money (personal finance, launched April 2025) and Simple Animals (positive animal content, launched 2026), and has stated plans for school partnerships.

The underlying technology stack is entirely third-party: there is no proprietary platform, no apps, and no APIs. Operations depend on Substack (email), Patreon/Donorbox/Buy Me A Coffee (donations), social media platforms (distribution), Stripped Media (podcast production), and an e-commerce storefront built with support from Arden Web. Headcount is 6 people operating remotely, primarily from Whitstable and other UK home locations. The business model is a freemium-donor hybrid: core political content is permanently free to maximise reach, monetised through a mix of approximately 60% donations/patronage, 15% shop sales, 20% grants, and 10% partnerships in FY2025/26. No paid subscription tier exists because the company explicitly states political engagement content cannot work behind a paywall. The company is privately held and bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional investment or external parent.

The go-to-market motion is community-led organic content marketing, leveraging the founder's personal brand, consistent daily posting cadence, podcast audience Q&A loops through Patreon, and earned media via TV/radio appearances and events. Distribution channels are direct-to-consumer digital plus a small physical goods e-commerce operation. Customers are primarily UK adults interested in politics, with secondary segments in schools/educators (planned, not yet active) and general consumers of hobby/games products. There is no enterprise customer base and no named B2B accounts.

Name

Simple Politics

Legal name

Simple Politics

Website

https://simplepolitics.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Simple Politics is a UK-based political education media company founded in 2015 that produces simplified UK politics content (podcast, books, card games, weekly newsletter) for a general consumer audience, funded primarily through donations and merchandise sales, and distributed across social media platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Education Media

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Political education media
• Civic engagement content
• Uk politics podcast
• Political strategy games
• Social media publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Patronage: Approximately 60% of funding in FY 2025/26. Includes regular contributions via Donorbox, one-off donations via Buy Me A Coffee, and ongoing Patreon support. The company emphasises that their core political engagement content cannot work behind a paywall.
2. Shop Sales: Approximately 15% of funding in FY 2025/26. Sales of books ('The Breakdown', 'Politics But Better') and the Policy Odyssey card game series. The Policy Odyssey card game was invented by Tatton Spiller in 2016.
3. Grants: Approximately 20% of funding in FY 2025/26. Occasional grants and support from organisations.
4. Partnerships: Approximately 10% of funding in FY 2025/26. Partnerships with organisations aligned with Simple Politics values, coordinated by Emma Thorne.
5. Platform Revenue Share: Minor revenue from Facebook and YouTube content monetisation. Instagram does not pay creators for content.
6. School Partnerships: Limited current revenue but with big plans. Educational outreach and school engagement initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Simple Politics produces and distributes free, simplified UK political education content across social media (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube), a weekly Friday email newsletter via Substack, and an award-winning weekly podcast. The company also sells physical products — two books (The Breakdown and Politics, But Better) and two political strategy card games (Policy Odyssey and Policy Odyssey 2) — through its own online shop, and has launched sub-brands Simple Money (personal finance content, April 2025) and Simple Animals (joyful animal content, 2026).

Product overview

Simple Politics is a political education media company that operates as a platform with multiple content products and sub-brands. The core offering includes a multi-award winning weekly podcast, two published books (The Breakdown and Politics, But Better), two card games (Policy Odyssey and Policy Odyssey 2), and a weekly Friday email newsletter. The company has expanded into related verticals with Simple Money (personal finance, launched 2025) and Simple Animals (positive animal content, launched 2026). All core political content remains free to access, funded through donations, merchandise sales, grants, and partnerships. The products are distributed primarily through social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, YouTube), email via Substack, and a dedicated merchandise shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Simple Money: A personal finance education brand launched in April 2025 to help people have better conversations about money. Posts most days on Instagram and Facebook, with plans to expand into video.
• Simple Animals
• The Breakdown
• Politics, But Better
• Policy Odyssey
• Policy Odyssey 2, the journey continues

Products and services

• Simple Politics Podcast

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stripped MediacoreTechnology or IntegrationStripped Media produces the Simple Politics Podcast. They handle podcast production services and the podcast is edited by Lottie Smith in collaboration with Stripped Media. Contact: [email protected] or www.Stripped.media.
• Arden WebminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArden Web provides website development and support services for Simple Politics.
• Facebook (Meta)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFacebook pays a tiny bit for Simple Politics content. Simple Politics maintains active presence on Facebook with largest following for their content on the platform.
• YouTubeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouTube pays a tiny bit for Simple Politics video content. Simple Politics developing video content for YouTube channel.
• PatreonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPatreon programme for regular contributions that largely funds the podcast. Patreon community members can ask questions featured in the podcast.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Novara Media: UK-based independent media outlet producing political analysis, opinion, and education across social media (particularly YouTube and TikTok) with a similar audience demographic of politically engaged younger UK adults. Direct competitor for the 'accessible political commentary' niche.
• The Rest Is Politics: UK political podcast hosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart, directly competing with Simple Politics in the UK political podcast space. Simple Politics beat The Rest Is Politics to win the People's Choice at the Politics Podcast Awards 2026, making them direct head-to-head competitors for the same audience.
• The New European: UK independent publication focused on politics, current affairs, and progressive opinion, with a print and digital presence. Direct peer in the UK independent political commentary space targeting a similar politically engaged UK audience.
• Byline Times: UK independent news outlet focused on politics, democracy, and accountability journalism, funded largely by reader donations. Comparable as a small-team, independent UK political news brand relying on audience contributions for revenue.
• Tortoise Media: UK independent, member-funded news outlet producing original journalism and analysis across politics, business, and current affairs. Tortoise's member-supported model (similar to Simple Politics' donation/Patreon approach) and podcast-driven content make it a directly comparable independent UK media peer.
• UnHerd: UK-based independent media platform producing political and cultural commentary, opinion pieces, and podcasts. Comparable as an independent UK media company producing multi-format political content and analysis for an engaged audience.

Emerging players

• The Critic: UK-based independent political magazine launched in 2019, producing commentary and analysis on UK politics, culture, and ideas. Comparable as a smaller, newer UK political publication with a similar independent voice and digital/print distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• The New Statesman: Established UK political magazine (print and digital) covering politics, current affairs, and culture with a long history. Broader incumbent in the UK political media space, with significantly larger scale and resources than Simple Politics but overlapping audience and content focus.
• The Spectator: Long-established UK weekly magazine covering politics, culture, and current affairs from a conservative perspective. Broader incumbent in UK political publishing, with podcast and digital content that overlaps with Simple Politics' audience.
• Politico UK: Major political news outlet with a UK edition covering Westminster politics for a professional political audience. Broader incumbent in political journalism with substantially larger scale; overlaps with Simple Politics in political news coverage but targets a more professional/political insider audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvMpQ0l7-GvqBW2VpytpvHA
• Facebookfacebook.com/simplepoliticsuk
• Instagraminstagram.com/simplepolitics
• TikToktiktok.com/@ogsimplepolitics
• Xx.com/easypoliticsUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simple-politics-official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Simple Politics