As a reader that makes fantastic sense to me. There is no way I can afford to spend tons of money to read all of my favorites. I only have two subscriptions at this point and my limit is five for my budget. Occasionally a writer will have something amazing that I just have to read but then the rest of what they write is not so interesting. Many have been writing about elections but know that they are over I need to know what they are going to write about going forward before subscribing. And this is unfair to the people who I read often but know they aren't hurting in the pocketbook, I will choose people who are less well known first. Spreading the wealth, I hope. Also, I would consider giving a contribution in order to read a story without subscribing. One of the ladies I follow has something on her site that says buy me a coffee. I have bought her a couple. I want you to be able to make a living writing. We need you and you're all doing a fantastic job. I am certainly not opposed to paying you for it. And spreading the word with shares and talking about substack with people I meet. I hope this helps with some ideas.
Buy a coffee is a great idea - often I would like to read a post without subscribing - it may be a one off topic of specific interest to me - I know I can pay for a month in some cases, but not always and then I have to remember to cancel.
I'm not sure how she does it but the one person I know who does writes 'What Joe Biden did today'. It's a very good post and actually I end up giving her more money than I would if I subscribed. She just has a button on there and it's a one-time donation rather than a subscription. As a writer I can understand why you want a subscription. As a reader I prefer not to have my card continuously resubscribing where I will probably forget. I will be subscribing to her but I wonder if she will be continuing with 'what the jerk did today'. I need to know I just don't want to be depressed everyday.
I think it's important to note for anyone reading that if you don't have a consistent upgrade rhythm throughout the year, drastically discounting your newsletter during the holidays is just putting a bandaid on a bigger problem.
For those of you who have a solid upgrade rhythm, here are a few pieces of data that could be helpful (they're from my Substack Reader Survey this summer).
The price range where respondents said things began to "feel pricey" was the $50/year - $75/year mark. I've tested this with clients who were struggling with upgrades, and any time they clarify their product/value proposition AND get inside or just dip below this window, their upgrade rhythm improves. (I know it sucks to hear "lower your price" but the reality is that if upgrades aren't coming in, it's your product, your nudge cycle or your price that's the problem.)
Also here's a helpful note on formatting your promotion: Make sure you are writing the FINAL PRICE of a yearly subscription in your upgrade buttons and links. This is what the data says is the FINAL determining factor for most upgrades; and this bears out in other pricing scenarios I'e worked in. In a cost conscious economy, the cash out of a reader's pocket is what matters most. And just make sure if you're at or above that price range ($50 - $75 a year) that you have the archive, onboarding sequence and skills to back it up.
Last year in December I did a Buy One, Give One offer. For everyone who purchased or renewed an annual subscription, I gave them one free annual gift subscription to give away. It was really popular, although a little difficult to track on my end. I also started a Scholarship Program for those unable to pay. I gave away about 50 scholarships; to enter I asked that they email me and tell why they were applying. Again, a bit cumbersome for me to track but worthwhile in the end as it is on mission for the kind of work I do.
Quick question, the other day a substacker emailed saying I could give for free 3 paid subscriptions to her newsletter. This is not available for everyone?
If I could afford any i would . Yet having cancer and heart disease makes it impossible . My thanks giving will be turkey tv dinner if lucky . Yet good offer for all
Here's a question: is there a way to *get* a gift subscription if you exclusively access Substack on desktop? (I was gifted a subscription a little while back, and was unable to redeem it as a pre-Y2K person who doesn't have access to the Substack app. Was very sad to leave that gift unopened!)
I want to have a special offer for Founding Member only plans. Is there a way to create a subscribe link that defaults to the Founding Member plan instead of the Annual subscription?
There is no way to set a special offer to founding members. We think of founding membership as a way for subscribers to pay more than the listed price as an extra show of support, similar to a donation. You can set this price at whatever you’d like, as long as it’s higher than your annual plan price.
You might consider lowering the founding tier price for a short period of time as a workaround.
I'm able to lower the price as you said. In fact, I've done it in the past. What I can't figure out how to do is to create a "Become a Founding Member" button that links directly to the option to become a Founding Member. The Subscribe option always seems to default to the Annual plan. Am I just missing something?
Awesome! Thanks - that's exactly what I was looking for. I'm planning to cut the price to $360.00 for a period of time. Do I need to update the plan id to reflect the new cost when I do that?
Instead of a % discount, what about 1 month/week of paid subscription?
One thing I believe brings a lot of value for future paid subscribers is to understand what is the benefit they will take.
If they are able to taste, more chances they come back.
Does it make sense?
Yes! From the special offer page, you can chose to offer a free trial for up to 90 days https://write.substack.com/publish/offers/new
Did you see that approach in the past? Might sound wild, but in my mind it makes a lot of sense.
Yes, free trials can be an effective tool to build trust and interest with subscribers. We've even automated free trials in some places with a feature that automatically allows you to offer a 7-day free trial to subscribers when they hit the paywall. https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/4418620510100-Can-I-add-a-free-trial-offer-to-a-paywall-on-my-post
Thanks Katie!
As a reader that makes fantastic sense to me. There is no way I can afford to spend tons of money to read all of my favorites. I only have two subscriptions at this point and my limit is five for my budget. Occasionally a writer will have something amazing that I just have to read but then the rest of what they write is not so interesting. Many have been writing about elections but know that they are over I need to know what they are going to write about going forward before subscribing. And this is unfair to the people who I read often but know they aren't hurting in the pocketbook, I will choose people who are less well known first. Spreading the wealth, I hope. Also, I would consider giving a contribution in order to read a story without subscribing. One of the ladies I follow has something on her site that says buy me a coffee. I have bought her a couple. I want you to be able to make a living writing. We need you and you're all doing a fantastic job. I am certainly not opposed to paying you for it. And spreading the word with shares and talking about substack with people I meet. I hope this helps with some ideas.
This feedback is gold for all writers that have a paid option on their newsletter.
Reader (we) are not rich, and we want to read something meaningful for us.
And we need to know what is that "extra mile" before paying for it.
Buy a coffee is a great idea - often I would like to read a post without subscribing - it may be a one off topic of specific interest to me - I know I can pay for a month in some cases, but not always and then I have to remember to cancel.
Can i ask - how do You “buy a coffee” as I thought you could only subscribe either monthly or yearly through Substack? @dewaltz
I'm not sure how she does it but the one person I know who does writes 'What Joe Biden did today'. It's a very good post and actually I end up giving her more money than I would if I subscribed. She just has a button on there and it's a one-time donation rather than a subscription. As a writer I can understand why you want a subscription. As a reader I prefer not to have my card continuously resubscribing where I will probably forget. I will be subscribing to her but I wonder if she will be continuing with 'what the jerk did today'. I need to know I just don't want to be depressed everyday.
Thanks so much for your quick reply!
My sentiments exactly!!
I think it's important to note for anyone reading that if you don't have a consistent upgrade rhythm throughout the year, drastically discounting your newsletter during the holidays is just putting a bandaid on a bigger problem.
For those of you who have a solid upgrade rhythm, here are a few pieces of data that could be helpful (they're from my Substack Reader Survey this summer).
The price range where respondents said things began to "feel pricey" was the $50/year - $75/year mark. I've tested this with clients who were struggling with upgrades, and any time they clarify their product/value proposition AND get inside or just dip below this window, their upgrade rhythm improves. (I know it sucks to hear "lower your price" but the reality is that if upgrades aren't coming in, it's your product, your nudge cycle or your price that's the problem.)
Also here's a helpful note on formatting your promotion: Make sure you are writing the FINAL PRICE of a yearly subscription in your upgrade buttons and links. This is what the data says is the FINAL determining factor for most upgrades; and this bears out in other pricing scenarios I'e worked in. In a cost conscious economy, the cash out of a reader's pocket is what matters most. And just make sure if you're at or above that price range ($50 - $75 a year) that you have the archive, onboarding sequence and skills to back it up.
Last year in December I did a Buy One, Give One offer. For everyone who purchased or renewed an annual subscription, I gave them one free annual gift subscription to give away. It was really popular, although a little difficult to track on my end. I also started a Scholarship Program for those unable to pay. I gave away about 50 scholarships; to enter I asked that they email me and tell why they were applying. Again, a bit cumbersome for me to track but worthwhile in the end as it is on mission for the kind of work I do.
I need to look into how to do that free gift subscription...
Really great idea!
Thank you so much for including me!
Here's my 50% holiday/birthday offer from MFA Lore:
https://open.substack.com/pub/aimeeliu/p/a-year-of-mfa-lore-for-half-the-price?r=12877t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
🍀
I consider giving away a mini poetry collection 😁 But don't tell my subscribers, its a surprise 🤫
Quick question, the other day a substacker emailed saying I could give for free 3 paid subscriptions to her newsletter. This is not available for everyone?
Hey Talia, these are likely gift referrals, which you can manage from your settings page. We use our data on your behalf to offer your most engaged subscribers the option to give your publication to friends. More info: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/8946512015892-Does-Substack-have-a-referral-program
If I could afford any i would . Yet having cancer and heart disease makes it impossible . My thanks giving will be turkey tv dinner if lucky . Yet good offer for all
One of the things that I absolutely 'abhor' about substack:
Unless you name the person you are replying to (by writing in their name)' Comments get lost.
I am so sick and tired of having to write in the names.
Get it together substack.
Here's a question: is there a way to *get* a gift subscription if you exclusively access Substack on desktop? (I was gifted a subscription a little while back, and was unable to redeem it as a pre-Y2K person who doesn't have access to the Substack app. Was very sad to leave that gift unopened!)
We've been experimenting with Substack-funded gifts with participating publications, but you have to download the app to redeem it. We do not currently have a program like this for web. More info here: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/31646054622740-What-are-Substack-funded-gifts
Good reminders for serious Substackers ...
I want to have a special offer for Founding Member only plans. Is there a way to create a subscribe link that defaults to the Founding Member plan instead of the Annual subscription?
There is no way to set a special offer to founding members. We think of founding membership as a way for subscribers to pay more than the listed price as an extra show of support, similar to a donation. You can set this price at whatever you’d like, as long as it’s higher than your annual plan price.
You might consider lowering the founding tier price for a short period of time as a workaround.
I'm able to lower the price as you said. In fact, I've done it in the past. What I can't figure out how to do is to create a "Become a Founding Member" button that links directly to the option to become a Founding Member. The Subscribe option always seems to default to the Annual plan. Am I just missing something?
This link should work https://www.aaronrenn.com/subscribe?selectedPlanId=founding54000usd
Awesome! Thanks - that's exactly what I was looking for. I'm planning to cut the price to $360.00 for a period of time. Do I need to update the plan id to reflect the new cost when I do that?
I believe so. If you run into any issues, please feel free to write support and the team would be happy to assist
Will do. I appreciate the super-quick and helpful response.
Thank you for the shout-out! I love offering a discount every now and again xo
Can existing paid subscribers also benefit from special offers the next time they renew? Or are special offers only for new paid subscribers?
This was soooo helpful—thank you!