Are you exploring when to go paid? Do you want to convert more free readers to paid subscribers? Brainstorm the best strategy for growing your paid subscriptions with fellow writers.
Our team will answer questions and share insights with you in the threads today from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m.–2 p.m. EDT. Go back to today’s Office Hours hub to explore other threads.
*Send those new paid subscribers a personal email of thanks.*
I bet few people do this, and certainly nobody beyond a certain level of success when they have thousands of subscribers, because that could get really time-consuming. But early on, when you're just getting a few dozen or anything up to a hundred? Say thanks, and go that extra step towards appearing human and approachable to them.
(And if you can spare the time, write that email entirely 'by hand', not using a copy & paste template - and maybe even Google their email address to see if you can find out something about them. If you say thanks and then "ps. I think you're in Montana? Is that right? Gorgeous part of the world - I'm jealous!" then you will look amazingly human. And you can't look too human in this line of work.)
Just to piggyback here; when you write that letter, make sure to ask if there’s a project they might be working on, and if there’s anyway you can help support it.
Maybe I’m just lucky, but some of my paid subs are working on some really cool projects!
Kevin, you've got a gift more taking a good idea and making it better. What I'm saying is, I think you're making your own luck. But I do love this suggestion!
I've been sending out handwritten notes with stickers when possible. Not everyone wants to share their address, but for those who do, I've been seeing notable results by making those subscribers ambassadors for the show, and feel more included in the process. I also follow up at the end of each season (roughly 3x per year) to ask if they have any feedback. Some of the suggestions have made it into the show, and even resulted in a new program/thread called Coffee Smarter for the listeners who don't care about the interviews.
(Full disclosure: I do this, and also I'm currently behind with doing it with new subscribers. But I get there eventually!) I'm currently just short of 350 paid, and it's still not a problem to find the time to send out one or two thank-yous every day. I plan to keep it up for as long as it's possible.
Sending out personalized thank yous is a good idea. Just keep putting forth the content. If you build it they will come. I offered a suggestion to have Substack put a donation button at the bottom of emails of our subscribers so a percentage goes to us and to a charity kind of like Amazon Smile.
"The Simple Act of Gratitude" by John Kralik, chronicles his journey writing 365 thank you notes over the course of 1 year and the change that resulted in his life and the lives of others because of that choice.
With 350 paid subscribers, how many Free do you have? I'm curious about your conversion rate. I've got 128 Subscribers, 6 paid. Also curious as to how long it took to get those subscribers.
My conversion's pretty low by Substack standards! (I'm not entirely surprised - I write about science and wonder and curiosity, so I figured it might be a slow/hard sell for most people, so I'm delighted that I'm already over the point where I'm making a full-time living from it). My free list is just short of 16,000, so my conversion rate is around 2-and-a-bit %.
As for how long: I wrote for 6 months before going paid, launched to around 60 paid subscribers on a free list of around 1000, and I've also had a few lucky strikes on Twitter threads that have grown my audience a lot: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-7 (And I've now been going for over 2 years.)
Forgive me if this is too personal, but I'm wondering about the mathmatics of making a full-time living with just 350 paid subs? Are they at the $5 monthly rate or are they mostly founding members?
My goal is to bring in $3,000/mo with my Substack and for me at least, the math isn't adding up quite yet!
- a have a little other writing income on top of that
- I'm living extremely cheaply in a corner of Scotland, having sold my home just before the pandemic with the intention of travelling for a while (but then, you know, pandemic) and with no debts.
So right now, it's just sustainable for me. But it's not quite enough to get travelling again, so that's my next goal.
That's great to hear Mike, 300 would be enough for me to go full time. I'm very much a way off at just over 30, but my full base of subscribers is close to 600 now, I've been on Substack for 12 months and only paid since then but blogging for around 5 years now.
Great idea, I will definitely do that! I went paid yesterday, excited and anxious to see how it turns out. I made sure to thank everyone in the announcement. Following up with everyone who upgrades is a great idea.
Honestly, zero expectations, seeing where it goes. Wanted to offer people who want to support me a chance to do so, but my main goal remains reaching / informing / inspiring people, so even if most people remain free subscribers I'm happy with that as well. I believe that if I just keep doing what I love and what I think is important, the rest will come in good time.
I feel the same way. If the writing is good, people will come by to read it. Opening my paywall this week is something I've been thinking about as far as offering my readers something extra, but all I have is my serialized novel I'm planning to write. But like you said, if I keep doing what I love, the rest will come in good time...and I'm here for a good, long time.
I think that is the best attitude to have, and I feel the same way. Even though I definitely need to find ways to generate more income here and elsewhere, I want my main reason for writing to be educating and inspiring readers by providing meaningful content that helps them in some way. Writing is also something I need to do for myself, whether or not I make much money doing it.
The first time I got a notice from Stripe saying that I had money coming in, I was on cloud 9. I've never made a dime with my writing, and suddenly I had money coming in. I've been doing this for so long without making a dime, that I'd never really thought about it too much. But if I can make $50...well, that's a nice bottle of good wine (or pretty good wine, depends on how picky you are.)
Exactly. I have a teaching job that I use for a stable income, so that I don't feel that pressure to get money from my writing, but eventually I of course hope that can be a reliable source of income. Doing this way helps keep that pressure off and to just give it some time, and of course so that I keep enjoying the writing.
I've just retired so I have a lot of time to dedicate to this. But when I was working I was up 2 hours before I had to leave for work just so I could write. There's no pressure to make money here (although living on a pension, I may change that attitude in the next year.)
I agree! Just keep putting forth the content. If you build it they will come. They already are for me. Slowly but surely. Focus on the work not the marketing. I offered a suggestion to have Substack put a donation button at the bottom of emails of our subscribers so a percentage goes to us and to a charity kind of like Amazon Smile.
I don't disagree here. I will turn on paid subs sooner rather than later, but right now i'm focused on reaching readers and producing within a reliable time frame.
Patting myself on the back a little here, because I just launched paid subscriptions this week (and scored my first $1K in paid subscribers!!) and have sent a note of thanks to everyone. Love the idea of asking about projects they are working on Kevin Alexander @On Repeat -- I'll remember that for future outreach. https://elizabethbeggins.substack.com/
Wow, that's awesome! May I ask how many free subscribers you had to begin with? I have 3,663 free subs and turned on paid last night. I haven't actually announced it yet but when I checked this morning I was shocked to see that I havce 8 paying subscribers! I can't believe it!
Ok, that's good to know. Makes me think I should have gone paid earlier, but I suppose that's a good regret to have lol. Congratulations on reaching that $1K milestone!
Absolutely! I've been doing this from the start... and including direct thank-you's in periodic posts such as this one on "The Keys to Building Real Community"
Hey did you ask your subscribers for permission to print their names? I've been thinking of doing the same thing but after getting their approval. Any thoughts on that?
I am probably thinking about this more than some because I do a fair bit of investigative reporting. I would guess that not everyone wants others in our industry to know they're supporting my work....for less controversial writing, it's probably not much of an issue.
This is such a great idea! Time consuming, but seems worth it. I think I'll try it, thanks Mike :)
I have started promoting my paid pieces more heavily, and it has worked wonders. I put an excerpt from my upcoming paid essay at the bottom of my free essay, and that gets some conversions. I also have sent a dedicated teaser email to my unpaid subscribers talking about the next paid post--my last one got 15 conversations. Finally, I send free previews to all my free subscribers.
Originally I was a little nervous about sending so much email, but since I always do it with love and in my own voice (not too marketing-y), it seems to work. I just doubled my paid subscriptions from 45 to 90 in about a month using these tactics. It has come a bit at the cost of unpaid subscriber growth - people who don't like the emails unsubscribe - but I figure those people weren't my core audience anyways.
These are great tips, Rae! I subscribed to a marketing guru who also sends me A LOT of emails. But you know what? Her voice is so authentic I honestly feel like it's a friend stopping by my desk at work to chat about something cool or interesting. I don't open every email but I probably open at least 75%!
That's a great idea. I've just turned my paywall back on. I only have 6 paid (one's a comp, so I guess that's really 5). Three are good friends, one's my brother, and the other signed on without me even having put something up. HE'S the one I have to reach out to!
This is a great tip; I've been worried that subscribers might be weirded out by a direct thank-you — and that by saying something specific to them it might even feel slightly creepy. But you've convinced me that I'm overthinking it and I'll start thanking them right away (I went paid literally yesterday!).
Yes, I've had that too. "Is this really you? LOL."
And that's the thing: the world got used to automating email responses. Some of our Substack emails are automated! It's sensible up to a point. But it's also A Thing Everyone Is Doing For Everything. And if we can find a way to *not* do the thing everyone's doing, even in a tiny way like this, we stand out. Pattern interrupt --> cutting through the noise ---> engagement boost. Weirdness for the win!
I honestly think that 99% won't be! I mean, they've gone paid, which means they already trust you more than 90%+ of readers, and that also suggests they want to follow your work even closer. So - yes, the same occurred to me before I tried it, but hundreds of emails later I haven't had anyone freak out. (Not to my face, anyway...)
Not sure if this is the right place for a little encouragement, but hopefully someone who needs it will see it this week. ♥️
As creatives we can get kind of obsessed with the idea of originality, especially when we're thinking of adding "value" in our work. I've found myself thinking on more than one occasion that if I can't say something "new, distinct, and different", then there isn't any point in writing or sharing. It's natural to chase the shiny, right?
But I believe that originality isn't nearly as crucial as authenticity. You're never going to come up with something completely new to say; originality is always going to be relative. BUT, your unique voice and genuine thoughts are what will keep readers coming back time after time. Sure, a new shiny thing might go viral, but an authentic voice will become beloved to the right community and have real, actual staying power!
So don't focus on trying to be as original as possible. Instead, write from your gut. Write your authentic self, and the right people will love it.
Most importantly: keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP! 🌿
Honestly the new format for office hours has been overwhelming for me. I'm not a new writer, I don't have a lot to say about the product, I don't have any paid subscriptions. Where do I go to comment on the unpopular posts and to tell people about little milestones? That "not sure if this is the right place" is how I feel for anything I might comment right now. It's like my favorite hangout got shut down and three new franchises opened up--which one do I go to? Within which peanut gallery ought I place myself?
It's a new equilibrium so I'm going to be patient with myself and see how the community adjusts and how I adjust with it. I appreciate that Substack is working on making the conversation more focused.
Your wisdom is well timed and well said. I got off schedule in March and I've been really struggling to come back. I need to tell myself it's ok to keep going even if it's imperfect. Showing up is half the battle.
Good feedback! I shared it with our team. In the future, maybe we should just make this paid subscription thread something more like "Growing - growing your list, growing your paid subscriptions, growing your practice" to capture more conversations like the ones you wan?
My two cents? I think the two areas that Office Hours shakes out into is "questions" and "conversation". Some people are here to ask specific questions and get specific answers, and some are here because this is where they get to interact with other writers and learn from each other. If those two needs could be met in a way that makes life easier for the Substack Staff, too, I think you would have a slam-dunk.
I love that y'all are so open to feedback, Bailey. It's really appreciated! One of many reasons why Substack is the best. ♥
I really like this idea of “questions” and “conversation”. I find these writers office hours interesting, but I don’t have time to peruse three threads.
I love the idea of making this a 'growing' thread instead of just paid. I actually still love the regular thread (now for newbies) and have enjoyed participating there to provide encouragement and see what's going on. The challenge is, that thread has become so large that I find it a bit challenging to navigate. Thanks for being a good listener, Bailey. Much appreciated. 💜
Growing works--honestly, if one thread is for the "new substacks" this feels like the place for veterans. I don't know how you organize the topic, but it feels like that is how it will naturally shake out. The newcomers are looking for first time advice, the established 'stacks know the ropes and are working on growth. In that sense, Growth seems to be the right idea! Thank you for your comment!
I subscribed. My Jewish daughter is engaged to marry an Italian Catholic. This seems like a good place to start so I can understand more about his religion. (Besides the fact that I have to sign up for an Italian language class.)
Completely understand the feeling, Scoot! I 100% get Substack's dilemma and how to streamline the office hours process every week, but it does feel a bit like we've lost some of the earlier openness. I'm a solution-driven person though, so I'm brainstorming some ideas.
I know they will find the perfect solution given enough time! They have succeeded in focusing the conversation and making it less of a free-for-all, and that I DO appreciate!
This has been kind of a personal journey for me too. As I kept writing on Substack, I started thinking more about why people would/should read what I write about, and concluded that, besides the interesting topic of the day, they would come for me. It has helped me become more comfortable with taking some risks in my writing and writing in my own style and the way I like. I think that is one of the big strengths of this platform, we don't have to write so distantly like, say, a newspaper.
You brought up a newspaper....With 'Stack, consider yourself the writer who gets up from his Underwood, carefully wraps his work in a deliverable wrapper, knocks on the door of a person who's anxiously awaiting your output, and, maybe you get asked in for coffee, where they might tell you what they thought! ....and, repeat!📝Go get 'em, Robert!✏
First, I think every place is the right place for a little encouragement and I always appreciate the encouraging words you share during writer office hours!
Second, I totally agree that authenticity is what matters, and it's impossible to be completely original with any content other than stories from our own lives and what we've learned from those experiences.
I agree. Being authentic to yourself helps. I suppose it's different when you just write fiction and don't offer up opinions about what's going on in the world. (I don't think people want to hear my opinion because I have no filter at the best of times.) But I do write good fiction...and a lot of myself is in my stories. I always tell my friends: "You DO know that I write, right?"
I agree. We each have unique voices an individual experiences to share on any given topic. My approach will be different than yours and not one of them might just be the exact things someone needs to give them that boost.
When I write from the heart, it always gets more feedback
My current series is about communication and draws on my own life experiences
bless you, Sarah! As always, you are a huge inspiration ☀️ I keep going through that quite often, both as a musician and as a writer; earlier this week i was ready to inform my readers about the changes coming to my newsletter and that very day i saw another writer had introduced the same thing! I held off announcing anything and have been unsure of how to go about it. Thank you for the encouragement. Needed to hear that! ♥️
There she goes again, *nailing it!* :) Thanks, S.E. Reid.
If I may - I would also add that there was a time when I had no idea what anyone meant when they encouraged authenticity and a unique voice. Maybe that was just me being slow on the uptake. But, over time, I came to realize that, for the most part, what moves me deeply is the source for both. I've written about my mother's "granny fork," the embarrassing medical calamity that happened while I was 10,000 miles from home, black swallowtail caterpillars and women's rights. None of that is particularly original, but they were my views and my words around my relationship with those things - and that's where the authenticity and voice came through. https://elizabethbeggins.substack.com/
And yes - no one has YOUR experiences, your view, so keep pushing that. I think Austin Kleon said something like "every post is like a flare gun for people like you." In a busy social media world where it seems only the dancing word pointers get the views, it can be discouraging, since it's such a slow build for us, but it's worth it!!!
The writers I love are on the edge of what’s been ok in our culture. They speak their truth to show others a different perspective. This is what I want to offer my reader, my own voice as I navigate life and the cultural imprint that has been laid down for me without me realizing it. So, I must write for myself and hope it may be a light for others.
Does adding your substack link to posts work to attract more viewers, you think? I have had plenty of people clicking on my profile when commenting in these threads, but wondering if adding the link might help make it even easier, or whether it could also be considered spammy?
How long did it take you to get 31 paid subscribers after your 500 subs? I'm new here - barely 2 months now - and just wondering about a good time to launch paid subs.
Personally, I think it's redundant and totally unnecessary to add our Substack links to posts here, since our names and newsletter titles are already clickable links (and the only ones I've ever clicked on here). But if others feel differently or have gotten extra clicks by also adding the link to their post or comment, so be it. We all have to do what seems best to us, and I do appreciate hearing what others think and seeing what they do even if I decide it's not the right approach for me to take.
I think you'll find newbies more likely to leave a link, until they learn/get used to the fact that our links are already provided with our ID pic. The other thing I don't mind reminding newbies is the sharing of other 'Stack writers' work, whether they post their own link or not, or whether it's Shout-Out Thursday or not.
Definitely agree, Brad. There are some awesome newsletters on Substack and so much variety. I love Deplatformable (https://pau1.substack.com/) because Paul delves into all things tech.....which I am not. But he has a way of making it fun and interesting. He even got me to try creating with ChatGpt.
Great question, Ben. I was just trying to use it to create an image, not for written content. I think I'm too 'old school' for that! And I'm not ready to have my thoughts taken over by a robot haha!
Is using AI for writing helpful? I'm using AI now! How's it doing? Why, I bet that it lookzkfnsdjg[ghsoofnfooisdn;aoigpitnnlsdfnlfjvlxnlkvndbdfnsfdfkvbndslsasafkmv nsalf'gf;/mdflv nxlsfml bbdfsdffbbkms;ffldbv n sdjnfvlsl[fh! Don't you think?
You're preaching to the choir, Heather! Paul is a terrific friend of FR&B, and we've collabbed on more than one occasion! Here's one: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/open-threadjoin-us-under-the-covers/comments We did a thread on fave song covers and bands! He's quite the music fan, and he joins us fellow 'Stack music writers on our bi-monthly Zoom call, too, we appreciate and respect his music acumen so much!
That's sweet! Just checked out the link. My daughter is a musician (not her day job haha) in Atlanta. They have a group called Themestock that brings together musicians from all over the country once each year to perform both originals and cover songs.
On the Office Thread, Robert, even when it's not a Shout-Out Thread, it's considered a little less spammy if/when you, perhaps, include the link of another 'Stacker you either read or sub to.
So, include your own 'Stack (object lesson😉) https://bradkyle.substack.com/, but you also might enjoy The Vinyl Room, Andy's new 'Stack that focuses on the history and joy of vinyl as a music format of choice over tapes, CDs, and streaming: https://vinylroom.substack.com/
good one. I am still looking for what ways of self-promotion I am comfortable with versus what works. I think I'm probably not the only one on here that does really like doing self-promotion / feels self-conscious about it, but you do have to do it sometimes..
WARNING: Paper will be mentioned! My go-to for self-promo has long been the business card! Using the pic to your left (that's me backstage with The Ramones in Houston in '77 when I was 22), I put a brief info paragraph on what my 'Stack offers, with the web address.
On the back is a little more info, along with a QR code that can be scanned (you kids and your QR codes!!)....So, if leaving a card with your restaurant tip, or pinning them up on Starbux or Panera bulletin boards, or offering one with some convo to someone in the grocery store line who's wearing a rock band t-shirt doesn't exactly turn your stomach, then the paper route just may be for you!!
So, go find yourself a Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame rock group to pose with, have a pic taken, visit VistaPrint online (or wherever) and go nuts! Good luck, Robert!
I just put my business cards up on the bulletin board of the coffee shop I'm writing from! I did this after following your advice from a previous session! Glad you're helping us think outside the box, OG sytle :)
💖Well, bless your Heartbeats, Mariah! (I'm from Texas, so we can say that, unironically)! Good for you! Don't forget on the little tip tray at restaurants, too! You and me, Mariah! Changing the way people Substack! See what I did there....used "Substack" as a verb!👍
I love the extra ideas for places to leave business cards. I don't have any, but I've considered getting some to place on bulletin boards or hand to people who ask what I do. I never would have thought to leave one with my tip/signed credit card slip. That's a brilliant suggestion!
Thank you, Wendi! As I used to tell my ex-wife, I'm sometimes capable of the brilliant! What I love about the cards (re: tip tray) is I'm meeting a wait person whom I'd never have met had I not gone into that restaurant at that time.....and, if I leave my card, that's a person who'd never had had a chance to even know I wrote anything, much less a 'Stack about behind-the-scenes rock music from the '60s on!
Plus, they're a great convo-starter! I can just walk up to someone at a store or the gym, and ask, "Hey, what kind of music do you like?" No one's gonna balk at that question....in fact, most are more than eager to be "low-key interviewed" like that! It's begun some deep and lengthy convos, and even its share of subs!
And, dig this! My FR&B co-writer (of 20 articles chronicling his behind-the-scenes peek at '70s Hollywood record biz), singer/songwriter/guitarist/actor, Stephen Michael Schwartz (1974 LP on RCA Records), has a sold-out show this Saturday at a supper club-type venue in L.A. He'll be leaving a card at each place setting at the show (when I had 1,000 new ones made last summer, I sent him 1/4 of them)!
Starting Saturday, I'll have to monitor my sub sign-ups, and see if there's a bump! Again, it'll be people getting my card a couple thousand miles away (I'm in TX) who would otherwise never have heard of FR&B! So, get some cards, and go make friends with a pop star!!😉
It's not spammy. I used to do that all the time. But sometimes I get lazy. I usually put up a link to my "About" page. That way people can see what I have to offer and go from there. like this...https://benwoestenburg.substack.com/about
I know this helps, but it's a bummer that it does, because it should be unnecessary, at least just for posting the publication URL... This is a UX opportunity for Substack to improve how writers/publication are linked from comments.
Y'all might enjoy my post on "The Keys to Building Real Community"
some. Honestly I often get more comments outside of Substack, by email, and on social media. I wish they were all on Substack, but people reply in all sorts of ways, which is great, but it means that a lot of what I see doesn't get seen by others. I get a lot more feedback from other writers who I collaborate with in writing groups and otherwise. Are you looking for that more of that sort of thing yourself?
He started pretty well the same time I did. So I'd say 10-11 months. He's got a pretty good page. I'm subscribed to it. You should check it out. He writes more than just fiction, which is all I offer. But check him out.
Just reached the milestone of 30 free subscribers today. I'm still a ways away from going paid, and I plan to keep my newsletter free and instead add extra content for paid subs.
I have my plan all laid out for that, and I'm pretty happy with it...how my question is: how did you know when it was time to start announcing that you plan to introduce a paid option?
Was it subscriber count? Engagement? Pledges? What was your tipping point?
Agree with Martin. I waited for a little over a year but if I could go back I'd do it ASAP. Your most engaged and supportive readers will probably support you from the jump.
I worry about those who can't afford to pay. Also, I didn't have a large following on social media when I started and I don't have 100 friends. I write funny stories that have to do with aging. Trying to find my peeps who need a laugh.
Allegedly I'm funny too, and humor as a value prop seems tougher anecdotally. It probably makes sense to leave the majority of your work free to access because most people are interested in receiving something funny, even if they're reticent to pay for it.
I have a no questions asked free sub policy for anyone who's a student or financially insecure, which I think makes it more equitable. I only expect people who can easily pay to pony up, and make that clear repeatedly.
A great place to communicate something like that is on your About page.
Kinda. I went paid only because someone had pledged. And I didn't know what a pledge was (or that I'd even been signed up for it). But I figured I might as well accept. I'm still figuring out my content (a lot of it is legal writing) and what I intend to put out. I figure though that for the amount of time it takes me to research, write, and edit (not to mention brainstorm ideas), if someone wants to be supportive, I might as well let them help me.
Interesting that you lost free subscribers when you went paid. People experience various emotions! – and the unsubscribes may or may not have been related to your decision. (It’s hard sometimes for me to tell what causes readers to go paid or to unsubscribe.)
I did it this way, and at the beginning, the paid and the free were the same. I was pretty explicit about that, and the paid subscribers were doing it purely to support the show. Now that there are more things coming along for paid subscribers exclusively, they've become even more engage ambassadors.
Also, @substack, while i'm trying to read/post a comment this thread keeps refreshing and booting me down the line, making it difficult to read down. What up with that?
I went paid right from the start because some friends of mine bought into it on the second day I started my page. I didn't even know what I was going to do, and they were already wanting to pay. I had to close it off for a while, but have opened it again. But I only offer two choices. My (long) short stories, or novels I want to serialize. Everything else is behind the paywall, with a promise that my stories will always be free, until they get archived after 2 months.
I'm not exactly rolling in subscribers just yet, Sam, but here's my experience. I took a full year to figure out the platform, find something of a personal voice, and built up to 80 free subscribers. Once I felt I had a sustainable cadence for publishing regularly, I turned on paid. My free subscribers stayed with me, but I opened the door to some new possibilities. Good luck...keep it up!
This probably sounds quite daft but I love it when people actually share how many free/paid subscribers they have plus how long it took as then I get some sense of what I should be aiming for otherwise I can feel like I am ploughing on in a bit of a vacuum with no idea how well or badly I am doing. Many times I feel like giving up as I trickle in a few free subscribers each week So basically thank you for being open!
Hi Deborah - I’ve been here a year but writing wholeheartedly since November when I moved my mailchimp list of 320 over here. I have around 525 with 8 paid. So in 5 months Substack has brought me 200 subscribers. Most have come through this network with a handful through my social media. 🥰 grateful for this platform and everyone on it. ✨✍️🪄
Thanks for this. That sounds like great progress. I gave my previous Mailchimp subscribers the choice to move over here and not all did hence I have been relying a lot on my social media to promote my writing. I’m not quite sure how to get more through Substack itself so keen to hear any tips.
Sam......I'd add to your plan by waiting til you had a significant (you decide....number? percentage of published articles?) number of articles written so that you can go back and "lock" (paywall) a number of your earlier posts.
This, then, segments your site and clearly shows free articles, and ones that will require an upgrade to paid. I'd work on a balance of a handful of your fab articles to lock, but also leaving a large portion of fab work as free....to attract people to free sub, in the grand hopes they'll upgrade in the future! Good luck!
Just hit 400 subs and 5 paid...However, my paywall is just for access to the archives...trying to soft pedal the paid thing, because my priority is 2,000 subs for my book launch in 2024. jamesrichardson.substack.com
I was going to do that. I told myself: Don't go paid until you have 2000 subscribers. I went paid after I finished my serialized novel A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO TIME TRAVEL. I thought it was the thing to do because I want to serialize another novel, and thought if I put it behind a paywall right from the beginning, people might accept it easier. It's all hit and miss.
^^^ tldr: How I ~stopped worrying and learned to love my Thirst Marketing Era ^^^
I was wildly encouraged when a number of my IRL friends bought subscriptions when I started my substack.
That growth, however, quickly plateaued, and my fantasies of semi-effortless fame/fortune were DASHED. I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that if I want this thing to grow like a business then I have to treat it like one.
Which is to say that I literally MADE BUSINESS CARDS—lots of affordable and reasonable options for this, I went with My Local Staples®️—and have tried to smush them at new people whenever possible.
While most of these cards presumably end up in the trash, This One Random Dude who I met at a soccer game—a friend of a friend's friend!!—apparently woke up the next morning with my card in hand and purchased a subscription. Meaning that, to my astonishment, my "investment" of 500 business cards has already paid for itself.
As much as I am averse to QR codes, spiritually speaking, I did plaster one on on every card. And I think that has been the key. I watched an acquaintance take the card, see that one side had only my name on it, and look discouraged; he flipped it over, saw the QR code, literally said "Thank god" out loud, and immediately scanned it with his phone. He just didn't want to type anything into his phone by hand! AND WHO COULD BLAME HIM.
Main page! Seemed the safest option. Think it sends em right into the "sales funnel" / enter-your-email prompt, which ofc at worst they can decline and be taken to the main overview page instead, where at least theyll get an overall VIBE.
ALSO i am apparently a weirdly inaccurate judge of which posts are going to resonate. like when i feel super proud and precious about a post, the reception is often MUTED, and a couple times ive sent something out in raw desperation to have a post finished , fully confident that no one will like it, and someone will say its their favorite yet. MYSTERIES ABOUND
Nice! Do you hand them out personally or leave them in public spaces?
I've had lots of success handing my cards out personally. I'm thinking about taking a day to put them out all over town, but I'm doubting if it will really move the needle. Curious your thoughts.
maaaan TIMOTHY so far its been almost all personal handouts but ive been thinking the same thing! honestly it feels worth a shot, if only to find out if it works---slash i feel like, the more i trick myself into staying in the habit of Promotion, the less uncomfortable it is. i also think theres a serious feedback loop that works in our favor when people see someone take a project seriously. feel like a hilarious amount of outcomes are just determined by people instinctually matching your energy, not to be whatever about it.
—WELL okay actually i DID furtively leave like, two lonely business cards on the El in chicago when i visited lol. same thing at a random ass cincinnati STARBUCKS WITHIN A TARGET , when the STARBUCKS WAS CLOSED but the target was open. nothing came of those, obviously. but really what i should try next is ASKING an ALIVE BARISTA (or whoever) if i can leave a stack, like actually try to make a connection. your question is helping me, is what im saying. thank you!!
I felt like the monkeys gawking at the monolith in 2001, mind was blown / knew nothing could be the same from here on out. entering my plot-hatching era.
i am now darkly tempted to wrap my corolla (!!) in Ask Me About My Blog / qr codes, slash like, i dunno, have a chain made? rapper slash tony soprano style? with the qr code EMBLAZONED THEREUPON?
if etsy-for-qr-code-chains ends up being my million dollar idea i will be so upset hahaha
1. Set your founding subscription price high and click the box that lets people pay less than that price, but more than the annual. This is a good way to make sure that people who are super-fans have plenty of wiggle room in their budget. Also, founding subs can be a really big revenue driver, especially for smallish Substacks where passion is probably really high, but there isn't enough audience (yet) to convert monthly and annual paid subs in the hundreds or thousands.
2. Wait until you've put out enough posts and grown big enough in terms of audience to go paid. I say this because I wouldn't have come close to being able to figure out a value prop in my first year, but as you scale (both in terms of audience and content) you will have more information and feedback to help you find your value prop.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate. I've found that paying subs are among my most understanding readers, but the key to that understanding is that I share what I'm going through. Sometimes that's as simple as taking a break, sometimes it's more complicated stuff like raising prices, or adding a new benefit. But the point is, whenever you run into a jam about what to do with the business side or operations of your Substack, it's really helpful to let readers in on your thinking as early as possible.
I try to tell people in advance. But if I've missed that opportunity, I might just schedule a quick note to readers explaining my absence. It helps if you can share a little info in that explanation to give your readers a sense of Why. They're human beings and they'll usually understand if your explanation reminds them that you're human too. Also, sometimes I include a link to an old post, one many of them may not have read because they subscribed after it was published. That usually makes people happy because at least they get a new-to-them story.
I have an "Up next" blurb at the bottom of every post where I signal what I'll be working on next. When I need to take a week off I communicate it there.
Definitely okay ... I took a two week break right after Christmas. I wrote that I would be doing that in the issue before the break, then also published a very short reminder post a day or two before my usual Friday issue would have been published.
Also, remember that you can write a post in advance and schedule it to be published later. I've done that during weeks when I knew I wouldn't be able to write on Friday as usual but could write something on Monday or Tuesday, then schedule it to go out on Friday.
Martin, if you're (during your leave) still able to access your/a computer, you might consider cross-posting a fitting 'letter from a writer you like. Sadly, crosses aren't yet schedule-able, but I've used cross-posts to not only inform my readers and share great work by others, but (as I did yesterday!) "buy me time" if I'm running behind in my post schedule!
We went to Mexico in the beginning of March and I scheduled a post while we were gone. I could have put other posts up, but thought, "fuck it, I need a break just as much as the next guy." Taking a break didn't hurt my page any. If I need to take a break because we're going on a holiday, I'll tell my readers I'll be away for a week or two, suspend the paywall for the time I'm gone (just in case; don't want them paying for something they're not receiving.)
I'm offering paid now, it's nice to be able to paywall a lot of my work now after 2 years and also the support is appreciated greatly. I think paid needs promotion, and a longer and established audience before turning on the tap. I did no paid posts for a long time.
Here's my experience, Sri....your smile-age may vary. I started in Aug '21, and pushed no buttons. I obviously had nothing to paywall, and waiting or looking for a "strategy" to go paid hadn't occurred to me. I'd just leave the ability for subbies to pay or upgrade be, and your "paid strategy" turns to (as David mentioned above....or is it below?) paywalling....now, of course, after 1 1/2 years and dozens and dozens of arcticles, I've chosen which coupla dozen or more articles to "lock" (yes, some of my "best") and which to leave free (again, good ones, too, 'cause that's, theoretically, what will attract subbies)!
So, let people pay if they want...now decide at what point (and how many/what percentage?) you'll lock some articles to use as "bait"!! Hope that helps, Sri!
Lol! funny but go for it! I lost zero free subscribers, the only thing is people don't pay, but you wont lose subs just because you offer additional services. I sent an update email before :)
That’s so true. When I think about it more I realize that there isn’t too much to be afraid of -- maybe I’m just nervous that no one will go for it? But then I’ll just be in the same position that I’m in now 😅
rebecca tbh even just GLANCING at your page, my bet is that as soon as you turn on paid-ness you'll wonder why you didnt do it sooner. i mean you got the BLURBS goin, you got people CLICKIN and TALKIN on the POSTS; i could be wrong ! but if several of them arent already ready to jump at a lil paid-ness for your shit, you can say, A Random Internet Person Was Wrong AGAIN, this one was Alex and im Against Him. and i will accept that, however ruefully, but be very surprised.
I was/am terrified, too, but I turned on paid last night and already have 8 paid subscribers! And I haven't even announced it yet (that's probably a mistake on my part....oops).
That's amazing!! Congratulations, Skye :) And maybe there's something to be said for the stealth route when it comes to turning on paid subscriptions -- I wonder if people really fare that differently depending on whether they announce it or not.
Hi Rebecca! I started out paid from the beginning but had NO expectations anyone would go for it. I sent a personal email to about 60 of my friends talking about my new free newsletter and about 17 of them signed up! Out of that initial 20 or so, I was SHOCKED that 5 or 6 became paid/founding members right away!
It was honestly super humbling and encouraging. They were all people I knew in person but somehow that made it even more special.
I think I got my first paid subscriber who I don't know in person yesterday...another milestone!
What I love about Substack is you aren't forcing anyone to do anything...you're just offering opportunities and seeing what happens! Value yourself and your writing and others will, too.
Appreciate your insight & personal experience!! Definitely a great reminder that I'm not compelling anyone to do anything, just offering up the choice for them to make. :)
Thanks Elijah, I think I am leaning towards keeping all my posts available and turning on paid subscriptions just as a way to support my work. Ideally, I would love to offer something extra to paid subscribers, though, so will require more thinking on my end. Thanks for the encouragement!!
The imposter syndrome is so real!!! I'm definitely one of those "waiting for a milestone" people and then I keep modifying what qualifies as THAT milestone and nothing ever really happens :/
Because we've been conditioned to believe that it doesn't have worth. That daring to treat your writing as a business is somehow sleazy. It's not, of course, but old habits die hard.
You will occasionally see someone in these threads demanding that everything be made free. Or a poster will state that they unsubscribe from any newsletter that has a paid option. It's weird.
This is something I have been trying to reconcile for a while now.
I opened paid subscriptions early because I had it in my head that if I didn't, I was leaving one more mental hurdle to get over and it would impact my ability to concentrate on the content instead of whether this post would be the one I would start "accepting" paid subs.
And I don't paywall any of my content yet, which I have attempted to lay out clearly.
About two weeks ago I got my first paid sub. They paid a full year at once, which was wonderful. I was flabbergasted, to be sure.
And yesterday evening I hit 100 free subscribers.
Both milestones have left me looking around wondering what I am supposed to do now.
Neither seemed a reality when I started, just a pipe dream.
Congratulations, be proud of everything you have achieved! Might be an obvious suggestion, but keep writing! Plus engaging with the audience you have built can be immensely satisfying.
Hi! Did you import your blogging posts to substack? I did that when I moved over to substack and all of a sudden I had a pretty big archive... does that count?
It absolutely counts! I did the same but he didn’t publish them right away. I doled want them out one per week to get me started on a regular schedule of posting.
Ah makes sense. I had it all backwards, in my case. I was writing newsletters via mailchimp, then posting my newsletters over on the ‘notebook’ section of my website, which really was a blog. It didn’t make sense why someone would sign up for my newsletters if they could just visit my site from time to time… now I’m using substack and no longer post the content on my site. I’ve been able to build a real ‘archive’ this way. When I go paid (someday soon ;) I’ll offer up the archive. I think?!
You just need to be you. That’s more than enough. It’s a different metric here - I don’t think it’s money for time at all. It’s more a cheerleading space I think? A community of suport?
Does anyone offer paid subscriptions as a donation, rather than in exchange for accessing content behind a paywall? My substack Ask an Author (katebroad.substack.com) is an advice column for writers with a focus on craft and publishing, and the point is to answer people's questions and help make the publishing process less opaque and more equitable. So I don't want people to have to pay to ask q's or see the answers! I'm currently offering people the option to pay if they'd like to support the work, and I have some takers but am wondering if anyone has tips for how to approach the ask for donations, or advice in general around this type of subscription model. I could offer different content behind the paywall, but I'm not quite ready to make that commitment on top of all my other work!
Cafe Anne uses a donation model. All content is free, but some people pay. Sorta like public media. It's a beautiful model, but it's very challenging to pull off, at least in my experience. Anyway, check out Cafe Anne and see how she does it. https://annekadet.substack.com/
Appreciate the example, thank you! "CAFÉ ANNE will always be 100% free—no paywalls. It trusts that the readers who can afford a paid subscription will keep it going for those who cannot." That's great phrasing to use.
Hi, Kate. I have a paid option and the only diff between the paid and free is that paid gets access to the archive (posts go there after 2 weeks)...and a bonus post or two, but nothing on a schedule. It's to thank the paids rather than ice out the free. If people are already contributing, they see the value in what you are doing. Give them more options. xo
That's a nice idea to approach it as rewarding the paids! I might start getting a lot of the same questions if I can't direct people to previous posts, but I like this way of thinking about it and will see if there's more options I can do as a thank you for payment or a bonus of some sort. Thanks for the ideas!
I implemented this approach too, treating paywalled stories as "carrots" rather than "sticks." Can't say how successful it's been yet, but this month I'm putting some additional goodies behind my paywall that will hopefully encourage more readers to venture behind the curtain.
You can set your archive for longer than 2 weeks if that helps, and you also have the option to let readers try paid for 2 weeks (so that's a lot of access). People can subscribe then cancel (not that we want that, but still), so there are options. I want to give and provide access, but it would also be nice to be compensated for what's going out there. And I would hope that people see the value in that, not just a money grab. I set the annual to $40, which is a $20 savings for the year, because I want paid subscribers to feel like they are getting something for that support. I mean, you can get Vanity Fair for $8/year (and a tote bag). At least here, you aren't getting bombarded with ads or the algorithm spying on you. That, too, has value. Once I reach a personal milestone, I'll add the Founders option, and then I'll have to provide something just for them. It's all about feeling out your audience and what you are comfortable doing. Good luck! xo
I offer paid subscriptions but do not currently paywall any content. Here's is the phrasing I use on my about page:
"Jen Zug Writes is free to read and free to comment. Executing as a writer is the goal. Creating community is the goal. Testing my ideas is the goal. A paid option exists for you to say, “Hey, I love your voice and I want more of it. Here’s a couple bucks. Keep going.” Yes, I’m saying money sometimes does buy love."
Substack says they see 5 - 10% of free subscribers convert to paid, with 10% being a rate to aim for. Using this model and not being super pushy about it yet, my paid subscribers are at 6% of free. I was at 9% a few months ago, but my paid subscriber rate hasn't kept up with my free growth.
For now I'm fine with this, but I'm currently working on some content that I want to be paid for, so I will put that behind a paywall and push for subscriptions.
This is really great phrasing, thank you for sharing! I like how you frame the ask and make clear how much this support means, but it's not pushy (and it made me laugh!). I suspect that as your free subscribers spend more time with you, some of them will convert to paid because they'll want to support you, even if they don't make that commitment the very first time they sign up. :) :) :)
I write about writer's block, and currently my paid subscribers don't get anything extra. They just seem to want to support me, which is lovely. I don't have many yet, but my first one was a lovely vote of confidence!
I love this focus on support, and on addressing writer's block! I just subscribed! I get a lot of questions about overcoming the blank page for my advice column Ask an Author (https://katebroad.substack.com), and definitely in the coaching I do. It's so good to be talking openly about these challenges, and sharing tips to overcome it! Love your title, too.
Thanks, Kate. I love the look of your Substack too, so have also subscribed!
I am thinking about doing some webinars with authors, talking about times they've had to overcome a block, to help both promote the newsletter and give me something worth putting behind a paywall, I'm just dithering over when to do that.
Yes, I do. At this point I don't put any content behind a paywall other than archived previous articles more than two months old. I have VERY few paid subscribers, since they don't get anything extra yet (I'm in the process of creating a digital product that paid subscribers will get free, and they will get discounts on any future products or coaching services I offer, but I still don't plan to produce separate content just for paid subscribers). I'm fine with that for now, because very few is still better than none!
This was my thinking too, after the pledge option began and I realized some people were pledging. I don't want to deny anyone the opportunity to pay if they'd like, and a little bit is still more than zero! But I'd like to figure out how to be a bit more intentional about it. I also have an editorial business where I edit manuscripts and help with all aspects of querying, and I just started offering subscribers a discount on those services. Maybe there's another way to sweeten the pot for paid subscribers, or I could restrict that discount only to those who've gone paid. It's a little bit of robbing myself to pay myself, but I could do the math and see if it helps me boost the subscription numbers in a meaningful way. Thank for the ideas!
I was literally going to ask a similar question! I was wondering if Substack might ever consider a pay-what-you-wish model. Some might pay less than I'd charge, some might pay more. If Substack set that up, it would allow the payments to still go through Substack (vs. Ko-fi or some other site).
I had this thought too! I started off adding a Ko-fi link so people could make a one-time donation or choose a smaller donation amount, but then I felt like I had a LOT of asks all going on at once and it was muddying the waters. Please subscribe! Also donate! Or leave a tip! And ask me a question! (Since it's an advice column each post begins and ends with that extra request, so it's a lot of links and buttons and hard to streamline into one clear ask.)
This is the conundrum! I wonder if having language around supporting the content, making the content available for everyone, trusting that those who can pay for the content will do so, etc. will help encourage some to donate, without losing the whole model?
Noooo, tell those insecurities to get lost! You have a Substack to write! But seriously, I do think you (we?) can make this model work, even if we know we aren't going to get rich off of it. You could always introduce the option, and if nobody goes for it, you haven't lost anything. You're just making the choice available. :)
I've just created my first paid newsletter option (monthly, going out on Monday, in addition to a free weekly) and I'm soooo curious to see how it turns out! I love the idea of personally thanking subscribers, and will be following up on that. Thanks
Hey congrats! So have I, just yesterday.. Really excited and curious about it.. I'm offering all my free subscribers one month of full access to everything so they can see what they would get for a paid subscription. Curious to see what happens when that month is up.
Good idea, I’m turning paid on and will be doing a weekly post for paid with bi weekly free. Plus some learning resources for paid subs. I’m so curious to see what people will pay for!
As a technicality, consider that there are two ways to do it:
A) turn on paid, but don't wall anything off and let all your subscribers access everything. clearly show what will be paid after the month is up. manually send one or two emails when the time is up, so that people know they have to upgrade to keep getting those benefits. then make sure you manually add the extra days for all people who upgrade in that free month.
B) turn on paid, wall things off and basically put everything the way you want it long term. upgrade each free subscriber to paid manually. reminder emails are sent automatically by substack (you can customise them from your settings). problem with this is, what do you do for new people who subscribe in that month. do you also add those manually, because then you have to make sure that the number of days are correct etc. plus people will get a lot of extra emails too.
I chose A, seemed easier and less administrative issues.
I like the idea of opening the paywall to the FREE subscribers so they can see what I have to offer. It's a serialized novel and I'm just starting it, so they can get in on the ground floor and decide if they want in.
Launched paid options this week. I announced on Tuesday in a dedicated, longer email, then mentioned again at the top of my regular Wednesday post. Just got the notice from Substack that I've hit my first $1K!! Obviously I'm not going to quit my full time gig and live off writer income tomorrow, but I'm still stoked about the show of support.
Hey Substack fam! This week I received my first paid subscriber! It feels so much more heartwarming than getting a job or client (despite the massive difference in dollar amount). I feel that's because it's so much more personal, so much more intimate when someone who's discovered you online decides your work is great enough for them to support it.
So there was the thrill, and then I fell back down to Earth. Crikey, I've got a paying subscriber. Where to go from here... what have others done? Do you produce differently for that first, say, 100 paid subscribers, than you do once you have 500 or 1K? How do you balance paid vs free content? Appreciate any insight as I start to ramp up paid content.
Haha that's great Robert, congrats right back to you! I run a business and this is my side gig, but it's one I wouldn't mind growing to rival the business, for sure!
Congrats! Feels a bit like an important guest is coming over and your house isn’t clean yet, doesn’t it?
Don’t fret about adding more. People may not want more, just you. Maybe say what they’re paying for. Some newsletter subscriptions are to keep it free for everyone and also because they really value the work. I like to provide extras because it’s a small community I can share with, but what your model looks like is up to you. There’s also the option of simply asking what people want to see.
I send a signed copy of one of my books to every paid subscriber.
The book sells for $28, but I get them for much less and by shipping via media rate, it costs me less than $10 total. Hopefully, some will also buy one of my other books.
Hi all. I have adopted a softly softly approach so far with mainly just my archive being behind the paywall.
I don’t have time to post separate content for paid but may consider one week paid then one week free. I’m worried about putting off my free subscribers though.
I’d also consider threads for paid only but you need a decent number to make this viable or people will be talking to themselves.
Another thing I’m considering is offering a time where I will be online for them to talk directly through a thread to me.
Hey everyone. This isn't advice, but I wanted to take a moment to urge all of you to be as authentic to yourselves as possible.
It's easy to start comparing your content to those you find on Substack and other channels. It's even easier to assume your readers want a certain opinion or style or whatever. But as your subscriber base grows, it's better to be following your path and not the path of someone else.
It gets harder as those subscribers roll in, not easier.
So take the time to consider what you really want to write about and check in with yourself from time to time to see if those topics and ideas feel authentic to you. The rest will follow.
I absolutely agree. My stuff is true to me. Weird and hopefully wonderful. I am not going to write about what is trending, hip, or cool. I write about my life experiences and what I have researched passionately.
My spirit of intent is to inform, inspire, and hopefully engage in a lively conversation.
I'd hate to have lower-income readers who can truly only do month-to-month *not* be able to subscribe because of a bloated monthly rate, though. I suppose it depends on your audience, but I'd rather keep people with the content rather than put them in a financial bind for any reason.
Depends on your audience, and how much you know about them/what you know about them. Generally, my audience is made up of music lovers, but because of my behind-the-scenes nature (including an actual working singer/songwriter for decades writing for me...Stephen Michael Schwartz, who's recorded for RCA and Disney Records), I've got a healthy crowd of industry pros, too (songwriters, producers, former rock critics).
For you, Theresa (and hearing how you feel), I'd keep your monthly reasonable, and set an annual rate that's lower than prescribed, but also gives a noticeable break (i.e. equivalent to 3 months free, etc)....mine's $42 with a $6 monthly. So, even knowing the above, it would never occur to me to "jack up the price" just 'cause I might have industry types subbing! We each have to make that assessment! Good luck!
I really like this approach and I think it gives readers time to recognize the ongoing value and you, the author, time to figure out what is working (and what isn't).
Hi - I'm a writer at Nominal News (where I cover variety of current issues from the lens of what academic economics research and what that research tell us.) I recently reached a 100 free subscribers. I know that that is too little to go for paid subscribers, but I was wondering when did other writers decide to go paid?
Secondly, regarding pledges - do pledges automatically get charged if I'd go paid, or is there an option to allow people who pledged to confirm whether they want to actually go through with it.
Thirdly, especially for smaller substacks - which of the for options have you found to be best regarding going paid (freemium, private club, donation, exclusive).
Lastly, (a little self-promo) - https://nominalnews.substack.com/ - if you are interested on what economics has to say on a variety of topics (such as gift giving; how partner preferences impact career outcomes; what is driving current inflation; what are the impacts of some recent economic policies) - please feel free to subscribe!
I had the same question about your second question.
With regard to your third, I think it comes down to your own preferences and audience. I just decided to start offering paid subscriptions, and not waiting for a magical number of subscribers before doing that so that the people who want to support me can support me, and I have never liked paywalls. My goal is to read and inform as many people as possible, and I don't think income should prevent people from learning something. So I came up with adding bonus content and some personal updates as extra perks to paying subscribers. I feel much more comfortable with that and it doesn't go against who I am / what I think is important.
Subscribing to your substack. Could always stand to learn more about economics, and it's not something I naturally gravitate towards interest-wise, but it is very important and affects many people's lives.
I totally agree with your point here Robert. I don’t what to constrain the reach in trying to make a quick buck. As you I want people to have access to what I write as my primary goal is to help people.
It’s then finding that balance with what’s additional and what’s core.
I turned on paid subs on Day 1. I'd love to tell you a really good story here, but the truth is I didn't know any better; I just thought that's what you did. I came over from Medium, so it made sense.
That said, with the benefit of a little hindsight, my recommendation is to turn it on now. You don't have to advertise it, or "talk it up" to your readers if you're not ready. Will any one jump? Tough to say, but I guarantee you no one will if it's not an option.
My guess is that pledges are automatic because I turned on paid last night and this morning my pledges have gone live. On the other hand, perhaps those subscribers are just insanely on top of their email...
I'm actually turning on paid tomorrow and launching with a (free) sample of what will be the first format of paid 'bonus content' I'll offer as a supplement to the free weekly post. So, yay me! I hadn't really looked at the paid option until yesterday and wanted to do the $5 monthly and $50 annual so I changed it to that (from $8 and $80). My question is...
I had one person pledge and annual sub while the yearly was set at $80, but I don't want him to pay that. Since I've changed it to $50 before actually turning on paid, will he be automatically dropped to the $50? Otherwise my plan was to reach out and offer to venmo refund the difference back to him. I was just wondering if me changing the price would drop his pledge down automatically? Probably not...
Has anyone ever done cold outreach to free subscribers that have 4 or 5 star ratings? I'd love to ask them a few questions and get their input on what I can do to improve but not sure if that would look / feel weird.
I've written to ask for their support. I say "Substack tells me you're one of my most engaged readers. Thanks for your support." And then make an ask: would you be willing to post about my newsletter on social media, share it with three friends, tell me what interests you most or whatever. I write each person their own email.
I've started a model where all of my posts end up free, but some of my posts start out paid. If a post is paid only, it stays locked for 6 weeks.
My first series of paid posts becomes fully unlocked in about 6 weeks. I'm planning to email all free subscribers at that point, sharing links to the individual posts in this series. I'm going to ask people at that point to consider upgrading to paid if they're finding these posts helpful, and they can afford a paid subscription.
At some point I'm also going to email my most active readers and ask them to write a review if they have found my work helpful. I'm not going to trade comps for reviews, as that feels spammy and less sincere. I'm going to comp that group regardless of whether they write a review or not.
One question on voiceovers: is it possible to make voiceovers only accessible for paid subscribers? I'm considering adding voiceovers, but I'd love to make them only paid subscribers as it'll take additional time and effort to create them.
Yes! If you create the post as a "podcast" post, you can embed both a paid version and a free version of the audio. (I have one of these going up tomorrow, so I was just messing with this very thing.) Then make sure you insert a paywall underneath all the text you want visible to everyone.
Under all the text, I went to "more" and then hit "paywall" and that made all the text visible above it. If you don't do that, it'll automatically put all the text behind the paywall too.
Or, as an alternative, you may be able to make a regular post, then add your audio at the end, behind a paywall. I haven't tried it that way, but I think it would work.
Ahh, that was the explanation I was looking for! Most people using paywalls are paywalling the entire post, so I didn't know whether you could just paywall the voiceover block. Thanks Tonya!
Curious to hear how people decide which content to paywall v offer freely? Do you share your most "valuable" (however you define that) to attract readers, or do you reserve it for paid subscribers?
I'm in the middle of an experiment after being here on substack for almost eight months (I had an exisiting list of 8,0000 on Mailchimp and the majority of paid subscribers came during the launch month, so there has been some stagnation)
My original approach was that essays (the most "valuable") were reserved for paid subscribers, with curated links/recommendations sent each month to the entire subscriber list to promote the paid essay as well as share interesting things to read, ponder, do etc.
After a chat with fellow Substacker Rob Hardy (www.ungatedcreative.com — great stuff!) I have switched — essays are now free to attract more readers generally, with more personal notes and curated lists sent weekly with a more personal/intimate touch.
I've seen an increase in free subscribers (around 300 in two weeks, mostly through promoting the essays on social media) and paid subscribers have remained relatively the same.
Keen to hear other experiments people might have tried? As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, "All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."
I write relatively edgy material as is, so I promised readers that things behind my paywall would venture closer to NSFW or tackle a sensitive/controversial topic. Not sure I've lived up to that promise yet, but that was the rationale. Next month I'm planning to put the first chapter of my WIP novel behind the paywall, so I'll be curious to see if that entices anyone.
Otherwise, most of my stories are free, and I've moved to paywall most of the archive over time, leaving only a few very popular stories as free marketing.
My paywalled content is the stuff that a bit more “rude” as I like to say or that is personal. I may want to include advance copies of work in the future, though.
I would say it’s a space of experimentation and I’ve been very proud of what I’ve released to paid subscribers.
I just know that when I first looked into starting a substack, it felt wildly counter-intuitive to me to keep my best stuff free and only use the paywall, if anything, for weirder/more personal or miscellaneous stuff. But as I've continued, it makes more and more sense. Best I can tell is that what paid subscribers I do have are pretty "ride or die," if you will. I truly dont know what convinced/converted them, lol. But it absolutely seems like theyre just happy to support me/the project and are not very concerned about the details, frankly. (I imagine this is different if one's substack were, say, financial advice or whatever. But not in the english-major metaverse i apparently inhabit.)
Conversely! Over months of free posts, I figured surely some of the free subscribers who I'd picked up along the way could be convinced by my CONTENT and might opt to pay eventually. And almost without exception, that has never happened. (!) NO idea if this experience is common, but when someone is first exposed to my blog, they either go paid almost immediately or its (apparently) never gonna happen. Ive eked out a couple dozen paid subscribers, and literally the only exception to this experience was my beautiful friend mike. I need to ask mike what changed his mind!
I struggled to decide how to separate Paid vs Free for a long time. I write about writing, illustrating and publishing. I finally settled on the free version where I publish my essays/blogs/thoughts, as well as an exclusive doodle and updates. For Paid, I dive deeper into my own creative process related to the free version and offer tutorials, step by steps, and exclusive fiction - really trying to add more value. Is the writing better? No, its probably the same. But the content is more specific. Basically, if readers are just here to hang out, free is the way to go! If readers want to get into the nitty gritty, they can upgrade to get the behind the scenes goodies! I'm super happy with the response and having a lot of fun!
This is a great delineation — more personal, WIP, behind the scenes of your own process for paid makes sense to me. Thanks for sharing your approach — and yes to having FUN!
Depends on where you are on the life cycle. I'm new-ish, certainly a small newsletter-I want all of my stuff to be available to all readers so they can see all the stuff that is valuable.
I'm planning on slowly limiting what is free as I grow. I see from your checkmark you have hundreds of paid subscribers--so you can afford to cater to a more exclusive audience of paid perks. Do things just for them so they feel they have a community unto themselves and a little more intimate access to you.
Consider talking to your paid subscribers and asking what things they like the most about your publication, and what things they consider valuable about it? Every subscriber base will look and behave differently, and value different things. It's really hard to write a one-size-fits-all approach to paid content strategy. The strategy is to be flexible and be communicative! And that's not a satisfying answer.
It's a great answer — because it's the of it isn't it, in terms of being flexible, trying things, experimenting. Love what you said about the life cycle too. Astute and helpful! Thank you Scoot :)
I'd love to bat around when to go paid and using paywall vs open posts... I have close to 800 subs and what seems to be a typical percentage (about 5%) paying. Most of what I put out is open to everyone, including long form essays like "Anxious Masculinity" https://bowendwelle.substack.com/p/anxious-masculinity-things-fall-apart
I'm also serializing my memoir in progress here, and so as a benefit to paying subscribers I paywall new chapters (with a free preview) and then schedule them to open up to free subscribers automatically after a few weeks, e.g. https://bowendwelle.substack.com/p/09-i-let-confusion-in
The down side is that maybe I'd get more exposure (and subscribers) if everything was free. I'm sure some folks do just the opposite--publish everything free, and then make certain things paid after some time. I know that some others recommend wait to go paid at all until you have a larger subscriber base.
cheers my friend! I'd say the same. There aren't many men writing deep, honest, personal memoir here on Substack and Michael is one of the few (along with myself). We have a lot in common, and also quite different stories and styles. Check out his great work ⬆️
I currently have paid subscriptions on pause. I am an artist currently writing a book about the intuitive voice and I also teach art workshops. I'm considering dividing my offerings into two separate newsletters to give readers more control over what they want landing in their inbox. Are we able to have different payment tiers for each newsletter?
You can create a sub-newsletter by creating a section, then when you publish a post to that section you just have to remember to add the paywall. The paywall is per post, not per section, iirc.
Thanks so much for the response. I’m actually looking for a way to have two different subscription options for my subscribers based on the content they want. For example one would be a monthly rate of $5 for the writing only and the other would be a monthly rate or $10 for those who want the video tutorials and conversations about the process of art making.
Sadly, no. And with the "commission" I sort of understand why. I've seen some writers add a "buy me a coffee" link for those readers who want to contribute but not on a regular basis/monthly sub (and I'm going to play with that). I wish the pledge option would remain when you go paid for that same reason, like a tip jar.
I'm toying with doing that to start since the idea of having a "paid" section of subscribers feels like extra pressure on what I need to create, you know? If someone is appreciative of what they've just read and can throw me a couple bones, then cool.
Hi, Teresa. Why don't you go ahead and put a paid option and see what happens? The only difference between free and paid on my 'stack is the archive. Paid get that and a few "bonus" posts, but no schedule set in stone. I also deeply discounted the annual sub (to $40) and, so far, I have 5 paid subs (I started the 'stack at the beginning of the month). Might as well offer it and see what happens. Good luck! xo
Perhaps? It's not a big priority for me right now, but I agree that my subscribers have surprised me in the past (with reading rates, comments, etc). I'll do some brainstorming and consider what kind of paid content I might want to do.
I think it's important to listen to what you feel comfortable with. In my experience, you start small and then you slowly start to become more confident about what you do.
Not sure what regime I think I’m under (!) but I didn’t know it was ok to add a buy me a coffee link. I used to use that on Medium and it worked well. It’s a great option for people to say thank you without that long-term commitment.
LOL. I only knew because another writer did it! It's funny that something like that isn't on offer because Buy Me A Coffee is a Stripe thing. And I really wish a "pledge" was an option instead. (If anyone from Stripe or Substack is listening, please put this into action.) We need that middle ground. xo
Totally agree! Sometimes one specific piece of writing can really move someone and they want to just respond to that. Think I might just add my buy me a coffee link back in to my pieces...
Not currently! We are beginning to experiment with international payment parity, which may allow for lower price points in other markets where $5 USD is a hard conversion.
As a note, we do this very intentionally. Substack was built on the belief that writing is valuable.
Writers have an overwhelming tendency to want to undervalue their work. $5 a month is the cost of one cup of coffee! Charging less than that $5 a month minimum also makes the economics of subscriptions harder and harder—it becomes exponentially harder to build an independent writing business with each dollar less.
True. On the other hand, think of it this way. $50/year is more than a subscription for the New Yorker or Harper’s magazine, written by industry professionals. Doesn’t that make it seem a little high? I love SS, don’t get me wrong. But consider it this way: If the cost for subs is less, more people will subscribe, therefore writers make more. If Substack truly values writers’ acquisition of financial gain, wouldn’t this actually make more sense? Honest question: Is it about what you mentioned, or is it about the 10% fee SS collects from subs?
Dahlia, the monthly can't be lower than five, but the annual price effectively can be. You can kind of get around it by setting your monthly at $5 but your annual at $25, $35, etc. If that's what you're aiming for.
Hi all. I am new to Substack and as a well-known journalist already, I'm a bit unsure when it is best to add a subscribe/paid option as presume it is best not to do so until I have a reasonable amount of followers? I'll be writing content that has not been published elsewhere but am a bit conscious of not wanting to look a fool if nobody subscribes. How long would you suggest I wait for please? This is me: https://suzannebaum.substack.com/
There's really no downside to giving your readers the option to subscribe. I went paid at the outset and it was heartening to see that people just wanted to show their support and be a part of it. No one will know how many paid subscribers you have (until you hit a hundred and get that oh-so-coveted checkmark) and you might be surprised.
Question for those of you who do paywall new content: do you always send it to all subscribers, both free and paid? Is there an option to only send it to paid subs?
I'm also curious how many others here share my frustration as a free subscriber when I get sent "previews" of paid content that I start reading, then hit the paywall. I have never upgraded to a paid sub just to read that paywalled content. In fact, sometimes getting those emails when I can't read all of the content pisses me off enough that I end my free subscription!
In a previous writer office hours, this issue was discussed and a few others agreed with me, but I'd love to hear input from more writers about this!
Hi Wendi, I paywall new content (monthly editions) and send it out to all, customising the email introductions every month differently for free vs paid. This is accompanied by occasional free posts of new content to everyone (short form), again with customised email intros. And annually I send out a free full edition from the archives to everyone, again with customised email intros. Trying to balance the needs and interests of free subscribers with those who pay. So far, it appears to be received well.
At first the location of the paywall line was a bit short and after feedback from a free subscriber, I moved it to a bit later such that what is above the paywall includes the first (of many) insights.
Hi there. I do believe there is an option to send to only paid or to everyone.
I agree with you, Wendi, when I subscribe to someone who seems interesting, only to find that all of their content is a preview, I will unsubscribe. I need to see something that you’ve written that’s really good to give you my money.
For my part, I’m currently publishing everything wide-open, but I have the paid option on. I have 85 subscribers and one paid. I only opened my Substack mid January so I’m pretty happy with that.
I don’t know if I’ll ever paywall anything. Perhaps I’m naïve, I’m hoping there are others like me who will find that something I write, helps them in their life, and they feel like supporting me because of it.
I offer paid subscriptions but don’t paywall anything because I prefer that both of my newsletters feel like communities. I do pay to subscribe to several others but I do it only after I’ve read and enjoyed their work. I’ve seen some who start right off with a paywall and have to assume they’ve come with a built-in audience. It’s really risky otherwise.
Started my newsletter on Oct 24, 2021. Got my first paid subscriber on Oct 27, 2022.
Was mostly going with the "hey, upgrade to paid to support / donation" model.
But then I moved a section from my twice-weekly newsletters (called ANTISOCIAL), and moved that to its own paid-subscriber only newsletter / section.
So that became sort of something I could "talk about" to encourage people to subscribe. I send them out to everyone as a free-preview (with the paywall line break about half-way through), and that's just made it an easier "sell" for me, and what I do. And I make sure every newsletter has my "hey, if this newsletter is helpful, considering becoming a paid subscriber!"
It also helped that I got recommended from a bigger music industry newsletter. Most all of my growth / subscribers comes from that. Very few come from social media.
Obviously not for everyone, but that's just how I've been doing things, and I now have 318 free subscribers, and 7 paid. It's a journey!
I just took a look at your latest post (A personal library of 100 books) and noticed the GOLD - you PAINTED your feature photo for that post? THAT THAT THAT.
In the time of AI (ahhhhhh) and free stock photo sites, it is GOLD that you took the time not just because "oh, EVERYONE uses that other stuff," but because for this one post, hey, you didn't, and it showed just another ounce of who you are, and what you bring.
I didn't turn on PAID right off the bat, because I had to find my rhythm, and my flow, and my VOICE. I had to make sure I could handle posting once a week, then twice, then THREE TIMES (I'm back to twice a week now).
But having that archive then is just evidence for someone to drop by, read your posts, and discover who you are.
So it's not just the words, but the art, the tone, the attitude. Be you 100% fully, make sure you're having fun with it, and keep pushing!
I mean, I'm ranting about how bands and record labels need to figure out their SOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE PLAN before it's too late, and embrace email lists!
I'm the sky is falling guy, and I think it's all gonna crash and burn, MUCH to the chagrin of social media management and online marketing folks that work in music - OOOPS! hahah
I have some paid subscribers who kindly support me but it's a tiny amount. I try to create content for them but unfortunately it's hard to do too much because so few people will see it and the income stream is so limited, so it affects how much time I can put in.
I disclose this upfront before people sign up.
Still, I hugely appreciate the support and want to offer more to these paid subscribers, but I'm not sure what I can provide that's not paywalled posts & doesn't take a huge amount of my time. Yet something that provides actual value.
I usually explore a topic in a kind of long / series format article form, and I tend to have a lot of sources / information etc left over that would be too much to include in the article. That is what I offer to paying subscribers, they can get some extra or deeper information on the topic I'm writing about. Does not add too much work since I did most of it already while writing the rest of the article.
Is there a plan to offer more templates on Substack? For example, one that looked like a letter or one that looked like a posted note etc? Some more themes could be super cool :)
I will upgrade to paid subscriptions to other newsletters to try for one month before committing to annual. But to ensure I don't get recurring charges, I immediately cancel. Then my access is cut off. Can Substack fix this?
I've written the author and in most cases they restore access for the remaining weeks.
I am wondering about how the process works to convert people who pledged to paid subscribers. When I read the faq pages, it looks like it should happen automatically. However, when turning on paid they don't always show up in the paid subscriber list. Is there a follow-up email involved that subscribers have to confirm, or something along those lines?
I just wrote a whole post about how I thought the tip jar button at the bottom of emails, was a great idea and then thought about a donation button. People who subscribe could give to the charity of their choice like Amazon Smile, or to a topical charity like Liberty North Korea, an NGO that helps refugees. Yeonmi Park was on Joe Rogan talking about the horrific circumstances of her life in North Korea. Even better would be a drop down menu included at the end of the email. A host of charitable organizations compiled by Substack. We are all constantly being bombarded with requests all day every day. It's overwhelming. Let's just make it easy for them to click on a link in their email. A percentage would go to the writer and a percentage to the charity. That way it's a win/win for all involved. The reader gets to give to both a charity and the writer, the charity gets money and Substack gets kudos for being philanthropic. Just an idea. Asking people to pay for something they have gotten for free is awkward.
I'd really like to implement it. I am going to reach out to Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie and see if they would be interested. Hopefully I can get to them. I will keep you posted.
Curious to know how people feel about gifting paid subs?
I try to be pretty generous with this because I know I have some fans who don't have the money. I ask anyone who wants a paid sub, but can't afford one, to email me. Only a handful of people have done this, btw, so I can't say the policy has been abused at all. But what's nice is that those readers are so appreciative and they do a lot to contribute in non-monetary ways by leaving great comments and sharing posts off of Substack.
Do you gift paid subs & if so, what's your policy for doing so?
Hi. I started with a paid option when I launched (at the beginning of the month). So far, I have 75 subscribers, 5 of which are paid (annually). The annual is set at $40 and monthly is $5. Free subs get all the main posts, paid subs get the archive (posts go there after 2 weeks) and some bonus posts. I'm also flirting with a "buy me a coffee" button for anyone who wants to support the 'stack without a monthly or annual contribution (like a tip jar). I would put in a paywall to posts if @substack would allow comments from Everyone even if there's a paywall. **Hi, Substack, can you put in that option?** It would save authors from having to send out an additional post to paids as well as letting all readers share their thoughts on the open post. I don't want readers to feel that only paid subscribers have a voice worth hearing. And, in some ways, I think that would drive more paid subscriptions. xo
I'm not "paid" yet, but it is my goal! That said, I just took a several month long break from writing at all, and dipping my toes to coming back. I'm curious if anyone else has done this, and if so, how they re-engaged their followers.
Yes I have had that happen. I think one of the big strengths of substack as a newsletter platform is that you don't have to entice people back to your website, they simply get your new content right in their inbox. Usually people re-engage. I think the opposite would happen first, when you're sending new posts every day, that people would feel overwhelmed by all the emails. But that's my experience, maybe others had different ones?
So far my experience is what you mention, Robert, that readers predominantly don't seem to mind/notice. If they're subscribers, free or otherwise, they're glad to get a new one, whenever it arrives. For better or worse—mostly better!—I think my fretting around too much/too little content, or posting on a Sunday when I recklessly said it would be done Thursday, are mostly in my head.
I would honestly go so far as to say that I shouldn't even bother publicly announcing a cadence/frequency/schedule of posting, EXCEPT that telling people I'm gonna have a post finished by X is a huge and crucial incentive in getting me to actually write the fucking thing, lol.
I recently started using a calendar on my phone , and I add the dates I want a post finished to it. Really helps to see it as a sort of deadline. And if for whatever reason it's a day or so later, then that does not really matter, it helps to keep shooting to get something done around X date.
My writing focuses on the Bible and helping people come to know Jesus Christ. I'm not interested in putting what I write behind a paywall, because I want as many people as possible to have access to it. I have had 3 people pledge support to my writing - and that's without me promoting that option at all.
I've thought about the following to build up my paid subscribers:
- Use money from paying subscribers to pay for publishing books or other resources.
- Use money from paying subscribers to produce video content.
What are some ideas you may have to keep my writing free and available to all, while encouraging support from those who would like to help?
My suggestion is to keep doing what you're doing (keep it free for all), but explain that upgrading to paid will keep everything available to everyone, help publish your books, allow you to share the Word with more readers.
How can I get my publication One Could Argue featured in one of Substack's roundups of emerging voices? I have no interest on going paid; I just want to see if I can get on one of your lists and expand my Substack contact network as a personal challenge for my own amusement.
We aim to feature writers on our home page and publications who are going deep into a clear topic and exemplify best practices, like posting regularly and engaging with readers.
Someone donated to my writing with out my asking! So I set things up to receive her gift, but am ambivalent about asking for money. My work has been free for a long time and I was committed to it being free. But I know Substack deserves fees for this marvelous platform. I also don’t publish regularly as it takes a long time to compose my essays. I’d appreciate any advice.
Several folks have mentioned making business cards -- great idea. Similar is to use something like Stickermule to make buttons or pins that people can wear. Some people LOVE this and it's much more memorable than a business card -- although harder to include a QR code ;)
Here are my pins, which I give away as business cards and also send out to all paid subscribers →
A small victory share for other writers. I haven’t made the switch to paid but I do have pledges turned on. The more I’m posting on Instagram about my Substack the more pledges/subscribers I’ve been getting. Ive been creating personalized assets to post on Unfold and they have been getting a lot of great feedback/attention/converting to pledges.
If you've gone paid, have you had success with time-based benefits?
For example, I'm thinking about having all of my paid posts be available free for 24 hours, and then put them behind the paywall. Or alternatively, have paid posts appear in the free archive after 2 weeks or so.
hello all, just started on substack in February, as an extra for an architecture magazine, On Site review, that I edit and publish. I don't want to ask anyone to pay for what I say, but in the end, after say, 6 months and a healthy readership, would like to go paid so that any income from the substack posts would go to pay honoraria to the contributors of the magazine (currently can't afford to offer honoraria; most contribs just want to be published). Has anyone told their subscribers that payment (isn't for my own deathless prose) but is specifically for a parallel project?
being a sincere Canadian, we aren't that good about money. I write because I have things to say, but if I could get a bit of money for my magazine writers I'd be very happy.
I was wondering if you could share your benefits for free vs. paid tiers. I find myself constantly testing the language for my Visual Storytelling Newsletter: https://newsletter.visualstorytell.com/about
What seems to work or not work for you? It'll be interesting to see if any clear best practices could emerge for the benefit of everybody here.
I'm also curious! I am launching a new offering called "Creative Contemplation." Free members get a free journal I made with monthly creative prompts and new moon affirmations.
Paid members get an extra monthly new moon letter with more prompts, resources, and a tarot card reading.
Founding members will be able to join me for a monthly online event where we can connect and share how we worked with the prompts/energy of the month.
April is the first month and I'm excited/nervous to see how it goes. I'd love to hear others' ideas too!
Very cool, Mariah! Your approach is very similar to mine.
I am trying to grow my subscriber base by offering free subs meaningful benefits while attracting paid subs with extra premium perks. It's important, I'd say, to carve out a clear value difference between free and paid to establish the incentive to upgrade to paid.
Of course the connecting tissue to all these subscriber tiers is an amazing content :)
Still testing as I go since I just migrated my newsletter to Substack last Sept.
I have been posting quality content daily since Feb. 14, about six weeks ago. I get good feedback on it. I have grown from 10 to 34 subscribers, but seem to be stuck there. I could invite people more often. I have added my substack link (harthagan.substack.com) to my email signature. I could add that link with an invitation to my Facebook groups (I have several and participate regularly). I could send out a personal invitation via messenger, text and email to people who I think would be interested. I need to upgrade the "image" that appears when I post the link. I could recommend other people's substack, and hope to be recommended in return. What else can I do?
I would say keep going with the cadence you think you can sustain. Daily is hard and may not yield you more subscribers than a lower cadence. Don’t burn out doing it.
Get your welcome screen looking appealing. This will be the first impression. Try and get some recommendation blurbs to go on there.
Reaching out to other substack writers and building relationships is the best way to get recommendations and cross posts. This is where most of my growth has come from.
Get the link to all of your address book. Get your friends signed up and they can become advocates too.
Then look at social media but don’t get drawn into spending more time on social then posting as they defeats the whole point.
The thing is, people are maybe looking at your Substack and thinking it is new so over time you will get more gravitas by simply being here longer.
Hart, have you considered using your LinkedIn account to drive interest to your Substack? You can put your substack link in your profile in the website option, and you can plug substack at the end of each LinkedIn post, as a gentle reminder. Maybe tease a substack post on LinkedIn by posting an abbreviated substack post and direct your LinkedIn connections and followers to continue the conversation on substack? Just some thoughts I'm toying with as I officially launch my substack on Monday.
Hi Everyone! I'm launching a new offering, "Creative Contemplation" in April with a few tiered options. The one I'm most excited/nervous about is hosting an online gathering once a month for Founding Members.
Has anyone hosted onling gatherings for their community? What went well? What needed improvement? My biggest fear is being the only one who shows up. I'd love your ideas and advice!
I always invite a few of the folks I’ve recently worked with in for free to anything I’m launching. It helps to know you have at least 2 for your own planning. So the last zoom Masterclass I did I had 8 free and 32 paying. I didn’t promote it through Substack but it was about Substack! 😆 if that makes sense? If you’re unsure you could always Pre record a short intro to try and entice folks to sign up or ask in comments or threads if they are coming?
Curious how you guys knew when to go paid? Was it when you reached x amount of free subscribers or when you felt like you were in a good flow content-wise? I launched a month ago and surprisingly had several Founding Members but I largely promote my newsletter as free since there's no premium content yet. Thanks in advance for any advice - this community rocks!
I have one tip if you're going paid:
*Send those new paid subscribers a personal email of thanks.*
I bet few people do this, and certainly nobody beyond a certain level of success when they have thousands of subscribers, because that could get really time-consuming. But early on, when you're just getting a few dozen or anything up to a hundred? Say thanks, and go that extra step towards appearing human and approachable to them.
(And if you can spare the time, write that email entirely 'by hand', not using a copy & paste template - and maybe even Google their email address to see if you can find out something about them. If you say thanks and then "ps. I think you're in Montana? Is that right? Gorgeous part of the world - I'm jealous!" then you will look amazingly human. And you can't look too human in this line of work.)
Just to piggyback here; when you write that letter, make sure to ask if there’s a project they might be working on, and if there’s anyway you can help support it.
Maybe I’m just lucky, but some of my paid subs are working on some really cool projects!
That's a brilliant suggestion. :)
Agreed!
Kevin, you've got a gift more taking a good idea and making it better. What I'm saying is, I think you're making your own luck. But I do love this suggestion!
This is great thinking. Will definitely do it when I switch to a paid option.
great note there Kevin.
I've been sending out handwritten notes with stickers when possible. Not everyone wants to share their address, but for those who do, I've been seeing notable results by making those subscribers ambassadors for the show, and feel more included in the process. I also follow up at the end of each season (roughly 3x per year) to ask if they have any feedback. Some of the suggestions have made it into the show, and even resulted in a new program/thread called Coffee Smarter for the listeners who don't care about the interviews.
http://www.roastwestcoast.com/
This is a great idea.
Great call
Great suggestion, Kevin. You're not lucky, you're a cool people magnet :)
Love this idea!
(Full disclosure: I do this, and also I'm currently behind with doing it with new subscribers. But I get there eventually!) I'm currently just short of 350 paid, and it's still not a problem to find the time to send out one or two thank-yous every day. I plan to keep it up for as long as it's possible.
Sending out personalized thank yous is a good idea. Just keep putting forth the content. If you build it they will come. I offered a suggestion to have Substack put a donation button at the bottom of emails of our subscribers so a percentage goes to us and to a charity kind of like Amazon Smile.
"The Simple Act of Gratitude" by John Kralik, chronicles his journey writing 365 thank you notes over the course of 1 year and the change that resulted in his life and the lives of others because of that choice.
With 350 paid subscribers, how many Free do you have? I'm curious about your conversion rate. I've got 128 Subscribers, 6 paid. Also curious as to how long it took to get those subscribers.
My conversion's pretty low by Substack standards! (I'm not entirely surprised - I write about science and wonder and curiosity, so I figured it might be a slow/hard sell for most people, so I'm delighted that I'm already over the point where I'm making a full-time living from it). My free list is just short of 16,000, so my conversion rate is around 2-and-a-bit %.
As for how long: I wrote for 6 months before going paid, launched to around 60 paid subscribers on a free list of around 1000, and I've also had a few lucky strikes on Twitter threads that have grown my audience a lot: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-7 (And I've now been going for over 2 years.)
Thanks Mike, hearing the numbers is helpful when just starting out.
Thanks for sharing this info. It's really encouraging for those of us yet to take the plunge! 💕
Forgive me if this is too personal, but I'm wondering about the mathmatics of making a full-time living with just 350 paid subs? Are they at the $5 monthly rate or are they mostly founding members?
My goal is to bring in $3,000/mo with my Substack and for me at least, the math isn't adding up quite yet!
https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths-via
Not too personal at all! Basically:
- 350 shakes down to around $20k a year
- around 15 of them are Founding tier
- a have a little other writing income on top of that
- I'm living extremely cheaply in a corner of Scotland, having sold my home just before the pandemic with the intention of travelling for a while (but then, you know, pandemic) and with no debts.
So right now, it's just sustainable for me. But it's not quite enough to get travelling again, so that's my next goal.
That's great to hear Mike, 300 would be enough for me to go full time. I'm very much a way off at just over 30, but my full base of subscribers is close to 600 now, I've been on Substack for 12 months and only paid since then but blogging for around 5 years now.
Always looking for a way to ramp it up further.
That's perfect! I love traveling too so what a great motivation to grow your stack!
Great idea, I will definitely do that! I went paid yesterday, excited and anxious to see how it turns out. I made sure to thank everyone in the announcement. Following up with everyone who upgrades is a great idea.
Well, well...you and I have the same "went paid" date ;)
Wishing you lots of luck, Robert!
You too!
Hey, congratulations on taking the plunge! I hope you get what you want.
Honestly, zero expectations, seeing where it goes. Wanted to offer people who want to support me a chance to do so, but my main goal remains reaching / informing / inspiring people, so even if most people remain free subscribers I'm happy with that as well. I believe that if I just keep doing what I love and what I think is important, the rest will come in good time.
I feel the same way. If the writing is good, people will come by to read it. Opening my paywall this week is something I've been thinking about as far as offering my readers something extra, but all I have is my serialized novel I'm planning to write. But like you said, if I keep doing what I love, the rest will come in good time...and I'm here for a good, long time.
I think that is the best attitude to have, and I feel the same way. Even though I definitely need to find ways to generate more income here and elsewhere, I want my main reason for writing to be educating and inspiring readers by providing meaningful content that helps them in some way. Writing is also something I need to do for myself, whether or not I make much money doing it.
The first time I got a notice from Stripe saying that I had money coming in, I was on cloud 9. I've never made a dime with my writing, and suddenly I had money coming in. I've been doing this for so long without making a dime, that I'd never really thought about it too much. But if I can make $50...well, that's a nice bottle of good wine (or pretty good wine, depends on how picky you are.)
Exactly. I have a teaching job that I use for a stable income, so that I don't feel that pressure to get money from my writing, but eventually I of course hope that can be a reliable source of income. Doing this way helps keep that pressure off and to just give it some time, and of course so that I keep enjoying the writing.
I've just retired so I have a lot of time to dedicate to this. But when I was working I was up 2 hours before I had to leave for work just so I could write. There's no pressure to make money here (although living on a pension, I may change that attitude in the next year.)
I agree! Just keep putting forth the content. If you build it they will come. They already are for me. Slowly but surely. Focus on the work not the marketing. I offered a suggestion to have Substack put a donation button at the bottom of emails of our subscribers so a percentage goes to us and to a charity kind of like Amazon Smile.
I don't disagree here. I will turn on paid subs sooner rather than later, but right now i'm focused on reaching readers and producing within a reliable time frame.
Same Barbara, I need to commit to consistency and go from there. Life has a way of getting in the way!
Great attitude, Robert. 💜
I agree with Wendi – this is the attitude to have about paid. (I try to maintain this attitude!)
👌👌❤️
I started paid yesterday, too! Woot woot, here we go...
good for you, Robert, all the best with getting lots of paid subs.
How many subscribers do you have now?
Right now, 61.
Good luck!
Good luck! 💕
Patting myself on the back a little here, because I just launched paid subscriptions this week (and scored my first $1K in paid subscribers!!) and have sent a note of thanks to everyone. Love the idea of asking about projects they are working on Kevin Alexander @On Repeat -- I'll remember that for future outreach. https://elizabethbeggins.substack.com/
Wow, that's awesome! May I ask how many free subscribers you had to begin with? I have 3,663 free subs and turned on paid last night. I haven't actually announced it yet but when I checked this morning I was shocked to see that I havce 8 paying subscribers! I can't believe it!
You are way ahead of me in free subscribers, Skye; I was under 400! I'm betting you'll see your numbers go up quite a bit more from here. Well done!
Ok, that's good to know. Makes me think I should have gone paid earlier, but I suppose that's a good regret to have lol. Congratulations on reaching that $1K milestone!
Thanks! Good luck to you!
That's amazing! Best of luck and wishing you evety success! 💕
Aww thanks! :)
Woot woot! Go Elizabeth!
Yippee, that’s fantastic Elizabeth! You go girl!
Zero paid subscriptions at the moment but keeping this advice in my back pocket for when I make it big.
Very important to show appreciation and offer value to paid :)
Personal email to paid subscribers is a really good piece of advice 👌
yes, i agree.
Absolutely! I've been doing this from the start... and including direct thank-you's in periodic posts such as this one on "The Keys to Building Real Community"
https://bowendwelle.substack.com/p/the-keys-to-building-real-community
Hey did you ask your subscribers for permission to print their names? I've been thinking of doing the same thing but after getting their approval. Any thoughts on that?
hadn't thought of that. good point.
I am probably thinking about this more than some because I do a fair bit of investigative reporting. I would guess that not everyone wants others in our industry to know they're supporting my work....for less controversial writing, it's probably not much of an issue.
By "our industry" I meant the industry I write for - not the industry of writing lol. Just to clarify.
This is such a great idea! Time consuming, but seems worth it. I think I'll try it, thanks Mike :)
I have started promoting my paid pieces more heavily, and it has worked wonders. I put an excerpt from my upcoming paid essay at the bottom of my free essay, and that gets some conversions. I also have sent a dedicated teaser email to my unpaid subscribers talking about the next paid post--my last one got 15 conversations. Finally, I send free previews to all my free subscribers.
Originally I was a little nervous about sending so much email, but since I always do it with love and in my own voice (not too marketing-y), it seems to work. I just doubled my paid subscriptions from 45 to 90 in about a month using these tactics. It has come a bit at the cost of unpaid subscriber growth - people who don't like the emails unsubscribe - but I figure those people weren't my core audience anyways.
These are great tips, Rae! I subscribed to a marketing guru who also sends me A LOT of emails. But you know what? Her voice is so authentic I honestly feel like it's a friend stopping by my desk at work to chat about something cool or interesting. I don't open every email but I probably open at least 75%!
Love this! Excellent advice!
Great idea!
Excellent tip! Embarrassed to say this hadn’t occurred to me but will be doing thank you!
definitely will do this...
Good tip, thank you!
That's a great idea. I've just turned my paywall back on. I only have 6 paid (one's a comp, so I guess that's really 5). Three are good friends, one's my brother, and the other signed on without me even having put something up. HE'S the one I have to reach out to!
This is a great tip; I've been worried that subscribers might be weirded out by a direct thank-you — and that by saying something specific to them it might even feel slightly creepy. But you've convinced me that I'm overthinking it and I'll start thanking them right away (I went paid literally yesterday!).
In my case, people seem surprised that anyone's bothered to write them directly!
Yes, I've had that too. "Is this really you? LOL."
And that's the thing: the world got used to automating email responses. Some of our Substack emails are automated! It's sensible up to a point. But it's also A Thing Everyone Is Doing For Everything. And if we can find a way to *not* do the thing everyone's doing, even in a tiny way like this, we stand out. Pattern interrupt --> cutting through the noise ---> engagement boost. Weirdness for the win!
I honestly think that 99% won't be! I mean, they've gone paid, which means they already trust you more than 90%+ of readers, and that also suggests they want to follow your work even closer. So - yes, the same occurred to me before I tried it, but hundreds of emails later I haven't had anyone freak out. (Not to my face, anyway...)
Not sure if this is the right place for a little encouragement, but hopefully someone who needs it will see it this week. ♥️
As creatives we can get kind of obsessed with the idea of originality, especially when we're thinking of adding "value" in our work. I've found myself thinking on more than one occasion that if I can't say something "new, distinct, and different", then there isn't any point in writing or sharing. It's natural to chase the shiny, right?
But I believe that originality isn't nearly as crucial as authenticity. You're never going to come up with something completely new to say; originality is always going to be relative. BUT, your unique voice and genuine thoughts are what will keep readers coming back time after time. Sure, a new shiny thing might go viral, but an authentic voice will become beloved to the right community and have real, actual staying power!
So don't focus on trying to be as original as possible. Instead, write from your gut. Write your authentic self, and the right people will love it.
Most importantly: keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP! 🌿
Honestly the new format for office hours has been overwhelming for me. I'm not a new writer, I don't have a lot to say about the product, I don't have any paid subscriptions. Where do I go to comment on the unpopular posts and to tell people about little milestones? That "not sure if this is the right place" is how I feel for anything I might comment right now. It's like my favorite hangout got shut down and three new franchises opened up--which one do I go to? Within which peanut gallery ought I place myself?
It's a new equilibrium so I'm going to be patient with myself and see how the community adjusts and how I adjust with it. I appreciate that Substack is working on making the conversation more focused.
Your wisdom is well timed and well said. I got off schedule in March and I've been really struggling to come back. I need to tell myself it's ok to keep going even if it's imperfect. Showing up is half the battle.
Cheers!
Good feedback! I shared it with our team. In the future, maybe we should just make this paid subscription thread something more like "Growing - growing your list, growing your paid subscriptions, growing your practice" to capture more conversations like the ones you wan?
My two cents? I think the two areas that Office Hours shakes out into is "questions" and "conversation". Some people are here to ask specific questions and get specific answers, and some are here because this is where they get to interact with other writers and learn from each other. If those two needs could be met in a way that makes life easier for the Substack Staff, too, I think you would have a slam-dunk.
I love that y'all are so open to feedback, Bailey. It's really appreciated! One of many reasons why Substack is the best. ♥
If there must be a third, perhaps "Feedback" to capture the product-oriented talk from the userbase? Great ideas S.E.!
yes, that would indeed be ideal.
as a not-so-new-anymore-but-still-coming-to-grips-with-Substack writer, i'm still not entirely sure where i fit in ☺️
It is definitely much appreciated that the Substack Team listens to and implements changes from feedback so quickly. Thank you all so much.
I feel the not-so-new-anymore-but-still-coming-to-grips-with-Substack writer
You and me both!
Yep, conversations and questions. I agree.
I really like this idea of “questions” and “conversation”. I find these writers office hours interesting, but I don’t have time to peruse three threads.
Love this idea. I think many of us bounce back and forth between the two, but making them explicit resonates with me
I love the idea of making this a 'growing' thread instead of just paid. I actually still love the regular thread (now for newbies) and have enjoyed participating there to provide encouragement and see what's going on. The challenge is, that thread has become so large that I find it a bit challenging to navigate. Thanks for being a good listener, Bailey. Much appreciated. 💜
yes, a growing thread sounds perfect.
(p.s. what a sweet name for a newsletter, Heather! 💜)
Growing works--honestly, if one thread is for the "new substacks" this feels like the place for veterans. I don't know how you organize the topic, but it feels like that is how it will naturally shake out. The newcomers are looking for first time advice, the established 'stacks know the ropes and are working on growth. In that sense, Growth seems to be the right idea! Thank you for your comment!
I subscribed. My Jewish daughter is engaged to marry an Italian Catholic. This seems like a good place to start so I can understand more about his religion. (Besides the fact that I have to sign up for an Italian language class.)
I hope you find my substack helpful! Thank you for subscribing, and congratulations to your daughter!
it does take a bit of getting used to, give it time, Scoot. You'll get the hang of it. The idea is definitely interesting.
Completely understand the feeling, Scoot! I 100% get Substack's dilemma and how to streamline the office hours process every week, but it does feel a bit like we've lost some of the earlier openness. I'm a solution-driven person though, so I'm brainstorming some ideas.
I know they will find the perfect solution given enough time! They have succeeded in focusing the conversation and making it less of a free-for-all, and that I DO appreciate!
👌❤️
This has been kind of a personal journey for me too. As I kept writing on Substack, I started thinking more about why people would/should read what I write about, and concluded that, besides the interesting topic of the day, they would come for me. It has helped me become more comfortable with taking some risks in my writing and writing in my own style and the way I like. I think that is one of the big strengths of this platform, we don't have to write so distantly like, say, a newspaper.
You brought up a newspaper....With 'Stack, consider yourself the writer who gets up from his Underwood, carefully wraps his work in a deliverable wrapper, knocks on the door of a person who's anxiously awaiting your output, and, maybe you get asked in for coffee, where they might tell you what they thought! ....and, repeat!📝Go get 'em, Robert!✏
Haha thank you for that image in my head of me getting up at the break of dawn to show people a printed out email, that made me chuckle..
Hey, it's what I do.....humor, it's not just for breakfast anymore!😁🍊
First, I think every place is the right place for a little encouragement and I always appreciate the encouraging words you share during writer office hours!
Second, I totally agree that authenticity is what matters, and it's impossible to be completely original with any content other than stories from our own lives and what we've learned from those experiences.
I agree. Being authentic to yourself helps. I suppose it's different when you just write fiction and don't offer up opinions about what's going on in the world. (I don't think people want to hear my opinion because I have no filter at the best of times.) But I do write good fiction...and a lot of myself is in my stories. I always tell my friends: "You DO know that I write, right?"
❤️❤️
I really, really appreciate you taking the time to post this...such nice encouragement!
I agree. We each have unique voices an individual experiences to share on any given topic. My approach will be different than yours and not one of them might just be the exact things someone needs to give them that boost.
When I write from the heart, it always gets more feedback
My current series is about communication and draws on my own life experiences
So true!
❤️❤️👌
Any place is the right place for your encouragement, S.E.
Thanks for always showing up.
bless you, Sarah! As always, you are a huge inspiration ☀️ I keep going through that quite often, both as a musician and as a writer; earlier this week i was ready to inform my readers about the changes coming to my newsletter and that very day i saw another writer had introduced the same thing! I held off announcing anything and have been unsure of how to go about it. Thank you for the encouragement. Needed to hear that! ♥️
There she goes again, *nailing it!* :) Thanks, S.E. Reid.
If I may - I would also add that there was a time when I had no idea what anyone meant when they encouraged authenticity and a unique voice. Maybe that was just me being slow on the uptake. But, over time, I came to realize that, for the most part, what moves me deeply is the source for both. I've written about my mother's "granny fork," the embarrassing medical calamity that happened while I was 10,000 miles from home, black swallowtail caterpillars and women's rights. None of that is particularly original, but they were my views and my words around my relationship with those things - and that's where the authenticity and voice came through. https://elizabethbeggins.substack.com/
Cheers, all! You're amazing! Keep going!
It's always the right place! :)
So true. BTW I love "Christian-adjacent." I always considered myself a mid-level Jew.:)
"My newsletter is barely a month old" - congrats on starting the journey! I started writing online back in 2001 and I'm still finding out new things!
YESSS, Substack is a whole new world, for sure.
And yes - no one has YOUR experiences, your view, so keep pushing that. I think Austin Kleon said something like "every post is like a flare gun for people like you." In a busy social media world where it seems only the dancing word pointers get the views, it can be discouraging, since it's such a slow build for us, but it's worth it!!!
The writers I love are on the edge of what’s been ok in our culture. They speak their truth to show others a different perspective. This is what I want to offer my reader, my own voice as I navigate life and the cultural imprint that has been laid down for me without me realizing it. So, I must write for myself and hope it may be a light for others.
Your thought process is definitely going to help you be successful, Ratika. Congratulations on your newsletter!
Great resources. I’m at 500 subs with 31 paying. It’s going well but it’s generally a slow process 💪
Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
Does adding your substack link to posts work to attract more viewers, you think? I have had plenty of people clicking on my profile when commenting in these threads, but wondering if adding the link might help make it even easier, or whether it could also be considered spammy?
I'll give it a shot: roberturbaschek.substack.com
100% it does. I saw much higher growth once I added the link.
Very good to know. I would not have thought it mattered, so I appreciate you sharing that you saw much higher growth when you added it.
I guess I should've kept it up! like this (again.) https://benwoestenburg.substack.com/about
I actually prefer clicking on the name/profile pic than clicking a link. It is just personal preference, do both!
For sure 👍
How long did it take you to get 31 paid subscribers after your 500 subs? I'm new here - barely 2 months now - and just wondering about a good time to launch paid subs.
AllyneTheCoda
allyne.substack.com
I'm also wondering something similar! joined in January and wondering where I should be at in terms of numbers of subscribers.
Personally, I think it's redundant and totally unnecessary to add our Substack links to posts here, since our names and newsletter titles are already clickable links (and the only ones I've ever clicked on here). But if others feel differently or have gotten extra clicks by also adding the link to their post or comment, so be it. We all have to do what seems best to us, and I do appreciate hearing what others think and seeing what they do even if I decide it's not the right approach for me to take.
The link works for my growth
My exact words to the pitmaster at the last BBQ I attended! Needless to say, all he gave me was the sausage!
I think you'll find newbies more likely to leave a link, until they learn/get used to the fact that our links are already provided with our ID pic. The other thing I don't mind reminding newbies is the sharing of other 'Stack writers' work, whether they post their own link or not, or whether it's Shout-Out Thursday or not.
I agree with that! Good to see you again, Brad!
And, you as well, Ben! It's good to be seen!
Definitely agree, Brad. There are some awesome newsletters on Substack and so much variety. I love Deplatformable (https://pau1.substack.com/) because Paul delves into all things tech.....which I am not. But he has a way of making it fun and interesting. He even got me to try creating with ChatGpt.
I've yet to use AI for writing. Is it helpful? Or maybe I should say, is it worth looking into if you just write fiction?
Great question, Ben. I was just trying to use it to create an image, not for written content. I think I'm too 'old school' for that! And I'm not ready to have my thoughts taken over by a robot haha!
Is using AI for writing helpful? I'm using AI now! How's it doing? Why, I bet that it lookzkfnsdjg[ghsoofnfooisdn;aoigpitnnlsdfnlfjvlxnlkvndbdfnsfdfkvbndslsasafkmv nsalf'gf;/mdflv nxlsfml bbdfsdffbbkms;ffldbv n sdjnfvlsl[fh! Don't you think?
You're preaching to the choir, Heather! Paul is a terrific friend of FR&B, and we've collabbed on more than one occasion! Here's one: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/open-threadjoin-us-under-the-covers/comments We did a thread on fave song covers and bands! He's quite the music fan, and he joins us fellow 'Stack music writers on our bi-monthly Zoom call, too, we appreciate and respect his music acumen so much!
That's sweet! Just checked out the link. My daughter is a musician (not her day job haha) in Atlanta. They have a group called Themestock that brings together musicians from all over the country once each year to perform both originals and cover songs.
I think newbies are why the link works: the click because it’s obvious and easy
Some stackers seem bothered by other writers who add links but I don’t understand why. It has no effect on fellow writers. For many it adds growth.
On the Office Thread, Robert, even when it's not a Shout-Out Thread, it's considered a little less spammy if/when you, perhaps, include the link of another 'Stacker you either read or sub to.
So, include your own 'Stack (object lesson😉) https://bradkyle.substack.com/, but you also might enjoy The Vinyl Room, Andy's new 'Stack that focuses on the history and joy of vinyl as a music format of choice over tapes, CDs, and streaming: https://vinylroom.substack.com/
good one. I am still looking for what ways of self-promotion I am comfortable with versus what works. I think I'm probably not the only one on here that does really like doing self-promotion / feels self-conscious about it, but you do have to do it sometimes..
WARNING: Paper will be mentioned! My go-to for self-promo has long been the business card! Using the pic to your left (that's me backstage with The Ramones in Houston in '77 when I was 22), I put a brief info paragraph on what my 'Stack offers, with the web address.
On the back is a little more info, along with a QR code that can be scanned (you kids and your QR codes!!)....So, if leaving a card with your restaurant tip, or pinning them up on Starbux or Panera bulletin boards, or offering one with some convo to someone in the grocery store line who's wearing a rock band t-shirt doesn't exactly turn your stomach, then the paper route just may be for you!!
So, go find yourself a Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame rock group to pose with, have a pic taken, visit VistaPrint online (or wherever) and go nuts! Good luck, Robert!
I just put my business cards up on the bulletin board of the coffee shop I'm writing from! I did this after following your advice from a previous session! Glad you're helping us think outside the box, OG sytle :)
💖Well, bless your Heartbeats, Mariah! (I'm from Texas, so we can say that, unironically)! Good for you! Don't forget on the little tip tray at restaurants, too! You and me, Mariah! Changing the way people Substack! See what I did there....used "Substack" as a verb!👍
I love the extra ideas for places to leave business cards. I don't have any, but I've considered getting some to place on bulletin boards or hand to people who ask what I do. I never would have thought to leave one with my tip/signed credit card slip. That's a brilliant suggestion!
Thank you, Wendi! As I used to tell my ex-wife, I'm sometimes capable of the brilliant! What I love about the cards (re: tip tray) is I'm meeting a wait person whom I'd never have met had I not gone into that restaurant at that time.....and, if I leave my card, that's a person who'd never had had a chance to even know I wrote anything, much less a 'Stack about behind-the-scenes rock music from the '60s on!
Plus, they're a great convo-starter! I can just walk up to someone at a store or the gym, and ask, "Hey, what kind of music do you like?" No one's gonna balk at that question....in fact, most are more than eager to be "low-key interviewed" like that! It's begun some deep and lengthy convos, and even its share of subs!
And, dig this! My FR&B co-writer (of 20 articles chronicling his behind-the-scenes peek at '70s Hollywood record biz), singer/songwriter/guitarist/actor, Stephen Michael Schwartz (1974 LP on RCA Records), has a sold-out show this Saturday at a supper club-type venue in L.A. He'll be leaving a card at each place setting at the show (when I had 1,000 new ones made last summer, I sent him 1/4 of them)!
Starting Saturday, I'll have to monitor my sub sign-ups, and see if there's a bump! Again, it'll be people getting my card a couple thousand miles away (I'm in TX) who would otherwise never have heard of FR&B! So, get some cards, and go make friends with a pop star!!😉
Oh! I love that! I will add a QR code to my stack on my next business card order
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/ego-and-self-promotion-on-substack
❤️👌
It's not spammy. I used to do that all the time. But sometimes I get lazy. I usually put up a link to my "About" page. That way people can see what I have to offer and go from there. like this...https://benwoestenburg.substack.com/about
I know this helps, but it's a bummer that it does, because it should be unnecessary, at least just for posting the publication URL... This is a UX opportunity for Substack to improve how writers/publication are linked from comments.
Y'all might enjoy my post on "The Keys to Building Real Community"
https://bowendwelle.substack.com/p/the-keys-to-building-real-community
You post your memoir writing to paid subscribers-- are these chapters from a novel?
Chapters from the memoir I’m writing and aim to publish in full once it’s done. I’m putting work-in-progress out on substack as I go.
Do people post criticism in the comments? Has it been helpful?
some. Honestly I often get more comments outside of Substack, by email, and on social media. I wish they were all on Substack, but people reply in all sorts of ways, which is great, but it means that a lot of what I see doesn't get seen by others. I get a lot more feedback from other writers who I collaborate with in writing groups and otherwise. Are you looking for that more of that sort of thing yourself?
Not ready for feedback of my work yet. Need a first draft. Sigh.
I guess it's tough to direct all that separate traffic to your stack.
https://bowendwelle.substack.com/s/memoir
👌👌
My numbers are fairly similar - I seem to have hit a bit of a wall with paid subscriptions.
It’s a slow build for most of us for sure with paid subs
congrats!
You got 500 already? Congrats, man! That's excellent. You seem to have figured it out a lot sooner than I have.
Fantastic! I’m excited about 85 subscribers and one paid lol. To reach your level I’d be ecstatic.
I just subscribed. 500 is awesome. How long did it take?
He started pretty well the same time I did. So I'd say 10-11 months. He's got a pretty good page. I'm subscribed to it. You should check it out. He writes more than just fiction, which is all I offer. But check him out.
Subscribed. Thx.
Just reached the milestone of 30 free subscribers today. I'm still a ways away from going paid, and I plan to keep my newsletter free and instead add extra content for paid subs.
I have my plan all laid out for that, and I'm pretty happy with it...how my question is: how did you know when it was time to start announcing that you plan to introduce a paid option?
Was it subscriber count? Engagement? Pledges? What was your tipping point?
Hi, to be honest going paid early means you don’t have to have this big moment where you launch paid and hope it doesn’t put people off.
When I went paid I lost probably ten free subscribers. Build back quickly but I then doubted the decision.
If you’re paid from the start every free subscriber signs up in the knowledge there is a paid option.
Does that make sense?
https://neverstoplearning1.substack.com/
Agree with Martin. I waited for a little over a year but if I could go back I'd do it ASAP. Your most engaged and supportive readers will probably support you from the jump.
I worry about those who can't afford to pay. Also, I didn't have a large following on social media when I started and I don't have 100 friends. I write funny stories that have to do with aging. Trying to find my peeps who need a laugh.
Allegedly I'm funny too, and humor as a value prop seems tougher anecdotally. It probably makes sense to leave the majority of your work free to access because most people are interested in receiving something funny, even if they're reticent to pay for it.
I have a no questions asked free sub policy for anyone who's a student or financially insecure, which I think makes it more equitable. I only expect people who can easily pay to pony up, and make that clear repeatedly.
A great place to communicate something like that is on your About page.
BTW, funny people rock.
Great idea. Thx.
Kinda. I went paid only because someone had pledged. And I didn't know what a pledge was (or that I'd even been signed up for it). But I figured I might as well accept. I'm still figuring out my content (a lot of it is legal writing) and what I intend to put out. I figure though that for the amount of time it takes me to research, write, and edit (not to mention brainstorm ideas), if someone wants to be supportive, I might as well let them help me.
Interesting that you lost free subscribers when you went paid. People experience various emotions! – and the unsubscribes may or may not have been related to your decision. (It’s hard sometimes for me to tell what causes readers to go paid or to unsubscribe.)
I did it this way, and at the beginning, the paid and the free were the same. I was pretty explicit about that, and the paid subscribers were doing it purely to support the show. Now that there are more things coming along for paid subscribers exclusively, they've become even more engage ambassadors.
Also, @substack, while i'm trying to read/post a comment this thread keeps refreshing and booting me down the line, making it difficult to read down. What up with that?
I've been whining to @substack about this issue. How long did it take? I know everyone is different. I'm taking a poll.:)
Love your ideas so I just subscribed. I hope you'll reciprocate. We need all the cooperation we can get.
I went paid right from the start because some friends of mine bought into it on the second day I started my page. I didn't even know what I was going to do, and they were already wanting to pay. I had to close it off for a while, but have opened it again. But I only offer two choices. My (long) short stories, or novels I want to serialize. Everything else is behind the paywall, with a promise that my stories will always be free, until they get archived after 2 months.
When did you switch to paid? How many freebees and paid before you pulled the plug and how long did it take?
I'm not exactly rolling in subscribers just yet, Sam, but here's my experience. I took a full year to figure out the platform, find something of a personal voice, and built up to 80 free subscribers. Once I felt I had a sustainable cadence for publishing regularly, I turned on paid. My free subscribers stayed with me, but I opened the door to some new possibilities. Good luck...keep it up!
This probably sounds quite daft but I love it when people actually share how many free/paid subscribers they have plus how long it took as then I get some sense of what I should be aiming for otherwise I can feel like I am ploughing on in a bit of a vacuum with no idea how well or badly I am doing. Many times I feel like giving up as I trickle in a few free subscribers each week So basically thank you for being open!
Hi Deborah - I’ve been here a year but writing wholeheartedly since November when I moved my mailchimp list of 320 over here. I have around 525 with 8 paid. So in 5 months Substack has brought me 200 subscribers. Most have come through this network with a handful through my social media. 🥰 grateful for this platform and everyone on it. ✨✍️🪄
Thanks for this. That sounds like great progress. I gave my previous Mailchimp subscribers the choice to move over here and not all did hence I have been relying a lot on my social media to promote my writing. I’m not quite sure how to get more through Substack itself so keen to hear any tips.
Sage advice. I'm at about 60 free and 4 paid.
I’m doing the same Sam. Newsletter remains free and then added value for paid.
Here's a little guide our team drafted about this very question if it's useful! https://on.substack.com/p/turn-on-paid
Thank you! That's fantastic, I appreciate you pointing me in that direction. I could use all the help I can get.
Congrats!
Decisions, decisions... But congrats on reaching that milestone! I'll help out and will also subscribe. I hope you'll reciprocate. Peace.
Sam......I'd add to your plan by waiting til you had a significant (you decide....number? percentage of published articles?) number of articles written so that you can go back and "lock" (paywall) a number of your earlier posts.
This, then, segments your site and clearly shows free articles, and ones that will require an upgrade to paid. I'd work on a balance of a handful of your fab articles to lock, but also leaving a large portion of fab work as free....to attract people to free sub, in the grand hopes they'll upgrade in the future! Good luck!
Just hit 400 subs and 5 paid...However, my paywall is just for access to the archives...trying to soft pedal the paid thing, because my priority is 2,000 subs for my book launch in 2024. jamesrichardson.substack.com
love the fact you have a clear plan and goal
congratulations! A huge achievement and good luck... looks like you are on track.
How many people are recommending you?
8 right now, including one 10,000 plus author...courting the top authors on similar topics appears critical but it needs to be an organic affection...
Great to have a goal!
I was going to do that. I told myself: Don't go paid until you have 2000 subscribers. I went paid after I finished my serialized novel A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO TIME TRAVEL. I thought it was the thing to do because I want to serialize another novel, and thought if I put it behind a paywall right from the beginning, people might accept it easier. It's all hit and miss.
^^^ tldr: How I ~stopped worrying and learned to love my Thirst Marketing Era ^^^
I was wildly encouraged when a number of my IRL friends bought subscriptions when I started my substack.
That growth, however, quickly plateaued, and my fantasies of semi-effortless fame/fortune were DASHED. I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that if I want this thing to grow like a business then I have to treat it like one.
Which is to say that I literally MADE BUSINESS CARDS—lots of affordable and reasonable options for this, I went with My Local Staples®️—and have tried to smush them at new people whenever possible.
While most of these cards presumably end up in the trash, This One Random Dude who I met at a soccer game—a friend of a friend's friend!!—apparently woke up the next morning with my card in hand and purchased a subscription. Meaning that, to my astonishment, my "investment" of 500 business cards has already paid for itself.
As much as I am averse to QR codes, spiritually speaking, I did plaster one on on every card. And I think that has been the key. I watched an acquaintance take the card, see that one side had only my name on it, and look discouraged; he flipped it over, saw the QR code, literally said "Thank god" out loud, and immediately scanned it with his phone. He just didn't want to type anything into his phone by hand! AND WHO COULD BLAME HIM.
SMALL VICTORIES. and onward.
💝🎷🏄
great tip to include a QR code. Time to make some new business cards!
Alex: LOL to "spiritually speaking" :)))))
I've done QR codes on biz cards, for sure. It does work. Q for you... does your QR code take people to your main page or a specific post?
Main page! Seemed the safest option. Think it sends em right into the "sales funnel" / enter-your-email prompt, which ofc at worst they can decline and be taken to the main overview page instead, where at least theyll get an overall VIBE.
ALSO i am apparently a weirdly inaccurate judge of which posts are going to resonate. like when i feel super proud and precious about a post, the reception is often MUTED, and a couple times ive sent something out in raw desperation to have a post finished , fully confident that no one will like it, and someone will say its their favorite yet. MYSTERIES ABOUND
lol same
Nice! Do you hand them out personally or leave them in public spaces?
I've had lots of success handing my cards out personally. I'm thinking about taking a day to put them out all over town, but I'm doubting if it will really move the needle. Curious your thoughts.
maaaan TIMOTHY so far its been almost all personal handouts but ive been thinking the same thing! honestly it feels worth a shot, if only to find out if it works---slash i feel like, the more i trick myself into staying in the habit of Promotion, the less uncomfortable it is. i also think theres a serious feedback loop that works in our favor when people see someone take a project seriously. feel like a hilarious amount of outcomes are just determined by people instinctually matching your energy, not to be whatever about it.
—WELL okay actually i DID furtively leave like, two lonely business cards on the El in chicago when i visited lol. same thing at a random ass cincinnati STARBUCKS WITHIN A TARGET , when the STARBUCKS WAS CLOSED but the target was open. nothing came of those, obviously. but really what i should try next is ASKING an ALIVE BARISTA (or whoever) if i can leave a stack, like actually try to make a connection. your question is helping me, is what im saying. thank you!!
This is great! Also nice to know that QR codes do get used. :D
I felt like the monkeys gawking at the monolith in 2001, mind was blown / knew nothing could be the same from here on out. entering my plot-hatching era.
i am now darkly tempted to wrap my corolla (!!) in Ask Me About My Blog / qr codes, slash like, i dunno, have a chain made? rapper slash tony soprano style? with the qr code EMBLAZONED THEREUPON?
if etsy-for-qr-code-chains ends up being my million dollar idea i will be so upset hahaha
stranger things have happened!!!
Brilliant tip here and it made me laugh too!
You can also put that QR code in your Apple Watch face if you have one. 😉
Some advice for going paid.
1. Set your founding subscription price high and click the box that lets people pay less than that price, but more than the annual. This is a good way to make sure that people who are super-fans have plenty of wiggle room in their budget. Also, founding subs can be a really big revenue driver, especially for smallish Substacks where passion is probably really high, but there isn't enough audience (yet) to convert monthly and annual paid subs in the hundreds or thousands.
2. Wait until you've put out enough posts and grown big enough in terms of audience to go paid. I say this because I wouldn't have come close to being able to figure out a value prop in my first year, but as you scale (both in terms of audience and content) you will have more information and feedback to help you find your value prop.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate. I've found that paying subs are among my most understanding readers, but the key to that understanding is that I share what I'm going through. Sometimes that's as simple as taking a break, sometimes it's more complicated stuff like raising prices, or adding a new benefit. But the point is, whenever you run into a jam about what to do with the business side or operations of your Substack, it's really helpful to let readers in on your thinking as early as possible.
I like your comment there about communicating a break.
I’m on leave next week and stressing about missing a weekly post. I guess that’s ok if you warn people in advance?
I try to tell people in advance. But if I've missed that opportunity, I might just schedule a quick note to readers explaining my absence. It helps if you can share a little info in that explanation to give your readers a sense of Why. They're human beings and they'll usually understand if your explanation reminds them that you're human too. Also, sometimes I include a link to an old post, one many of them may not have read because they subscribed after it was published. That usually makes people happy because at least they get a new-to-them story.
I have an "Up next" blurb at the bottom of every post where I signal what I'll be working on next. When I need to take a week off I communicate it there.
That's great, Amran! We all have (or should have) little ways that help "train" our subbies in the ways of their fave writer!
Definitely okay ... I took a two week break right after Christmas. I wrote that I would be doing that in the issue before the break, then also published a very short reminder post a day or two before my usual Friday issue would have been published.
Also, remember that you can write a post in advance and schedule it to be published later. I've done that during weeks when I knew I wouldn't be able to write on Friday as usual but could write something on Monday or Tuesday, then schedule it to go out on Friday.
Martin, if you're (during your leave) still able to access your/a computer, you might consider cross-posting a fitting 'letter from a writer you like. Sadly, crosses aren't yet schedule-able, but I've used cross-posts to not only inform my readers and share great work by others, but (as I did yesterday!) "buy me time" if I'm running behind in my post schedule!
That’s a great point. Cross posts can really help.
We went to Mexico in the beginning of March and I scheduled a post while we were gone. I could have put other posts up, but thought, "fuck it, I need a break just as much as the next guy." Taking a break didn't hurt my page any. If I need to take a break because we're going on a holiday, I'll tell my readers I'll be away for a week or two, suspend the paywall for the time I'm gone (just in case; don't want them paying for something they're not receiving.)
+1 to the founding subscription advice!
I'm offering paid now, it's nice to be able to paywall a lot of my work now after 2 years and also the support is appreciated greatly. I think paid needs promotion, and a longer and established audience before turning on the tap. I did no paid posts for a long time.
Can you share what was the tipping point was for you to go paid? That's something I'm trying to figure out for myself!
Here's my experience, Sri....your smile-age may vary. I started in Aug '21, and pushed no buttons. I obviously had nothing to paywall, and waiting or looking for a "strategy" to go paid hadn't occurred to me. I'd just leave the ability for subbies to pay or upgrade be, and your "paid strategy" turns to (as David mentioned above....or is it below?) paywalling....now, of course, after 1 1/2 years and dozens and dozens of arcticles, I've chosen which coupla dozen or more articles to "lock" (yes, some of my "best") and which to leave free (again, good ones, too, 'cause that's, theoretically, what will attract subbies)!
So, let people pay if they want...now decide at what point (and how many/what percentage?) you'll lock some articles to use as "bait"!! Hope that helps, Sri!
Thank you, that is very helpful! 🙏
Love the bait idea. I posted one of my best essays on Medium hoping to get more subscribers. Maybe I should rethink that?
❤️❤️👌
I am terrified of going paid!!!! That is all. Thank you.
Lol! funny but go for it! I lost zero free subscribers, the only thing is people don't pay, but you wont lose subs just because you offer additional services. I sent an update email before :)
That’s so true. When I think about it more I realize that there isn’t too much to be afraid of -- maybe I’m just nervous that no one will go for it? But then I’ll just be in the same position that I’m in now 😅
rebecca tbh even just GLANCING at your page, my bet is that as soon as you turn on paid-ness you'll wonder why you didnt do it sooner. i mean you got the BLURBS goin, you got people CLICKIN and TALKIN on the POSTS; i could be wrong ! but if several of them arent already ready to jump at a lil paid-ness for your shit, you can say, A Random Internet Person Was Wrong AGAIN, this one was Alex and im Against Him. and i will accept that, however ruefully, but be very surprised.
Wow thank you for the exceedingly kind words, the Substack hype man we all need!!! 😭
I was/am terrified, too, but I turned on paid last night and already have 8 paid subscribers! And I haven't even announced it yet (that's probably a mistake on my part....oops).
That's amazing!! Congratulations, Skye :) And maybe there's something to be said for the stealth route when it comes to turning on paid subscriptions -- I wonder if people really fare that differently depending on whether they announce it or not.
Hi Rebecca! I started out paid from the beginning but had NO expectations anyone would go for it. I sent a personal email to about 60 of my friends talking about my new free newsletter and about 17 of them signed up! Out of that initial 20 or so, I was SHOCKED that 5 or 6 became paid/founding members right away!
It was honestly super humbling and encouraging. They were all people I knew in person but somehow that made it even more special.
I think I got my first paid subscriber who I don't know in person yesterday...another milestone!
What I love about Substack is you aren't forcing anyone to do anything...you're just offering opportunities and seeing what happens! Value yourself and your writing and others will, too.
Best of luck!
Appreciate your insight & personal experience!! Definitely a great reminder that I'm not compelling anyone to do anything, just offering up the choice for them to make. :)
Exactly! I think you'll be happily surprised that others really do want to support you, especially if they can tell you're passionate about it.
Ask yourself; what's the best thing that could happen here?
Rebecca, if it helps at all, I'm one of your free subscribers and I would totally be a paying one if the option existed!
Reed, that is so kind of you!! Thank you so much for the encouragement, it is truly so appreciated!
I have a song in my head as of late and I think it applies…
“Don’t think twice, it’s alright.”
-Bob Dylan
Thanks Elijah, I think I am leaning towards keeping all my posts available and turning on paid subscriptions just as a way to support my work. Ideally, I would love to offer something extra to paid subscribers, though, so will require more thinking on my end. Thanks for the encouragement!!
The imposter syndrome is so real!!! I'm definitely one of those "waiting for a milestone" people and then I keep modifying what qualifies as THAT milestone and nothing ever really happens :/
How about if you use "It's March 30th" as your milestone? :)
Ahhhh!! Terrifying!! Hahaha
Because we've been conditioned to believe that it doesn't have worth. That daring to treat your writing as a business is somehow sleazy. It's not, of course, but old habits die hard.
You will occasionally see someone in these threads demanding that everything be made free. Or a poster will state that they unsubscribe from any newsletter that has a paid option. It's weird.
This is something I have been trying to reconcile for a while now.
I opened paid subscriptions early because I had it in my head that if I didn't, I was leaving one more mental hurdle to get over and it would impact my ability to concentrate on the content instead of whether this post would be the one I would start "accepting" paid subs.
And I don't paywall any of my content yet, which I have attempted to lay out clearly.
About two weeks ago I got my first paid sub. They paid a full year at once, which was wonderful. I was flabbergasted, to be sure.
And yesterday evening I hit 100 free subscribers.
Both milestones have left me looking around wondering what I am supposed to do now.
Neither seemed a reality when I started, just a pipe dream.
And I am truly grateful for both.
I think that means you keep going! Congratulations!
Big congrats on your subscribers! I'm approaching 100 myself and am so excited!
Congratulations, be proud of everything you have achieved! Might be an obvious suggestion, but keep writing! Plus engaging with the audience you have built can be immensely satisfying.
I say you keep writing, Andrew! 😁
Who's Andrew?
Hi! Did you import your blogging posts to substack? I did that when I moved over to substack and all of a sudden I had a pretty big archive... does that count?
It absolutely counts! I did the same but he didn’t publish them right away. I doled want them out one per week to get me started on a regular schedule of posting.
Ah makes sense. I had it all backwards, in my case. I was writing newsletters via mailchimp, then posting my newsletters over on the ‘notebook’ section of my website, which really was a blog. It didn’t make sense why someone would sign up for my newsletters if they could just visit my site from time to time… now I’m using substack and no longer post the content on my site. I’ve been able to build a real ‘archive’ this way. When I go paid (someday soon ;) I’ll offer up the archive. I think?!
Wonderful! It never occurred to me that my comment could provide value, but that's something I am coming to terms with as well.
As writers we don't get to choose which words, writings, and works are valuable.
That's exciting to think about!
Sharing experiences is so valuable. That’s what community is for so thank you. And well done on your 100 subscribers!
You just need to be you. That’s more than enough. It’s a different metric here - I don’t think it’s money for time at all. It’s more a cheerleading space I think? A community of suport?
*Support!
This is how I feel. It is so hard to have the confidence to go for it — but more often than not the risk pays off.
Does anyone offer paid subscriptions as a donation, rather than in exchange for accessing content behind a paywall? My substack Ask an Author (katebroad.substack.com) is an advice column for writers with a focus on craft and publishing, and the point is to answer people's questions and help make the publishing process less opaque and more equitable. So I don't want people to have to pay to ask q's or see the answers! I'm currently offering people the option to pay if they'd like to support the work, and I have some takers but am wondering if anyone has tips for how to approach the ask for donations, or advice in general around this type of subscription model. I could offer different content behind the paywall, but I'm not quite ready to make that commitment on top of all my other work!
Cafe Anne uses a donation model. All content is free, but some people pay. Sorta like public media. It's a beautiful model, but it's very challenging to pull off, at least in my experience. Anyway, check out Cafe Anne and see how she does it. https://annekadet.substack.com/
Appreciate the example, thank you! "CAFÉ ANNE will always be 100% free—no paywalls. It trusts that the readers who can afford a paid subscription will keep it going for those who cannot." That's great phrasing to use.
Love cafe Anne
Anne’s Stack is amazing 🤩
Hi, Kate. I have a paid option and the only diff between the paid and free is that paid gets access to the archive (posts go there after 2 weeks)...and a bonus post or two, but nothing on a schedule. It's to thank the paids rather than ice out the free. If people are already contributing, they see the value in what you are doing. Give them more options. xo
That's a nice idea to approach it as rewarding the paids! I might start getting a lot of the same questions if I can't direct people to previous posts, but I like this way of thinking about it and will see if there's more options I can do as a thank you for payment or a bonus of some sort. Thanks for the ideas!
I implemented this approach too, treating paywalled stories as "carrots" rather than "sticks." Can't say how successful it's been yet, but this month I'm putting some additional goodies behind my paywall that will hopefully encourage more readers to venture behind the curtain.
Nice -- I hope it goes well this month!!
You can set your archive for longer than 2 weeks if that helps, and you also have the option to let readers try paid for 2 weeks (so that's a lot of access). People can subscribe then cancel (not that we want that, but still), so there are options. I want to give and provide access, but it would also be nice to be compensated for what's going out there. And I would hope that people see the value in that, not just a money grab. I set the annual to $40, which is a $20 savings for the year, because I want paid subscribers to feel like they are getting something for that support. I mean, you can get Vanity Fair for $8/year (and a tote bag). At least here, you aren't getting bombarded with ads or the algorithm spying on you. That, too, has value. Once I reach a personal milestone, I'll add the Founders option, and then I'll have to provide something just for them. It's all about feeling out your audience and what you are comfortable doing. Good luck! xo
I offer paid subscriptions but do not currently paywall any content. Here's is the phrasing I use on my about page:
"Jen Zug Writes is free to read and free to comment. Executing as a writer is the goal. Creating community is the goal. Testing my ideas is the goal. A paid option exists for you to say, “Hey, I love your voice and I want more of it. Here’s a couple bucks. Keep going.” Yes, I’m saying money sometimes does buy love."
Substack says they see 5 - 10% of free subscribers convert to paid, with 10% being a rate to aim for. Using this model and not being super pushy about it yet, my paid subscribers are at 6% of free. I was at 9% a few months ago, but my paid subscriber rate hasn't kept up with my free growth.
For now I'm fine with this, but I'm currently working on some content that I want to be paid for, so I will put that behind a paywall and push for subscriptions.
Thank you I really appreciate the way you stated the Support option
This is really great phrasing, thank you for sharing! I like how you frame the ask and make clear how much this support means, but it's not pushy (and it made me laugh!). I suspect that as your free subscribers spend more time with you, some of them will convert to paid because they'll want to support you, even if they don't make that commitment the very first time they sign up. :) :) :)
I write about writer's block, and currently my paid subscribers don't get anything extra. They just seem to want to support me, which is lovely. I don't have many yet, but my first one was a lovely vote of confidence!
https://suwca.substack.com
I love this focus on support, and on addressing writer's block! I just subscribed! I get a lot of questions about overcoming the blank page for my advice column Ask an Author (https://katebroad.substack.com), and definitely in the coaching I do. It's so good to be talking openly about these challenges, and sharing tips to overcome it! Love your title, too.
Thanks, Kate. I love the look of your Substack too, so have also subscribed!
I am thinking about doing some webinars with authors, talking about times they've had to overcome a block, to help both promote the newsletter and give me something worth putting behind a paywall, I'm just dithering over when to do that.
This post is a great resource for thinking through what - if anything - to put behind the paywall https://on.substack.com/i/77022705/what-to-offer-in-your-free-vs-paid-tiers
Thank you for sharing!!
Yes, I do. At this point I don't put any content behind a paywall other than archived previous articles more than two months old. I have VERY few paid subscribers, since they don't get anything extra yet (I'm in the process of creating a digital product that paid subscribers will get free, and they will get discounts on any future products or coaching services I offer, but I still don't plan to produce separate content just for paid subscribers). I'm fine with that for now, because very few is still better than none!
This was my thinking too, after the pledge option began and I realized some people were pledging. I don't want to deny anyone the opportunity to pay if they'd like, and a little bit is still more than zero! But I'd like to figure out how to be a bit more intentional about it. I also have an editorial business where I edit manuscripts and help with all aspects of querying, and I just started offering subscribers a discount on those services. Maybe there's another way to sweeten the pot for paid subscribers, or I could restrict that discount only to those who've gone paid. It's a little bit of robbing myself to pay myself, but I could do the math and see if it helps me boost the subscription numbers in a meaningful way. Thank for the ideas!
I was literally going to ask a similar question! I was wondering if Substack might ever consider a pay-what-you-wish model. Some might pay less than I'd charge, some might pay more. If Substack set that up, it would allow the payments to still go through Substack (vs. Ko-fi or some other site).
I had this thought too! I started off adding a Ko-fi link so people could make a one-time donation or choose a smaller donation amount, but then I felt like I had a LOT of asks all going on at once and it was muddying the waters. Please subscribe! Also donate! Or leave a tip! And ask me a question! (Since it's an advice column each post begins and ends with that extra request, so it's a lot of links and buttons and hard to streamline into one clear ask.)
This is the conundrum! I wonder if having language around supporting the content, making the content available for everyone, trusting that those who can pay for the content will do so, etc. will help encourage some to donate, without losing the whole model?
Noooo, tell those insecurities to get lost! You have a Substack to write! But seriously, I do think you (we?) can make this model work, even if we know we aren't going to get rich off of it. You could always introduce the option, and if nobody goes for it, you haven't lost anything. You're just making the choice available. :)
I've just created my first paid newsletter option (monthly, going out on Monday, in addition to a free weekly) and I'm soooo curious to see how it turns out! I love the idea of personally thanking subscribers, and will be following up on that. Thanks
Hey congrats! So have I, just yesterday.. Really excited and curious about it.. I'm offering all my free subscribers one month of full access to everything so they can see what they would get for a paid subscription. Curious to see what happens when that month is up.
Good idea, I’m turning paid on and will be doing a weekly post for paid with bi weekly free. Plus some learning resources for paid subs. I’m so curious to see what people will pay for!
This is a great idea — I may borrow it when I'm ready to go paid :)
As a technicality, consider that there are two ways to do it:
A) turn on paid, but don't wall anything off and let all your subscribers access everything. clearly show what will be paid after the month is up. manually send one or two emails when the time is up, so that people know they have to upgrade to keep getting those benefits. then make sure you manually add the extra days for all people who upgrade in that free month.
B) turn on paid, wall things off and basically put everything the way you want it long term. upgrade each free subscriber to paid manually. reminder emails are sent automatically by substack (you can customise them from your settings). problem with this is, what do you do for new people who subscribe in that month. do you also add those manually, because then you have to make sure that the number of days are correct etc. plus people will get a lot of extra emails too.
I chose A, seemed easier and less administrative issues.
I like the idea of opening the paywall to the FREE subscribers so they can see what I have to offer. It's a serialized novel and I'm just starting it, so they can get in on the ground floor and decide if they want in.
Good luck! Can't wait to hear how it goes.
Launched paid options this week. I announced on Tuesday in a dedicated, longer email, then mentioned again at the top of my regular Wednesday post. Just got the notice from Substack that I've hit my first $1K!! Obviously I'm not going to quit my full time gig and live off writer income tomorrow, but I'm still stoked about the show of support.
Wow! Congratulations. That is beyond my wildest dreams.
Congratulations, Elizabeth. That's fantastic!
That’s amazing! Congrats
Hey Substack fam! This week I received my first paid subscriber! It feels so much more heartwarming than getting a job or client (despite the massive difference in dollar amount). I feel that's because it's so much more personal, so much more intimate when someone who's discovered you online decides your work is great enough for them to support it.
So there was the thrill, and then I fell back down to Earth. Crikey, I've got a paying subscriber. Where to go from here... what have others done? Do you produce differently for that first, say, 100 paid subscribers, than you do once you have 500 or 1K? How do you balance paid vs free content? Appreciate any insight as I start to ramp up paid content.
Congratulations! I know how you feel, got my first paid subscriber yesterday as well, literally jumped up into the air from excitement.
Haha that's great Robert, congrats right back to you! I run a business and this is my side gig, but it's one I wouldn't mind growing to rival the business, for sure!
Congrats! Feels a bit like an important guest is coming over and your house isn’t clean yet, doesn’t it?
Don’t fret about adding more. People may not want more, just you. Maybe say what they’re paying for. Some newsletter subscriptions are to keep it free for everyone and also because they really value the work. I like to provide extras because it’s a small community I can share with, but what your model looks like is up to you. There’s also the option of simply asking what people want to see.
Congrats 🎉
I send a signed copy of one of my books to every paid subscriber.
The book sells for $28, but I get them for much less and by shipping via media rate, it costs me less than $10 total. Hopefully, some will also buy one of my other books.
That’s awesome 👏
Hi all. I have adopted a softly softly approach so far with mainly just my archive being behind the paywall.
I don’t have time to post separate content for paid but may consider one week paid then one week free. I’m worried about putting off my free subscribers though.
I’d also consider threads for paid only but you need a decent number to make this viable or people will be talking to themselves.
Another thing I’m considering is offering a time where I will be online for them to talk directly through a thread to me.
https://neverstoplearning1.substack.com/
That’s what I do 👍
Hey everyone. This isn't advice, but I wanted to take a moment to urge all of you to be as authentic to yourselves as possible.
It's easy to start comparing your content to those you find on Substack and other channels. It's even easier to assume your readers want a certain opinion or style or whatever. But as your subscriber base grows, it's better to be following your path and not the path of someone else.
It gets harder as those subscribers roll in, not easier.
So take the time to consider what you really want to write about and check in with yourself from time to time to see if those topics and ideas feel authentic to you. The rest will follow.
Yes! I did that this week. I’ve become more comfortable and peaking out from behind the curtain.
I absolutely agree. My stuff is true to me. Weird and hopefully wonderful. I am not going to write about what is trending, hip, or cool. I write about my life experiences and what I have researched passionately.
My spirit of intent is to inform, inspire, and hopefully engage in a lively conversation.
💞🐞💞
Such good advice!
I think your charging is important.
Getting people to renew every month is tough.
So what you really want is people signing up for an annual pass.
To do this, charge much more for your monthly and then seriously discount it for annual. So say $9 monthly and $40 annual.
This means you will have a smoother income and not have to worry each month about whether people will renew and spend time on that process.
I'd hate to have lower-income readers who can truly only do month-to-month *not* be able to subscribe because of a bloated monthly rate, though. I suppose it depends on your audience, but I'd rather keep people with the content rather than put them in a financial bind for any reason.
Depends on your audience, and how much you know about them/what you know about them. Generally, my audience is made up of music lovers, but because of my behind-the-scenes nature (including an actual working singer/songwriter for decades writing for me...Stephen Michael Schwartz, who's recorded for RCA and Disney Records), I've got a healthy crowd of industry pros, too (songwriters, producers, former rock critics).
For you, Theresa (and hearing how you feel), I'd keep your monthly reasonable, and set an annual rate that's lower than prescribed, but also gives a noticeable break (i.e. equivalent to 3 months free, etc)....mine's $42 with a $6 monthly. So, even knowing the above, it would never occur to me to "jack up the price" just 'cause I might have industry types subbing! We each have to make that assessment! Good luck!
I really like this approach and I think it gives readers time to recognize the ongoing value and you, the author, time to figure out what is working (and what isn't).
Hi - I'm a writer at Nominal News (where I cover variety of current issues from the lens of what academic economics research and what that research tell us.) I recently reached a 100 free subscribers. I know that that is too little to go for paid subscribers, but I was wondering when did other writers decide to go paid?
Secondly, regarding pledges - do pledges automatically get charged if I'd go paid, or is there an option to allow people who pledged to confirm whether they want to actually go through with it.
Thirdly, especially for smaller substacks - which of the for options have you found to be best regarding going paid (freemium, private club, donation, exclusive).
Lastly, (a little self-promo) - https://nominalnews.substack.com/ - if you are interested on what economics has to say on a variety of topics (such as gift giving; how partner preferences impact career outcomes; what is driving current inflation; what are the impacts of some recent economic policies) - please feel free to subscribe!
I had the same question about your second question.
With regard to your third, I think it comes down to your own preferences and audience. I just decided to start offering paid subscriptions, and not waiting for a magical number of subscribers before doing that so that the people who want to support me can support me, and I have never liked paywalls. My goal is to read and inform as many people as possible, and I don't think income should prevent people from learning something. So I came up with adding bonus content and some personal updates as extra perks to paying subscribers. I feel much more comfortable with that and it doesn't go against who I am / what I think is important.
Subscribing to your substack. Could always stand to learn more about economics, and it's not something I naturally gravitate towards interest-wise, but it is very important and affects many people's lives.
I totally agree with your point here Robert. I don’t what to constrain the reach in trying to make a quick buck. As you I want people to have access to what I write as my primary goal is to help people.
It’s then finding that balance with what’s additional and what’s core.
https://neverstoplearning1.substack.com/
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/ego-and-self-promotion-on-substack
Well played putting that behind a paywall. lol.
Maybe those other writers are mad that they can't say what they want to say in 3 emojis or less. :)
😬
I turned on paid subs on Day 1. I'd love to tell you a really good story here, but the truth is I didn't know any better; I just thought that's what you did. I came over from Medium, so it made sense.
That said, with the benefit of a little hindsight, my recommendation is to turn it on now. You don't have to advertise it, or "talk it up" to your readers if you're not ready. Will any one jump? Tough to say, but I guarantee you no one will if it's not an option.
This is what I have come to realise too. It did take a while after that for me to feel comfortable with it, but here I am now :D
My guess is that pledges are automatic because I turned on paid last night and this morning my pledges have gone live. On the other hand, perhaps those subscribers are just insanely on top of their email...
I'm actually turning on paid tomorrow and launching with a (free) sample of what will be the first format of paid 'bonus content' I'll offer as a supplement to the free weekly post. So, yay me! I hadn't really looked at the paid option until yesterday and wanted to do the $5 monthly and $50 annual so I changed it to that (from $8 and $80). My question is...
I had one person pledge and annual sub while the yearly was set at $80, but I don't want him to pay that. Since I've changed it to $50 before actually turning on paid, will he be automatically dropped to the $50? Otherwise my plan was to reach out and offer to venmo refund the difference back to him. I was just wondering if me changing the price would drop his pledge down automatically? Probably not...
Answer if anyone's curious: I changed from $80 to $50, turned on paid, and the subscriber who had pledged at $80 only charged $50, so all good!
Has anyone ever done cold outreach to free subscribers that have 4 or 5 star ratings? I'd love to ask them a few questions and get their input on what I can do to improve but not sure if that would look / feel weird.
I've written to ask for their support. I say "Substack tells me you're one of my most engaged readers. Thanks for your support." And then make an ask: would you be willing to post about my newsletter on social media, share it with three friends, tell me what interests you most or whatever. I write each person their own email.
Love this idea!
This guy is the master of these kinds of emails! Worth a read about his strategy and to peruse his email templates: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-3
Thank you!
Interesting idea, would be interested to hear from people who have tried this.
I've started a model where all of my posts end up free, but some of my posts start out paid. If a post is paid only, it stays locked for 6 weeks.
My first series of paid posts becomes fully unlocked in about 6 weeks. I'm planning to email all free subscribers at that point, sharing links to the individual posts in this series. I'm going to ask people at that point to consider upgrading to paid if they're finding these posts helpful, and they can afford a paid subscription.
At some point I'm also going to email my most active readers and ask them to write a review if they have found my work helpful. I'm not going to trade comps for reviews, as that feels spammy and less sincere. I'm going to comp that group regardless of whether they write a review or not.
One question on voiceovers: is it possible to make voiceovers only accessible for paid subscribers? I'm considering adding voiceovers, but I'd love to make them only paid subscribers as it'll take additional time and effort to create them.
Yes! If you create the post as a "podcast" post, you can embed both a paid version and a free version of the audio. (I have one of these going up tomorrow, so I was just messing with this very thing.) Then make sure you insert a paywall underneath all the text you want visible to everyone.
Actually, here, I can show you what I did last time: https://www.juke.press/p/when-i-disappeared-audio-version#details
Under all the text, I went to "more" and then hit "paywall" and that made all the text visible above it. If you don't do that, it'll automatically put all the text behind the paywall too.
Or, as an alternative, you may be able to make a regular post, then add your audio at the end, behind a paywall. I haven't tried it that way, but I think it would work.
Ahh, that was the explanation I was looking for! Most people using paywalls are paywalling the entire post, so I didn't know whether you could just paywall the voiceover block. Thanks Tonya!
That's a great idea, Charlie!
So appreciate this thread!
Curious to hear how people decide which content to paywall v offer freely? Do you share your most "valuable" (however you define that) to attract readers, or do you reserve it for paid subscribers?
I'm in the middle of an experiment after being here on substack for almost eight months (I had an exisiting list of 8,0000 on Mailchimp and the majority of paid subscribers came during the launch month, so there has been some stagnation)
My original approach was that essays (the most "valuable") were reserved for paid subscribers, with curated links/recommendations sent each month to the entire subscriber list to promote the paid essay as well as share interesting things to read, ponder, do etc.
After a chat with fellow Substacker Rob Hardy (www.ungatedcreative.com — great stuff!) I have switched — essays are now free to attract more readers generally, with more personal notes and curated lists sent weekly with a more personal/intimate touch.
I've seen an increase in free subscribers (around 300 in two weeks, mostly through promoting the essays on social media) and paid subscribers have remained relatively the same.
Keen to hear other experiments people might have tried? As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, "All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."
I write relatively edgy material as is, so I promised readers that things behind my paywall would venture closer to NSFW or tackle a sensitive/controversial topic. Not sure I've lived up to that promise yet, but that was the rationale. Next month I'm planning to put the first chapter of my WIP novel behind the paywall, so I'll be curious to see if that entices anyone.
Otherwise, most of my stories are free, and I've moved to paywall most of the archive over time, leaving only a few very popular stories as free marketing.
I love the idea of WIP pieces as paywall — hope it goes well for you!
I’m debating the NSFW stuff. 🫣
Yay for edgy!!
Tomorrow's piece will likely prove extremely polarizing...
Ohhhh Cliff-hanger my friend.....
My paywalled content is the stuff that a bit more “rude” as I like to say or that is personal. I may want to include advance copies of work in the future, though.
I would say it’s a space of experimentation and I’ve been very proud of what I’ve released to paid subscribers.
The personal seems to be a great approach. I'm with you on the experimenting! And congrats on feeling proud — that's the main thing, I think!
Love rude!
This post is well worth a read! Our team put all of our knowledge into one place: https://open.substack.com/pub/on/p/free-vs-paid?r=kaa91&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Great resource, thanks Bailey!
Fair question. I paywall my longer pieces. Such as a thriller novel.
I just know that when I first looked into starting a substack, it felt wildly counter-intuitive to me to keep my best stuff free and only use the paywall, if anything, for weirder/more personal or miscellaneous stuff. But as I've continued, it makes more and more sense. Best I can tell is that what paid subscribers I do have are pretty "ride or die," if you will. I truly dont know what convinced/converted them, lol. But it absolutely seems like theyre just happy to support me/the project and are not very concerned about the details, frankly. (I imagine this is different if one's substack were, say, financial advice or whatever. But not in the english-major metaverse i apparently inhabit.)
Conversely! Over months of free posts, I figured surely some of the free subscribers who I'd picked up along the way could be convinced by my CONTENT and might opt to pay eventually. And almost without exception, that has never happened. (!) NO idea if this experience is common, but when someone is first exposed to my blog, they either go paid almost immediately or its (apparently) never gonna happen. Ive eked out a couple dozen paid subscribers, and literally the only exception to this experience was my beautiful friend mike. I need to ask mike what changed his mind!
Mike has the answers!
Thanks for diving into this — great observations and I think that's the big question mark for me too. Great to ponder with others :)
I struggled to decide how to separate Paid vs Free for a long time. I write about writing, illustrating and publishing. I finally settled on the free version where I publish my essays/blogs/thoughts, as well as an exclusive doodle and updates. For Paid, I dive deeper into my own creative process related to the free version and offer tutorials, step by steps, and exclusive fiction - really trying to add more value. Is the writing better? No, its probably the same. But the content is more specific. Basically, if readers are just here to hang out, free is the way to go! If readers want to get into the nitty gritty, they can upgrade to get the behind the scenes goodies! I'm super happy with the response and having a lot of fun!
This is a great delineation — more personal, WIP, behind the scenes of your own process for paid makes sense to me. Thanks for sharing your approach — and yes to having FUN!
Depends on where you are on the life cycle. I'm new-ish, certainly a small newsletter-I want all of my stuff to be available to all readers so they can see all the stuff that is valuable.
I'm planning on slowly limiting what is free as I grow. I see from your checkmark you have hundreds of paid subscribers--so you can afford to cater to a more exclusive audience of paid perks. Do things just for them so they feel they have a community unto themselves and a little more intimate access to you.
Consider talking to your paid subscribers and asking what things they like the most about your publication, and what things they consider valuable about it? Every subscriber base will look and behave differently, and value different things. It's really hard to write a one-size-fits-all approach to paid content strategy. The strategy is to be flexible and be communicative! And that's not a satisfying answer.
It's a great answer — because it's the of it isn't it, in terms of being flexible, trying things, experimenting. Love what you said about the life cycle too. Astute and helpful! Thank you Scoot :)
I'd love to bat around when to go paid and using paywall vs open posts... I have close to 800 subs and what seems to be a typical percentage (about 5%) paying. Most of what I put out is open to everyone, including long form essays like "Anxious Masculinity" https://bowendwelle.substack.com/p/anxious-masculinity-things-fall-apart
I'm also serializing my memoir in progress here, and so as a benefit to paying subscribers I paywall new chapters (with a free preview) and then schedule them to open up to free subscribers automatically after a few weeks, e.g. https://bowendwelle.substack.com/p/09-i-let-confusion-in
The down side is that maybe I'd get more exposure (and subscribers) if everything was free. I'm sure some folks do just the opposite--publish everything free, and then make certain things paid after some time. I know that some others recommend wait to go paid at all until you have a larger subscriber base.
Thoughts on balancing free vs paid vs growth?
Everyone: Read and support Bowen’s stack. Fantastic writing ✍️
cheers my friend! I'd say the same. There aren't many men writing deep, honest, personal memoir here on Substack and Michael is one of the few (along with myself). We have a lot in common, and also quite different stories and styles. Check out his great work ⬆️
Just posted a similar question! Currently experimenting with this so hopefully will have more stats soon, but very curious if others have ideas
I currently have paid subscriptions on pause. I am an artist currently writing a book about the intuitive voice and I also teach art workshops. I'm considering dividing my offerings into two separate newsletters to give readers more control over what they want landing in their inbox. Are we able to have different payment tiers for each newsletter?
You can create a sub-newsletter by creating a section, then when you publish a post to that section you just have to remember to add the paywall. The paywall is per post, not per section, iirc.
Thanks so much for the response. I’m actually looking for a way to have two different subscription options for my subscribers based on the content they want. For example one would be a monthly rate of $5 for the writing only and the other would be a monthly rate or $10 for those who want the video tutorials and conversations about the process of art making.
Ooh, I see! Yes, I have no idea if that's possible.
Interesting question
Do you use sections? I think they work so well.
Do writers have the ability to offer subscriptions for less than $5/month?
Sadly, no. And with the "commission" I sort of understand why. I've seen some writers add a "buy me a coffee" link for those readers who want to contribute but not on a regular basis/monthly sub (and I'm going to play with that). I wish the pledge option would remain when you go paid for that same reason, like a tip jar.
Right 👍
Yes, you can add custom buttons and then just add a stripe/paypal etc link to that button and call it 'tip jar' or 'donate' or something.
I'm toying with doing that to start since the idea of having a "paid" section of subscribers feels like extra pressure on what I need to create, you know? If someone is appreciative of what they've just read and can throw me a couple bones, then cool.
Hi, Teresa. Why don't you go ahead and put a paid option and see what happens? The only difference between free and paid on my 'stack is the archive. Paid get that and a few "bonus" posts, but no schedule set in stone. I also deeply discounted the annual sub (to $40) and, so far, I have 5 paid subs (I started the 'stack at the beginning of the month). Might as well offer it and see what happens. Good luck! xo
Perhaps? It's not a big priority for me right now, but I agree that my subscribers have surprised me in the past (with reading rates, comments, etc). I'll do some brainstorming and consider what kind of paid content I might want to do.
I think it's important to listen to what you feel comfortable with. In my experience, you start small and then you slowly start to become more confident about what you do.
Agreed. I also only started writing my Substack in January, so I'm wanting to get some solid posts up there before charging people.
Not sure what regime I think I’m under (!) but I didn’t know it was ok to add a buy me a coffee link. I used to use that on Medium and it worked well. It’s a great option for people to say thank you without that long-term commitment.
LOL. I only knew because another writer did it! It's funny that something like that isn't on offer because Buy Me A Coffee is a Stripe thing. And I really wish a "pledge" was an option instead. (If anyone from Stripe or Substack is listening, please put this into action.) We need that middle ground. xo
Totally agree! Sometimes one specific piece of writing can really move someone and they want to just respond to that. Think I might just add my buy me a coffee link back in to my pieces...
I’ve seen a few people add this or ask for them to donate so they can continue their writing practise by reading so “buy me a book”
Thank you, Sandra!
Not currently! We are beginning to experiment with international payment parity, which may allow for lower price points in other markets where $5 USD is a hard conversion.
As a note, we do this very intentionally. Substack was built on the belief that writing is valuable.
Writers have an overwhelming tendency to want to undervalue their work. $5 a month is the cost of one cup of coffee! Charging less than that $5 a month minimum also makes the economics of subscriptions harder and harder—it becomes exponentially harder to build an independent writing business with each dollar less.
Thank you, Bailey!
Thank You I was wondering how that number was chosen. Now it makes sense to me!
True. On the other hand, think of it this way. $50/year is more than a subscription for the New Yorker or Harper’s magazine, written by industry professionals. Doesn’t that make it seem a little high? I love SS, don’t get me wrong. But consider it this way: If the cost for subs is less, more people will subscribe, therefore writers make more. If Substack truly values writers’ acquisition of financial gain, wouldn’t this actually make more sense? Honest question: Is it about what you mentioned, or is it about the 10% fee SS collects from subs?
Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
No. I wish we did. I want this. I’d love to offer $2-3/mo
Thank you, Michael!
I think 5 is the miminum, but you can lower your annual subscription cost. When you offer that at 50 a year then it's 50/12 a month.
Thank you, Robert!
Dahlia, the monthly can't be lower than five, but the annual price effectively can be. You can kind of get around it by setting your monthly at $5 but your annual at $25, $35, etc. If that's what you're aiming for.
Thank you, Timothy!
if that's something you'd like to do, you can. The workaround is to lower your annual rate.
Hi all. I am new to Substack and as a well-known journalist already, I'm a bit unsure when it is best to add a subscribe/paid option as presume it is best not to do so until I have a reasonable amount of followers? I'll be writing content that has not been published elsewhere but am a bit conscious of not wanting to look a fool if nobody subscribes. How long would you suggest I wait for please? This is me: https://suzannebaum.substack.com/
Thanks for any advice.
Also, no one but you will know how many paid subscribers you have, so there’s no worry of looking like a fool!
Thanks so much. I'll give it a try soon.
There's really no downside to giving your readers the option to subscribe. I went paid at the outset and it was heartening to see that people just wanted to show their support and be a part of it. No one will know how many paid subscribers you have (until you hit a hundred and get that oh-so-coveted checkmark) and you might be surprised.
Thankyou so much for replying! Great advice & much appreciated
Question for those of you who do paywall new content: do you always send it to all subscribers, both free and paid? Is there an option to only send it to paid subs?
I'm also curious how many others here share my frustration as a free subscriber when I get sent "previews" of paid content that I start reading, then hit the paywall. I have never upgraded to a paid sub just to read that paywalled content. In fact, sometimes getting those emails when I can't read all of the content pisses me off enough that I end my free subscription!
In a previous writer office hours, this issue was discussed and a few others agreed with me, but I'd love to hear input from more writers about this!
Hi Wendi, I paywall new content (monthly editions) and send it out to all, customising the email introductions every month differently for free vs paid. This is accompanied by occasional free posts of new content to everyone (short form), again with customised email intros. And annually I send out a free full edition from the archives to everyone, again with customised email intros. Trying to balance the needs and interests of free subscribers with those who pay. So far, it appears to be received well.
At first the location of the paywall line was a bit short and after feedback from a free subscriber, I moved it to a bit later such that what is above the paywall includes the first (of many) insights.
Thanks for sharing what you do and the feedback you’ve gotten. I appreciate hearing from someone who does paywall content how it’s working for you!
Hi there. I do believe there is an option to send to only paid or to everyone.
I agree with you, Wendi, when I subscribe to someone who seems interesting, only to find that all of their content is a preview, I will unsubscribe. I need to see something that you’ve written that’s really good to give you my money.
For my part, I’m currently publishing everything wide-open, but I have the paid option on. I have 85 subscribers and one paid. I only opened my Substack mid January so I’m pretty happy with that.
I don’t know if I’ll ever paywall anything. Perhaps I’m naïve, I’m hoping there are others like me who will find that something I write, helps them in their life, and they feel like supporting me because of it.
Maybe I’ll change later I don’t know
I offer paid subscriptions but don’t paywall anything because I prefer that both of my newsletters feel like communities. I do pay to subscribe to several others but I do it only after I’ve read and enjoyed their work. I’ve seen some who start right off with a paywall and have to assume they’ve come with a built-in audience. It’s really risky otherwise.
Great question and would love to hear some writers chime in on this.
Here's my story on going paid:
Started my newsletter on Oct 24, 2021. Got my first paid subscriber on Oct 27, 2022.
Was mostly going with the "hey, upgrade to paid to support / donation" model.
But then I moved a section from my twice-weekly newsletters (called ANTISOCIAL), and moved that to its own paid-subscriber only newsletter / section.
So that became sort of something I could "talk about" to encourage people to subscribe. I send them out to everyone as a free-preview (with the paywall line break about half-way through), and that's just made it an easier "sell" for me, and what I do. And I make sure every newsletter has my "hey, if this newsletter is helpful, considering becoming a paid subscriber!"
It also helped that I got recommended from a bigger music industry newsletter. Most all of my growth / subscribers comes from that. Very few come from social media.
Obviously not for everyone, but that's just how I've been doing things, and I now have 318 free subscribers, and 7 paid. It's a journey!
I just took a look at your latest post (A personal library of 100 books) and noticed the GOLD - you PAINTED your feature photo for that post? THAT THAT THAT.
In the time of AI (ahhhhhh) and free stock photo sites, it is GOLD that you took the time not just because "oh, EVERYONE uses that other stuff," but because for this one post, hey, you didn't, and it showed just another ounce of who you are, and what you bring.
I didn't turn on PAID right off the bat, because I had to find my rhythm, and my flow, and my VOICE. I had to make sure I could handle posting once a week, then twice, then THREE TIMES (I'm back to twice a week now).
But having that archive then is just evidence for someone to drop by, read your posts, and discover who you are.
So it's not just the words, but the art, the tone, the attitude. Be you 100% fully, make sure you're having fun with it, and keep pushing!
YEP. You gotta.
I mean, I'm ranting about how bands and record labels need to figure out their SOCIAL MEDIA ESCAPE PLAN before it's too late, and embrace email lists!
I'm the sky is falling guy, and I think it's all gonna crash and burn, MUCH to the chagrin of social media management and online marketing folks that work in music - OOOPS! hahah
One tip that I got from fellow Substacker Scott Britton is to check new subscribers (free and paid) to see if they are also writers themselves.
Unfortunately this takes a little manual work, but it's worth, it to unearth opportunities to collaborate and cross-promote.
His post with this idea and a few others is here →
https://creatorexperiments.substack.com/p/5-easy-ways-to-supercharge-your-substack
nice share
What I'm struggling with is this:
I have some paid subscribers who kindly support me but it's a tiny amount. I try to create content for them but unfortunately it's hard to do too much because so few people will see it and the income stream is so limited, so it affects how much time I can put in.
I disclose this upfront before people sign up.
Still, I hugely appreciate the support and want to offer more to these paid subscribers, but I'm not sure what I can provide that's not paywalled posts & doesn't take a huge amount of my time. Yet something that provides actual value.
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!
Keep writing and doing it: if you build it they will come...slowly 😎
I usually explore a topic in a kind of long / series format article form, and I tend to have a lot of sources / information etc left over that would be too much to include in the article. That is what I offer to paying subscribers, they can get some extra or deeper information on the topic I'm writing about. Does not add too much work since I did most of it already while writing the rest of the article.
Is there a plan to offer more templates on Substack? For example, one that looked like a letter or one that looked like a posted note etc? Some more themes could be super cool :)
Single-month purchases:
I will upgrade to paid subscriptions to other newsletters to try for one month before committing to annual. But to ensure I don't get recurring charges, I immediately cancel. Then my access is cut off. Can Substack fix this?
I've written the author and in most cases they restore access for the remaining weeks.
Oooh that's a good request.
I am wondering about how the process works to convert people who pledged to paid subscribers. When I read the faq pages, it looks like it should happen automatically. However, when turning on paid they don't always show up in the paid subscriber list. Is there a follow-up email involved that subscribers have to confirm, or something along those lines?
I just wrote a whole post about how I thought the tip jar button at the bottom of emails, was a great idea and then thought about a donation button. People who subscribe could give to the charity of their choice like Amazon Smile, or to a topical charity like Liberty North Korea, an NGO that helps refugees. Yeonmi Park was on Joe Rogan talking about the horrific circumstances of her life in North Korea. Even better would be a drop down menu included at the end of the email. A host of charitable organizations compiled by Substack. We are all constantly being bombarded with requests all day every day. It's overwhelming. Let's just make it easy for them to click on a link in their email. A percentage would go to the writer and a percentage to the charity. That way it's a win/win for all involved. The reader gets to give to both a charity and the writer, the charity gets money and Substack gets kudos for being philanthropic. Just an idea. Asking people to pay for something they have gotten for free is awkward.
I'd really like to implement it. I am going to reach out to Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie and see if they would be interested. Hopefully I can get to them. I will keep you posted.
Curious to know how people feel about gifting paid subs?
I try to be pretty generous with this because I know I have some fans who don't have the money. I ask anyone who wants a paid sub, but can't afford one, to email me. Only a handful of people have done this, btw, so I can't say the policy has been abused at all. But what's nice is that those readers are so appreciative and they do a lot to contribute in non-monetary ways by leaving great comments and sharing posts off of Substack.
Do you gift paid subs & if so, what's your policy for doing so?
My policy (more or less) mirrors yours: If you can't pay, email me, and we'll get you squared away. No questions asked. We've all been there.
This is a great idea! I might do this to celebrate 100 subscribers!
Hi. I started with a paid option when I launched (at the beginning of the month). So far, I have 75 subscribers, 5 of which are paid (annually). The annual is set at $40 and monthly is $5. Free subs get all the main posts, paid subs get the archive (posts go there after 2 weeks) and some bonus posts. I'm also flirting with a "buy me a coffee" button for anyone who wants to support the 'stack without a monthly or annual contribution (like a tip jar). I would put in a paywall to posts if @substack would allow comments from Everyone even if there's a paywall. **Hi, Substack, can you put in that option?** It would save authors from having to send out an additional post to paids as well as letting all readers share their thoughts on the open post. I don't want readers to feel that only paid subscribers have a voice worth hearing. And, in some ways, I think that would drive more paid subscriptions. xo
❤️
I'm not "paid" yet, but it is my goal! That said, I just took a several month long break from writing at all, and dipping my toes to coming back. I'm curious if anyone else has done this, and if so, how they re-engaged their followers.
Yes I have had that happen. I think one of the big strengths of substack as a newsletter platform is that you don't have to entice people back to your website, they simply get your new content right in their inbox. Usually people re-engage. I think the opposite would happen first, when you're sending new posts every day, that people would feel overwhelmed by all the emails. But that's my experience, maybe others had different ones?
So far my experience is what you mention, Robert, that readers predominantly don't seem to mind/notice. If they're subscribers, free or otherwise, they're glad to get a new one, whenever it arrives. For better or worse—mostly better!—I think my fretting around too much/too little content, or posting on a Sunday when I recklessly said it would be done Thursday, are mostly in my head.
I would honestly go so far as to say that I shouldn't even bother publicly announcing a cadence/frequency/schedule of posting, EXCEPT that telling people I'm gonna have a post finished by X is a huge and crucial incentive in getting me to actually write the fucking thing, lol.
I recently started using a calendar on my phone , and I add the dates I want a post finished to it. Really helps to see it as a sort of deadline. And if for whatever reason it's a day or so later, then that does not really matter, it helps to keep shooting to get something done around X date.
I have also used the calendar and finally Gott in a groove where I can usually get my posts written about two weeks before I need them.
My writing focuses on the Bible and helping people come to know Jesus Christ. I'm not interested in putting what I write behind a paywall, because I want as many people as possible to have access to it. I have had 3 people pledge support to my writing - and that's without me promoting that option at all.
I've thought about the following to build up my paid subscribers:
- Use money from paying subscribers to pay for publishing books or other resources.
- Use money from paying subscribers to produce video content.
What are some ideas you may have to keep my writing free and available to all, while encouraging support from those who would like to help?
Thanks!
My suggestion is to keep doing what you're doing (keep it free for all), but explain that upgrading to paid will keep everything available to everyone, help publish your books, allow you to share the Word with more readers.
Thanks for the suggestion!
How can I get my publication One Could Argue featured in one of Substack's roundups of emerging voices? I have no interest on going paid; I just want to see if I can get on one of your lists and expand my Substack contact network as a personal challenge for my own amusement.
We aim to feature writers on our home page and publications who are going deep into a clear topic and exemplify best practices, like posting regularly and engaging with readers.
We're always on the lookout for new undiscovered writers to feature. If you have any recommendations, please let our team know here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScs-yyToUvWUXIUuIfxz17dmZfzpNp5g7Gw7JUgzbFEhSxsvw/viewform
Someone donated to my writing with out my asking! So I set things up to receive her gift, but am ambivalent about asking for money. My work has been free for a long time and I was committed to it being free. But I know Substack deserves fees for this marvelous platform. I also don’t publish regularly as it takes a long time to compose my essays. I’d appreciate any advice.
So nice!
It was very kind. And she may be nudging me in a more consistent direction with my writing.
Several folks have mentioned making business cards -- great idea. Similar is to use something like Stickermule to make buttons or pins that people can wear. Some people LOVE this and it's much more memorable than a business card -- although harder to include a QR code ;)
Here are my pins, which I give away as business cards and also send out to all paid subscribers →
https://bowendwelle.substack.com/about
and... here's a discount code for Stickermule → https://www.stickermule.com/unlock?ref_id=5731919601
I send stickers to any paid subs that would like them. They're surprisingly cheap to make.
Really dig the idea of sending subscribers something in the mail. Do you send it to people out of your country too?
A small victory share for other writers. I haven’t made the switch to paid but I do have pledges turned on. The more I’m posting on Instagram about my Substack the more pledges/subscribers I’ve been getting. Ive been creating personalized assets to post on Unfold and they have been getting a lot of great feedback/attention/converting to pledges.
If you've gone paid, have you had success with time-based benefits?
For example, I'm thinking about having all of my paid posts be available free for 24 hours, and then put them behind the paywall. Or alternatively, have paid posts appear in the free archive after 2 weeks or so.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Good idea 👍
hello all, just started on substack in February, as an extra for an architecture magazine, On Site review, that I edit and publish. I don't want to ask anyone to pay for what I say, but in the end, after say, 6 months and a healthy readership, would like to go paid so that any income from the substack posts would go to pay honoraria to the contributors of the magazine (currently can't afford to offer honoraria; most contribs just want to be published). Has anyone told their subscribers that payment (isn't for my own deathless prose) but is specifically for a parallel project?
Nothing wrong with asking for people to pay for your time and effort
being a sincere Canadian, we aren't that good about money. I write because I have things to say, but if I could get a bit of money for my magazine writers I'd be very happy.
Of course! 👌
Hello everyone!
I was wondering if you could share your benefits for free vs. paid tiers. I find myself constantly testing the language for my Visual Storytelling Newsletter: https://newsletter.visualstorytell.com/about
What seems to work or not work for you? It'll be interesting to see if any clear best practices could emerge for the benefit of everybody here.
I'm also curious! I am launching a new offering called "Creative Contemplation." Free members get a free journal I made with monthly creative prompts and new moon affirmations.
Paid members get an extra monthly new moon letter with more prompts, resources, and a tarot card reading.
Founding members will be able to join me for a monthly online event where we can connect and share how we worked with the prompts/energy of the month.
April is the first month and I'm excited/nervous to see how it goes. I'd love to hear others' ideas too!
Very cool, Mariah! Your approach is very similar to mine.
I am trying to grow my subscriber base by offering free subs meaningful benefits while attracting paid subs with extra premium perks. It's important, I'd say, to carve out a clear value difference between free and paid to establish the incentive to upgrade to paid.
Of course the connecting tissue to all these subscriber tiers is an amazing content :)
Still testing as I go since I just migrated my newsletter to Substack last Sept.
I have been posting quality content daily since Feb. 14, about six weeks ago. I get good feedback on it. I have grown from 10 to 34 subscribers, but seem to be stuck there. I could invite people more often. I have added my substack link (harthagan.substack.com) to my email signature. I could add that link with an invitation to my Facebook groups (I have several and participate regularly). I could send out a personal invitation via messenger, text and email to people who I think would be interested. I need to upgrade the "image" that appears when I post the link. I could recommend other people's substack, and hope to be recommended in return. What else can I do?
Hi Hart.
I would say keep going with the cadence you think you can sustain. Daily is hard and may not yield you more subscribers than a lower cadence. Don’t burn out doing it.
Get your welcome screen looking appealing. This will be the first impression. Try and get some recommendation blurbs to go on there.
Reaching out to other substack writers and building relationships is the best way to get recommendations and cross posts. This is where most of my growth has come from.
Get the link to all of your address book. Get your friends signed up and they can become advocates too.
Then look at social media but don’t get drawn into spending more time on social then posting as they defeats the whole point.
The thing is, people are maybe looking at your Substack and thinking it is new so over time you will get more gravitas by simply being here longer.
Hope that helps.
https://neverstoplearning1.substack.com/
Hart, have you considered using your LinkedIn account to drive interest to your Substack? You can put your substack link in your profile in the website option, and you can plug substack at the end of each LinkedIn post, as a gentle reminder. Maybe tease a substack post on LinkedIn by posting an abbreviated substack post and direct your LinkedIn connections and followers to continue the conversation on substack? Just some thoughts I'm toying with as I officially launch my substack on Monday.
Good luck!
indeed!
Hi Everyone! I'm launching a new offering, "Creative Contemplation" in April with a few tiered options. The one I'm most excited/nervous about is hosting an online gathering once a month for Founding Members.
Has anyone hosted onling gatherings for their community? What went well? What needed improvement? My biggest fear is being the only one who shows up. I'd love your ideas and advice!
I always invite a few of the folks I’ve recently worked with in for free to anything I’m launching. It helps to know you have at least 2 for your own planning. So the last zoom Masterclass I did I had 8 free and 32 paying. I didn’t promote it through Substack but it was about Substack! 😆 if that makes sense? If you’re unsure you could always Pre record a short intro to try and entice folks to sign up or ask in comments or threads if they are coming?
Curious how you guys knew when to go paid? Was it when you reached x amount of free subscribers or when you felt like you were in a good flow content-wise? I launched a month ago and surprisingly had several Founding Members but I largely promote my newsletter as free since there's no premium content yet. Thanks in advance for any advice - this community rocks!
I went paid from the start, given the nature of the content (which is professional and proprietary).
I turned it on from the beginning.