I love the content model but the subscription model is unsustainable. If all the blogs I want to read want to charge me even as little (seemingly, at first) as $5 a month, that’s $60 a year. That amount is almost equivalent to that charged by a major publication. If there even only 10 blogs I want to follow, that’s $600 a year. I’m retired and with inflation, cannot afford $600 in addition to the 2-3 major publications I need. So what I end up doing is “unfollowing” all those I can’t afford, because the frustration of seeing only the tip of the iceberg on those pages is more costly in time and energy than I have. You need a better subscription model. Thanks for creating Substack though!
That's why I like offering all content for free, with the option to upgrade for additional extras, like 1:1 coaching calls, discounts on courses, etc. I also have programmed a "pensioner" discount at 50% off. Hope that helps offer any insight for you Genevieve.
I like this strategy! I paywalled my content for a while some time back, and it just didn't feel right. I want my wellness content to be accessible to all. I have been brainstorming some ideas for paid subscriptions, and I think it will be similar to yours (extras) while keeping the written content free. I want to make some money from this (yes, I admit it)! I find the yearly option at a decent discount is what I am most attracted to, so I will likely push for an affordable yearly subscription as an incentive.
A "pensioner discount" would be brilliant! Retired people have more time to become engaged, and with that engagement they bring lifetimes of experiences that enrich any discussion. ~
Very insightful Terry. Yes! When we exclude our elders, we exclude much of the opportunity we can gain by learning from them, and getting a radically (often analog) view on a digital life.
Absolutely! Here's a link to my discount code FYI, in case you're interested (:
My wife and I research, write, podcast about how to protect ourselves from the wireless radiation of devices and cell towers, along with ancestral nutrition and improving sleep:
Thank you Terry! Yes we love talking about traditional foods / fermentation, and how to use those foods to offset costs of unnecessary supplements. Any ancestral foods you like to make? Sauerkraut, sourdough, yogurt, kvaas, pickled herring?
This is a valid point - there are so many people who I’d love to subscribe to but genuinely it would wipe me out financially. Could the payments be centralised & paid out individually? Would that contribute to a greater forum of debate?
Further, sending comments down the alleys, that you don't like has become ridiculous. Then, you leave scammers comments in the main body that run for feet and distract. You are not responsible. You are editors afraid of new ideas.
I don’t quite understand this comment, Vicki, but I had never meant to start a thread criticizing the editors. I think they’re great and we’re lucky to have them. It’s just the subscription model which I’m apparently not alone in feeling is too expensive.
The Substack model was devised as a way for writers to earn a living through their writing, which was often impossible. I understand that, and I honor the writers' talents and right to make living incomes.
For retirees who also live on limited incomes, however, subscription fees add up fast. Even Reuters charges a monthly subscription now! And it seems to me that retirees comprise 40% of many newsletters' subscribers.
I'm not offering a solution, just agreeing that the situation deserves some attention. ~
You will read, watch and learn. As I opened to this response, these comments were 'down a blind alley', though at the beginning of the page. If editors don't like your comment, they HIDE it. But, as you read substacks, you will find trolls taking up oodles of prime page with stupid crap.
When I subscribe to a pub, I take it for one year. But then when the year is up, I don't always continue. Instead, I subscribe to another. Something like that. Like you, I can't do them all, so I wind up spreading it out. Also retired....
I would likely lose 75% of my subscribers if I charged them. That is because a very large portion are homeschooling parents or autodidacts who do not have money to burn. Also, I AM JUST NOT THAT GOOD. In fact, very few are THAT GOOD.
Substack should consider subscription bundles and even then, sparingly.
Very funny, Truman! And refreshingly humble and honest!! Frankly, I think you’re right in pointing out that most bloggers are not that good. I enjoy reading many, but not enough to pay for the privilege. Maybe we ought to be able to give them a score so that they could adjust their subscription prices accordingly!
I fear that such scores would be gamed somehow. One problem with Substack is that I don't know what I don't know. Is there some writer out there I would really enjoy? Likely there is. Finding that writer is hard. I am also smelling AI at work on some newsletters. I subscribe to one that cranks out 3000 word essays about everyday... hmmm...
It might also be a question of taste and discernment. People like/value different things. ...I'm dropping the start of my serialised historical novel The Wrong Man tomorrow (Saturday). I only expect a few people to love it and a few more to think it's OK. At least it will be free, so I hope readers will hang in there! I'm happy to have the option this platform provides. I've read a couple of free serialised novels on here and even though the editing may not be top-notch, I've enjoyed their plot and characters.
Yes - I wish there were some kind of a combined bulk option. Hard to solve how to pay how much to who, but this comment is right about the $ adding up. That also stops me from subscribing to all that I like.
That could be interesting... and maybe Substacks choose to opt-in to the bulk option. I have had to cancel subscriptions and given myself a monthly SS budget. Now if I want to subscribe to someone new, I've got to cancel another. It is a bit of lesson for me --- the subscriptions I WON'T cancel are essential, therefore those are the ones I should study hard to see what they are doing RIGHT!
Agree 100% Ben Thompson Stachery said that Substack could and should introduce youtube style ads (as in they manage ad inventory not individual creators) paid subs are ad free the rest get ads
2nd alternative is bundling, 4 or 5 creators join forces less per subscriber but more overall revenue
For comparison i can subscribe to the NY Times City Journal print edition (posted Germany!) and Unherd for the same cost as a single substack
I just switch my Subs every month or so, the ones I follow all get some support over the year at some point, did that with Twitch and some Patreon channels over the years.
I am going to weigh in as a YouTuber, hopefully that is not a dirty word here. I have to say their model seems pretty perfect. I don’t care about seeing ads, especially when I know my fellow creators get a cut, and the ability to pay YT to opt out of ads, which we creators also get a cut of, works for people who hate them. I would love to see that model here
I don’t quite understand the point you’re making. I just know that I can’t afford to subscribe to everyone whose work interests me. I need to plan how to move my subscriptions around & if I’ve understood correctly, annual subscriptions have to be cancelled at the beginning of the subscription & expire at the end of the year. That can’t be right I must have misunderstood
Thank you, Witold! I haven’t posted anything but my comments on other people’s posts I liked and reposted on my page, but you’re inspiring me to get started… for free, of course!
I actually turned on the paid model today and am offering original art to those who pay. So I assume that maybe just a few people will subscribe and then I can give them back much more than writing. All of them. I was also thinking about giving special offers to those who decide to pay if they want to buy objects or art available in my shop. For me the subscription model is a way to finally have a door on some content and be able to write about things I have not been able to write about for years.
I agree with you that it could be difficult to subscribe to many writers here at the same time. But for me this whole model has a different meaning. Oh, and I currently have one paid subscriber. And he is quite brilliant. 🤷♂️✨
SAME! As Substack gets more popular, I find more and more paywalled articles. It is disappointing (to say the least) when you hit that paywall portion of an article. I think it will get harder and harder to get paid subs when so many people are joining the platform and charging a subscription fee. Too many choices! That's where you've got to work hard to make your Substack essential so people will pay (if that is the goal). I don't currently paywall, and am considering a paid model where extras like coaching and programs are paid, but not my posts.
Most people will just pay for the 3-4 favorite publications. There are millions of potential customers, so it's not impossible to accumulate 1,000 true fans. As for halfway down paywalls, they're annoying but we shouldn't expect anything for free.
I am torn on the paywalls. I get it - writers should be paid. Although as more and more join Substack as writers -- I think it may get harder to get paid subs. You're right... 3-4 paid favorites (how do we get to be one of them!?) I've decided to not paywall posts, but rather a paid model where people get some valuable extras (coach session, workbooks, mini-course etc), but anyone can read for free.
Same here. I have subscribed to writers who wrote about subjects that were important to me, and then I unsubscribed due to being unable to keep up with the content on a regular basis - feeling overwhelmed. As a senior, myself, on a fixed income I completely understand. The money adds up over time. I read what I can for free and even then there is so much more that would fill too many hours in a day.
You raise a good point. I have worked around this by offering three different options and letting my readers choose which one works best for their budget.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUGGESTION FOR VARYING SUBSCRIPTION PRICES. AS A SENIOR WITH LITTLE $$ FLEX AND AS A WRITER WHO IS TRYING TO GET SIGNED UP AND POSTING ON SUBSTCK.
I WROTE A REQUEST ON THIS COMMENT FORUM BUT NOW DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO GET THE INFO FROM THAT I NEED FROM SUBSTACK.
The big problem about Substack is that there isn't an open subscription, whereby you just pay one subscription, and it is divvied up between everyone you read. lt is really just impractical and impossibly expensive to maintain subscriptions to more than one or two individual substacks. If there were one subscription (eg $25/month ) Substack could keep track of all my reading and divide my subscription between those whom I read. But I've been burned in the past by subscribing to different writers and then forgetting to read them or missing them.
I have a feeling there would be a sort of 'Laffer Curve' here, where an overall subscription to *all* of Substack would result in a huge increase in income to most writers. (Star writers could opt out of it if they feel they are worth it). This is because one person can only read so much, and writers would be rewarded according to who actually read them. I recall paying a year's founding subscription to one writer, only to have him produce one piece over the whole year.
Finally an alternative could be a pay-per-view, whereby you make a micropayment to read one item whose intro piques your interest (a few cents maybe). One company that helps publishers do this is Axate.com.
I just returned to Medium. I'm astonished to learn that I joined almost 10 years ago but had completely forgotten about it! But there's no reference to a revenue stream to writers, how they can share in the subscription paid by readers. You can subscribe for $50/year, but does any of it go to the writers themselves? Nothing on the website says so.
Yes, you need to be a paid member of Medium and join the Partner Program. Then you get paid based on interactions with your articles. It takes awhile to get to a point where a writer can make good money, but at least it’s a possibility, unlike here. I earned five figures last year as a writer on Medium.
The three main problems I see with this proposal are:
1) Substack has skin in the game. They take a 10% cut. So they may change their algorithms to direct readers to content that makes them most money, not what readers might wish to discover.
2) Network effects will still push readers and money towards the big hitters. The long tail of unpaid publishers will remain.
3) The overheads and fees for the 'internal' redistribution of subscriptions (plus any weightings - some popular authors will demand a premium) will drive subscriber prices upwards, no matter how much is split out. So readers will pay more for less.
Well, of course Substack has "skin in the game". So do newspapers. And they take a lot more than the 10% subscription I pay to a newspaper for my favourite writers or opinions. Plus the editor dispenses other views I don't like. I don't see the difference. But with Substack at least I don't miss the writers I like - unlike with newspapers, where the editor can spike columns.
The difference is a newspaper is the output from a sole publisher - even a sole proprietor with their own steer. Whereas Substack isn't. We're the publishers here. Millions of us. Producing just as many blogs, journals, magazines...
This sounds like Communism. The Substack party will redistribute the wealth among the writers 😀 Such a model already excists. Maybe you should switch to Medium.
I think you misunderstand me. The point is that Substack itself will know what articles you read, and your overall subscription can then be distributed between the writers of those pieces. Also, writers could opt out of that if they wanted to keep an exclusive subscription. But I have a feeling that distributing my subscription according to whatever I read could result in far greater income to writers.
I don't know Medium - does it offer this? The world is big, I don't claim to know everything, I only know what I'm prepared to pay for reading, and I've stopped paying for all Substacks, I would rather spend my money on a magazine like the Spectator, which already publishes many good Substack writers (eg Douglas Murray).
I just went back to Medium. I had forgotten that in 2016 I actually had an account! I had completely forgotten about Medium! I noticed one can pay a subscription of $50 a year, do writers share in that? Nothing on the website says so, leastways nothing to non-subscribers. Substack is more open about it.
Grateful to Substack for all it provides, but I’m not entirely crazy about the language here.
A lot of us aren’t looking for lofty visions, but real, tangible things.
Instagram doesn’t celebrate individuals building a brand. It makes followership irrelevant through usage data and promotes posts that maximize dopamine responses.
X doesn’t give reactions in real time, it subverts community by rewarding the nastiest voices and the first to be outraged.
TikTok presents the possibility of virality, but with the promise of vapidity.
A great many Substack users don’t want “the best of these platforms.” They want subscribership to mean something, the ability to find, join and contribute to an actual community of their own and not be taken advantage of for our data and our attention.
Well since we can now scroll and DM people, and even “go live”, it sounds so. But also we get to use it like it’s not social media and make the best of it :)
Starting a Substack might be easier than keeping it up for any length of time and getting subscribers to sustain it might be harder than imagining it happening. Finding the proverbial niche might be more serendipitous than a science, perhaps.
I never thought I had anything to say but started my substack to compliment my podcast. I found people who wanted to read my story about being an everyday investor who never worked in finance or on Wall Street yet amassed enough returns in the market over 30 years of investing that I was able to retire at the age of 49. Now substack is the home for my best seller newsletter. If I can do it, anyone can.
Agreed. It's a combo of two things: having a mindset that you can succeed, and consistently creating.
I started a couple years ago, and have found this to be a labor of love that is slowly growing financially, but more importantly impacting the health and wellness of so many of my readers.
I gave it a go, thank you. It feels like when we started writing blogs and there was an actual human audience to the writing. And the people slowly emerged and became friends and colleagues and partners, family. It’s a different time now, of course. I have only been here for a few weeks and it feels much calmer and closer to reality than much of the crazy optimised other stuff out there. I am not delusional. I do not assume that many people will pay for a subscription to my craziness. But maybe some will. And they will be supporting a real person making real things in a real world. This is a real world still, I hope? Or is it a dream? Probably both.
Thank you for sharing this. Totally aligns with my 2025 vision. I started Substack a few months back. I’m sure the love for writing has been passed on to me from my mom and my grandparents. I moved to Sweden in 2024 and being miles and miles away from my family, friends and sun (hahaha 🙈) it can get sometimes little lonely. I’m so glad I found this platform. Writing helps me escape from the monotony, the lull of everyday life and most importantly makes me feel less lonely. I’ve connected with lovely people across the globe and slowly, steadily but surely finding my voice here.
Very inspiring to read! I’m really enjoying writing my weekly Substack about writing, book recommendations, my career as a journalist and living by the sea but want to build on it in 2025.
Nobody reads anything that I write here. it’s never shared. No note is ever seen . I feel like a ghost on Substack. Literally nothing for a year of posting. It’s very frustrating. Just because I’m not a big journalist or cherished author. It’s so much to compete with and Dan Harris only has to say how was your weekend and it’s 5000 responses. I can’t comment on writers because I have to pay and I just can’t afford that. There’s not one single writer that I specifically wanted to dish out five dollars a month for I would just like to communicate with tons of writers and creatives. Like another poster said the pay model isn’t sustainable. What if we gained more exposure or connection by writing often or some other reward for creative input instead of this being like every other model where you have to grovel for likes?
I hear you. It can be frustrating at times, and I certainly have no magic formula. I do know the one thing that has helped me is to embrace the knowledge that I can control what I write, how I write it, what I decide to publish and when. After that, it's out of my hands. I'm okay with that, most days anyway.
As far as commenting, I understand that we can't afford to subscribe to everything (I'm retired with fixed $), but still, I've found lots of pubs where the comments are open to anyone, paid or free or not even subscribed at all.
One of my ways of doing things is to bookmark publications that I may like, check them out, drop a comment, etc. Test the waters, so to speak. I don't want my email overloaded.
I'm getting off topic a bit, but I wanted to let you know that I too see the gush over how was your weekend type of thing and let out a sigh. People go for what others have already gone for. I wish it were different, and I wish a platform existed that didn't heavily promote this type of behavior, but if such a place exists, I don't know it.
I sympathise with what you write Chauncy. I’m not after money from anyone but some people reading my short fiction & even my two novels would be nice. I feel very isolated as a writer & so far Substack is just confusing me with its multiple platforms.
Patience, madam, and persistence. Also, read the comments of others on subjects unrelated to your own and comment yourself. I just read one of your essays.
I definitely have had my fill of social media and the push for algorithms and engagement, a lot of which leads people to not care about genuine conversations or interactions. It’s a bit slower to grow on here, but I like the freedom to express myself.
This past year Beyond the Bookshelf saw phenomenal growth as our community expanded across the globe. We are going to continue reading and writing about the intimate connections between life and literature. Thanks for the platform and opportunity.
I'm about to switch from non-fiction about the people on the streets of my Vermont town to something entirely different: fiction about a guy who wakes up from a stroke and realizes he's the Buddha even though he's barely even heard of Buddhism.
So I'm deep into trying to figure out how to best use Substack to bring one front and center, while keeping the other present in the background [i.e., separate Substack v. Sections v. Tags for each project [current focus]. Advantages to all. But regardless, there are issues involving finally understanding headers, banners, web appearance options and other Substack features I've managed to avoid mastering before now. Wish me luck!
Dear Substack, What happened to the "Featured Posts" section in the various categories? It seems when new categories were added, "Featured Posts" sections went away along with ability to scroll through the leaderboards. The new categories were supposed to help writers get more subscribers and it seems to me at least that the reverse has happened.
Thanks Jodi! I hope others will chime in about this.
"Featured Posts" was a far better way for people to discover new writers and the Leaderboards when they worded and one could scroll through them. I've tried 2 browsers and my phone and the scroll function is cut off on the page, so the Leaderboards are essentially useless unless you are in the top 5 or 6.
I was SO excited when my posts started showing up on the "Top in Travel" lists for the first time - not I only did I feel like I had accomplished something, but it was great for subscriber growth. And then Substack took them away...I just don't understand it. It gets harder and harder to find writers here instead of easier.
Jodi, I totally echo what you said. I was thrilled to be featured in "Top in Art & Illustration" and I know other writers I follow and subscribe to were also thrilled to be featured in their category.
It was a great feeling to of accomplishment for all involved and now with it gone, it is much harder to find writers here.
Scrolling through the various category pages there is no rhyme or reason to who get featured on the category page and you can't just post a NOTE to a category, it all goes into the main feed regardless.
I've stopped looking at the category pages to be honest. It's enough to scroll through the "Home" or "Following" Page without having to scroll through categories of interest.
The category pages are completely useless, honestly. Oh, if only they were populated with actual posts instead of endless Notes...then they might actually be worth exploring.
Jodi, Yes to this too! I wish others were joining in on this conversation because I feel as though we’re not the only two writers on Substack that are seeing this, experiencing this and wondering why Substack isn’t getting that this isn’t working as they thought it would.
I love the content model but the subscription model is unsustainable. If all the blogs I want to read want to charge me even as little (seemingly, at first) as $5 a month, that’s $60 a year. That amount is almost equivalent to that charged by a major publication. If there even only 10 blogs I want to follow, that’s $600 a year. I’m retired and with inflation, cannot afford $600 in addition to the 2-3 major publications I need. So what I end up doing is “unfollowing” all those I can’t afford, because the frustration of seeing only the tip of the iceberg on those pages is more costly in time and energy than I have. You need a better subscription model. Thanks for creating Substack though!
That's why I like offering all content for free, with the option to upgrade for additional extras, like 1:1 coaching calls, discounts on courses, etc. I also have programmed a "pensioner" discount at 50% off. Hope that helps offer any insight for you Genevieve.
I need to get myself organised. Glad I saw your comment
You got this, man.
Good idea to give 99% of your content free.
I like this strategy! I paywalled my content for a while some time back, and it just didn't feel right. I want my wellness content to be accessible to all. I have been brainstorming some ideas for paid subscriptions, and I think it will be similar to yours (extras) while keeping the written content free. I want to make some money from this (yes, I admit it)! I find the yearly option at a decent discount is what I am most attracted to, so I will likely push for an affordable yearly subscription as an incentive.
A "pensioner discount" would be brilliant! Retired people have more time to become engaged, and with that engagement they bring lifetimes of experiences that enrich any discussion. ~
Very insightful Terry. Yes! When we exclude our elders, we exclude much of the opportunity we can gain by learning from them, and getting a radically (often analog) view on a digital life.
GOOD TO KNOW FOR THIS RETIRED DISABLED VET TOO. THANKS
Absolutely! Here's a link to my discount code FYI, in case you're interested (:
My wife and I research, write, podcast about how to protect ourselves from the wireless radiation of devices and cell towers, along with ancestral nutrition and improving sleep:
https://romanshapoval.substack.com/86bf9d9a
Ancestral nutrition sounds fascinating, Roman S Shapival!
Thank you Terry! Yes we love talking about traditional foods / fermentation, and how to use those foods to offset costs of unnecessary supplements. Any ancestral foods you like to make? Sauerkraut, sourdough, yogurt, kvaas, pickled herring?
This is a valid point - there are so many people who I’d love to subscribe to but genuinely it would wipe me out financially. Could the payments be centralised & paid out individually? Would that contribute to a greater forum of debate?
Further, sending comments down the alleys, that you don't like has become ridiculous. Then, you leave scammers comments in the main body that run for feet and distract. You are not responsible. You are editors afraid of new ideas.
I don’t quite understand this comment, Vicki, but I had never meant to start a thread criticizing the editors. I think they’re great and we’re lucky to have them. It’s just the subscription model which I’m apparently not alone in feeling is too expensive.
Genevieve, I agree with you.
The Substack model was devised as a way for writers to earn a living through their writing, which was often impossible. I understand that, and I honor the writers' talents and right to make living incomes.
For retirees who also live on limited incomes, however, subscription fees add up fast. Even Reuters charges a monthly subscription now! And it seems to me that retirees comprise 40% of many newsletters' subscribers.
I'm not offering a solution, just agreeing that the situation deserves some attention. ~
Being new to substack, I don't know what you're talking about.
You will read, watch and learn. As I opened to this response, these comments were 'down a blind alley', though at the beginning of the page. If editors don't like your comment, they HIDE it. But, as you read substacks, you will find trolls taking up oodles of prime page with stupid crap.
I'm1
Sorry! You'll catch on quickly, I'm sure, Eddie1A.
I want thank the academy.
My phone is messed up sorry for any spelling issues
I was thinking about something along those lines myself Frédérique. Hopefully other readers might also come up with good ideas like yours.
When I subscribe to a pub, I take it for one year. But then when the year is up, I don't always continue. Instead, I subscribe to another. Something like that. Like you, I can't do them all, so I wind up spreading it out. Also retired....
I would likely lose 75% of my subscribers if I charged them. That is because a very large portion are homeschooling parents or autodidacts who do not have money to burn. Also, I AM JUST NOT THAT GOOD. In fact, very few are THAT GOOD.
Substack should consider subscription bundles and even then, sparingly.
Very funny, Truman! And refreshingly humble and honest!! Frankly, I think you’re right in pointing out that most bloggers are not that good. I enjoy reading many, but not enough to pay for the privilege. Maybe we ought to be able to give them a score so that they could adjust their subscription prices accordingly!
I fear that such scores would be gamed somehow. One problem with Substack is that I don't know what I don't know. Is there some writer out there I would really enjoy? Likely there is. Finding that writer is hard. I am also smelling AI at work on some newsletters. I subscribe to one that cranks out 3000 word essays about everyday... hmmm...
INTERESTING AND I DON'T WANT TO RUN INTO THAT AI WRITTEN STUFF.
It might also be a question of taste and discernment. People like/value different things. ...I'm dropping the start of my serialised historical novel The Wrong Man tomorrow (Saturday). I only expect a few people to love it and a few more to think it's OK. At least it will be free, so I hope readers will hang in there! I'm happy to have the option this platform provides. I've read a couple of free serialised novels on here and even though the editing may not be top-notch, I've enjoyed their plot and characters.
I’ll post some of my tried and true Substack writers on my page.
Yes - I wish there were some kind of a combined bulk option. Hard to solve how to pay how much to who, but this comment is right about the $ adding up. That also stops me from subscribing to all that I like.
That could be interesting... and maybe Substacks choose to opt-in to the bulk option. I have had to cancel subscriptions and given myself a monthly SS budget. Now if I want to subscribe to someone new, I've got to cancel another. It is a bit of lesson for me --- the subscriptions I WON'T cancel are essential, therefore those are the ones I should study hard to see what they are doing RIGHT!
Agree 100% Ben Thompson Stachery said that Substack could and should introduce youtube style ads (as in they manage ad inventory not individual creators) paid subs are ad free the rest get ads
2nd alternative is bundling, 4 or 5 creators join forces less per subscriber but more overall revenue
For comparison i can subscribe to the NY Times City Journal print edition (posted Germany!) and Unherd for the same cost as a single substack
I am not a fan of the adds. They are annoying.
I also think it distracts from the commentary!
I would be willing to pay a small fee for the content.
I DO NOT want ads on Substack. People can have affiliate links instead if they choose. Those are not intrusive like an ad.
No to ads!
I just switch my Subs every month or so, the ones I follow all get some support over the year at some point, did that with Twitch and some Patreon channels over the years.
*my paid subs I meant
I am going to weigh in as a YouTuber, hopefully that is not a dirty word here. I have to say their model seems pretty perfect. I don’t care about seeing ads, especially when I know my fellow creators get a cut, and the ability to pay YT to opt out of ads, which we creators also get a cut of, works for people who hate them. I would love to see that model here
I don’t quite understand the point you’re making. I just know that I can’t afford to subscribe to everyone whose work interests me. I need to plan how to move my subscriptions around & if I’ve understood correctly, annual subscriptions have to be cancelled at the beginning of the subscription & expire at the end of the year. That can’t be right I must have misunderstood
I just subscribed to your Substack. Because of this comment. And I also like owls
Thank you, Witold! I haven’t posted anything but my comments on other people’s posts I liked and reposted on my page, but you’re inspiring me to get started… for free, of course!
I actually turned on the paid model today and am offering original art to those who pay. So I assume that maybe just a few people will subscribe and then I can give them back much more than writing. All of them. I was also thinking about giving special offers to those who decide to pay if they want to buy objects or art available in my shop. For me the subscription model is a way to finally have a door on some content and be able to write about things I have not been able to write about for years.
I agree with you that it could be difficult to subscribe to many writers here at the same time. But for me this whole model has a different meaning. Oh, and I currently have one paid subscriber. And he is quite brilliant. 🤷♂️✨
You'll like Medium then--one annual fee of $50 gives you access to hundreds of writers. https://medium.com. I'm on there as https://medium.com/@dgilesphilosopher.
True on the Medium front - I started there and it was life-changing.
Your comment gets me to rethink my model, thank you Genevieve.
SAME! As Substack gets more popular, I find more and more paywalled articles. It is disappointing (to say the least) when you hit that paywall portion of an article. I think it will get harder and harder to get paid subs when so many people are joining the platform and charging a subscription fee. Too many choices! That's where you've got to work hard to make your Substack essential so people will pay (if that is the goal). I don't currently paywall, and am considering a paid model where extras like coaching and programs are paid, but not my posts.
My paid subscribers get artwork sent to them that’s otherwise available at much higher price points. So it feels different
That is a special perk!
I write on Substack, but I totally appreciate your feelings. I am organizing a petition aiming at improving affordability at Substack. https://www.china-translated.com/p/making-substack-affordable-for-average
Most people will just pay for the 3-4 favorite publications. There are millions of potential customers, so it's not impossible to accumulate 1,000 true fans. As for halfway down paywalls, they're annoying but we shouldn't expect anything for free.
I am torn on the paywalls. I get it - writers should be paid. Although as more and more join Substack as writers -- I think it may get harder to get paid subs. You're right... 3-4 paid favorites (how do we get to be one of them!?) I've decided to not paywall posts, but rather a paid model where people get some valuable extras (coach session, workbooks, mini-course etc), but anyone can read for free.
You can also create two separate sections on the Substack: one free and one paid, where you put all the coach sessions, workbooks, mini-course, etc.
On my Substack, I have four separate sections though they are all paywalled https://www.asiancenturystocks.com/
This is great advice Michael! I like how you’ve set your sections up - I’ll do this as well! THANK YOU!
Same here. I have subscribed to writers who wrote about subjects that were important to me, and then I unsubscribed due to being unable to keep up with the content on a regular basis - feeling overwhelmed. As a senior, myself, on a fixed income I completely understand. The money adds up over time. I read what I can for free and even then there is so much more that would fill too many hours in a day.
You raise a good point. I have worked around this by offering three different options and letting my readers choose which one works best for their budget.
See my page here:
https://morgthorak.substack.com/p/choose-a-paid-subscription-option
It's not a perfect solution, but at least readers can choose what works best for them.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUGGESTION FOR VARYING SUBSCRIPTION PRICES. AS A SENIOR WITH LITTLE $$ FLEX AND AS A WRITER WHO IS TRYING TO GET SIGNED UP AND POSTING ON SUBSTCK.
I WROTE A REQUEST ON THIS COMMENT FORUM BUT NOW DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO GET THE INFO FROM THAT I NEED FROM SUBSTACK.
The big problem about Substack is that there isn't an open subscription, whereby you just pay one subscription, and it is divvied up between everyone you read. lt is really just impractical and impossibly expensive to maintain subscriptions to more than one or two individual substacks. If there were one subscription (eg $25/month ) Substack could keep track of all my reading and divide my subscription between those whom I read. But I've been burned in the past by subscribing to different writers and then forgetting to read them or missing them.
I have a feeling there would be a sort of 'Laffer Curve' here, where an overall subscription to *all* of Substack would result in a huge increase in income to most writers. (Star writers could opt out of it if they feel they are worth it). This is because one person can only read so much, and writers would be rewarded according to who actually read them. I recall paying a year's founding subscription to one writer, only to have him produce one piece over the whole year.
Finally an alternative could be a pay-per-view, whereby you make a micropayment to read one item whose intro piques your interest (a few cents maybe). One company that helps publishers do this is Axate.com.
You'll like Medium then--one annual fee of $50 gives you access to hundreds of writers. https://medium.com. I'm on there as https://medium.com/@dgilesphilosopher.
I just returned to Medium. I'm astonished to learn that I joined almost 10 years ago but had completely forgotten about it! But there's no reference to a revenue stream to writers, how they can share in the subscription paid by readers. You can subscribe for $50/year, but does any of it go to the writers themselves? Nothing on the website says so.
Yes, you need to be a paid member of Medium and join the Partner Program. Then you get paid based on interactions with your articles. It takes awhile to get to a point where a writer can make good money, but at least it’s a possibility, unlike here. I earned five figures last year as a writer on Medium.
The three main problems I see with this proposal are:
1) Substack has skin in the game. They take a 10% cut. So they may change their algorithms to direct readers to content that makes them most money, not what readers might wish to discover.
2) Network effects will still push readers and money towards the big hitters. The long tail of unpaid publishers will remain.
3) The overheads and fees for the 'internal' redistribution of subscriptions (plus any weightings - some popular authors will demand a premium) will drive subscriber prices upwards, no matter how much is split out. So readers will pay more for less.
Well, of course Substack has "skin in the game". So do newspapers. And they take a lot more than the 10% subscription I pay to a newspaper for my favourite writers or opinions. Plus the editor dispenses other views I don't like. I don't see the difference. But with Substack at least I don't miss the writers I like - unlike with newspapers, where the editor can spike columns.
The difference is a newspaper is the output from a sole publisher - even a sole proprietor with their own steer. Whereas Substack isn't. We're the publishers here. Millions of us. Producing just as many blogs, journals, magazines...
This sounds like Communism. The Substack party will redistribute the wealth among the writers 😀 Such a model already excists. Maybe you should switch to Medium.
I think you misunderstand me. The point is that Substack itself will know what articles you read, and your overall subscription can then be distributed between the writers of those pieces. Also, writers could opt out of that if they wanted to keep an exclusive subscription. But I have a feeling that distributing my subscription according to whatever I read could result in far greater income to writers.
I don't know Medium - does it offer this? The world is big, I don't claim to know everything, I only know what I'm prepared to pay for reading, and I've stopped paying for all Substacks, I would rather spend my money on a magazine like the Spectator, which already publishes many good Substack writers (eg Douglas Murray).
Then definitely check Medium - https://medium.com/
I just went back to Medium. I had forgotten that in 2016 I actually had an account! I had completely forgotten about Medium! I noticed one can pay a subscription of $50 a year, do writers share in that? Nothing on the website says so, leastways nothing to non-subscribers. Substack is more open about it.
The writers who want to make money on Medium need to join the Medium Partner Program. Check it here, https://medium.com/partner-program
Grateful to Substack for all it provides, but I’m not entirely crazy about the language here.
A lot of us aren’t looking for lofty visions, but real, tangible things.
Instagram doesn’t celebrate individuals building a brand. It makes followership irrelevant through usage data and promotes posts that maximize dopamine responses.
X doesn’t give reactions in real time, it subverts community by rewarding the nastiest voices and the first to be outraged.
TikTok presents the possibility of virality, but with the promise of vapidity.
A great many Substack users don’t want “the best of these platforms.” They want subscribership to mean something, the ability to find, join and contribute to an actual community of their own and not be taken advantage of for our data and our attention.
James, I agree. Also, according to this post, Substack is now social media! Okkk!
Notes on Substack is social media. At least Substack allows a deeper layer of long-form content, unlike other forms of social media.
Well since we can now scroll and DM people, and even “go live”, it sounds so. But also we get to use it like it’s not social media and make the best of it :)
Good comment.
Completely with you on this!
Starting a Substack might be easier than keeping it up for any length of time and getting subscribers to sustain it might be harder than imagining it happening. Finding the proverbial niche might be more serendipitous than a science, perhaps.
This is BRILLIANT. I am vibing with this.
✨ such a vibe!
I never thought I had anything to say but started my substack to compliment my podcast. I found people who wanted to read my story about being an everyday investor who never worked in finance or on Wall Street yet amassed enough returns in the market over 30 years of investing that I was able to retire at the age of 49. Now substack is the home for my best seller newsletter. If I can do it, anyone can.
Agreed. It's a combo of two things: having a mindset that you can succeed, and consistently creating.
I started a couple years ago, and have found this to be a labor of love that is slowly growing financially, but more importantly impacting the health and wellness of so many of my readers.
Congrats on your newsletter!
I love that you mentioned the very important part --- "impacting the health and wellness of so many readers".
INSPIRED~
I gave it a go, thank you. It feels like when we started writing blogs and there was an actual human audience to the writing. And the people slowly emerged and became friends and colleagues and partners, family. It’s a different time now, of course. I have only been here for a few weeks and it feels much calmer and closer to reality than much of the crazy optimised other stuff out there. I am not delusional. I do not assume that many people will pay for a subscription to my craziness. But maybe some will. And they will be supporting a real person making real things in a real world. This is a real world still, I hope? Or is it a dream? Probably both.
Thank you for sharing this. Totally aligns with my 2025 vision. I started Substack a few months back. I’m sure the love for writing has been passed on to me from my mom and my grandparents. I moved to Sweden in 2024 and being miles and miles away from my family, friends and sun (hahaha 🙈) it can get sometimes little lonely. I’m so glad I found this platform. Writing helps me escape from the monotony, the lull of everyday life and most importantly makes me feel less lonely. I’ve connected with lovely people across the globe and slowly, steadily but surely finding my voice here.
🫶🏻💫
My plan is to keep on saying the quiet parts out loud.
Very inspiring to read! I’m really enjoying writing my weekly Substack about writing, book recommendations, my career as a journalist and living by the sea but want to build on it in 2025.
Nobody reads anything that I write here. it’s never shared. No note is ever seen . I feel like a ghost on Substack. Literally nothing for a year of posting. It’s very frustrating. Just because I’m not a big journalist or cherished author. It’s so much to compete with and Dan Harris only has to say how was your weekend and it’s 5000 responses. I can’t comment on writers because I have to pay and I just can’t afford that. There’s not one single writer that I specifically wanted to dish out five dollars a month for I would just like to communicate with tons of writers and creatives. Like another poster said the pay model isn’t sustainable. What if we gained more exposure or connection by writing often or some other reward for creative input instead of this being like every other model where you have to grovel for likes?
I hear you. It can be frustrating at times, and I certainly have no magic formula. I do know the one thing that has helped me is to embrace the knowledge that I can control what I write, how I write it, what I decide to publish and when. After that, it's out of my hands. I'm okay with that, most days anyway.
As far as commenting, I understand that we can't afford to subscribe to everything (I'm retired with fixed $), but still, I've found lots of pubs where the comments are open to anyone, paid or free or not even subscribed at all.
One of my ways of doing things is to bookmark publications that I may like, check them out, drop a comment, etc. Test the waters, so to speak. I don't want my email overloaded.
I'm getting off topic a bit, but I wanted to let you know that I too see the gush over how was your weekend type of thing and let out a sigh. People go for what others have already gone for. I wish it were different, and I wish a platform existed that didn't heavily promote this type of behavior, but if such a place exists, I don't know it.
I just read some of your writing and was impressed enough to subscribe. For at least a while, I will listen to what you have to say.
I just subscribed to you because I feel the same!
I sympathise with what you write Chauncy. I’m not after money from anyone but some people reading my short fiction & even my two novels would be nice. I feel very isolated as a writer & so far Substack is just confusing me with its multiple platforms.
Patience, madam, and persistence. Also, read the comments of others on subjects unrelated to your own and comment yourself. I just read one of your essays.
So there you go.
I definitely have had my fill of social media and the push for algorithms and engagement, a lot of which leads people to not care about genuine conversations or interactions. It’s a bit slower to grow on here, but I like the freedom to express myself.
This past year Beyond the Bookshelf saw phenomenal growth as our community expanded across the globe. We are going to continue reading and writing about the intimate connections between life and literature. Thanks for the platform and opportunity.
I'm about to switch from non-fiction about the people on the streets of my Vermont town to something entirely different: fiction about a guy who wakes up from a stroke and realizes he's the Buddha even though he's barely even heard of Buddhism.
So I'm deep into trying to figure out how to best use Substack to bring one front and center, while keeping the other present in the background [i.e., separate Substack v. Sections v. Tags for each project [current focus]. Advantages to all. But regardless, there are issues involving finally understanding headers, banners, web appearance options and other Substack features I've managed to avoid mastering before now. Wish me luck!
Mahalo! Absolutely wishing you nothing but GOOD LUCK! 🤙🏼
All the best, David. Will check out FOV...
Dear Substack, What happened to the "Featured Posts" section in the various categories? It seems when new categories were added, "Featured Posts" sections went away along with ability to scroll through the leaderboards. The new categories were supposed to help writers get more subscribers and it seems to me at least that the reverse has happened.
Agree with this 100%.
Thanks Jodi! I hope others will chime in about this.
"Featured Posts" was a far better way for people to discover new writers and the Leaderboards when they worded and one could scroll through them. I've tried 2 browsers and my phone and the scroll function is cut off on the page, so the Leaderboards are essentially useless unless you are in the top 5 or 6.
I was SO excited when my posts started showing up on the "Top in Travel" lists for the first time - not I only did I feel like I had accomplished something, but it was great for subscriber growth. And then Substack took them away...I just don't understand it. It gets harder and harder to find writers here instead of easier.
Jodi, I totally echo what you said. I was thrilled to be featured in "Top in Art & Illustration" and I know other writers I follow and subscribe to were also thrilled to be featured in their category.
It was a great feeling to of accomplishment for all involved and now with it gone, it is much harder to find writers here.
Scrolling through the various category pages there is no rhyme or reason to who get featured on the category page and you can't just post a NOTE to a category, it all goes into the main feed regardless.
I've stopped looking at the category pages to be honest. It's enough to scroll through the "Home" or "Following" Page without having to scroll through categories of interest.
The category pages are completely useless, honestly. Oh, if only they were populated with actual posts instead of endless Notes...then they might actually be worth exploring.
Jodi, Yes to this too! I wish others were joining in on this conversation because I feel as though we’re not the only two writers on Substack that are seeing this, experiencing this and wondering why Substack isn’t getting that this isn’t working as they thought it would.
Does anyone else want to weigh in on this topic?
Hopefully I can get more followers here but those who are already subscribed are all awesome