I was more or less happy until I read about the sponsorship program being launched. And then, my first thought was: Ugh. Thus begins the Facebook-style enshittification of Substack. Big frowny face, big sigh. (And thank you, Mr. Doctorow, for the very apt and useful term.)
But facebook’s model is ads! I’d so much rather have sponsored posts than random ads everywhere. And the creators have control and make money, not just the platform. But guess we will see what it actually looks like, but I like the model in concept as a creator.
I guess my thinking is that having sponsored posts is the slippery slope first step gateway drug to full-on advertisements across the platform. Once they let the advertisers in, they will start to do their bidding more and more; they’ll be incrementally caving to financial pressures. It’s only a matter of time before we have to scroll past ads on here to see any real content, just like on Facebook. I don’t mean to be cynical. Just noticing the way greed works, and I am skeptical that the owners and shareholders of Substack are immune to greed. Hence, “enshittification”. It is a gradual process.
I hope this isn’t the case. I would rather see sponsored posts than ads everywhere. But, suppose we will see how it rolls out. That said, I will always prefer a simple subscription model over a corporate one!
I’ve caught that. I’ve also caught lovely young ladies with no Substack history feigning an interest in me. While I wish there was a way to prevent it, it’s harmless. The interesting thing is substackers selling services to increase your sub counts. But it doesn’t translate into dollars and cents.
It’s coming. I’m cutting back on my Patreon presence because they’re weaving in posts of people I haven’t signed up for.. and have no interest in. But they make it impossible to avoid them. Here at least they do it in a block you can simply skip over. The one thing that’s nagged at me about Substack is the lack of funding. Servers cost money to run… and it’s a reality. If you’re getting something for nothing … you’re not the customer… you’re the product.
Well, Substack gets a percentage of sales (subscription fees). So they do make money… plenty to run the servers, and then some. It is a for-profit venture; always has been. Will continue to be. And that’s fine. But if it gets greedy and goes the way of Facebook, that will be sad.
Substack takes a flat 10% of all subscription revenue. On top of that, Stripe, their third-party payment processor, charges roughly 2.9%, plus $0.30 per transaction. I think that’s in US$ but am not sure.
If corporations come on here, I’m cutting my presence back drastically. Let it go the way of Twitter and Facebook. One ad, and I’m out (except for a few close people).
This is such an important read for anyone thinking about the paid tier. It’s such an important step and there’s so little about it. This is exactly what I needed 🥰
But what if it's not about making money? Substack is a social thing - a sharing of ideas. Why monetise everything? And now brands are getting involved - will there ever be a corner of the internet where we are not 'influenced' or sold to?
I think there are a lot of people here simply writing for the love of it. Absolutely how I started. But there are advantages to turning on paid, which I tried to lay out here. Going paid isn’t for everyone, and that is wonderful, too!
Yes, I'd rather pay rent to Substack. I like to please, but can't comfortably take the pleasure of others for granted and worrying about it would be very unhelpful. Marriage, for example, domesticates, like the steel bars attached to reins' leather straps eventually govern a horses' acquiescent sense of direction. Ambition requires a level of stamina and amnesia I'll leave to the stars until darkness blows out my candle.
I write for the love of it, AND I’m a professional writer. I don’t do it here to be an “influencer“ or a “brand“. And if ranking is more about getting paid (both Substack and the writer) than the art of writing, I’m giving a second thought to the platform. Everywhere I go I’m asked to pay everyone I subscribe to. If I paid all of them, I’d be broke. I much prefer the like, comment, subscribe instead of like, comment, pay me! I know people need to make money but it is exhausting when everyone is askign for money and there is no reading something you like without an ask for money.
I agree - I wouldn’t be able to afford to subscribe to all. And if my substack is free then I will stick to subscribing for free too. There are plenty of stacks on here that are free :)
Is it? I’d rather see sponsorships where creators make money and control their editorial and sponsors than ads all over? But I’d love to know your thoughts on it!
In your second sentence here, swap the word "creators" with "newspapers." Before 2016, newspapers made money and controlled their editorial and sponsors.
I was a newspaper reporter in the early 1990s. We in editorial were proud to push back against the publisher's desire for content favorable to his advertisers.
Back then, the publisher agreed with us. In fact, the issue rarely surfaced; it was *understood by all* not to violate that barrier. It was taught that way in journalism school.
But the money became so big, so enticing, the media (for the most part) sold out entirely. Timing was important. They kind of had to: they were getting their asses handed to them by Google and Facebook. They were facing extinction due to ad revenues lost to the online world.
At the very end of his term, Obama made it okay for the feds to use propaganda against we the people, which had been banned for the entirety of the country's existence. Federal public agencies were free to use propaganda on foreign nations; just not on us within the states. All that changed with a single Obama signature. After Trump's first election, but in that shady period before his inauguration.
Federal agencies wasted no time in teaming up with ginormous pharma corporations to flood the news with "Ask your doctor" ads, among other hijinks, like assigning 80 FBI agents to monitor Twitter by fall 2020. Suddenly mega media corporations were okay with advertising contracts with terms, in exchange for revenue they previously could only dream of.
Only two nations on Earth allow pharmaceutical advertising: the U.S., and New Zealand. Why has the vast, *vast* majority of countries demonized advertising by pharmaceutical companies?
Because of the potential for the very ghoulish behavior that destroyed our news landscape here in the United States.
Major media institutions were ruined by the tail end of the Obama admin. It's a major reason for the emergence of Substack, and other alternative outlets free from the corporate sponsorship shackles. Mass censorship bloomed; but it went too far and the general public noticed.
I love your article and almost all the points. I want creators to make money ~ I subscribe to many on SS not for that one extra article a week, or any particular perk, but to show support and encourage them to keep doing what they are doing.
I have a great story about journalist Lee Fang here on Substack, once when I emailed him about the potential to hire him to investigate the Maui wildfires in August 2023. (Within a week he published what remains the single best news article on the Lahaina fire; but you wouldn't know it if you got your news from trad outlets).
Being kind of naive, me and a friend here in Hawaii thought of making an offer to pay Fang some decent money to focus on the true causes and reasons for the disasters. A contract assignment, was our thought. Like, sponsorsing more attention to the Maui fires.
Fang without hesitation emailed back to decline. He said the best way to support his work is with a subscription. That's it. I think he even specified $5 per month would suffice.
THAT is the real journalism we need more of today. I don't trust corporate sponsors of news as far as I can spit.
I really feel this Keith! While I was never a journalist, I was a magazine editor in the 2000’s and am sad that model has died. I still prefer a standard subscription over a sponsorship model. That said, I’d rather see sponsored posts over random ads everywhere. Def not perfect, but better than Facebook’s model imho. 🫶🫶
From a professional writer (retired) former publisher and mother of a journalism major, I couldn't have said it better myself. The free press is on life support in the U.S. and the machine keeping it barely alive is Substack (and similar platforms). If corporate sponsorship comes in, it's the same as pulling the plug and waiting for the final end. The problem is, corporations will only sponor those who's writing favors them (can't blame them for that). And I'm sorry to say, the general populace has lost the savy to distinguish what we used to call "advertorials" -- pure promotion disguised as editorial journalism.
A good example would be niche pulications - one popular niche is the alternative health industry (but not the only one). They put out tabloid size publications filled with articles designed to convince readers this or that service, technique, or product is a breakthrough in its field. They read like news stories, except everything is pushing the reader toward purchasing. If you know, you'll look for the byline, and it's the owner or employee of a business that has an ad in the paper -- pay to play, or to write as the case may be.
We are bombarded with the same kind of "advertorial" online and on our phones. Usually something that sounds informative, that you have to listen to for several long minutes -- as much as 45 or more, to get to the end when they're selling you their product.
Promotion of products or services should never be a part of journalism disguised as editorial content.
A great example is KFF. You'll see publications from this outfit, and people representing this vague KFF org are quoted in mega media outlets as if they are neutral "experts" in health stories.
KFF is the Kaiser Foundation. They publish propaganda that favors what makes money for Kaiser Permanente. Period.
I have Kaiser in Hawaii. I choose it, actually, and I have my ups and downs with it. Mostly ups. I've had a couple of surgeries I appreciated; plus their behavioral health program has helped me stay sober.
But my main doctor is a robot. For big long-term health *care* decisions, I seek better info. I find a lot here. If I relied solely on my doc, I would be forever ill. And taking a *lot* of pills. In reality, broadly, Kaiser pushes and protects sick care. No desire to cure; the top goal is billing for *services*.
It's a game I play. Go ahead and prescribe whatever makes you jolly. And I will keep refusing to take those pills. Statins are a great example. And they push vaccines like they are the greatest thing since the invention of electricity. It's poison and I tell them that. No. Thanks.
KFF is a fig leaf of a "health" entity. It is the propaganda arm pushing vaccines and other bullshit for Kaiser; which created the "KFF" brand as a layer of protection for the main brand. God forbid shit info bounce back and bite the core brand/business. It's insidious, really.
Google "KFF Health News." It will appear like a real "news" entity. It is not.
Open Substack creators to "sponsors," and there are dozens of KFFs out there just waiting to pounce. As I stated, I could not oppose SS creator sponsorships more.
I think it depends on whether the sponsor is likely to influence the message. I mean, an article about ADHD sponsored by ‘big-pharma’ isn’t going to sit well - or an article about climate change sponsored by an oil company.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. omg shannon i literally was supposed to read this today😂❤️ it was so good, i’ve been trying to figure all of this out for months and was just deciding to bite the bullet honestly. thank you for writing this, it was super helpful🫶🏻
Oh that makes me so happy!!! And you absolutely need to open it up. Totally time!! Not sure if it’s in the flow for you, but come do it with us in the Flow Room. It’s an amazing group of people all doing it together. If you can’t afford it I’ll comp you in. I’d love to have your energy in there!
Thanks so much for this, Shannon! I just started on Substack a week ago, and I had planned to keep the paid tier turned off, even though my audience is already growing. Mainly because I have no interest in charging people to see my content. I want my ideas to get out there far and wide and to help as many people as possible. And I have ideas how to earn money from this down the track. BUT you have definitely opened my eyes to a lot of the benefits of turning it on, that I didn’t know about. So thank you very much. 🙏🏻 I’m curious to see what you share about the perks Next week, because I’d like to find some that don’t involve gating my content. Big love and hugs to you from a sleepy lateral-thinking mum in Australia who should be asleep right now! 🤣
I was exactly the same way for months and months. There are some really smart ways people are using theirs here and many different types of offerings. For now, just turn it on and you have plenty of time to play with the rest. 🫶
Thank you Stephanie! This is very helpful. I’m going to change it now. I opted out of having paid subscribers to begin with, now I have to go through a whole process to opt back in.
I didn’t even consider turning it on for my first six months, so you are ahead of me! And it’s pretty simple to turn on, the Stripe part is a little annoying but probably takes 10 min total. Go for it Claire!!
I’ve finally done it, it took me a bit longer than 10 minutes- I find this tech stuff quite complicated! 😆 I did however sort it out myself, which is quite an accomplishment!! 😊 Thanks again! 💜
Thanks for a glimpse into what I hope lies ahead. I have almost 300 subscribers and 18 paid subscribers. Trying to figure out how to grow that last number😳
Informative piece :-) My monetization has nothing to do with Substack but I turned it on because, "Why not?" LOL Who knew that one day, it might be a little passive $$$ that helps my content reach more peeps.
Real, sustainable monetization at scale (income ya can live on vs passive) rarely happens on a given platform, it’s very-very rare. I talked about this to a degree in my audio that just dropped,along with a brief mention of our banter specific to the idea of finding your people, and other topics. But knowing what drives the mechanics of a given platform is very helpful.
I’m not quitting my day job anytime soon! Ha! But it is moving to the point where it can pay for a simple vacation, or an appliance. And that’s pretty cool.
It is VERY cool and you have a knack for playful, a day in the life, commentary. It’s the messy human part of your commentary that I find to be the most compelling.
And realize that there’s a level of Substack contributors out there who write in order to write.
They’re not necessarily computer-savvy. They may not even own a smartphone (weird, I know, but I’m one of those so I can confirm it’s real).
They may also be retired, by choice or by default, and looking for a mode of self-expression that, for the first time in decades, doesn’t require them to hustle.
Substack *is* a laboratory, to be sure. But for every person who chooses to open up to paid subscriptions, there are dozens who don’t feel the need, and who will continue to offer their writings as long as the admission is free.
When the admission is no longer free, I’ll probably move on. But for now, I’m content.
I was more or less happy until I read about the sponsorship program being launched. And then, my first thought was: Ugh. Thus begins the Facebook-style enshittification of Substack. Big frowny face, big sigh. (And thank you, Mr. Doctorow, for the very apt and useful term.)
But facebook’s model is ads! I’d so much rather have sponsored posts than random ads everywhere. And the creators have control and make money, not just the platform. But guess we will see what it actually looks like, but I like the model in concept as a creator.
I guess my thinking is that having sponsored posts is the slippery slope first step gateway drug to full-on advertisements across the platform. Once they let the advertisers in, they will start to do their bidding more and more; they’ll be incrementally caving to financial pressures. It’s only a matter of time before we have to scroll past ads on here to see any real content, just like on Facebook. I don’t mean to be cynical. Just noticing the way greed works, and I am skeptical that the owners and shareholders of Substack are immune to greed. Hence, “enshittification”. It is a gradual process.
I hope this isn’t the case. I would rather see sponsored posts than ads everywhere. But, suppose we will see how it rolls out. That said, I will always prefer a simple subscription model over a corporate one!
Same here! 🍻☕️☕️
And how many posts that appear at first glance to be interesting stories that turn out to be ads for various products or services.
I’ve caught that. I’ve also caught lovely young ladies with no Substack history feigning an interest in me. While I wish there was a way to prevent it, it’s harmless. The interesting thing is substackers selling services to increase your sub counts. But it doesn’t translate into dollars and cents.
It’s coming. I’m cutting back on my Patreon presence because they’re weaving in posts of people I haven’t signed up for.. and have no interest in. But they make it impossible to avoid them. Here at least they do it in a block you can simply skip over. The one thing that’s nagged at me about Substack is the lack of funding. Servers cost money to run… and it’s a reality. If you’re getting something for nothing … you’re not the customer… you’re the product.
Well, Substack gets a percentage of sales (subscription fees). So they do make money… plenty to run the servers, and then some. It is a for-profit venture; always has been. Will continue to be. And that’s fine. But if it gets greedy and goes the way of Facebook, that will be sad.
Thank you I was not aware of the funding model. Do you know how much they take %?
Substack takes a flat 10% of all subscription revenue. On top of that, Stripe, their third-party payment processor, charges roughly 2.9%, plus $0.30 per transaction. I think that’s in US$ but am not sure.
100%. Many of us came to substack for the authentic voices speaking the truth (unlike msm). It didn't take long to screw that up! $$$$$$
If corporations come on here, I’m cutting my presence back drastically. Let it go the way of Twitter and Facebook. One ad, and I’m out (except for a few close people).
yep
ugh… down with corporate sponsorship.
This is such an important read for anyone thinking about the paid tier. It’s such an important step and there’s so little about it. This is exactly what I needed 🥰
Wooohoooo!!!! I’m having fun leaning into mine and hope many people jump in too. 💕💕
I am teetering on this paid tier model for myself… very good read. Looking forward to seeing what the future holds holds !
But what if it's not about making money? Substack is a social thing - a sharing of ideas. Why monetise everything? And now brands are getting involved - will there ever be a corner of the internet where we are not 'influenced' or sold to?
I think there are a lot of people here simply writing for the love of it. Absolutely how I started. But there are advantages to turning on paid, which I tried to lay out here. Going paid isn’t for everyone, and that is wonderful, too!
Yes, I'd rather pay rent to Substack. I like to please, but can't comfortably take the pleasure of others for granted and worrying about it would be very unhelpful. Marriage, for example, domesticates, like the steel bars attached to reins' leather straps eventually govern a horses' acquiescent sense of direction. Ambition requires a level of stamina and amnesia I'll leave to the stars until darkness blows out my candle.
I write for the love of it, AND I’m a professional writer. I don’t do it here to be an “influencer“ or a “brand“. And if ranking is more about getting paid (both Substack and the writer) than the art of writing, I’m giving a second thought to the platform. Everywhere I go I’m asked to pay everyone I subscribe to. If I paid all of them, I’d be broke. I much prefer the like, comment, subscribe instead of like, comment, pay me! I know people need to make money but it is exhausting when everyone is askign for money and there is no reading something you like without an ask for money.
I agree - I wouldn’t be able to afford to subscribe to all. And if my substack is free then I will stick to subscribing for free too. There are plenty of stacks on here that are free :)
Excellent article. However, I can't oppose No. 6 more. Corporate sponsorship on Substack is a very bad idea.
Is it? I’d rather see sponsorships where creators make money and control their editorial and sponsors than ads all over? But I’d love to know your thoughts on it!
In your second sentence here, swap the word "creators" with "newspapers." Before 2016, newspapers made money and controlled their editorial and sponsors.
I was a newspaper reporter in the early 1990s. We in editorial were proud to push back against the publisher's desire for content favorable to his advertisers.
Back then, the publisher agreed with us. In fact, the issue rarely surfaced; it was *understood by all* not to violate that barrier. It was taught that way in journalism school.
But the money became so big, so enticing, the media (for the most part) sold out entirely. Timing was important. They kind of had to: they were getting their asses handed to them by Google and Facebook. They were facing extinction due to ad revenues lost to the online world.
At the very end of his term, Obama made it okay for the feds to use propaganda against we the people, which had been banned for the entirety of the country's existence. Federal public agencies were free to use propaganda on foreign nations; just not on us within the states. All that changed with a single Obama signature. After Trump's first election, but in that shady period before his inauguration.
Federal agencies wasted no time in teaming up with ginormous pharma corporations to flood the news with "Ask your doctor" ads, among other hijinks, like assigning 80 FBI agents to monitor Twitter by fall 2020. Suddenly mega media corporations were okay with advertising contracts with terms, in exchange for revenue they previously could only dream of.
Only two nations on Earth allow pharmaceutical advertising: the U.S., and New Zealand. Why has the vast, *vast* majority of countries demonized advertising by pharmaceutical companies?
Because of the potential for the very ghoulish behavior that destroyed our news landscape here in the United States.
Major media institutions were ruined by the tail end of the Obama admin. It's a major reason for the emergence of Substack, and other alternative outlets free from the corporate sponsorship shackles. Mass censorship bloomed; but it went too far and the general public noticed.
I love your article and almost all the points. I want creators to make money ~ I subscribe to many on SS not for that one extra article a week, or any particular perk, but to show support and encourage them to keep doing what they are doing.
I have a great story about journalist Lee Fang here on Substack, once when I emailed him about the potential to hire him to investigate the Maui wildfires in August 2023. (Within a week he published what remains the single best news article on the Lahaina fire; but you wouldn't know it if you got your news from trad outlets).
Being kind of naive, me and a friend here in Hawaii thought of making an offer to pay Fang some decent money to focus on the true causes and reasons for the disasters. A contract assignment, was our thought. Like, sponsorsing more attention to the Maui fires.
Fang without hesitation emailed back to decline. He said the best way to support his work is with a subscription. That's it. I think he even specified $5 per month would suffice.
THAT is the real journalism we need more of today. I don't trust corporate sponsors of news as far as I can spit.
I really feel this Keith! While I was never a journalist, I was a magazine editor in the 2000’s and am sad that model has died. I still prefer a standard subscription over a sponsorship model. That said, I’d rather see sponsored posts over random ads everywhere. Def not perfect, but better than Facebook’s model imho. 🫶🫶
From a professional writer (retired) former publisher and mother of a journalism major, I couldn't have said it better myself. The free press is on life support in the U.S. and the machine keeping it barely alive is Substack (and similar platforms). If corporate sponsorship comes in, it's the same as pulling the plug and waiting for the final end. The problem is, corporations will only sponor those who's writing favors them (can't blame them for that). And I'm sorry to say, the general populace has lost the savy to distinguish what we used to call "advertorials" -- pure promotion disguised as editorial journalism.
A good example would be niche pulications - one popular niche is the alternative health industry (but not the only one). They put out tabloid size publications filled with articles designed to convince readers this or that service, technique, or product is a breakthrough in its field. They read like news stories, except everything is pushing the reader toward purchasing. If you know, you'll look for the byline, and it's the owner or employee of a business that has an ad in the paper -- pay to play, or to write as the case may be.
We are bombarded with the same kind of "advertorial" online and on our phones. Usually something that sounds informative, that you have to listen to for several long minutes -- as much as 45 or more, to get to the end when they're selling you their product.
Promotion of products or services should never be a part of journalism disguised as editorial content.
Thank you.
A great example is KFF. You'll see publications from this outfit, and people representing this vague KFF org are quoted in mega media outlets as if they are neutral "experts" in health stories.
KFF is the Kaiser Foundation. They publish propaganda that favors what makes money for Kaiser Permanente. Period.
I have Kaiser in Hawaii. I choose it, actually, and I have my ups and downs with it. Mostly ups. I've had a couple of surgeries I appreciated; plus their behavioral health program has helped me stay sober.
But my main doctor is a robot. For big long-term health *care* decisions, I seek better info. I find a lot here. If I relied solely on my doc, I would be forever ill. And taking a *lot* of pills. In reality, broadly, Kaiser pushes and protects sick care. No desire to cure; the top goal is billing for *services*.
It's a game I play. Go ahead and prescribe whatever makes you jolly. And I will keep refusing to take those pills. Statins are a great example. And they push vaccines like they are the greatest thing since the invention of electricity. It's poison and I tell them that. No. Thanks.
KFF is a fig leaf of a "health" entity. It is the propaganda arm pushing vaccines and other bullshit for Kaiser; which created the "KFF" brand as a layer of protection for the main brand. God forbid shit info bounce back and bite the core brand/business. It's insidious, really.
Google "KFF Health News." It will appear like a real "news" entity. It is not.
Open Substack creators to "sponsors," and there are dozens of KFFs out there just waiting to pounce. As I stated, I could not oppose SS creator sponsorships more.
eat corporate oligarchy.
I think it depends on whether the sponsor is likely to influence the message. I mean, an article about ADHD sponsored by ‘big-pharma’ isn’t going to sit well - or an article about climate change sponsored by an oil company.
Thank you for demistifying it and giving me a confidence boost I needed to launch a paid tier. Sending you calmness and paid tier growth 📈
Yay Freddie!! I’m having fun leaning into mine. We shall see where it leads. But you never know unless you try!
Thanks Shannon for sharing this, good luck with reaching the first 100 paid
Thank you Claire! Will see what happens, but enjoying the ride and obviously have a day job 😉✨
Your on your way anyway and the importance is to enjoy the journey.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. omg shannon i literally was supposed to read this today😂❤️ it was so good, i’ve been trying to figure all of this out for months and was just deciding to bite the bullet honestly. thank you for writing this, it was super helpful🫶🏻
Oh that makes me so happy!!! And you absolutely need to open it up. Totally time!! Not sure if it’s in the flow for you, but come do it with us in the Flow Room. It’s an amazing group of people all doing it together. If you can’t afford it I’ll comp you in. I’d love to have your energy in there!
omg we would LOVE that!!!!!! YES!!! i’m going to send you a message but we would 10000% want to join you❤️❤️ and are so so grateful for the invite!
wooohoo! The group just got better!!!
Thanks so much for this, Shannon! I just started on Substack a week ago, and I had planned to keep the paid tier turned off, even though my audience is already growing. Mainly because I have no interest in charging people to see my content. I want my ideas to get out there far and wide and to help as many people as possible. And I have ideas how to earn money from this down the track. BUT you have definitely opened my eyes to a lot of the benefits of turning it on, that I didn’t know about. So thank you very much. 🙏🏻 I’m curious to see what you share about the perks Next week, because I’d like to find some that don’t involve gating my content. Big love and hugs to you from a sleepy lateral-thinking mum in Australia who should be asleep right now! 🤣
I was exactly the same way for months and months. There are some really smart ways people are using theirs here and many different types of offerings. For now, just turn it on and you have plenty of time to play with the rest. 🫶
Thank you Stephanie! This is very helpful. I’m going to change it now. I opted out of having paid subscribers to begin with, now I have to go through a whole process to opt back in.
I didn’t even consider turning it on for my first six months, so you are ahead of me! And it’s pretty simple to turn on, the Stripe part is a little annoying but probably takes 10 min total. Go for it Claire!!
I’ve finally done it, it took me a bit longer than 10 minutes- I find this tech stuff quite complicated! 😆 I did however sort it out myself, which is quite an accomplishment!! 😊 Thanks again! 💜
Woooohooooo!!!! I put mine off forever because I was too lazy to find my bank account info. Hahah! I’m so glad you went for it.
(responding to the title, here)
What, that Substack only cares about them? Already knew that.
Hahahah! 🙊
Thanks for a glimpse into what I hope lies ahead. I have almost 300 subscribers and 18 paid subscribers. Trying to figure out how to grow that last number😳
That’s actually really strong for a small account Rachel!! I think you are well on your way. Keep going!!! 🫶🫶
Thanks, Shannon! Must manage my expectations 😎
Keep going! You have a very strong start and that’s a signal people want what you are giving them!
Informative piece :-) My monetization has nothing to do with Substack but I turned it on because, "Why not?" LOL Who knew that one day, it might be a little passive $$$ that helps my content reach more peeps.
Right?! And as you move forward you may start to see what that path looks like. That’s how it happened for me! 💕
Real, sustainable monetization at scale (income ya can live on vs passive) rarely happens on a given platform, it’s very-very rare. I talked about this to a degree in my audio that just dropped,along with a brief mention of our banter specific to the idea of finding your people, and other topics. But knowing what drives the mechanics of a given platform is very helpful.
I’m not quitting my day job anytime soon! Ha! But it is moving to the point where it can pay for a simple vacation, or an appliance. And that’s pretty cool.
It is VERY cool and you have a knack for playful, a day in the life, commentary. It’s the messy human part of your commentary that I find to be the most compelling.
I had heard SS was bringing Sponsorship--and now it is here. Sounds like it is an easy integration as well.
We shall see! I haven't actually seen any of the sponsored posts yet, and I'm curious what the reality will be. But hoping for the best.
I suspect it is more for those who have tons of paid subscribers--makes sense easier to sell to a hot community.
Thank you for sharing this. 🙏😎❤️
🫶🫶🫶
Once again, I thank you. This is interesting and timely for me, just starting out but seeing a long, interesting path ahead.
Welcome Rick! It’s pretty fun once you get the hang of things here.
Thanks for the useful information.
And realize that there’s a level of Substack contributors out there who write in order to write.
They’re not necessarily computer-savvy. They may not even own a smartphone (weird, I know, but I’m one of those so I can confirm it’s real).
They may also be retired, by choice or by default, and looking for a mode of self-expression that, for the first time in decades, doesn’t require them to hustle.
Substack *is* a laboratory, to be sure. But for every person who chooses to open up to paid subscriptions, there are dozens who don’t feel the need, and who will continue to offer their writings as long as the admission is free.
When the admission is no longer free, I’ll probably move on. But for now, I’m content.
Absolutely!!! And for many people simply writing and sharing is enough. I’m here for it!! 🫶🫶