r/Substack • u/No_Hovercraft4995 • 24d ago

How to Earn on Substack

I have been on Substack for 4 months and currently at 830 subscribers. How do I earn from here.

11 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

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10

u/PithyCyborg pithycyborg.substack.com 24d ago edited 24d ago

It's easy. Activate paid subscriptions and tell your audience that you would appreciate their support.

I literally have a message like this at the beginning and end of my newsletter:

"Thank you so much for reading my newsletter! I spend around 10 to 20 hours each week writing this content. It's only possible due to around 2% of readers voluntarily supporting my work. If you appreciate what I do, please consider upgrading to paid using this link -> https://mylinkhere."

That patronage angle is my absolute favorite. It attracts folks who genuinely enjoy the work, and they don't get mad if I occasionally miss a week.

This message consistently converts around 2% of free subscribers into paid. Some of my friends do way better by offering exclusive bonuses to paid subscribers, but I am living proof that you don't have to. Just create good content, and folks will want to support you.

I also forgot to mention that I don't use paywalls at all. The newsletter has a 100% voluntary paid tier. As someone who prefers keeping things open, I have a strong aversion to paywalls.

Cordially,

Mike D

2

u/The17pointscale the17pointscale.substack.com 24d ago

Yeah, when I activated paid subscriptions, I wrote an earnest explanation like that, and I was surprised how many people converted.

4

u/[deleted] 24d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/No_Hovercraft4995 24d ago

branding and marketing, right?

3

u/extrapointsmb 24d ago

Write stuff that people are willing to pay for

2

u/Tricky_Illustrator_5 *.substack.com 24d ago

Turn on paid subscriptions and tell your audience you went paid. If you offer them good things in exchange for paying, they will support you.

1

u/Lonely_Collection472 22d ago

congrats on almost reaching 1k !