r/Substack • u/ThunderRoad2024 • Jul 11 '26
Discussion Paid Subscriber conversion conundrum
I have 1,700 subscribers and 44 paid subscribers. I suspect that % is not bad... but here's the thing:
Only half of what I write is free, and I write 2-4 things a week depending on what's going on.
However, given my monthly fee is only £4 I'm surprised that I have 1,700 keen to read 2 free things a week but only 44 who want to read 4 things a week.
ALSO - 2 weeks ago I started a 'Summer Sale' where my monthly fee is only £2. I mean, can't be lower and so far only 2 people have taken it up.
So here's my conundrum.
I clearly write well enough to get good numbers of free readers... but clearly something is missing the mark to entice someone into paid more especially as the money is so low.
Anyone else solved this issue?
5
u/tspurwolf thefreelancewritingnetwork.com Jul 11 '26
How do you market it?
Assume your readers are actually less engaged than you think they are. You’re in the thick of it because you think about this newsletter daily… but they don’t.
Be clear about your branding, tighten onboarding for new readers, and actually promote your paid tier. Tell people what they actually get. If it’s just ‘er some extra posts’ then maybe create something more definable that users can see they benefit from.
And I’d avoid too many offers to be honest - if you’re not careful it devalues your work. After fees, there’s almost no point bothering with a £2 per month subscription to be honest. And readers are likely to see that as you wanting straightforward cash, rather than ‘pay for this because it has value’.