For the membership space; A sort of Fairytale, I write one paywalled post a month usually either focussed on whole hearted living or behind the scenes of my business.
I've called myself a 'slow lived entrepreneur' but things kinda sped up last year! I charge £10 monthly or £70 for the year and have a mix of monthly and annual subs. I have 50 members and at the moment usually get 1-2 new members a month.
I've offered special offers in the past, I don't do 7 day free trials. Special offers and just before a workshop usually brings new people in. I offer gift spots for anyone who can't afford to pay. I've run the model this way for over a year, it feels joyful and sustainable. I love the workshop spaces - they feel like really intimate circles. ✨
Hi I'm very new here. I wrote Holy Choas at https://faithn.substack.com/ and just started last month. I'm chuffed with my 32 free subscribers so far!
The potential to do zoom workshops, online retreats etc is something that I find exciting and will be exploring doing when I offer paid subs at some point! I self published a book in September and haven't written about that yet so it's interesting to read on the thread above that people might find the behind the scenes interesting.
Ha! No plan really. I have tried to comment on other peoples work but the biggest gains have been when I got brave and posted a link to my Substack on my personal FB page and also on a support group I'm part of which is very related to my themes, and that got me at least 15 subs and grew it to about 55 now.
WELCOME Faith - that sounds a super interesting model. Would you pause paid subs at any time during a 12 month period... ? Behind the scenes of the publishing process does really well as a topic here...
So we have the option of showing up consistently every week/month or setting a boundary where we spend time off line/ not delivering at periods of our choosing... it's something I'm leaning into as memberships are infinite... in these periods we can 'pause' paid subs or we can simply point out we won't be around for a few week - holidays from delivery if you will? Cx
Ahh I'm drawn to this topic today Claire, in your prompt today (at 19th Feb) you asked what we're going to NOT do anymore.... I didn't expect it but my answer came out as "not focus on paid subs"
Over on https://quietlycourageous.substack.com/ I've got £50pa / £5pm options with the main benefit being access to all the artwork and prompts for my unpublished oracle deck, which is completely unrelated to anything else I do, and I want my focus to be on confidence building through human design.
It's frustrating because I definitely feel I could do a paid offer including nourishing workshops and circles but I'm really held back in my body, so I know it's not for me, now. Releasing this feels good though!
And I'm leaving paid open for anyone who just wants to support me and get the paid oracle posts - I currently have 10 paid subs but 4 are comped I think. One is a founder and two have paid annually. It feels so tiny! I'm happy to be vulnerable with my numbers :)
Sometimes with these topics we have to unpack and model them a little - maybe there’s a way for you to do that in a post, audio or video so it’s really clear what you offer? Leaning back into knowing it’s nice if folks pay but you don’t “need” to focus there sounds a lovely way to be… you can set it up as more of a tip jar scenario of that feels good…
Great call, it definitely feels necessary, for me at least, to talk about subs again with my readers… I’m just re-branding so maybe as part of that. And some messaging for people who already pay, will they get less value / be paying for something they could have for free, yes that’s my mindset that needs work, I hear it! - but still be good to address it directly.
Claire, do you know anyone who does the tip jar thing really well? I’d love some inspiration for this style of sub…?
Yes and I think always coming back to what does it mean to be paid for my work... I used to make the analogy of a gift... a gift for me and so I would buy something for myself or pay it forward... it's different now because being paid here is my work but for a while it was just a gift and one I could choose to accept and work with the energy of...
Oh that’s really helpful Claire. I feel like being a substack writer *could* be my work in the future, but for now it’s my comms/ marketing…
Originally I wanted to use the funds to publish the oracle deck which is the main thing paid subs get access to, but that now feels very separate to my clear human design focus, plus it doesn’t seem to be pulling people in (where it currently sits anyway) - my Substack went in two distinct directions quite unexpectedly!
I do wonder about splitting out the card deck into a whole new publication… or just publishing it for real and selling it as a real thing! I love being multi passionate but crikey it brings its challenges….
Thank you for the space to share here. I am about to turn paid on for £5pm or £50pa. It will include a vision board workshop each season as well as creative coaching from me in posts, guest posts, spotlight on community members, and general creative inspo. I’m not sure which bits to paywall. Thoughts so welcome! I will also offer one-off tickets for each workshop so people don’t have to be a member but I would like to build on the community aspect
For me getting clear on what I paywalled really helped my decision making around how my Substack fits together. On Creatively Conscious it’s vision board resources and four live workshops a year plus posts about behind the scenes of my business. On sparkle it’s member threads and two live workshops a month. Have you drawn out your content buckets? It helps to do this to also map out how you can encourage free subs into paid if that’s right for them and not overwhelm your paid subs as people don’t like too many “things to do” as they feel often they can’t keep up. ✨✨
It’s so helpful to chat it out here Claire. I haven’t done a visual mapping - should I know about the content buckets? I am very visual so I imagine this would help me loads
This sounds like a beautiful space Tommy! I found the piece around what to paywall tricky too... my vision was really similar to yours, with workshops and community, but I couldn't just pull it together quite yet and figure out the ticketing / boundaries of what to share where, plus my readers are 88% in email just now, although I'd like to change that. I think if you can get the community going, that's the magic! Are your audience engaged on here?
No they’re not here yet. I brought over a mail list of 300 and I wasn’t very regular with my emails so I need to nurture that for now I think. But I see an opportunity to offer my workshops behind paywall as I already had a handful of regulars for those. I’m trying to avoid instagram but think I may need to swing by there to pick up people who have been interested in my work
I don't need the money so, inspired by David Roberts, who donates any paid subscriptions to one of his favorite charities, Robin Hood, my plan is to decide which charity among mine I will choose and do the same with reports back regarding the contributions. We are fortunate to be in a position of giving back for all that has been given to us.
Currently, I keep the monthly subscription relatively high compared to the annual (I share vulnerable content behind the paywall, and feel more comfortable if people sign on for a year rather than dip in for a month). Monthly: $9, Annual: $30 (though a sale is happening this month = $24), Founding: $111.
Founding members (and I plan to change that name) get a remote Chinese Medicine consult through my clinical practice (I’m a licensed Dr.TCM). I may change this to be one consult for every year a person has a Founding membership.
Also...I recently embarked on a project and experiment! I host online Chinese Medicine courses on another platform (Podia) and am moving them to a new Substack, which I’m setting up as a paid course membership platform for learning Chinese Medicine, preparing for licensing board exams, and earning CEUs. It’s called Alchemist Academy: https://alchemistacademy.substack.com/
For Aa: Monthly is $55, Annual is $111. Both plans include full access to 9 courses, amounting to 110 CEUs for licensed practitioners. This is way more affordable than other study programs and CEU courses out there, so I’m excited to see whether it works!
Hi Dana - thanks so much for sharing your payscales and how it's all working for you. What are you thinking of changing the founding member name to? Sounds brilliant model - I also have podia but don't currently host memberships there - I've had it since 2021. So much value in your offer - thanks again for sharing with everyone - super generous of you...
Thank you, Claire! I’m not sure what to change the Founding name to... Many folks use Full-Access, which I like but am not sure it’s a fit for getting remote one-on-one sessions.
Hi! I'm Eva and I write two publications about parenting, emotional wellbeing, middle age and life in general... with an emphasis on being real, open, honest and frank. You can find them both here...
I'm a bit confused about the whole paid thing, as I set up to receive payments on Great Little Insights (my primary substack) and then panicked and decided it was too early to switch to paid 😁 So for the time being nothing is pay walled... I think... 🤔
Anyway, I have two questions...
1. When is a good time to pay wall stuff? I feel like I'm really new (started in Jan) and want people who discover me to be able to read everything, to give them a chance to decide if they want to subscribe at all.
2. What kind of thing could I pay wall?
I write articles twice a month on both pages, and that's it at the moment. I'm going to be offering audio versions of my articles, should I paywall those maybe? I'm also planning to write heavily researched posts on specific topics, with lots of helpfull links and resources. I'm thinking those should be paywalled? But how often do I need to provide those to make it worth it for a paid subscriber?
Sorry that was a lot more than two questions! Super grateful for any help/advice and thank you so much Claire for this space 🙏 😊
Hey Eva - thanks so much for being here... some people have paid switched on but don't paywall anything - perhaps that's an option for you so folks can support your work but you're note limiting access? It depends whether you think someone would cross the paywall to read a specific article? That is totally possible and obviously works in press and academia - how well do you know your subscribers? ✨
Yes, I think that's kind of what I've done by accident 😄
I don't really know my subscribers yet.. I did try to start a Chat thread to get to know them.... no response 😕 Maybe I could just right a post (a letter of sorts) to them to try and figure out what they like/don't like, want more of, etc?
Perhaps I could explain in further detail what my plans are and be more clear, etc.. what do you think?
I am in that same model (no paywall, just option to support my work) with mainly fathers and some moms in my humble audience of 70-ish folks -- and for me it's okay.
From a biz perspective, there's not paid activity yet (just invited folks to upgrade to paid last weekend).
But from a personal growth perspective, I get to look at all the stuff around self-worth, my intention to experiment into a gift economy, and generally not feel pressured to deliver.
Except that right before I shared the option for paid, I edited my about section to reflect the mission, vision, and intentions of my blog. And I now feel some discipline around my content to deliver on that!
I have a $7, $70 and $240 for "Founding Members" -- and it's all about the mission and helping me put out more content to support dads. Hope that helps!
Initially I thought I'd use Substack as an alternative platform to Mailchimp and imported all by subscribers there to The Bridge Cottage Way substack where I send out four newsletters a year on the Winters and Summer Solstices and the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. I give seasonal news, eating and growing tips and link back to my own website where there is a huge number of written resources for sustainable living.
I set up Sue Reed Writes and used it first and foremost as a newsletter and journal of my road to getting my first novel partnership published. I then got brave and renamed it Down Clarty Lonnen, (meaning muddy lane) and am writing around themes that are important to me as an older woman, about life's ups and downs and the journey I'm on.
I've recently turned on paid subscriptions and am my novel, The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn a chapter at a time on here, and talking about themes that arise from this such as lockdown, family, the othering of women and girls and the Newcastle Witch Trials. I'm feeling more anxious though since turning these on, and am worried about folk getting their money's worth - I guess its the old 'am I good enough' chestnut.
You are good enough and in terms of value you might be better with a “pay to support my writing and creative projects” if you don’t want to offer tonnes of extras behind the paywall?!
Yes! That would be amazing and instantly feels much better - what do I need to do to say this? Just put it in the body of posts? I like this option much more.
Can I remove the paywall from the first podcast I did? Therefore making it available to everyone but suggesting 'pay to support my writing....'
Is is possible to save the podcast recording I did and then create a new post, offering it to everyone? Apologies for the lack of tecchie know how, Claire
Yes! So you would fill in the three boxes in settings which substack show people and make it clear in the body of the posts too so people understand. You can also edit your about page to explain how you make it work. ✨✨
That's great, thanks Claire - I've managed to download the audio file, so I guess a new post is easier and so I can send that out to everyone? Maybe delete the one with the paywall?
I've found the three boxes and I think I've removed the paywall from the first podcast post - Claire, is there a way to republish the post to all subscribers? It was sent last week -
hi! my Substack is https://sarahraad.substack.com/ and whilst I have 1300 free subs I only have about 21 paying at the moment - about half have paid annually at £70 and the rest pay monthly at £7. They get a monthly live journaling session and every month I add in a new resource which could be a download, a course, a visualisation etc. It's feeling ok but I KNOW there is more potential for me. I feel my time will come with more readers coming to substack, but also I have to get better at identifying the things that would tip someone over to paid, what's valuable to them. I do gift spots, both to those who need but can't afford and to people who read my stuff and share it with others. I ideally would like 250 paying subscribers, that's the goal!
https://www.creativelyconscious.co.uk/membership needs updated but this not only helped me fathom it out for myself last year but has been useful to link to in the wider context of social proof for my work…
Hi Claire, thank you for all you support and info on going paid. I was wondering how far in advance should one give their readers to know change is coming? A couple weeks? Thank you.
I'm a yoga and meditation teacher spotlighting mental health from the perspective of being formally diagnosed with multiple mental aliments and learning disabilities. I teach yoga philosophy with a niche in metaphysical resources, and currently am writing a collaborative 'Learnoir'. A social experiment to engage with others wishing to reform social media by creating healthier digital habits. Topics I write on range as I refuse to niche.
I first joined Substack as a space to journal and sort out a budding writing career, now I'm slowly building an audience here of new "social media strangers" while also leveraging from meta, etc. Still focused on refining my content and deciding on what to monetise and that's a struggle!
Hi everyone, I'm Alyssa, I host workshops and write over on The Artemisian (https://alyssapolizzi.substack.com/) where I focus on inner work and self-development through the lens of Jungian psychology and archetypal studies (think archetypes, mythology, dreamwork, etc).
I charge $8/month or $77/year for members to access monthly classes, discounts to 1:1 services, and the ability to submit Q&A and other requests that I answer via posts.
I currently have 81 paid members. I had some accelerated growth when I launched classes/workshops behind the paywall, but it's been a bit slow going since then. I've been contemplating if there's any other adjustments I need to make or maybe I just need to have a bit of patience. One potential change I've considered is allowing non-members to sign up to classes via a one-time payment (at full ticket price) vs becoming a paid tier member. I do believe some readers aren't interested in a membership model, but would like to attend a class as a one-off.
Some questions that has brought up are...does that undermine the membership model, which I believe creates a greater sense of coherency and communal connection? Or, is it important to provide access to those who can't justify a monthly payment?
It's been a wild ride so far of figuring things out on Substack. I'm really grateful for the platform and for creators like Claire who are so generous with their offerings. If anyone has any thoughts to share, I'd love to hear it :)
LOVE these questions and for me I think you could offer that opportunity as a one off or perhaps infrequently without upsetting the cohesion of the membership group. What I’ve found with sparkle and over at CC is the live calls bring so much generosity in sharing around similar interests… I think if you offer 1-2-1s and group programmes these are the spaces that can feel closed and sacred in the way you describe?
Love the sound of your work Alyssa - popping over now…
My creative practise is rooted in co-creation so I always see this type of thing as an opportunity to co-create with my members and lean into what might feel good to them and in not over promising (ie just once) I learn how it feels for me in real time. Glad to have chatted, there are so many combos when it comes to this stuff hey?
Experimentation is really key to figuring out what feels right. I think that can feel a little scary sometimes, at least it has for me. Can I try out this style post, this type of class? If I change it will others mind? Having that caveat in place with not over promising helps me feel like I can be creative. Many combos to try out indeed, that's the fun part! :)
Hi Claire, Thank you for this thread! I've read through a # of responses and am getting a feel as to how to go paid, which I am considering in about 3 weeks. My substack is Mexico Soul -- https://mexicosoul.substack.com I write about Mexico and the Maya with insights into MX life, current MX events, travel info, history, Maya culture and am currently posting a condensed serialization of my travel memoir, Where the Sky is Born, by chapter every other week. I wrote my blog 5 yrs before joining Substack in Nov, plus have written for various MX publications about Maya and travel so have a small following. Currently at $60/annual, $5/mo but am going to drop to $40/annual as my content is primarily entertainment. I received 7 pledges which so amazed and delighted (!) me, but that was at $60/yr. So when I make change I will let them know and also tell them I would like to send a copy of my memoir (if they'd like) or they can unsubscribe or whatever. I am not sure if I should paywall, but do not know what I WOULD paywall also would like to try going all free, but wonder if readers actually do sign up to pay w/ only that incentive? And how would that work?? Thought maybe I could paywall one chapter per month (usually running 2 now) to encourage people to paywall? The book has roughly 35 chapters. I'm at chap. 5 now and leave each on a cliffhanger, so figure while there's still cliffhanger posts coming, 3 more, I best add the paid button. Nervous about this as have never asked for $. Brought over 400 from MailChimp. Have a good open rate, 45-50%, but very unsure. I think paywall would be too hard for me... any info will be appreciated, and I so very much appreciate your wealth of knowledge and willingness to share it Claire.
Hey Jeanine - so happy to chat more about this. Do you have permission to share your memoir in the way you’d like if needed from your publisher? Are you familiar with Lindsay Johnstone’s work here? There are options… lots of options - the biggest question is HOW would you feel if you chose the paywall and how would you feel if you made everything open access and people simply paid to support you as a writer? Just instinctively?
Hi Claire, I self-published so I'm the publisher. Not familiar with Lindsay Johnstone's work, will look it up. Thanks for posing these thoughtful ??s. I'm uncertain as to how I'd make a paywall work, and what/which chapters to put behind it. (maybe one a month)? The memoir was well-liked when I published it (quite) long ago, and the MX bookstore I owned (and sold) still carries it and people still enjoy. I'd like to leave it 'open' but am not sure if I would garner paid subscribers... guess I have some thinking to do!!! Thanks so much for your comments and support.
You’re so welcome! So Lindsay is recording audio chapters of her memoir which I think is fascinating… it adds another dimension to the depth of getting to know her story and her voice as author… definitely look her up.
I really like the paywalling chapters model I think it works well here on Substack… I know Sarah Fay is very supportive and has done this too…
I’m writing my memoir and I’m running a three year project around it here… ✨✨
Fantastic Claire! All the best with your endeavor! I’ll look up Lindsay and re-read and reconsider paywalls. I’ve got a couple weeks to percolate on it, so I’m sure the answer will come. Again thank you for your guidance!
Hi Claire, thanks for this. It’s interesting to read what everyone’s doing. I’m Kate, I write Letters from Therapy: https://lettersfromtherapy.substack.com. I have 500 subscribers and 18 paid (4 comps). I charge £5 per month and £40 annual, though I may increase it soon. I write weekly posts designed to be therapeutic in some way, with journaling and exercises for paid subscribers. Feeling my way forwards! 💛
Beautiful… have you got a sense of your growth curve yet Kate? So number of paid to free and how they are growing each month? I know it FEELS early days…
Ooh, I’ll have a look. I think it will be a wavy curve, I’ll take a look and work it out! Definitely getting more as time goes on and I’m more established. 💛
Hi, I’m Karen, my Substack is https://substack.com/@karenlouisehodgson. I have 100 free Subscribers, but haven’t investigated setting up payment plans yet. I’ve subscribed to Annie Rideout’s paid for work, but can’t afford to take any other paid subscriptions out right now. I’d like to though, as I’m struggling on universal credit at the moment.
My monthly fees are currently £4.99 and annual fees are £49, but I'm planning to increase both soon.
All paid members get access to my full archive of paid posts, free access to my social media management course (worth £97) and the ability to post comments on all posts. Each week I share 2 free posts and 1 paid post. I also do the same in my other publication The Solopreneur Stack.
Overall I'm happy with how it's going so far. I'd love to have enough paid subs someday to essentially be a full-time writer (while also growing my other businesses). For now, I'm enjoying the growth process! 😊
Hi all - I'm Claire. I host Sparkle on Substack but in this thread I'm going to tell you about Creatively Conscious. https://creativelyconscious.substack.com.
For the membership space; A sort of Fairytale, I write one paywalled post a month usually either focussed on whole hearted living or behind the scenes of my business.
I've called myself a 'slow lived entrepreneur' but things kinda sped up last year! I charge £10 monthly or £70 for the year and have a mix of monthly and annual subs. I have 50 members and at the moment usually get 1-2 new members a month.
I've offered special offers in the past, I don't do 7 day free trials. Special offers and just before a workshop usually brings new people in. I offer gift spots for anyone who can't afford to pay. I've run the model this way for over a year, it feels joyful and sustainable. I love the workshop spaces - they feel like really intimate circles. ✨
Hi I'm very new here. I wrote Holy Choas at https://faithn.substack.com/ and just started last month. I'm chuffed with my 32 free subscribers so far!
The potential to do zoom workshops, online retreats etc is something that I find exciting and will be exploring doing when I offer paid subs at some point! I self published a book in September and haven't written about that yet so it's interesting to read on the thread above that people might find the behind the scenes interesting.
Hey Faith I've been here only a month also and only have 15 subscribers! You're beating me! No fair! (PS How're you doing it?)
Ha! No plan really. I have tried to comment on other peoples work but the biggest gains have been when I got brave and posted a link to my Substack on my personal FB page and also on a support group I'm part of which is very related to my themes, and that got me at least 15 subs and grew it to about 55 now.
Thanks Faith. I haven't done those things yet. Is it a confidence thing? Don't answer that : )
You can do it!!! Take the leap when you are almost ready. Have fun. 😊
WELCOME Faith - that sounds a super interesting model. Would you pause paid subs at any time during a 12 month period... ? Behind the scenes of the publishing process does really well as a topic here...
Thanks Claire. What do you mean by pausing paid subs?
So we have the option of showing up consistently every week/month or setting a boundary where we spend time off line/ not delivering at periods of our choosing... it's something I'm leaning into as memberships are infinite... in these periods we can 'pause' paid subs or we can simply point out we won't be around for a few week - holidays from delivery if you will? Cx
This is good to consider as then it leaves space for rest or other creativity like working more on a book or setting up a new business, thanks.
Exactly yes… and so some people have a programme behind the paywall that is in a container and a certain number of weeks… lots of options ✨✨
Ahh I'm drawn to this topic today Claire, in your prompt today (at 19th Feb) you asked what we're going to NOT do anymore.... I didn't expect it but my answer came out as "not focus on paid subs"
Over on https://quietlycourageous.substack.com/ I've got £50pa / £5pm options with the main benefit being access to all the artwork and prompts for my unpublished oracle deck, which is completely unrelated to anything else I do, and I want my focus to be on confidence building through human design.
It's frustrating because I definitely feel I could do a paid offer including nourishing workshops and circles but I'm really held back in my body, so I know it's not for me, now. Releasing this feels good though!
And I'm leaving paid open for anyone who just wants to support me and get the paid oracle posts - I currently have 10 paid subs but 4 are comped I think. One is a founder and two have paid annually. It feels so tiny! I'm happy to be vulnerable with my numbers :)
Sometimes with these topics we have to unpack and model them a little - maybe there’s a way for you to do that in a post, audio or video so it’s really clear what you offer? Leaning back into knowing it’s nice if folks pay but you don’t “need” to focus there sounds a lovely way to be… you can set it up as more of a tip jar scenario of that feels good…
Great call, it definitely feels necessary, for me at least, to talk about subs again with my readers… I’m just re-branding so maybe as part of that. And some messaging for people who already pay, will they get less value / be paying for something they could have for free, yes that’s my mindset that needs work, I hear it! - but still be good to address it directly.
Claire, do you know anyone who does the tip jar thing really well? I’d love some inspiration for this style of sub…?
Yes I’ve seen it as an either or - Keris Fox and Russell Nohelty both have it…!
Perfect, I’m going to take a look and see what lights me up! 💫
Yes and I think always coming back to what does it mean to be paid for my work... I used to make the analogy of a gift... a gift for me and so I would buy something for myself or pay it forward... it's different now because being paid here is my work but for a while it was just a gift and one I could choose to accept and work with the energy of...
Oh that’s really helpful Claire. I feel like being a substack writer *could* be my work in the future, but for now it’s my comms/ marketing…
Originally I wanted to use the funds to publish the oracle deck which is the main thing paid subs get access to, but that now feels very separate to my clear human design focus, plus it doesn’t seem to be pulling people in (where it currently sits anyway) - my Substack went in two distinct directions quite unexpectedly!
I do wonder about splitting out the card deck into a whole new publication… or just publishing it for real and selling it as a real thing! I love being multi passionate but crikey it brings its challenges….
Yay!!! LOVE this focus Sarah!!!
Thank you for the space to share here. I am about to turn paid on for £5pm or £50pa. It will include a vision board workshop each season as well as creative coaching from me in posts, guest posts, spotlight on community members, and general creative inspo. I’m not sure which bits to paywall. Thoughts so welcome! I will also offer one-off tickets for each workshop so people don’t have to be a member but I would like to build on the community aspect
For me getting clear on what I paywalled really helped my decision making around how my Substack fits together. On Creatively Conscious it’s vision board resources and four live workshops a year plus posts about behind the scenes of my business. On sparkle it’s member threads and two live workshops a month. Have you drawn out your content buckets? It helps to do this to also map out how you can encourage free subs into paid if that’s right for them and not overwhelm your paid subs as people don’t like too many “things to do” as they feel often they can’t keep up. ✨✨
It’s so helpful to chat it out here Claire. I haven’t done a visual mapping - should I know about the content buckets? I am very visual so I imagine this would help me loads
So I refer to them as content pillars in one of my early workshops… have you sent that one?
Nope! Where would I find it?
Seen I should have said I’ll go on and ping you the link on laptop 💻
I got it! Thanks so much 🙏
This sounds like a beautiful space Tommy! I found the piece around what to paywall tricky too... my vision was really similar to yours, with workshops and community, but I couldn't just pull it together quite yet and figure out the ticketing / boundaries of what to share where, plus my readers are 88% in email just now, although I'd like to change that. I think if you can get the community going, that's the magic! Are your audience engaged on here?
No they’re not here yet. I brought over a mail list of 300 and I wasn’t very regular with my emails so I need to nurture that for now I think. But I see an opportunity to offer my workshops behind paywall as I already had a handful of regulars for those. I’m trying to avoid instagram but think I may need to swing by there to pick up people who have been interested in my work
Yes, I hear you on instagram, and growing here too, picking up people already on the platform. I’ll be cheering you on!!
It's worth the odd few story posts with an easy way for them to sign up and understand substack... I made a tile in canva if you'd like the link?
Ye please!
I don't need the money so, inspired by David Roberts, who donates any paid subscriptions to one of his favorite charities, Robin Hood, my plan is to decide which charity among mine I will choose and do the same with reports back regarding the contributions. We are fortunate to be in a position of giving back for all that has been given to us.
How totally beautiful… ✨
Hi everyone - and thank you for creating and hosting this thread, Claire!
I write about addiction recovery, sobriety, and soulful living over on Sober Soulful: https://danaleighlyons.substack.com/
Currently, I keep the monthly subscription relatively high compared to the annual (I share vulnerable content behind the paywall, and feel more comfortable if people sign on for a year rather than dip in for a month). Monthly: $9, Annual: $30 (though a sale is happening this month = $24), Founding: $111.
Founding members (and I plan to change that name) get a remote Chinese Medicine consult through my clinical practice (I’m a licensed Dr.TCM). I may change this to be one consult for every year a person has a Founding membership.
Also...I recently embarked on a project and experiment! I host online Chinese Medicine courses on another platform (Podia) and am moving them to a new Substack, which I’m setting up as a paid course membership platform for learning Chinese Medicine, preparing for licensing board exams, and earning CEUs. It’s called Alchemist Academy: https://alchemistacademy.substack.com/
For Aa: Monthly is $55, Annual is $111. Both plans include full access to 9 courses, amounting to 110 CEUs for licensed practitioners. This is way more affordable than other study programs and CEU courses out there, so I’m excited to see whether it works!
Hi Dana - thanks so much for sharing your payscales and how it's all working for you. What are you thinking of changing the founding member name to? Sounds brilliant model - I also have podia but don't currently host memberships there - I've had it since 2021. So much value in your offer - thanks again for sharing with everyone - super generous of you...
Thank you, Claire! I’m not sure what to change the Founding name to... Many folks use Full-Access, which I like but am not sure it’s a fit for getting remote one-on-one sessions.
Old school used to be GOLD, Silver and Bronze memberships but it’s a bit out dated and we only have two don’t we? I use “Growth Library” here…
Hi! I'm Eva and I write two publications about parenting, emotional wellbeing, middle age and life in general... with an emphasis on being real, open, honest and frank. You can find them both here...
https://substack.com/@greatlittleinsights?utm_source=profile-page
I'm a bit confused about the whole paid thing, as I set up to receive payments on Great Little Insights (my primary substack) and then panicked and decided it was too early to switch to paid 😁 So for the time being nothing is pay walled... I think... 🤔
Anyway, I have two questions...
1. When is a good time to pay wall stuff? I feel like I'm really new (started in Jan) and want people who discover me to be able to read everything, to give them a chance to decide if they want to subscribe at all.
2. What kind of thing could I pay wall?
I write articles twice a month on both pages, and that's it at the moment. I'm going to be offering audio versions of my articles, should I paywall those maybe? I'm also planning to write heavily researched posts on specific topics, with lots of helpfull links and resources. I'm thinking those should be paywalled? But how often do I need to provide those to make it worth it for a paid subscriber?
Sorry that was a lot more than two questions! Super grateful for any help/advice and thank you so much Claire for this space 🙏 😊
Hey Eva - thanks so much for being here... some people have paid switched on but don't paywall anything - perhaps that's an option for you so folks can support your work but you're note limiting access? It depends whether you think someone would cross the paywall to read a specific article? That is totally possible and obviously works in press and academia - how well do you know your subscribers? ✨
Yes, I think that's kind of what I've done by accident 😄
I don't really know my subscribers yet.. I did try to start a Chat thread to get to know them.... no response 😕 Maybe I could just right a post (a letter of sorts) to them to try and figure out what they like/don't like, want more of, etc?
Perhaps I could explain in further detail what my plans are and be more clear, etc.. what do you think?
Hi Eva,
I am in that same model (no paywall, just option to support my work) with mainly fathers and some moms in my humble audience of 70-ish folks -- and for me it's okay.
From a biz perspective, there's not paid activity yet (just invited folks to upgrade to paid last weekend).
But from a personal growth perspective, I get to look at all the stuff around self-worth, my intention to experiment into a gift economy, and generally not feel pressured to deliver.
Except that right before I shared the option for paid, I edited my about section to reflect the mission, vision, and intentions of my blog. And I now feel some discipline around my content to deliver on that!
https://matthewsloane.substack.com/about
I have a $7, $70 and $240 for "Founding Members" -- and it's all about the mission and helping me put out more content to support dads. Hope that helps!
Hi everyone, I'm Sue and I have two Substacks with 700 subscribers between them.
https://substack.com/@suereedwrites?utm_source=user-menu
Initially I thought I'd use Substack as an alternative platform to Mailchimp and imported all by subscribers there to The Bridge Cottage Way substack where I send out four newsletters a year on the Winters and Summer Solstices and the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. I give seasonal news, eating and growing tips and link back to my own website where there is a huge number of written resources for sustainable living.
I set up Sue Reed Writes and used it first and foremost as a newsletter and journal of my road to getting my first novel partnership published. I then got brave and renamed it Down Clarty Lonnen, (meaning muddy lane) and am writing around themes that are important to me as an older woman, about life's ups and downs and the journey I'm on.
I've recently turned on paid subscriptions and am my novel, The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn a chapter at a time on here, and talking about themes that arise from this such as lockdown, family, the othering of women and girls and the Newcastle Witch Trials. I'm feeling more anxious though since turning these on, and am worried about folk getting their money's worth - I guess its the old 'am I good enough' chestnut.
You are good enough and in terms of value you might be better with a “pay to support my writing and creative projects” if you don’t want to offer tonnes of extras behind the paywall?!
Yes! That would be amazing and instantly feels much better - what do I need to do to say this? Just put it in the body of posts? I like this option much more.
Can I remove the paywall from the first podcast I did? Therefore making it available to everyone but suggesting 'pay to support my writing....'
Is is possible to save the podcast recording I did and then create a new post, offering it to everyone? Apologies for the lack of tecchie know how, Claire
Yes! So you would fill in the three boxes in settings which substack show people and make it clear in the body of the posts too so people understand. You can also edit your about page to explain how you make it work. ✨✨
That's great, thanks Claire - I've managed to download the audio file, so I guess a new post is easier and so I can send that out to everyone? Maybe delete the one with the paywall?
I've found the three boxes and I think I've removed the paywall from the first podcast post - Claire, is there a way to republish the post to all subscribers? It was sent last week -
Yes there should be I think if I'm reading this right you just pop in and edit the post... did you send to just your paid or everyone?
hi! my Substack is https://sarahraad.substack.com/ and whilst I have 1300 free subs I only have about 21 paying at the moment - about half have paid annually at £70 and the rest pay monthly at £7. They get a monthly live journaling session and every month I add in a new resource which could be a download, a course, a visualisation etc. It's feeling ok but I KNOW there is more potential for me. I feel my time will come with more readers coming to substack, but also I have to get better at identifying the things that would tip someone over to paid, what's valuable to them. I do gift spots, both to those who need but can't afford and to people who read my stuff and share it with others. I ideally would like 250 paying subscribers, that's the goal!
LOVE an expansive goal. Have you written a “sales” page on your website to share what it is and what people get? Focus on the annual subs story? ✨✨
no but that's a bloody good idea :)
https://www.creativelyconscious.co.uk/membership needs updated but this not only helped me fathom it out for myself last year but has been useful to link to in the wider context of social proof for my work…
Hi Claire, thank you for all you support and info on going paid. I was wondering how far in advance should one give their readers to know change is coming? A couple weeks? Thank you.
Hi Substack Family,
I'm a yoga and meditation teacher spotlighting mental health from the perspective of being formally diagnosed with multiple mental aliments and learning disabilities. I teach yoga philosophy with a niche in metaphysical resources, and currently am writing a collaborative 'Learnoir'. A social experiment to engage with others wishing to reform social media by creating healthier digital habits. Topics I write on range as I refuse to niche.
I first joined Substack as a space to journal and sort out a budding writing career, now I'm slowly building an audience here of new "social media strangers" while also leveraging from meta, etc. Still focused on refining my content and deciding on what to monetise and that's a struggle!
https://audrawhite.substack.com/
Just subscribed to a bunch a new members I'm finding in comments here!
Hi everyone, I'm Alyssa, I host workshops and write over on The Artemisian (https://alyssapolizzi.substack.com/) where I focus on inner work and self-development through the lens of Jungian psychology and archetypal studies (think archetypes, mythology, dreamwork, etc).
I charge $8/month or $77/year for members to access monthly classes, discounts to 1:1 services, and the ability to submit Q&A and other requests that I answer via posts.
I currently have 81 paid members. I had some accelerated growth when I launched classes/workshops behind the paywall, but it's been a bit slow going since then. I've been contemplating if there's any other adjustments I need to make or maybe I just need to have a bit of patience. One potential change I've considered is allowing non-members to sign up to classes via a one-time payment (at full ticket price) vs becoming a paid tier member. I do believe some readers aren't interested in a membership model, but would like to attend a class as a one-off.
Some questions that has brought up are...does that undermine the membership model, which I believe creates a greater sense of coherency and communal connection? Or, is it important to provide access to those who can't justify a monthly payment?
It's been a wild ride so far of figuring things out on Substack. I'm really grateful for the platform and for creators like Claire who are so generous with their offerings. If anyone has any thoughts to share, I'd love to hear it :)
LOVE these questions and for me I think you could offer that opportunity as a one off or perhaps infrequently without upsetting the cohesion of the membership group. What I’ve found with sparkle and over at CC is the live calls bring so much generosity in sharing around similar interests… I think if you offer 1-2-1s and group programmes these are the spaces that can feel closed and sacred in the way you describe?
Love the sound of your work Alyssa - popping over now…
Thanks for the feedback, Claire. I've wondered trying it out as infrequent opportunity, I'll keep that in mind for upcoming classes :)
My creative practise is rooted in co-creation so I always see this type of thing as an opportunity to co-create with my members and lean into what might feel good to them and in not over promising (ie just once) I learn how it feels for me in real time. Glad to have chatted, there are so many combos when it comes to this stuff hey?
Experimentation is really key to figuring out what feels right. I think that can feel a little scary sometimes, at least it has for me. Can I try out this style post, this type of class? If I change it will others mind? Having that caveat in place with not over promising helps me feel like I can be creative. Many combos to try out indeed, that's the fun part! :)
Hi Claire, Thank you for this thread! I've read through a # of responses and am getting a feel as to how to go paid, which I am considering in about 3 weeks. My substack is Mexico Soul -- https://mexicosoul.substack.com I write about Mexico and the Maya with insights into MX life, current MX events, travel info, history, Maya culture and am currently posting a condensed serialization of my travel memoir, Where the Sky is Born, by chapter every other week. I wrote my blog 5 yrs before joining Substack in Nov, plus have written for various MX publications about Maya and travel so have a small following. Currently at $60/annual, $5/mo but am going to drop to $40/annual as my content is primarily entertainment. I received 7 pledges which so amazed and delighted (!) me, but that was at $60/yr. So when I make change I will let them know and also tell them I would like to send a copy of my memoir (if they'd like) or they can unsubscribe or whatever. I am not sure if I should paywall, but do not know what I WOULD paywall also would like to try going all free, but wonder if readers actually do sign up to pay w/ only that incentive? And how would that work?? Thought maybe I could paywall one chapter per month (usually running 2 now) to encourage people to paywall? The book has roughly 35 chapters. I'm at chap. 5 now and leave each on a cliffhanger, so figure while there's still cliffhanger posts coming, 3 more, I best add the paid button. Nervous about this as have never asked for $. Brought over 400 from MailChimp. Have a good open rate, 45-50%, but very unsure. I think paywall would be too hard for me... any info will be appreciated, and I so very much appreciate your wealth of knowledge and willingness to share it Claire.
Hey Jeanine - so happy to chat more about this. Do you have permission to share your memoir in the way you’d like if needed from your publisher? Are you familiar with Lindsay Johnstone’s work here? There are options… lots of options - the biggest question is HOW would you feel if you chose the paywall and how would you feel if you made everything open access and people simply paid to support you as a writer? Just instinctively?
Hi Claire, I self-published so I'm the publisher. Not familiar with Lindsay Johnstone's work, will look it up. Thanks for posing these thoughtful ??s. I'm uncertain as to how I'd make a paywall work, and what/which chapters to put behind it. (maybe one a month)? The memoir was well-liked when I published it (quite) long ago, and the MX bookstore I owned (and sold) still carries it and people still enjoy. I'd like to leave it 'open' but am not sure if I would garner paid subscribers... guess I have some thinking to do!!! Thanks so much for your comments and support.
You’re so welcome! So Lindsay is recording audio chapters of her memoir which I think is fascinating… it adds another dimension to the depth of getting to know her story and her voice as author… definitely look her up.
I really like the paywalling chapters model I think it works well here on Substack… I know Sarah Fay is very supportive and has done this too…
I’m writing my memoir and I’m running a three year project around it here… ✨✨
Fantastic Claire! All the best with your endeavor! I’ll look up Lindsay and re-read and reconsider paywalls. I’ve got a couple weeks to percolate on it, so I’m sure the answer will come. Again thank you for your guidance!
Hi Claire, thanks for this. It’s interesting to read what everyone’s doing. I’m Kate, I write Letters from Therapy: https://lettersfromtherapy.substack.com. I have 500 subscribers and 18 paid (4 comps). I charge £5 per month and £40 annual, though I may increase it soon. I write weekly posts designed to be therapeutic in some way, with journaling and exercises for paid subscribers. Feeling my way forwards! 💛
Beautiful… have you got a sense of your growth curve yet Kate? So number of paid to free and how they are growing each month? I know it FEELS early days…
Ooh, I’ll have a look. I think it will be a wavy curve, I’ll take a look and work it out! Definitely getting more as time goes on and I’m more established. 💛
Hi, I’m Karen, my Substack is https://substack.com/@karenlouisehodgson. I have 100 free Subscribers, but haven’t investigated setting up payment plans yet. I’ve subscribed to Annie Rideout’s paid for work, but can’t afford to take any other paid subscriptions out right now. I’d like to though, as I’m struggling on universal credit at the moment.
Hi!! Love Annie’s work… Karen I run a pay it forward model so if you’d like a sub to either of mine do email me. ✨
Hi, yes please
Claire@creativelyconscious.co.uk
Thank you, I’ll sort it later. Got to do shopping and then doctors appointment (already anxious)
Thanks Claire!
My publication is How to Write for a Living: https://thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/
My monthly fees are currently £4.99 and annual fees are £49, but I'm planning to increase both soon.
All paid members get access to my full archive of paid posts, free access to my social media management course (worth £97) and the ability to post comments on all posts. Each week I share 2 free posts and 1 paid post. I also do the same in my other publication The Solopreneur Stack.
Overall I'm happy with how it's going so far. I'd love to have enough paid subs someday to essentially be a full-time writer (while also growing my other businesses). For now, I'm enjoying the growth process! 😊
That sounds great David. How many posts do you have in your archive? Have you thought much about the founding member tier?
Thanks Claire! I have about 103 posts across 3 pubs. Just added a Sustaining Member tier last week actually!
Perfect make sure you tell them that and catalogue it clearly too...