Thanks, team, this is absolutely amazing advice. I don't think I'll ever get to a thousand subscribers because I'm committed to keeping everything out of a paywall, but everything you say here tracks, and for me, the best piece of advice is to treat Substack as a business rather than a hobby. When you do that, your mindset shifts. Thanks again for your brilliant content and for always sharing this in public. It's greatly appreciated.
Great post! 🙌 But we must also think about retention. The key is understanding why subscribers stay before worrying about why they leave. That first email asking
'Why did you subscribe today?'
This kind of question gives you the unique reason for joining, and that’s your best tool to play long-term. ❤️❤️
I would like to mention that these are only gross revenue figures. Substack and Stripe take their share. The lowest possible tier here on Substack for a paid subscription is $5; meaning the mentioned $3 tier is no option anyway. So, at the end of the day the business–math must be done differently. And it seems I am the odd one out who never received a reply back when I answered to the onboarding email you mentioned.
Of course, those are gross revenue figures, that's the common language you'll find in any similar piece or video. Nevertheless, I literally mention the fees in this specific piece.
The lowest possible amount that you can charge on Substack is not the point I'm making. Underpricing is a mindset issue, not a strategic or technical one.
When creators are afraid of charging, they are still a hundred steps away from actually putting the paywall up. So my $3 example is supposed to be bold and simple to make a clear point, not to be taken literally. :)
I'm sorry if you feel disappointed by not getting an answer to your email yet, but if you've responded recently, it's been due to our holiday break.
It's rare that creators with our audience size actually respond directly to their readers. We do see an immense value in it, that's why we do it, but it's also why it sometimes just takes a while because there are many periods throughout the year when our clients have the highest priority and we take less time for first-time replies.
This article is gold!
Congratulations Sinem, amazing work
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback, Ketty. It means a lot and I'm glad it's been useful! :)
Thanks, team, this is absolutely amazing advice. I don't think I'll ever get to a thousand subscribers because I'm committed to keeping everything out of a paywall, but everything you say here tracks, and for me, the best piece of advice is to treat Substack as a business rather than a hobby. When you do that, your mindset shifts. Thanks again for your brilliant content and for always sharing this in public. It's greatly appreciated.
Hi Sam! Thank you so much for the feedback. It's great that you already know which features you're prioritizing, and that makes perfect sense! :)
Congratulations - strategy plus method is equal to results.
Fantastic and highly beneficial. Keep the it up need more.
Great post! 🙌 But we must also think about retention. The key is understanding why subscribers stay before worrying about why they leave. That first email asking
'Why did you subscribe today?'
This kind of question gives you the unique reason for joining, and that’s your best tool to play long-term. ❤️❤️
Absolutely true, that's also why it's a key element in this piece. We are regularly talking about retention in our other resources as well. :)
some really amazing advice here, Sinem. thank you!
Thank you! I'm glad if it's helpful! :)
I would like to mention that these are only gross revenue figures. Substack and Stripe take their share. The lowest possible tier here on Substack for a paid subscription is $5; meaning the mentioned $3 tier is no option anyway. So, at the end of the day the business–math must be done differently. And it seems I am the odd one out who never received a reply back when I answered to the onboarding email you mentioned.
Of course, those are gross revenue figures, that's the common language you'll find in any similar piece or video. Nevertheless, I literally mention the fees in this specific piece.
The lowest possible amount that you can charge on Substack is not the point I'm making. Underpricing is a mindset issue, not a strategic or technical one.
When creators are afraid of charging, they are still a hundred steps away from actually putting the paywall up. So my $3 example is supposed to be bold and simple to make a clear point, not to be taken literally. :)
I'm sorry if you feel disappointed by not getting an answer to your email yet, but if you've responded recently, it's been due to our holiday break.
It's rare that creators with our audience size actually respond directly to their readers. We do see an immense value in it, that's why we do it, but it's also why it sometimes just takes a while because there are many periods throughout the year when our clients have the highest priority and we take less time for first-time replies.