This is a great explanations. I'm currently working on my paid tier launch. How do you send paid members other resources such as spreadsheets and templates once they've signed up - do these need to be located outside of Substack? Do you send paid members an automated e-mail with the links?
Hi Joshua! :) If they are supposed to receive them right after upgrading to your paid tier, you can just add a link to the paid welcome email. That could, for example, go to a Google Drive. :)
The biggest challenge with going paid so far has definitely been the immediate decrease in new free subscribers. For us, as soon as the paid tier is enabled, the number of new free subscribers plummets. As soon as paid is turned back off, the number of free subscribers rises quickly again. With absolutely no changes in the content or offer for free subscribers. It's hard to make sense of.
For how long have you done these tests? And that's very weird indeed because technically Substack does favor publications with a paid tier since that's how the platform itself makes money. So it's hard to believe that there is really a correlation with turning the paid tier on or off.
Exactly, it makes no logical sense. However, we've run the tests for both days and several months across different publications and accounts, and the trend remains consistent: a sudden drop in new free subscribers while traffic stays roughly the same. Last month, when testing on this account, we saw a 90% decrease in free subscriber growth compared to the average, even though views increased by about 10%.
Since this resonated, you might also enjoy our 2026 live masterclass Monetize Your Knowledge. It shows you how to turn what you already know into income. You can save your spot here: https://go.writebuildscale.com/creatormasterclass
I love the way this is laid out. As a newcomer to Substack, it helps put a strategy in place early on. I have not turned on the paid feature yet but your tips help refine how I should go about launching and differentiating my content portfolio for paid readers. Thank you!
Hi Katrina! I’m so happy this helped you build an early strategy!
If you’re thinking about launching paid soon, our 2026 masterclass Monetize Your Knowledge walks you through how to earn from what you know. You can join here: https://go.writebuildscale.com/creatormasterclass
If you’re exploring monetization, you might enjoy our 2026 masterclass Monetize Your Knowledge. It shows how to turn your experience into something people pay for. Save your seat here: https://go.writebuildscale.com/creatormasterclass
You can create individual discount codes for your publication in your dashboard, and when you do so, you have a few setting options to decide how they can be applied. There is no discount code per se, but you need to share the direct link to the discount you want to promote. This piece from the Help Center might help: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037835291-How-do-I-offer-a-discount-to-my-publication
💛 “Loved this! Substack really seems like a great place for passionate writers to grow and make an impact. Thanks for sharing such clear, practical insights!”
This is all good advice for those, like you, who are selling a “how to” and nearly all of you are selling “how to make money on Substack”. It’s very different outside of this niche.
I see why that's an easy excuse, but it's not true. There are only a handful of successful publications on Substack that actually teach how to build an audience on the platform. Compare that to the tens of thousands of publications in various niches ranging from politics, gardening, cooking, parenting, or any other topic you can think of.
You are however right in saying that this applies to how-to content. Our whole publication is designed for educators. The way we teach how to grow your audience applies to you if you are here to share your knowledge, expertise, and ideas in a structured way. It does not apply to fiction writing or other types of writing that are not educational. If that applies to you, you'll be better off looking for content that teach those specific things.
This is an incredibly good piece, Sinem. Thanks for sharing. a must-read for everyone who takes Substack seriously 🙏
Thank you so much! Appreciate it! :)
This is a great explanations. I'm currently working on my paid tier launch. How do you send paid members other resources such as spreadsheets and templates once they've signed up - do these need to be located outside of Substack? Do you send paid members an automated e-mail with the links?
Hi Joshua! :) If they are supposed to receive them right after upgrading to your paid tier, you can just add a link to the paid welcome email. That could, for example, go to a Google Drive. :)
The biggest challenge with going paid so far has definitely been the immediate decrease in new free subscribers. For us, as soon as the paid tier is enabled, the number of new free subscribers plummets. As soon as paid is turned back off, the number of free subscribers rises quickly again. With absolutely no changes in the content or offer for free subscribers. It's hard to make sense of.
For how long have you done these tests? And that's very weird indeed because technically Substack does favor publications with a paid tier since that's how the platform itself makes money. So it's hard to believe that there is really a correlation with turning the paid tier on or off.
Exactly, it makes no logical sense. However, we've run the tests for both days and several months across different publications and accounts, and the trend remains consistent: a sudden drop in new free subscribers while traffic stays roughly the same. Last month, when testing on this account, we saw a 90% decrease in free subscriber growth compared to the average, even though views increased by about 10%.
Thank you for breaking this down, it makes so much sense.
Thank you, Reka, I’m glad it clicked! :)
Since this resonated, you might also enjoy our 2026 live masterclass Monetize Your Knowledge. It shows you how to turn what you already know into income. You can save your spot here: https://go.writebuildscale.com/creatormasterclass
I love the way this is laid out. As a newcomer to Substack, it helps put a strategy in place early on. I have not turned on the paid feature yet but your tips help refine how I should go about launching and differentiating my content portfolio for paid readers. Thank you!
Hi Katrina! I’m so happy this helped you build an early strategy!
If you’re thinking about launching paid soon, our 2026 masterclass Monetize Your Knowledge walks you through how to earn from what you know. You can join here: https://go.writebuildscale.com/creatormasterclass
thanks for the clarity
Glad it brought clarity! :)
If you want to go deeper into monetizing what you know, our 2026 masterclass Monetize Your Knowledge might be a great next step. Here’s the link: https://go.writebuildscale.com/creatormasterclass
Thanks a lot for this!
Happy it helped, Tony! :)
If you’re exploring monetization, you might enjoy our 2026 masterclass Monetize Your Knowledge. It shows how to turn your experience into something people pay for. Save your seat here: https://go.writebuildscale.com/creatormasterclass
I would love to learn how to do this
What exactly? :)
Very useful advice thanks a lot!
I'm glad this resonated, Judith! :)
Your advice is very good. One of the few that is honest and helpful! Thank you for that
Question - how do you offer deals to only annual subscribers? How do you keep track of who is redeeming and if they are annual or monthly?
In your settings for the discount code, you can choose that a coupon is only applicable for annual plans! :)
Where are they entering the discount codes? Sorry I am just realizing the codes I use are typically in jotform and not substack!
You can create individual discount codes for your publication in your dashboard, and when you do so, you have a few setting options to decide how they can be applied. There is no discount code per se, but you need to share the direct link to the discount you want to promote. This piece from the Help Center might help: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037835291-How-do-I-offer-a-discount-to-my-publication
Thanks, Sinem. This is an excellent overview of the concept of growing a paid subscriber base.
💛 “Loved this! Substack really seems like a great place for passionate writers to grow and make an impact. Thanks for sharing such clear, practical insights!”
Hey everyone, I'm Anthony.
At 22, I made a choice that most people thought was crazy:
https://substack.com/@anthonyhuerta46/note/c-180436379
This is all good advice for those, like you, who are selling a “how to” and nearly all of you are selling “how to make money on Substack”. It’s very different outside of this niche.
I see why that's an easy excuse, but it's not true. There are only a handful of successful publications on Substack that actually teach how to build an audience on the platform. Compare that to the tens of thousands of publications in various niches ranging from politics, gardening, cooking, parenting, or any other topic you can think of.
You are however right in saying that this applies to how-to content. Our whole publication is designed for educators. The way we teach how to grow your audience applies to you if you are here to share your knowledge, expertise, and ideas in a structured way. It does not apply to fiction writing or other types of writing that are not educational. If that applies to you, you'll be better off looking for content that teach those specific things.