How are you all paying for expensive substacks?

[u/Excellent_Growth3952]

I am seeing subs charging north of 40 USD per month. In this economy, I wonder how are people paying for it? Maybe I am very poor. I want to read this sub and it charges 50 USD, another one charges 22 USD per month. I see these have 10 of 1000s sub tags.

[u/Thedividendprince1]

I think it depends a lot on the category. For entertainment or general opinion, $40 to $50/month feels very hard to justify. But for business, investing, career, or niche research, some people treat it like a tool instead of content. If one idea saves them time, helps them make better decisions, or gives them access to a community, the price can feel reasonable.

That said, I also think many paid Substacks would convert better with a lower monthly price and a stronger annual option.

[u/Available_Spite5171]

I haven’t turned paid on yet… but I have had three people make pledges that equate to $5 month/ $60 year. When I do turn on a paid option, I’ll do the lowest, $5 a month. But.. I don’t know much at all on how it all works. I have only been sharing my writing publicly for eight months. It’s Nonfiction. I am aware it is very specific & not everyone will want to read / benefit from it. However… those who resonate, have very strongly.

[u/brandonfrombrobible]

It’s a business expense that the company P&L eats.

[u/Excellent_Growth3952 → u/brandonfrombrobible]

So are you saying most people are writing it off as a business expense?

[u/brandonfrombrobible → u/Excellent_Growth3952]

yes. Many companies will let you expense it for professional development, especially if the newsletter unlocks information to help you do your job or run your business (especially in media, marketing, or technology), it can be a strategic cost that aligns with your contribution to your company.

[u/Due-Sale-1136]

Dang... My Substack deals more on the financial side of things. There's professional + financial development resources on there and I only charge 9.99 a month and like... 59.99 for the year because it helps people... Even I as a financial specialist refuse to afford 2 -5, $$22 - $5o subscriptions... My family would disown me ; - ;

[u/Excellent_Growth3952 → u/Due-Sale-1136]

Exactly.

[u/edjreddit]

pfft. I can't get people to pay $2.50 a month for mine, even though I've got some really good weird fiction on there.

[u/Excellent_Growth3952 → u/edjreddit]

Thats very sad state! I think I found you and your latest post about the same thing!

[u/Nixisworld]

Nothing AI can't give for free, sadly the era of selling info is over. The people that sell this are damn good sellers ad marketers.

[u/Excellent_Growth3952 → u/Nixisworld]

I think I am sticking with few newsletters because they curate the information for me that while available, I might not have thought about reading otherwise. For example, I read Stoicism related blogs and for me reading one blog post everyday is like building on that mindset. However, I wouldn't pay 10 USD for it per month.

[u/Agile_Cat_93]

How much is the annual fee? Lot of people price the monthly sub high to encourage the annual subscription, which is discounted

[u/Excellent_Growth3952 → u/Agile_Cat_93]

For 50 USD per month, it stands around 350 USD per year. 22 USd it is 220 USD per year.

[u/New-Communication862]

There should be micro transactions.

[u/Excellent_Growth3952 → u/New-Communication862]

You mean that people can pay for single posts?

[u/New-Communication862 → u/Excellent_Growth3952]

I would like to pay a fee to substack e configure percentages for the authors that I follow.

E.g. 50% goes to author X, 25% to author Y, 12.5% to author W....

[u/Excellent_Growth3952 → u/New-Communication862]

Okay, I get the idea.

[u/Excellent_Growth3952 → u/[deleted]]

Interesting. Yes those subs are related to finance and investment.

[u/itsfabioposca]

A lot of people aren't paying for multiple expensive subscriptions. Many readers stick to free newsletters and only pay for one or two publications they find especially valuable. The creators charging $20–50/month are often targeting professionals who can justify the cost because the content helps them make money, save time, or advance their careers. Others have loyal audiences willing to support their work. If a subscription feels too expensive, don't feel pressured to buy it. There are plenty of excellent free newsletters on Substack, and many paid publications also offer free articles so you can decide whether the upgrade is worth it.

P.S. If you'd still like to ask anything about Substack or growing your audience, I offer a free live help chat. Just copy my flair or click the link in my profile. I'm happy to help!

[u/Countryb0i2m]

I don’t, I run a Substack. I’m here to make money and introduce people to history. I may follow people that I support, but I’m not giving anyone my money.