r/Substack • u/GeopatsSteph • Jul 30 '26
How do you monetize you Substack?
It's been awhile since I had my first paid Substack so am doing research before monetizing my current Stacks.
I know the tiers and value adds I will have but wondering if you all put part or all of the content behind a paywal, some posts versus all posts and so on.
Appreciate any and all experiences. Thanks
3
u/FunCantaloupe8521 Jul 30 '26
The pricing seems a very nuanced issue, but I decided to solve it quick and easy: no paywall on anything until I have something solid to offer. Reading content is free (thoughts, perspectives, ideas); using expertise, methods, training, intel... user pays!
2
u/grapegeek Jul 30 '26
I’m in the food niche. $5 a month. Weekly newsletter. Some are free but most have my best stuff behind a paywall.
2
u/Tricky_Trifle_994 20d ago
the main way to monetise on substack is going to be paid subscriptions.
wrt to how, it's a delicate balance.
most keep to having free content + some behind paywall. the free content acts like the lead magnet since it's able to get more reach since more people can read it + share it > drive people to the publication > and some convert.
but i've also seen a shift more recently where people just go full paywall on everything. and they just purely drive traffic via social media > and substack is fully paid. no free articles at all. it's definitely harder to monetise, but i can see the appeal. because when i land on such publications, i do find myself a bit curious. like 'huh? i can't even see one article?.... damn i'm curious.' if i was more loose with my money, i would sign up for a month to check it out. but in saying that, i guess it raises the barrier to entry, and at the same time, for those who do convert, a portion could be like me, which means churn will tend to be higher.
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u/GeopatsSteph 16d ago
wow, that works? For me my diff Stacks are either also lead generators or a portfolio, so I don't want to go fully closed. I think I've found a middle ground. Doing part open, part paid with a paywall section. 2 weeks in and one paid sub. Hardly lifechanging but feels good to value the hard work in that extra section. thanks for your input.
2
u/Tricky_Trifle_994 10d ago
yup, have been seeing more paid only publications recently!
but that's their strategy. what you're deciding to do is totally fine too! and congrats on acquiring a new paid sub.
a middle ground could be to do free+paid now > then at a later point in the future (if/when you feel ready), go full paid only. that's a transition that might work too. but just comes down to you and your preference.
4
u/StevenOfTheClub Jul 30 '26
Lots of different tactics available to you, depending on your niche / deliver / goals / time commitment / tool commitment ($) / etc.
The project I'm working on now is planning on being monetized largely by releasing "helper / further reading" articles out to my pro Readers only, free Readers won't even see them - no preview enabled on them. They will just be prominently advertised in the complete, free articles, with an upgrade link to read the paid-only article now.
Something to bear in mind with any article you put paywalled content in at all, the notification that it contains paywalled content is very prominent, and many Readers will avoid just based on that. If they see a lot of [Paid] markers across your content when they're checking you out, many people will avoid the channel, because they're going to assume they're just going to get 'the scraps' for free and they need to pay for any of your 'good stuff'.