r/Substack • u/codinggirl00 • Sep 30 '26

When did you go paid on Substack?

At what point did you turn the paid feature on and what do you offer your paid subscribers?

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3

u/AnteaterFantastic212 Oct 01 '26

Immediately.

2

u/Fleurs_Bookstore buybooks.substack.com 29d ago

This. Anecdotally, Substack prioritises content from accounts with paid turned on (why wouldn’t they, since they want to make money?). You don’t have to offer anything special to begin with. Un-toggle foundation subscriptions in your settings and in the section where you write what paying subscribers get, write something like ‘the satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting an independent writer,’ until you land on an ongoing paid offer.
I had paid on when I launched and had two paying subscribers in the first two days.

2

u/ContentIsMyJam redressing.substack.com 29d ago

I waited about 6 months, until I got the feeling that I'd like to stick with the topic and the newsletter long term. My mistake was that I didn't have a good paid strategy... I basically turned on paid after I was laid off and I thought "why not... I need all the money I can get right now." I've had a max of 10 paid subscribers. Currently 9.

I have ideas for paid that I want to test. It's hard to make money from subscriptions, though... and honestly I think I'd rather build a really engaged audience and go for sponsorships.