Should your Substack be free or paid? How to decide based on the different options Substack offers, and why I keep my publication free with paid options.
One thing I’ve realized about politics—and people who use it to argue about everything—is that at the core, there’s often a desire to be a stronger negotiator. But what those people miss is the ability to harmonize.
I love how you frame this using the term "business model" because, at the end of the day, you’re just building a framework for something that should sustain itself. A business is self-sustaining and has rights.
And something deeply democratic is every owner’s choice to use a system that fits what they’re able to offer.
Hi Tucker, and thank you so much. I love how you say the choice is deeply democratic because YES! I also wonder if having so much choice and agency might also be overwhelming for some people. Like, we can't control that they added the Panagram AI checker here, but we can decide whether we want to continue being here and/or use/not use it.
As with any 'public' platform, we are at the mercy of the format, but I haven't seen a format this flexible anywhere else, really. Could be wrong.
I like this post very much, but I don’t want to make any changes right now. Will I be able to access this information next April? Maybe I’ll have to hope for a re-run. Thanks for the now.
Thanks for sharing this helpful information. I always thought turning on paid subscriptions meant you had to put content behind a paywall. I like the idea of giving my info away so that everyone has access but still offering a way to allow people who want to support my work a way to do so. Thanks. I’ll definitely give this some thought.
Hi Melissa Ann, and thanks so much. I think a lot of people assume that because Substack asks readers to create a free account or sign in to read an article, they stop there, thinking it's a paywall, when it's not. It's a request to sign into the app, just like every other app asks us to do.
And honestly, they don't explain it very well. I go into detail in my next post about the app vs desktop.
I enabled paid subs a while ago. I think I have 2 plus I get a few coffees here and there. I’m starting to think my chat should be limited. People have started posting their articles in it. I don’t mind, some are lovely. But some post articles on how to grow your substack. I usually delete those because I want it to be a place to actually chat. I worry if I paywall things like comments, I just won’t get any!
By the way, the three dots in the corner don’t have the kind of magic you think in the app version. There’s a restack and share panel at the bottom.
Ooh, that will be a good one. I really appreciate your posts. They’re helpful without the gimmicks to sell things. I love that you’re keeping the posts free. Limited budget here!
Thank you for the valuable tips. Like you, I offer my writing for free, giving readers the option to subscribe. I enjoy reading, responding and sharing the works of others and am grateful when my readers do the same for me. I keep forgetting about the cup of coffee or tip option, so thanks for the reminder and “how to”.
Of course! Happy to help. I never was a 'tip' kind of person, but several readers asked if they could pay less than the monthly cost, and that's the only way I know of to make that option available. I never expect anyone to tip or pay for a sub, so when they do, it's such a lovely surprise.
I haven’t enabled paid yet. I might, but it’ll probably be super cheap and I don’t think I’ll paywall anything. I’m in a difficult situation at the moment. I ended leaving a corporate finance career after twenty years and don’t think I can work for anyone ever again. I was selling a lot of books back when I was into it. My plan is 1: Finish my Ofelia sequel, 2: Remaster my entire back catalogue of 7 novels, a novella and 3 short stories. 3: Go back to the first book in series is permafree rotate the series on free booksy promos and so try to pick up read throughs. This was working well before but I was talked into moving to paid books only and I never managed to shift anything like as many books. I did think about querying an agent with my WIP but despite it being an absolutely awesome book, it’s a sequel and so I think a non-starter. I feel like the only valid option for a career is author, I just need to figure out how to make this work.
Welcome to the life of a writer, Martyn. One of my favorite lines from Station Eleven:
Q: "Aren't you afraid?"
A: "We're artists. We're terrified."
I left Big Pharma after 17 years and started my own biz in 2011, along with publishing eight books along the way. Every step is a learning experience.
Publishing has changed so much in just a few years. You've got a good backlist going, so definitely do what you can with it. As writers, we have more options now than ever (which can be both good and bad). Glad you're here!
This is something that I was debating for a while because it felt I overwhelming to set up multiple tiers of access for people, so I decided to just go free, and what I'll likely do in the next future is set up a Patreon with a novelty behind it.
What I want to do is approximate the feeling of when you subscribed by the fan club that reveals how the sausage is made, so to speak. You like the final product, but you're also curious about the process, because maybe you'd like to do something like this yourself. And I feel a Patreon works better than Substack's current tier set-up.
Thanks for the comments, robo. I have author friends on both Patreon and Substack - different animals, really. Curious how Patreon works better - I'm super interested in how creators make money. DM fine if you prefer. Thanks!
The thesis is correct, paywalls are undemocratic, in the sense that one person, not the majority, is making the decision. Because labor isn't democratic. No group of people get to decide how we monitize our content, how we spend our time, how we live our lives.
But, 'undemocratic' is often used as 'unfair', which paywals absolutely are not. There is no grey area here. Unfair is taking someone's work, because you feel entitled to it.
"None of those questions has a universal right or wrong answer."
This might work for some things, but being entitled to someone else's labor, time, and creative output has a word. It is 'ownership', it is slavery. If anyone tries to claim they have ownership over your work, they are not worth engaging with.
On a lighter note, I do the "content free, but paid subs on" model, with a twist. Any 'followup' I manually paywall after two weeks. Free subs still get everything, but to go through the longer form stories later, you need to pay for the archive access. It also keeps 'part 1' stories as free previews.
I'm a fiction author and I only put my flash fiction behind a paywall because it's related to my storytelling, and more of a bonus for super fans. My articles, podcast, musings, (aka discovery articles) and private newsletter are all free. It seems like a clean differentiation to me ...
I have not set up a paying function (to be paid or paying someone) because I am still exploring this platform. I do support on Patreon. But more people are moving from that place ( at least it seems to me) to Substack.
Hi Stanley - I have writer friends on Patreon I support as well. IDK the numbers of migration from there to here (not published), but there's no denying Substack is quite popular with creators.
This is such solid information and advice. And some questions that stopped me in my tracks. Questions that I know I need to be able to answer and which will roll around in my head today! Thank you
I'm so glad, Graham! Big believer in questioning ourselves because it's too easy to jump onto whatever is trending or popular as opposed to what works for us and our value system.
Thank you once again for a much needed article Rachel. I've been grappling with this topic for a while, particularly how you can 'turn on subs' whilst still remaining free. And now I know. For me it's certainly something to consider at some point - now I know it's not the same as putting content behind a paywall.
Great advice. I love the idea (and instructions for) a tip button.
Thank you, Katherine! If people are comfortable adding it, a tip can be a nice option (especially if $8 or $10/month is too difficult).
"Don’t we have enough to do, Rachel?" 😂
One thing I’ve realized about politics—and people who use it to argue about everything—is that at the core, there’s often a desire to be a stronger negotiator. But what those people miss is the ability to harmonize.
I love how you frame this using the term "business model" because, at the end of the day, you’re just building a framework for something that should sustain itself. A business is self-sustaining and has rights.
And something deeply democratic is every owner’s choice to use a system that fits what they’re able to offer.
Hi Tucker, and thank you so much. I love how you say the choice is deeply democratic because YES! I also wonder if having so much choice and agency might also be overwhelming for some people. Like, we can't control that they added the Panagram AI checker here, but we can decide whether we want to continue being here and/or use/not use it.
As with any 'public' platform, we are at the mercy of the format, but I haven't seen a format this flexible anywhere else, really. Could be wrong.
I like this post very much, but I don’t want to make any changes right now. Will I be able to access this information next April? Maybe I’ll have to hope for a re-run. Thanks for the now.
Hi Judy! Of course, I keep all my posts free - even going back to 2023. That's my jam.
Thanks for sharing this helpful information. I always thought turning on paid subscriptions meant you had to put content behind a paywall. I like the idea of giving my info away so that everyone has access but still offering a way to allow people who want to support my work a way to do so. Thanks. I’ll definitely give this some thought.
Hi Melissa Ann, and thanks so much. I think a lot of people assume that because Substack asks readers to create a free account or sign in to read an article, they stop there, thinking it's a paywall, when it's not. It's a request to sign into the app, just like every other app asks us to do.
And honestly, they don't explain it very well. I go into detail in my next post about the app vs desktop.
Really thoughtful and helpful information here Rachel, thank you!
Thanks, Jen!
I enabled paid subs a while ago. I think I have 2 plus I get a few coffees here and there. I’m starting to think my chat should be limited. People have started posting their articles in it. I don’t mind, some are lovely. But some post articles on how to grow your substack. I usually delete those because I want it to be a place to actually chat. I worry if I paywall things like comments, I just won’t get any!
By the way, the three dots in the corner don’t have the kind of magic you think in the app version. There’s a restack and share panel at the bottom.
Ooh, that will be a good one. I really appreciate your posts. They’re helpful without the gimmicks to sell things. I love that you’re keeping the posts free. Limited budget here!
Hi Kathie, and thanks for sharing your experiences so far.
And yeah, I use the desktop version - thanks for pointing that out. I added 'desktop' to the Note. 🙏
I'm gonna write about ALL the differences between the app and desktop soon.
Thank you for the valuable tips. Like you, I offer my writing for free, giving readers the option to subscribe. I enjoy reading, responding and sharing the works of others and am grateful when my readers do the same for me. I keep forgetting about the cup of coffee or tip option, so thanks for the reminder and “how to”.
Of course! Happy to help. I never was a 'tip' kind of person, but several readers asked if they could pay less than the monthly cost, and that's the only way I know of to make that option available. I never expect anyone to tip or pay for a sub, so when they do, it's such a lovely surprise.
I haven’t enabled paid yet. I might, but it’ll probably be super cheap and I don’t think I’ll paywall anything. I’m in a difficult situation at the moment. I ended leaving a corporate finance career after twenty years and don’t think I can work for anyone ever again. I was selling a lot of books back when I was into it. My plan is 1: Finish my Ofelia sequel, 2: Remaster my entire back catalogue of 7 novels, a novella and 3 short stories. 3: Go back to the first book in series is permafree rotate the series on free booksy promos and so try to pick up read throughs. This was working well before but I was talked into moving to paid books only and I never managed to shift anything like as many books. I did think about querying an agent with my WIP but despite it being an absolutely awesome book, it’s a sequel and so I think a non-starter. I feel like the only valid option for a career is author, I just need to figure out how to make this work.
Welcome to the life of a writer, Martyn. One of my favorite lines from Station Eleven:
Q: "Aren't you afraid?"
A: "We're artists. We're terrified."
I left Big Pharma after 17 years and started my own biz in 2011, along with publishing eight books along the way. Every step is a learning experience.
Publishing has changed so much in just a few years. You've got a good backlist going, so definitely do what you can with it. As writers, we have more options now than ever (which can be both good and bad). Glad you're here!
This is something that I was debating for a while because it felt I overwhelming to set up multiple tiers of access for people, so I decided to just go free, and what I'll likely do in the next future is set up a Patreon with a novelty behind it.
What I want to do is approximate the feeling of when you subscribed by the fan club that reveals how the sausage is made, so to speak. You like the final product, but you're also curious about the process, because maybe you'd like to do something like this yourself. And I feel a Patreon works better than Substack's current tier set-up.
Thanks for the comments, robo. I have author friends on both Patreon and Substack - different animals, really. Curious how Patreon works better - I'm super interested in how creators make money. DM fine if you prefer. Thanks!
Thank you for your help, Rachel. I will DM you soon 🤝
Thank you for this clarity and perspective!!
Hey Kate! Thank you for reading and commenting. I so appreciate the feedback 🙏
The thesis is correct, paywalls are undemocratic, in the sense that one person, not the majority, is making the decision. Because labor isn't democratic. No group of people get to decide how we monitize our content, how we spend our time, how we live our lives.
But, 'undemocratic' is often used as 'unfair', which paywals absolutely are not. There is no grey area here. Unfair is taking someone's work, because you feel entitled to it.
"None of those questions has a universal right or wrong answer."
This might work for some things, but being entitled to someone else's labor, time, and creative output has a word. It is 'ownership', it is slavery. If anyone tries to claim they have ownership over your work, they are not worth engaging with.
On a lighter note, I do the "content free, but paid subs on" model, with a twist. Any 'followup' I manually paywall after two weeks. Free subs still get everything, but to go through the longer form stories later, you need to pay for the archive access. It also keeps 'part 1' stories as free previews.
Nice. I love that you've found a way that works specifically for you and your goals, Nemo. Thanks for sharing.
I'm a fiction author and I only put my flash fiction behind a paywall because it's related to my storytelling, and more of a bonus for super fans. My articles, podcast, musings, (aka discovery articles) and private newsletter are all free. It seems like a clean differentiation to me ...
Hi Danielle, and thanks for sharing how you work the paid tier system here. I love learning from you all!!
I have not set up a paying function (to be paid or paying someone) because I am still exploring this platform. I do support on Patreon. But more people are moving from that place ( at least it seems to me) to Substack.
Hi Stanley - I have writer friends on Patreon I support as well. IDK the numbers of migration from there to here (not published), but there's no denying Substack is quite popular with creators.
This is such solid information and advice. And some questions that stopped me in my tracks. Questions that I know I need to be able to answer and which will roll around in my head today! Thank you
I'm so glad, Graham! Big believer in questioning ourselves because it's too easy to jump onto whatever is trending or popular as opposed to what works for us and our value system.
Thank you once again for a much needed article Rachel. I've been grappling with this topic for a while, particularly how you can 'turn on subs' whilst still remaining free. And now I know. For me it's certainly something to consider at some point - now I know it's not the same as putting content behind a paywall.
I'm so glad the timing worked for you. It IS confusing, and there are many options we can customize, which can feel like analysis paralysis sometimes.