Going Paid? Do These 3 Things

Avoid launch day nerves for paid subscriptions on Substack

My last post inspired a new Substack writer (who’s already at 900 subscribers; wow!) to share that she’s going to launch paid subscriptions soon and is nervous about it. Don’t be.

Here are my three top tips for going paid on Substack.

1) Keep it simple

There is no need to have a massive launch plan for going paid on Substack.

If you're a marketing guru and have decades of online business experience feel free to go bananas and launch with all the bells and whistles. Don’t let me stop you from crafting a complicated countdown sequence, special offers, coupons, lead magnets and multiple announcement posts.

If that’s you, then enjoy the hype and have fun with the extra work.

On the other hand, if you’re not an experienced marketer, and would prefer to focus on your writing, just know that it is perfectly fine to step quietly into a paid offer: no fanfare needed.

All you need to do is tell your readers that you have launched a paid option for your newsletter. Simply add a paragraph near the top of your next email saying “Hey I just launched a paid option.”

Keep it brief. Tell them what they can get by upgrading to paid (even if it’s just “my deepest gratitude”), and ask them to do it.

Gratitude from the author: the best benefit of a paid subscription. Photo by Laela Sequoia on Unsplash

Don’t waste precious newsletter space justifying your decision. No one cares about why you want to earn money from your writing. If you find yourself writing an essay explaining your entire decision-making process, delete it! That stuff belongs in your private journal, not your newsletter.

But do add a sentence (just one sentence) about where the money will go or how you will use it. This helps potential subscribers see that their subscription will have an impact for you.

Pledges

If you have the Substack ‘pledges’ feature turned on, when you go paid, the people who have pledged their support will be automatically charged the amount they pledged.

My advice: If you are using the ‘pledges’ feature and have received pledges (check it from the Stats section of your publication dashboard), then consider writing to your pledged readers before you enable payments, to warn them that they will be charged.

Readers can cancel their pledges by following the instructions on this Substack support page.

2) Use paid subscriptions to learn about your readers

Paid subscriptions are a great way to learn more about your biggest fans. They give you an excuse to get in touch directly with readers, and create deeper relationships.

After you’ve enabled payments, write individually to the first twenty paying subscribers offering them a one-hour video call or asking them three questions. Video calls and three-question emails are absolute GOLD for getting to know more about your most valuable readers.

Warning: no external surveys. Be respectful of your subscribers’ time: don’t ask them to bounce through a whole Google form. Simply ask three questions in an email.

For example:

• What do you most like about my newsletter?

• What would you like to see more of, or less of in <publication name>?

• Is there anything else I can do to help?

There’s no need to ask them why they upgraded to paid, because Substack does that automatically. Their answers become your ‘Paid subscriber notes’, which can be seen in the Stats section of your publication dashboard.

I promise, the insights you get from video calls and question-answer emails are 100% worth the effort. They are so helpful when you are deciding what to write about next or what direction to take with your publication.

3) No notifications

Turn off unsubscribe notifications. Unsubscribe notifications can feel like a kick in the guts, and doubly so for paying subscribers. When someone cancels a paid subscription it most likely is NOT a reflection of your work, but something related to the reader’s personal circumstances, so no need to feel bad about an unsubscribe.

Do turn on your paid subscription notifications though, because they feel great.

Takeaways

Those were my three top tips for avoiding launch day nerves when going paid on Substack: keep it simple, use it to get more insights into how to improve your publication, and turn off unsubscribe notifications.

Have fun with your new $ub$cribers and let me know how you go.

Karen

P.S. If you’re struggling with enabling payments, and haven’t got your head around Stripe, pledges and offers, jump on a video call with me and I’ll help you find clarity. 40 minutes costs just US$20. Book your slot here.