Income streams / Email & community / Substack paid newsletter

Email & community

Substack paid newsletter

Readers pay a monthly subscription for your writing.

No follower minimumLast checked 2026-10-26Rules can change
Followers needed
None.
What it pays
You set the price; Substack takes 10% of paid subscriptions plus Stripe (about 2.9% + 30c).
The catch
Only a small share of free readers usually pay; you need a list first.
Great for
Writing, Analysis, Niche news

How to start

STEP 1Free
STEP 2Grow
STEP 3Paid
STEP 4Ask
1

Start free and post weekly.

2

Grow free readers first.

3

Turn on paid with one clear extra.

4

Ask readers directly to upgrade.

The catch: Only a small share of free readers usually pay; you need a list first.

Questions from creators

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