When (And If) to Start Charging for Your Newsletter
Lesson 10 of 11: Launch & Grow a Newsletter to Boost Your Writing Career
Hello again, writers!
This is the penultimate lesson of our newsletter course, and we’re getting into our final topic: money. Today, we’re specifically considering when (and if) to turn on paid subscriptions.
As a historically undervalued workforce, writers don’t always love talking or even thinking about money, but our last two lessons are meant to financially empower you. Even if you have no plans to “go paid” anytime soon, there are lots of great takeaways from these lessons.
Why do subscribers pay?
People & Company has observed eight different themes of why readers become paid subscribers:
Accountability - to motivate each other to make progress toward goals
Guidance - to navigate a complex topic or challenge with help
Collective Impact/Output - to pool our efforts and achieve ambitious goals
Skill Development - to hone our skills and improve at a craft/practice
Fandom - to nerd out on our passion and marvel together
Emotional Support - to share vulnerable experiences and develop resilience
Inspiration - to find fresh stimuli and champion new ideas
Fun - to experience more joy in our hobbies
These are also equally relevant for attracting free subscribers, so this is valuable to consider well before turning on paid subscriptions.
You might feel like your publication falls into a few buckets, but try to narrow it down to the one that feels most applicable to your readers and lean into that when crafting your value proposition. Podcast Bestie is focused on Skill Development.
However, in execution, the more of these motivations that you can manifest in your readers, the better.
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