YES to the idea of paying for individual posts! I am burned out by the monthly/yearly subscriptions. I pay for a handful (yours included), but I just can't justify paying for all the ones I want to subscribe to, it just adds up too fast and with an unknown return.
I would love a subscription service at Substack where I can read a certain number of posts across a variety or substacks in a month or per week, rather than just subscribing to one persons feed. I follow a lot, but I’m not going to pay hundreds a month to access them all. I’m especially not going to pay to read a Substack of someone that is an infrequent or sporadic poster, and I’ve found even professional journalists on here can be that. If you’re on holiday for a month and don’t post, or sick for a week etc, it’s not exactly like signing up for a magazine or newspaper that continues on regardless. This is a big roadblock to considering what you’re subscribing to when paying. I subscribed to yours as it’s consistent and covers a variety of areas and perspectives… you’re one of only two paid subscriptions I have (and have just rolled over into year 2 of subscribing).
I feel we’re experiencing death by subscription. Not just on Substack, but everywhere. When car companies are trying to charge subscription fees to unlock once standard features … it’s gone too far. It’s unsustainable. At least once a week I get frustrated and unsubscribe from some publications to make room for others. Otherwise my entire income would be consumed. There is so much great content out there and more is introduced everyday. There’s got to be a better way.
I think the pay per post idea rolling around the substacksphere has a lot of merit but I also hate the idea of people making substacks specifically to make money, it's the same ick I get from people wanting to be content creators just to make money. I of course know it's a career path (and one I have benefitted from) but I really hope at it's core Substack stays true to being a place for creativity, unique thoughts, artists, and long form writing. I'd rather pay for access to the platform as a whole and be able to truly control my algorithm and who I choose to follow & support, and some kind of overall revenue sharing model for those who continuously put out good, original work.
Think of a magazine. You can have 10 great articles for $8-12. Why should I pay $5 for one online article? But I’d pay $5-8 for 4 or more great articles.
I agree, the idea of paying for individual posts is a great solution to the burnout of yearly subscriptions! Would love to see Substack implement this idea.
I’ve not been long on Substack so find it interesting to hear peoples opinion on the the paid subscriptions and how this might actually be changing in the future
I’m a paying subscriber here, so I’m clearly not opposed to paying for writing I value but I think there’s a piece missing from this framing. The subscription model isn’t just a pricing problem, it’s a trust problem. When someone has offered free fashion advice or lifestyle content for years on IG and then moves it behind a paywall, it doesn’t feel like a new value proposition, it feels like bait and switch. Also, is the paid content really that compelling & different than the free content they offer?
The micropayment idea is interesting, but it doesn’t fix the underlying question: has this creator ever demonstrated they can produce something worth paying for? The best paid Substacks I’ve seen earned that trust first & the paywall came after.
YES to the idea of paying for individual posts! I am burned out by the monthly/yearly subscriptions. I pay for a handful (yours included), but I just can't justify paying for all the ones I want to subscribe to, it just adds up too fast and with an unknown return.
Yes! We feel the same
I would love a subscription service at Substack where I can read a certain number of posts across a variety or substacks in a month or per week, rather than just subscribing to one persons feed. I follow a lot, but I’m not going to pay hundreds a month to access them all. I’m especially not going to pay to read a Substack of someone that is an infrequent or sporadic poster, and I’ve found even professional journalists on here can be that. If you’re on holiday for a month and don’t post, or sick for a week etc, it’s not exactly like signing up for a magazine or newspaper that continues on regardless. This is a big roadblock to considering what you’re subscribing to when paying. I subscribed to yours as it’s consistent and covers a variety of areas and perspectives… you’re one of only two paid subscriptions I have (and have just rolled over into year 2 of subscribing).
I feel we’re experiencing death by subscription. Not just on Substack, but everywhere. When car companies are trying to charge subscription fees to unlock once standard features … it’s gone too far. It’s unsustainable. At least once a week I get frustrated and unsubscribe from some publications to make room for others. Otherwise my entire income would be consumed. There is so much great content out there and more is introduced everyday. There’s got to be a better way.
I think the pay per post idea rolling around the substacksphere has a lot of merit but I also hate the idea of people making substacks specifically to make money, it's the same ick I get from people wanting to be content creators just to make money. I of course know it's a career path (and one I have benefitted from) but I really hope at it's core Substack stays true to being a place for creativity, unique thoughts, artists, and long form writing. I'd rather pay for access to the platform as a whole and be able to truly control my algorithm and who I choose to follow & support, and some kind of overall revenue sharing model for those who continuously put out good, original work.
Think of a magazine. You can have 10 great articles for $8-12. Why should I pay $5 for one online article? But I’d pay $5-8 for 4 or more great articles.
I agree, the idea of paying for individual posts is a great solution to the burnout of yearly subscriptions! Would love to see Substack implement this idea.
Glad you enjoyed the chat!
Trying to convince Julia we need to start the TBPN of live fashion shopping. Maybe not 3 hour episodes though.
I'm trying to convince myself I need to start the TBPN of live food and drink!
Definitely willing to pay for individual posts, not interested in the all or nothing approach. Good summary!
I’ve not been long on Substack so find it interesting to hear peoples opinion on the the paid subscriptions and how this might actually be changing in the future
I’m a paying subscriber here, so I’m clearly not opposed to paying for writing I value but I think there’s a piece missing from this framing. The subscription model isn’t just a pricing problem, it’s a trust problem. When someone has offered free fashion advice or lifestyle content for years on IG and then moves it behind a paywall, it doesn’t feel like a new value proposition, it feels like bait and switch. Also, is the paid content really that compelling & different than the free content they offer?
The micropayment idea is interesting, but it doesn’t fix the underlying question: has this creator ever demonstrated they can produce something worth paying for? The best paid Substacks I’ve seen earned that trust first & the paywall came after.