Newsletter Writer, Your Most Popular Content Shouldn’t Be Only Accessible Through a Paywall
It could appear contradictory — but hear me out.
Guess what?
Unknown and unpublished authors will find it difficult to entice complete strangers to subscribe to or pay for their newsletter.
Substack itself advises its users to create a strong free offering rather than paywalling everything.
Many of the most popular paid newsletters offer most of their writing for free, such as Lenny Rachitsky, one of Substack’s top three newsletter creators.
Some of the most successful ones even offer free content all the time.
It could appear contradictory — shouldn’t the most popular content be accessible only through a paywall?
Instead, it’s the widely read and shared content that attracts readers who may eventually switch to paying for your work if they become aware of its quality of writing.
The more detailed or in-depth something you offer, the more likely it is that those who can be persuaded to pay.