Ooh have you read Big Magic? This reminds me of that. The muse visited both of us at the same time. Please send me the link and I’ll share it as a companion piece to mine.
I am also subscribed to sooo many publications and had to turn of email notifications, so thank you for this!
Though now my head is spinning about my paywalled posts…I felt so proud of myself when I learned how to do that, haha! But now worried they might not be helping. I just don’t know how else to inform people of the gold that’s available when they become a paid subscriber, so I like to show a good chunk of the post but then leave the audio lessons I do behind the paywall. Now I’m thinking maybe I do a separate free post the day before that’s complete in its own way and tease to what’s going to paid subscribers the next day. Maybe that’s better? I want to give some of it for free, just not all.
Marcy, far be it for me to tell anyone how to paywall. I'm just doing what I've seen and liked, and I think everyone should use that as their compass. I think what you suggested is a great idea. If someone can read a lot of your content for free but, once in a while, swipes away from a paid post, that's not so bad. Or, knowing how valuable your paid stuff is, they may go ahead and try reading the preview just to see if they want to buy. I just feel bad for the people who paywall everything because I never even try. I'm going to end up unsubscribing eventually.
I do a duplicate free version of my posts with paid audio. I use the same image but write "read by author" over the top to distinguish one from the other. At the top of the free post I write, "paid subscribers have access to [these fancy things] at [this link]." That way I can still get comments on the free post but also the incentive/upgrade on the paid. It's clunky, but it works. You can see an example here: https://magickandmocktails.substack.com/p/do-these-pants-make-me-look-naked-4c0
Also, I don't know if you offer downloads or worksheets but I keep mine in a paywalled vault on this pub. Often, an article will say: "paid subscribers can access the downloadable whatever here" and then link to that Vault Page.
Ohhh a duplicate version, that’s a great idea! And you’re right, it’s good so you can get comments on both! That always annoys me, that a paywalled post won’t let free subscribers comment too. Thank you so much for sharing that.
And thanks for getting me thinking about this…without getting into an annoying amount of detail, the whole what goes behind a paywall thing has been something I’ve been working through as I develop new offerings for this year. This gives me such a great jumping off point for exploration!
We’re all in that boat, Marcy. What to paywall, what to offer for free. It’s a dance and debate. We’re trying not to starve, but we wish everyone could have everything all the time!
Well, blow me down, if this isn't a fabulous post. I, too, have emails running out my ears, and I can hardly keep up with my inbox. I had no idea about "headline analyzer" but, hey, you've opened my eyes (figuratively). I also HATE, HATE, HATE being locked out of an account. What really gets my goat is when you are not allowed to comment. OK, so what I have to say doesn't count? That really doesn't make me want to sign up to your Substack. I'm sure they feel the loss. (Not!)
Quite right. If you want/need to be paid, I think it is only right to go to markets that pay. I think the Substacks that do well financially are telling other Substack people how to do it. Could be wrong.
Shannon and Rose, I concur with all of these statements! Yes, the most immediately financially lucrative publications do seem to be the ones that teach people how to make money on Substack. That's not what I set out to write at all, but the few posts I've written about Substack have performed the best (by a mile). What are you gonna do? The people have spoken. 🤷🏻♀️ (I mean, I still plan to write my other stuff, but you get my point).
I think a great option is to tip the writers who have a "buy me a coffee" link. If you feel especially moved by a piece, that's a nice way to show support. And it's probably equivalent to subscribing for a month and then canceling. I set an annual budget for myself and stop when it runs out.
And lastly, please know that writers don't WANT to lock you out of comments on a paid post for being a free subscriber. We have no choice. It's a feature that I HATE about SS with the passion of 1000 burning suns. If they ever care about my opinion, I plan to give them an earful about this. Comments are lifeblood. Everybody wants them. SS has created a weird gatekeep-y system in this regard. So please don't penalize the creator. We always want you to tell us your thoughts!
Oh yay! I find it really useful and have made it a game to keep iterating until I get to 78% or higher. The final result is always better than what I started with. Enjoy!
Are you finding it difficult to find enough paper magazines to write for? I used to freelance almost exclusively for magazines, and now it seems like it's looking for hen's teeth.
I worked specifically in a niche (dog sports) and eventually became an associate editor of Clean Run Magazine. But we stopped printing in December of 2020. Not enough subscribers to carry it since the advertisers had largely moved online. Now we (Clean Run) run a dog training online school. I think some paper magazines are making a comeback but in larger and more expensive formats. I have not tried to find a magazine writing job in a long time but I would think they would be hard to find. Good luck!!!
Thank you! Literally, one minute after publishing, I got an email from someone I don't even know saying, "Oh my fucking god. THANK YOU." That's some universal validation right there!! 😎
Thank you for this! I am definitely more tech-challenged than you. And thank you for subscribing to my little Stack. I feel honored! I subscribe to both of yours and love your voice. Glad to connect in the Substack universe. Also, I agree about paywalls. Lord they piss me off! I do not like to be teased. (Probably goes back to 4th grade taunting by Bobby Keith.) I have not turned on paid subscriptions yet, but when I do I will keep my once a week article free and add other features for my paid people. Seems reasonable to me.
Yes, I’m so happy to be connected, Leslie! And I’m glad you’re with me on the teasing bit. I think everyone deserves to be paid, but there are ways of paywalling that piss me off and ways that don’t.
A bit of unsolicited advice? Unless you think it will stress you out to have to create on a schedule for your paid subscribers, I’d recommend turning on paid now. At a minimum, throw a “Buy me a coffee” link at the bottom of your posts. You don’t even have to make paid content until you’re ready, but it doesn’t hurt to have it on and - BONUS - you might be pleasantly surprised.
I appreciate this advice. I have about $700 in annual pledges so far, but I don't feel like I'm in a rhythm or productive enough to have separate offerings for paid subscribers yet. I'm still ramping up to being in a comfortable groove with my once a week regular article. I've only been here since October, so I feel like I'm still getting the hang of it. Still at the point where I'm scared I might run out of things to write about. (Another form of imposter syndrome I'm sure...) But maybe I'll do the buy me a coffee thing in the meantime (although I don't drink coffee, so tea maybe)... Thank you! And keep doing what you're doing. I'm always happy to have your stuff pop up!
Haha just think of it as a tip jar! Buy yourself some ice cream or put it in a kitty to get yourself a massage. I only suggest you do it because I read some advice early in my Substack career about waiting until you had 300 subscribers to turn on paid, decided to ignore it and got my first paid subscriber WAY sooner. It was a glorious example of not letting my limiting beliefs win. Since then, I've been an evangelist about creating some way to let your readers pay you even if you don't feel ready or worthy. Because I'm not sure that ever really happens?
And thank you so much for all your support! I appreciate you being here so much 🩵
I was absolutely inundated with emails to the point where I was overlooking important personal notifications. I set up a yahoo mail account just for Substack and changed my email on the Substack settings to that email account.
Oooh Carla, some people suggested this, but I assumed it had to be done from the get-go. So you're saying this can be done retroactively? Even if I'm subbed to 200 people at this point?
Yes. I had been on Substack for at least two months and could not find a way either through gmail or on the main site to stop the emails. It must be a new modification. Changing the email address doesn’t seem to change anything else on the account.
Such a fine post, Ms. O'Connor. It conjures up the amazing tale of William Faulkner having to hide out and take a night job and write on planks on overturned wheelbarrows for a desk. But he could be alone, all quiet and write all night after the people went down, and he no longer had to shovel coal in the incinerator for the power plant. Given the solitude, he wrote a fast novel about sex that made him some money. Check it out on Mr. Hely's site: https://stevehely.com/2023/12/31/william-faulkners-introduction-to-sanctuary/. Here's what Mr. Faulkner said [blocked and copied straight off Mr. Hely's brilliant site - be sure to treat yourself to the entire read]:
"THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN THREE YEARS AGO. To me it is a cheap idea, because it was deliberately conceived to make money. I had been writing books for about five years, which got published and not bought. But that was all right. I was young then and hard-bellied. I had never lived among nor known people who wrote novels and stories and I suppose I did not know that people got money for them. I was not very much annoyed when publishers refused the mss. now and then. Because I was hard-gutted then. I could do a lot of things that could earn what little money I needed, thanks to my father’s un- failing kindness which supplied me with bread at need despite the outrage to his principles at having been of a bum progenitive. . .." William Faulkner [having already written Nobel Prize winning fiction and still dead-broke. But free of disturbances.
Very interesting. I turned off the emails and forbade the notifications— I’ll read when I feel like it. And like the author, I never open “preview” posts. They aren’t for me, they don’t need my attention. The app, and the posts, need to serve my needs, not the other way around. I start with my own list of essential reading, then look at the others based on topics of interest, need for entertainment, or unexpected moments of free time.
I have an easier solution….no notifications at all. I stopped using notifications a decade ago everywhere. I just open the app and see what’s there and read what seems interesting. I don’t endeavor to read every piece from every person I subscribe to. It’s like picking up the paper and going I’ll read this bit and that bit and then done!
I did this a few months ago because I could not cope with all the emails and actually started to hate Substack. When I realised I could set up to get only push it was so much better. Also deleted IG and various shopping apps and feel way calmer 🤣
OMG! I am overwhelmed “horrified” by the emails I get from Substack! I would much prefer just seeing new postings in the app. I might have to get my son to do this for me- though it’s not like he has anything else to do, the sweetie.
This was super helpful, Jennie!
I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with all the emails and I followed just what you did and changed the setting to "Push."
Thank you!
I'm so happy to get to help YOU for a change! ☺️
Coincidentally, I also have a post about this coming out on Saturday. I'm def going to link to yours in mine because it needs to be heard 😁
Ooh have you read Big Magic? This reminds me of that. The muse visited both of us at the same time. Please send me the link and I’ll share it as a companion piece to mine.
Nope, I don't do Elizabeth Gilbert. But I definitely will send you the link. It'll be out tomorrow morning on Unstack Substack 😊
I am also subscribed to sooo many publications and had to turn of email notifications, so thank you for this!
Though now my head is spinning about my paywalled posts…I felt so proud of myself when I learned how to do that, haha! But now worried they might not be helping. I just don’t know how else to inform people of the gold that’s available when they become a paid subscriber, so I like to show a good chunk of the post but then leave the audio lessons I do behind the paywall. Now I’m thinking maybe I do a separate free post the day before that’s complete in its own way and tease to what’s going to paid subscribers the next day. Maybe that’s better? I want to give some of it for free, just not all.
Marcy, far be it for me to tell anyone how to paywall. I'm just doing what I've seen and liked, and I think everyone should use that as their compass. I think what you suggested is a great idea. If someone can read a lot of your content for free but, once in a while, swipes away from a paid post, that's not so bad. Or, knowing how valuable your paid stuff is, they may go ahead and try reading the preview just to see if they want to buy. I just feel bad for the people who paywall everything because I never even try. I'm going to end up unsubscribing eventually.
I do a duplicate free version of my posts with paid audio. I use the same image but write "read by author" over the top to distinguish one from the other. At the top of the free post I write, "paid subscribers have access to [these fancy things] at [this link]." That way I can still get comments on the free post but also the incentive/upgrade on the paid. It's clunky, but it works. You can see an example here: https://magickandmocktails.substack.com/p/do-these-pants-make-me-look-naked-4c0
Also, I don't know if you offer downloads or worksheets but I keep mine in a paywalled vault on this pub. Often, an article will say: "paid subscribers can access the downloadable whatever here" and then link to that Vault Page.
Hopefully some of those ideas are useful!
Ohhh a duplicate version, that’s a great idea! And you’re right, it’s good so you can get comments on both! That always annoys me, that a paywalled post won’t let free subscribers comment too. Thank you so much for sharing that.
And thanks for getting me thinking about this…without getting into an annoying amount of detail, the whole what goes behind a paywall thing has been something I’ve been working through as I develop new offerings for this year. This gives me such a great jumping off point for exploration!
We’re all in that boat, Marcy. What to paywall, what to offer for free. It’s a dance and debate. We’re trying not to starve, but we wish everyone could have everything all the time!
People, just bow to this goddess already. I mean, seriously.
Jennie, stop being so awesome; you’re turbocharging everyone’s imposter syndrome.
Haha says the ACTUAL Queen.
We’re a dynamic duo. Trio with Dre. Love us.
The substackiverse has no idea what’s coming for them. Woooot.
Well, blow me down, if this isn't a fabulous post. I, too, have emails running out my ears, and I can hardly keep up with my inbox. I had no idea about "headline analyzer" but, hey, you've opened my eyes (figuratively). I also HATE, HATE, HATE being locked out of an account. What really gets my goat is when you are not allowed to comment. OK, so what I have to say doesn't count? That really doesn't make me want to sign up to your Substack. I'm sure they feel the loss. (Not!)
They should want to know what people think, right?!
Quite right. If you want/need to be paid, I think it is only right to go to markets that pay. I think the Substacks that do well financially are telling other Substack people how to do it. Could be wrong.
Shannon and Rose, I concur with all of these statements! Yes, the most immediately financially lucrative publications do seem to be the ones that teach people how to make money on Substack. That's not what I set out to write at all, but the few posts I've written about Substack have performed the best (by a mile). What are you gonna do? The people have spoken. 🤷🏻♀️ (I mean, I still plan to write my other stuff, but you get my point).
I think a great option is to tip the writers who have a "buy me a coffee" link. If you feel especially moved by a piece, that's a nice way to show support. And it's probably equivalent to subscribing for a month and then canceling. I set an annual budget for myself and stop when it runs out.
And lastly, please know that writers don't WANT to lock you out of comments on a paid post for being a free subscriber. We have no choice. It's a feature that I HATE about SS with the passion of 1000 burning suns. If they ever care about my opinion, I plan to give them an earful about this. Comments are lifeblood. Everybody wants them. SS has created a weird gatekeep-y system in this regard. So please don't penalize the creator. We always want you to tell us your thoughts!
"Headline analyzer" is a whole new thing for me! The vast majority of my writing has been done for paper magazines. Life is full of things to learn!
Oh yay! I find it really useful and have made it a game to keep iterating until I get to 78% or higher. The final result is always better than what I started with. Enjoy!
What's better than a game! :)
Are you finding it difficult to find enough paper magazines to write for? I used to freelance almost exclusively for magazines, and now it seems like it's looking for hen's teeth.
I worked specifically in a niche (dog sports) and eventually became an associate editor of Clean Run Magazine. But we stopped printing in December of 2020. Not enough subscribers to carry it since the advertisers had largely moved online. Now we (Clean Run) run a dog training online school. I think some paper magazines are making a comeback but in larger and more expensive formats. I have not tried to find a magazine writing job in a long time but I would think they would be hard to find. Good luck!!!
I would be drowning in inbox overwhelm without your genius on this! You're single-handedly saving Substack with this solid gold. 🥳
Thank you! Literally, one minute after publishing, I got an email from someone I don't even know saying, "Oh my fucking god. THANK YOU." That's some universal validation right there!! 😎
Keep the joy hits coming! 💃🏽
Thank you for this! I am definitely more tech-challenged than you. And thank you for subscribing to my little Stack. I feel honored! I subscribe to both of yours and love your voice. Glad to connect in the Substack universe. Also, I agree about paywalls. Lord they piss me off! I do not like to be teased. (Probably goes back to 4th grade taunting by Bobby Keith.) I have not turned on paid subscriptions yet, but when I do I will keep my once a week article free and add other features for my paid people. Seems reasonable to me.
Yes, I’m so happy to be connected, Leslie! And I’m glad you’re with me on the teasing bit. I think everyone deserves to be paid, but there are ways of paywalling that piss me off and ways that don’t.
A bit of unsolicited advice? Unless you think it will stress you out to have to create on a schedule for your paid subscribers, I’d recommend turning on paid now. At a minimum, throw a “Buy me a coffee” link at the bottom of your posts. You don’t even have to make paid content until you’re ready, but it doesn’t hurt to have it on and - BONUS - you might be pleasantly surprised.
I appreciate this advice. I have about $700 in annual pledges so far, but I don't feel like I'm in a rhythm or productive enough to have separate offerings for paid subscribers yet. I'm still ramping up to being in a comfortable groove with my once a week regular article. I've only been here since October, so I feel like I'm still getting the hang of it. Still at the point where I'm scared I might run out of things to write about. (Another form of imposter syndrome I'm sure...) But maybe I'll do the buy me a coffee thing in the meantime (although I don't drink coffee, so tea maybe)... Thank you! And keep doing what you're doing. I'm always happy to have your stuff pop up!
Haha just think of it as a tip jar! Buy yourself some ice cream or put it in a kitty to get yourself a massage. I only suggest you do it because I read some advice early in my Substack career about waiting until you had 300 subscribers to turn on paid, decided to ignore it and got my first paid subscriber WAY sooner. It was a glorious example of not letting my limiting beliefs win. Since then, I've been an evangelist about creating some way to let your readers pay you even if you don't feel ready or worthy. Because I'm not sure that ever really happens?
And thank you so much for all your support! I appreciate you being here so much 🩵
Thank you for this. I’m close to convincing myself to pull the trigger.
Omg. Go ahead, be a slut. I’m dead. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😝 That was channeled from divinity.
A headline analyser!! What a great tool. Thank you for sharing.
You're so welcome! It's a common tool among email marketers, but it applies to anyone trying to create a headline people will actually click!
Yes, I'd never heard of it. But then I'm not up on tech.
I was absolutely inundated with emails to the point where I was overlooking important personal notifications. I set up a yahoo mail account just for Substack and changed my email on the Substack settings to that email account.
Oooh Carla, some people suggested this, but I assumed it had to be done from the get-go. So you're saying this can be done retroactively? Even if I'm subbed to 200 people at this point?
Yes. I had been on Substack for at least two months and could not find a way either through gmail or on the main site to stop the emails. It must be a new modification. Changing the email address doesn’t seem to change anything else on the account.
Thank you so much for sharing! I can think of 100 people who will jump all over this.
Such a fine post, Ms. O'Connor. It conjures up the amazing tale of William Faulkner having to hide out and take a night job and write on planks on overturned wheelbarrows for a desk. But he could be alone, all quiet and write all night after the people went down, and he no longer had to shovel coal in the incinerator for the power plant. Given the solitude, he wrote a fast novel about sex that made him some money. Check it out on Mr. Hely's site: https://stevehely.com/2023/12/31/william-faulkners-introduction-to-sanctuary/. Here's what Mr. Faulkner said [blocked and copied straight off Mr. Hely's brilliant site - be sure to treat yourself to the entire read]:
"THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN THREE YEARS AGO. To me it is a cheap idea, because it was deliberately conceived to make money. I had been writing books for about five years, which got published and not bought. But that was all right. I was young then and hard-bellied. I had never lived among nor known people who wrote novels and stories and I suppose I did not know that people got money for them. I was not very much annoyed when publishers refused the mss. now and then. Because I was hard-gutted then. I could do a lot of things that could earn what little money I needed, thanks to my father’s un- failing kindness which supplied me with bread at need despite the outrage to his principles at having been of a bum progenitive. . .." William Faulkner [having already written Nobel Prize winning fiction and still dead-broke. But free of disturbances.
Very interesting. I turned off the emails and forbade the notifications— I’ll read when I feel like it. And like the author, I never open “preview” posts. They aren’t for me, they don’t need my attention. The app, and the posts, need to serve my needs, not the other way around. I start with my own list of essential reading, then look at the others based on topics of interest, need for entertainment, or unexpected moments of free time.
"The app, and the posts, need to serve my needs, not the other way around."
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Kerry, you seem incredibly wise. Thank you for being here.
I have an easier solution….no notifications at all. I stopped using notifications a decade ago everywhere. I just open the app and see what’s there and read what seems interesting. I don’t endeavor to read every piece from every person I subscribe to. It’s like picking up the paper and going I’ll read this bit and that bit and then done!
Oh, I'd love to do that, but I don't want to miss comments on my posts. It's a dream I aspire to, though!
I did this a few months ago because I could not cope with all the emails and actually started to hate Substack. When I realised I could set up to get only push it was so much better. Also deleted IG and various shopping apps and feel way calmer 🤣
Oh yes, deleting social media apps (besides Substack) has been GAME CHANGING! Well done!
OMG! I am overwhelmed “horrified” by the emails I get from Substack! I would much prefer just seeing new postings in the app. I might have to get my son to do this for me- though it’s not like he has anything else to do, the sweetie.
Sounds like you have a great kid :)
I hope it helps reduce the overwhelm! 🙏🏻