What convinces you to pay a subscription for content from creators (e.g. from bloggers)?
I've been active on Substack for almost a year, and I'm thinking about charging for some of the content (currently, I only have archived articles behind the payment gateway).
The reality is that with AI, anyone can find information, so I'm wondering what the decisive benefit would be that would convince people to pay for a subscription (private chats with the community, monthly webinars, specialised premium articles based on personal experiences, e.g. case studies???).
🙏 If you happen to support a (not only Substack) creator, why? [What is the value you pay for, or in which you see a competitive benefit?]
👩‍💻 Can you provide a profile of a creator who does it best, and you pay for them?
đź’° What monthly price is bearable?
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In my experience, people rarely pay for just information anymore they pay for access, perspective, or utility.
What’s worked best:
Personal lenses on topics people are already Googling (e.g. “How I recovered from burnout as a solo founder” instead of “What is burnout?”).
Use-case depth practical stuff with receipts: templates, dashboards, breakdowns, frameworks you actually use.
Tight, safe communities not a generic Discord but a place where your subscribers get seen. You show up, they show up.
Also, frequency > volume. A monthly newsletter that feels valuable builds more loyalty than a daily blast that feels “just okay.”
For pricing somewhere between $5–$8/month works if your niche is tight and your content is personal. Go higher only when there’s a built-in outcome (e.g. helping someone make/save money, grow audience, land a gig, etc.).
Curious to know what type of content you’re planning to move behind the paywall?
@priyanka_gosai1 The thing about personal point of view is that you need to have that experience (aka expose yourself to those situations). If your life is not so interesting, you cannot offer anything in these terms :D
I am trying to come up with some premium topics that are based on personal experience and where I could share promotions, discounts etc :) + access to archive. Then, I see what's next.
Roasting my Substack is welcome, and any suggestions for improvement:
https://businessandmarketing.substack.com/
Thank you guys, your inputs are valuable! :)