Subscription Fatigue

This isn’t the grim, necessary work of standing up to dangerous politics; it’s list-building, panhandling, subscription grubbing.

We live in an instant-gratification world. Your paid newsletter is asking people to delay gratification.

“I think in today’s market, you can be as niche as you want in terms of the music you make,” he said, “and you can actually get as popular as you want in your own lane.”

When you subscribe to a paid newsletter, you’re not paying to access more content. That feels like homework. Imagine scrolling through a library of 150 articles trying to figure out if there’s something that can solve your problems.

We carry three subconscious questions:

"Can I actually get through all this?"

"Will this work for me specifically?"

"Do... See more

And then there is the dreaded subscription fatigue.

After nine months of running this system, I've learned something that completely contradicts the conventional Substack wisdom:

Higher-priced, one-time purchases often generate more revenue than monthly subscriptions—with less stress and better relationships.

“This is more than just a fan base,” Taylor said. “It’s a society who are sharing secrets and sharing ideas.”

When someone pays $5 monthly for your newsletter, they're making a small, low-commitment decision. It's easy to subscribe, but it's also easy to unsubscribe when their credit card statement gets tight or they lose interest.

When someone invests $50-200 in a digital product, they're making a serious commitment to solving a problem. They're not just b

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When you offer someone a paid subscription, you're asking them to make a bet on possibility: "Maybe somewhere in here is what I need."

When you offer someone a specific solution, you're giving them certainty: "This will solve your exact problem."

Certainty always wins.