When writers think about shifting their newsletter from free to paid, they often hit a wall.
Because most have no clue what their readers would be willing to pay.
Today’s guest inside the Online Writing Club LIVE workshop was Ciler Demiralp.
Ciler is a newsletter expert from the
.She has talked to over 70 newsletter creators with subscriber lists ranging from 500 to 3 million. A few days back, she finally could publish an interview with me (she sent me her questions about a year ago ^^, well…), too.
Based on analyzing 75,000 newsletters, our session with Ciler was full of great ideas and real data - not speculation.
We talked about all things Substack newsletters and covered the most frequent questions on how to price your newsletter.
How do I price my newsletter?
When should I offer a paid newsletter?
How much are my readers willing to pay?
How much are other newsletters charging?
Should I model what other Substack newsletters are doing or set a different price?
Here are some important lessons from the session to finally get answers, gain clarity, make educated assumptions and informed decisions:
New Newsletter Writers, Keep This In Mind
Keep publishing: Many creators say, "Just keep going!" Even when it’s hard, steady work pays off. Ciler could see these in the data. (From Substack I know most quit in week #14 to 16. Don’t be this kind of person.)
Start charging early: Don’t wait for a huge list before you charge for your newsletter. Some creators started with just 100 or 500 subscribers. (I recommend offering a premium newsletter right from the start).
Set fair prices: Default is $5. But why? There are no limits to which you have to adhere.
Often, new writers price too low. They undervalue their work.
Data shows, on average, a monthly subscription is …
