Why I'm Glad I Launched My Paid Tier Early

I Got My First Paid Subscriber. Here's What It Proved.

Sunday was a very special day for me as a writer.

I got my first paid subscriber on Substack.

I’m humbled.

This year, I decided to try Substack, and soon after it became the main hub for my business. I started documenting my journey here, learning more about it every day, and growing slowly but steadily.

My goal is always to remain transparent and humble, and help people along the way. 🙏🏻

I’m writing this post to celebrate my win, but to also share exactly what it means, what it teaches me, and how I will make the most of it.

Keep in mind that I was already self-employed - a full-time blogger - and have been creating content online for 10 years.

I’m new to Substack but not to content creation, email marketing, building an audience, monetizing in different ways, branding, etc.

I already knew my niche and how to position myself, and had a lot of existing content ready to be moved here as well as many ideas on what new posts to write.

But I was completely new to Substack and really started from scratch.

I didn’t import my existing email list here (around 3,000 subscribers). I’m building this publication in real time, sharing everything with you along the way, learning about Substack daily, creating content weekly, and truly engaging with other writers almost every day for the past few weeks.

And it paid off.

I landed my first brand deal a month ago (with less than 250 subscribers) and this became my first revenue earned through Substack.

And now, I got my first paid subscriber, before even promoting my paid tier.

That’s an interesting thing to analyze. So let me share what it means for me and my business, and what steps I’ll take as a result.

What This Payment Actually Means

A free subscriber became paid a week after being on my list.

He chose the yearly plan, and also left me a great comment/testimonial sharing that this is his first paid subscription. This is a big compliment.

He also left me a recommendation, saying:

“This creator provides data on what works to help you grow your Substack. It is practical advice backed up by her data. Its primary aim is to help you grow. If you are interested in developing your publication, then this is a great recommendation to help you achieve this aim.”

This is the kind of validation a creator needs, and works towards.

But also, this is a proof of concept.

Proof that:

• You have to hit publish before you’re ready;

• You can release that paid tier sooner rather than later (I wasn’t even promoting mine actively yet or expecting anyone to sign up any time soon);

• You never know when or from where your first or next paid subscriber will come from;

• Your monetization path might be different than expected, be open to it. (My first revenue here came a brand reaching out to do a sponsored post for them.)

Also read: Start Your Substack with a Clear Path to Income (+ How I Plan to Monetize)

But…

This is not the most important moment on my Substack journey so far.

Equally important moments were:

• Any time I got a recommendation from someone;

• Any time I got a thoughtful comment;

• That time a brand reached out to work on a sponsored article and paid me $450 to publish content I would have published anyways;

• Any time people said something I wrote was helpful and had further questions about it;

• Any time writers on here showed support and celebrated my wins;

• Gaining 100 subscribers, then 200, and now 300;

• Doing my first interview with a bigger Substack creator (here it is if you missed it);

The first thing I did after getting my first paid subscriber?

I sent him a personal message to:

• thank him;

• share the fact that he’s my first ever paying member (as I haven’t even started promoting the paid tier actively yet) and that this is an honor;

• say I can’t wait to provide as much value as possible in the next year;

• ask him what he needs help with them most and what content would serve him best right now.

The good thing about being small on a new platform is that you have the chance to message everyone personally. To know your people. To create the content they need.

My focus from here on

I posted about this win on Substack, of course, and the responses were amazing.

48 people liked it and 16 people commented so far. I also got 4 new subscribers from it.

Fellow writers celebrated my win, and said it inspired them.

One writer asked me how it feels to have my first paid sub.

And I said this:

“First, very humbling. I’m truly grateful.

Second, it’s proof I’m on the right path (what I do here feels aligned but this milestone assures me even more).

And third, the real work begins now. What can I do to provide so much value to this one paid member? This way, I build the foundation of a premium library that others will see when they too join the paid tier.”

So this is what comes next for me:

• This person (the paid subscriber) asked for advice on growing a Substack. I have a lot to say about that but was hoping to just document my journey for now instead of officially teaching it. However, others have been asking this too, so I can begin sharing more tips and strategies that I see are working;

• I’m really inspired to take all my blogging knowledge and apply it to growing on Substack. I have so many ideas already (that I’ll test myself and immediately share with others);

• I haven’t even started adding bonuses for paid subscribers yet, but I’m about to. Now, however, they won’t be random, but with the goal of helping this one person who trusted me get results;

• He paid for a whole year, which is pretty awesome. Also, it’s how the real value can be felt from a Substack newsletter. If you subscribe monthly and just happen to see a few pieces of content that aren’t what you’re looking for, you can cancel your subscription without seeing everything the writer has to offer;

• It’s time to start releasing better premium content and do it consistently (that was on my to-do list, but now that there’s a paying member reading these posts and waiting for some value, it’s time to step up my game);

• I like going the extra mile and turn everything into an experience. So I’m available in the DMs to paid subscribers to answer any questions they have and share any suggestions I might have for them;

• Also, I decided I’ll be offering a Substack Growth Audit for every annual paid subscriber. I’ll review your profile, publication, overall branding + positioning, content and monetization strategy, and share personalized feedback, growth opportunities, and next steps to focus on. This feels like a good starting point.

If that sounds valuable, consider upgrading below.

Launching Your Paid Tier

So that’s my latest update. I love sharing these with you as soon as they happen, and with all the details.

I hope this inspires you to keep going in your business. And also, to launch your paid tier before you have it all figured out.

Let it be the reason why you take your Substack to the next level.

Set up your monthly and yearly subscription, price it based on the value you provide, and start publishing paywalled content weekly.

That’s what I did.

Before I was ready. Before things were perfect around here.

Without knowing if or when anyone would join.

Without knowing how the whole strategy looks like, or what the big vision is.

Let me know what you think. And share any questions in the comments below.

Thank you for being here 💕,
Lidiya