{"id":39066,"date":"2020-03-31T15:51:56","date_gmt":"2020-03-31T19:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=39066"},"modified":"2020-11-05T12:47:44","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T17:47:44","slug":"earn-money-through-substack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/earn-money-through-substack\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Earn Money Through Substack? These 8 Writers Prove You Can"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since its launch in 2017, <a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Substack<\/a> has quickly drawn attention from the media industry for its potential to launch a new business model for writers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The platform\u2019s simplest promise \u2014 making it easy to set up a subscription and collect payment from readers \u2014 has writers\u2019 attention. Is this is the new place we <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">have <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to be to make money writing?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>How writers earn money through Substack<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Substack is an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/build-an-email-list-platforms\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email list platform<\/span><\/a> for writers<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It helps you do everything other platforms do \u2014 accept subscribers, send emails, see analytics, manage an email list \u2014 plus, it facilitates a paid subscription model.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s one of the easiest business ventures to set up technically: Create an account and a publication with Substack in about five minutes, import your email list if you have one and set up or connect a Stripe account to receive payments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Readers subscribe monthly or annually, and most publications offer a discount for the annual subscription. Substack also recommends publishing some free editions to let readers test the waters before paying.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A $5-per-month and $50-per-year price level is common. But Bill Bishop\u2019s \u201cSinocism,\u201d the platform\u2019s first official newsletter, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2018\/07\/more-than-11000-people-are-paying-yes-paying-for-email-newsletters-on-substacks-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">according to Nieman Lab<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, charges $15 per month and $168 per year. Others charge $60 or $100 per year, so you can land on a price point that works for you and your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your publication is free, you can use Substack for free. If you charge for a paid subscription, Substack keeps 10 percent of the subscription proceeds plus about 3 percent in processing fees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async data-uid=\"f5b215ae7e\" src=\"https:\/\/deft-hustler-5314.ck.page\/f5b215ae7e\/index.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Who is Substack for?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anyone can start a publication on Substack; sign up is free, and you don\u2019t have to meet any requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Early adopters and currently popular newsletters are largely about tech, politics and popular culture, written by journalists in those beats as a side hustle or a career change after leaving a media company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>You don\u2019t need a huge subscriber base to make a paid newsletter worth it \u2014 200 subscribers paying $5 a month means $1,000 (about $870 after fees) each month for writing one to four newsletters per week.<\/strong> Plus, the volume of work doesn\u2019t increase as revenue increases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, building that base of paid subscribers can be significantly harder than building one for a free subscription.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, tech writer Jared Newman built a base of 17,000 subscribers for his free newsletter, \u201cCord Cutter Weekly,\u201d largely thanks to his ability to promote it in his tech-industry articles, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/90354497\/6-lessons-i-learned-from-doing-a-paid-newsletter-for-a-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he writes for Fast Company<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. From that base, he gained 200 subscribers in a year for a paid spinoff newsletter, \u201cAdvisorator.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Substack says about 10 percent of a newsletter\u2019s subscribers typically become paid subscribers. So if you want 200 to pay, aim for 2,000 total on your free list. (Also consider that Substack&#8217;s early newsletters, from which it pulls those stats, are relatively niche or run by authors recruited because of their loyal audiences.)<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>8 writers who earn money through Substack newsletters<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To give you a better idea of who\u2019s using Substack successfully, here are eight writers who earn money through the platform, plus some details about how they do it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Emily Atkin: \u2018Heated\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Topic:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Climate science and politics<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Price:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> $8 per month or $75 per year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emily Atkin has been a climate reporter since 2013, first at ThinkProgress, then at The New Republic, in addition to contributing to other publications. But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.storybench.org\/emily-atkin-is-pissed-off-about-climate-change-her-new-newsletter-heated-says-we-all-should-be\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">she believed climate reporting could be better<\/a> than it was at traditional publications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Atkin left her full-time job to launch \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/heated.world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d in September 2019 and deliver daily original reporting and analysis on the climate crisis. The newsletter is already among the most popular on Substack, with thousands of subscribers paying $8 per month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m hoping this will pay for better reporting, so that I can go to more places and talk to more people,\u201d Atkin told Storybench last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Jacob Cohen Donnelly: \u2018A Media Operator\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Topic:<\/strong> Media business<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Price:<\/strong> $10 per month or $100 per year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jacob Cohen Donnelly, managing director of audience and growth at cryptocurrency site CoinDesk, created \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amediaoperator.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Media Operator<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d in August 2019 to write about the business side of building a media business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe that, to do a newsletter well, it\u2019s important to think about it as its own standalone product,\u201d Donnelly writes in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amediaoperator.com\/p\/newsletters-are-a-must-for-pubs-if\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent post for AMO<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donnelly has worked in media for nearly a decade, as a freelance writer and a marketer. Through AMO, he shares his insight on how the news is covered, plus which trendy tools and products (such as Substack) are worth your time when building a media business.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Nicole Cliffe: \u2018Nicole Knows\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Topic:<\/strong> Personal, pop culture<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Price:<\/strong> $5 per month or $50 per year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicole Cliffe is a freelance writer who pens Slate\u2019s parenting advice column, \u201cCare and Feeding,\u201d and was the co-founder of the now-defunct site The Toast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She has been publishing \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nicole.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicole Knows<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d a potpourri of beauty, pop culture and general life observations and advice since February 2018.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was among the pilot newsletters for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2019\/06\/03\/substack-expands-its-subscription-platform-with-discussion-threads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Substack\u2019s \u201ccommunity\u201d feature,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> launched last year, which supports discussion threads for newsletter subscribers. Whether discussing memes, new movies or parenting quandaries, the \u201cNicole Knows\u201d community remains engaged.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/on.substack.com\/p\/how-to-make-money-with-substack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Substack lists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the newsletter among the site\u2019s most popular. &#8220;Nicole Knows\u201d is a rare non-niche newsletter that\u2019s killing it on the platform \u2014 so take notes if you want to build an audience on the strength of your voice and personal brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Judd Legum: \u2018Popular Information\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Topic:<\/strong> Politics<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Price:<\/strong> $6 per month or $50 per year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judd Legum, the founder and editor of political news site ThinkProgress, put together \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/popular.info\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Popular Information<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d a daily newsletter of in-depth information and analysis on government and politics. It\u2019s one of Substack\u2019s most popular, with thousands of subscribers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Atkin does with Heated, with \u201cPopular Information,\u201d Legum addresses a weakness in conventional reporting in his niche.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere&#8217;s something fundamentally broken about news delivery as a process,\u201d Legum <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/judd-legum-popular-information-politics-newsletter-for-everyone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told Wired ahead<\/a> of the newsletter\u2019s launch in 2018. \u201c&#8230;I\u2019ve felt more and more strongly that I wanted to start something new that could circumvent the system.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While general and political news publications rely on horserace reporting to draw readers\u2019 attention, Legum uses the subscription model to build trust and loyalty, and curate an audience eager to read more in-depth reporting.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Luke O\u2019Neil: \u2018Welcome to Hell World\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Topic:<\/strong> Culture and politics<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Price:<\/strong> $6.66 per month or $69 per year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After 15 years as a journalist, Luke O\u2019Neil launched his newsletter, \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/luke.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Welcome to Hell World<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d in 2018 to share reporting and personal essays on a variety of topics, tied together with the theme of the world\u2019s transformation into, in O\u2019Neil\u2019s words, a \u201cpit of despair.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through the newsletter, he wanted to cut through the niceties of traditional news writing and get the opportunity to speak about how upsetting things like \u201cbaby jails\u201d are to him, even as he\u2019s reporting on them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating a direct relationship with readers through the newsletter subscription lets him do that in a way he never could when he wrote for publications like Esquire, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s kind of cool, instead of working for f&#8212;ing Hearst, which is a billion-dollar company with thousands of middle managers, just working for the people who read my newsletter,\u201d O\u2019Neil <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/artery\/2019\/07\/31\/luke-oneil-book-welcome-to-hell-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told WBUR last year<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to revenue from the newsletter \u2014 1,100 paid subscribers out of 7,000 total as of July 2019 \u2014 the newsletter garnered O\u2019Neil a book deal. Indie publisher OR Books approached him to turn his essays into a book, and it released \u201cWelcome to Hell World\u201d (the book) in September 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>6: Heather Havrilesky: \u2018Ask Molly\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Topic:<\/strong> Personal<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Price:<\/strong> $5 per month or $50 per year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heather Havrilesky is an essayist who writes the relationship and lifestyle advice column \u201cAsk Polly\u201d for \u201cNew York\u201d magazine\u2019s \u201cThe Cut.\u201d Molly is \u201cPolly\u2019s evil twin,\u201d Havrilesky\u2019s outlet for all the things polite and uplifting Polly can\u2019t say.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite its parallel to the advice column\u2019s name, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/askmolly.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask Molly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> isn\u2019t strictly advice. Newsletters include Havrilesky\u2019s personal essays on life and culture in addition to responses to reader questions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Havrilesky has been dolling out advice professionally since the mid-90s, starting with a now-defunct online magazine called \u201cSuck,\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/health\/archive\/2016\/07\/ask-polly-heather-havrilesky-how-to-be-a-person-in-the-world-interview\/490331\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">she\u2019s a pioneer in online media<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She kept the advice going at her own blog for about 10 years after \u201cSuck\u201d shuttered in 2001, pitched it to \u201cThe Awl\u201d and finally caught the eye of \u201cNew York\u201d magazine, which invited her to write the column\u2019s current iteration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the \u201cevil twin\u201d lens in \u201cAsk Molly,\u201d Havrilesky has found a clever way to spin off a personal brand on the shoulders of her popularity in traditional media.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>7. Sophie Brookover and Margaret Willison: \u2018Two Bossy Dames\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Topic:<\/strong> Pop culture<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Price:<\/strong> $7 per month or $70 per year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pop culture\u2013obsessed publication \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twobossydames.substack.com\/&#039;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two Bossy Dames<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d is a case study in emerging platforms over the past half decade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It started as a Tumblr blog, launched subscriptions on Tinyletter, garnered supporters on Patreon and, in 2018, migrated to Substack to put publishing and revenue in one place. Its content has shown up on Medium, and it has a relatively small but engaged Twitter following.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Substack, Two Bossy Dames makes the authors a significant side income, but isn\u2019t their full-time job. Each of the writers, Sophie Brookover and Margaret Willison, keeps busy with other work, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shedoesthecity.com\/an-interview-with-margaret-h-willison-the-internets-most-favourite-librarian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">as librarians<\/a> and culture writers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>8. Ryan O\u2019Hanlon: \u2018No Grass in the Clouds\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Topic:<\/strong> Soccer analysis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Price:<\/strong> $7 per month or $70 per year<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ryan O\u2019Hanlon is another creator Substack notes as a successful side hustler on the platform, and his newsletter, \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nograssintheclouds.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No Grass in the Clouds<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d is a good example of finding success in a narrow niche: soccer through an analytics lens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">O\u2019Hanlon is a freelance writer and host of the soccer podcast \u201cInfinite Football,\u201d previously a senior editor at sports and culture site The Ringer, where he hosted a (different) soccer podcast. He\u2019s also a former collegiate soccer player \u2014 he\u2019s well-suited for his niche.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launched in December 2018, \u201cNo Grass in the Clouds\u201d promotes O\u2019Hanlon\u2019s podcast, shares his essays on the sport, and publishes analysis and news for paying subscribers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Alternatives to Substack<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Substack is often the first brand we connect with paid newsletters, but it has competitors and alternatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mailchimp.com\/integrations\/campaignzee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Campaignzee<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is MailChimp\u2019s built-in way to sell subscriptions that integrates your MailChimp and Stripe accounts. It charges 10 percent of subscription fees, plus processing fees and MailChimp\u2019s regularly monthly cost if you have more than 2,000 subscribers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Patreon<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lets supporters subscribe for exclusive perks and updates from creators across media \u2014 from video producers and podcasts to authors and visual artists. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/studyhall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Study Hall<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an example of how to use the platform to create a paid newsletter.<\/span><b><\/b><\/li>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buymeacoffee.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Buy Me A Coffee<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lets writers and creators start a page and add buttons to your website or newsletter. It has a Patreon vibe, but it lets supporters make one-time donations instead of requiring recurring subscriptions.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.getrevue.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Revue<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is an email marketing service that, like Substack, gives you the option to add a paid version of your newsletter. It\u2019s a lot more expensive, though, and designed more for publishing teams than individuals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Or you can DIY.<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> For \u201cAdvisorator,\u201d for example, Newman simply collects email and payment information through Stripe. You could use a service like PayPal or e-junkie to do the same and send emails though your preferred service. It\u2019d require a little more heavy lifting, but you\u2019d keep more of what subscribers pay.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>The challenge to a successful paid newsletter<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ability to make money as a writer feels increasingly threatened by shuttering media companies, rolling layoffs and growing competition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many experts laud the (re)emerging subscription model as a way for writers to take success into their own hands, cut out the intermediary and make money directly from readers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>But \u2014 like profiles of early successes in blogging \u2014 promises of the logistical ease ignore a serious barrier to a lucrative subscription business: building an audience.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDirectly singing for your supper to readers is always going to prioritize people who already have an audience, who already have a certain amount of privilege, or who are speaking to an audience that has a certain amount of money,\u201d newsletter pioneer Ann Friedman <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/style\/2019\/07\/peak-personal-newsletter-and-i-feel-fine-substack-tinyletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">told Vanity Fair\u2019s Claire Landsbaum<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many successful Substack writers built audiences by writing for traditional publications first \u2014 many in a very different media landscape. It might be wishful thinking for a new writer to try to follow their example when the path has already shifted so much.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, while a platform like Substack ostensibly helps with discovery, the company benefits most by supporting the most successful creators. It grew by recruiting writers with large audiences, and it would be wise to continue to nurture those brands.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Can writers make money on Substack?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like media platforms before it \u2014 see: Medium, YouTube, Patreon, Kindle \u2014 Substack eliminates incredible tech barriers for creators, allowing you to focus on creating while delivering your content where your audience wants it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, however, your success on these platforms depends on your ability to develop your own brand and cultivate a loyal audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Photo via GuadiLab \/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/photos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/photos&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1585235100311000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEZ9NTDZunfgRJZteegpEFXxraMyA\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Shutterstock<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><br \/>\nlinks<br \/>\nno<br \/>\n1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Substack is a popular email platform for writers who want to earn money directly from their subscribers. Here\u2019s how 8 writers make it work for them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":39067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freelancing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}