5 Popular Myths About Paid Newsletters You Should Stop Believing
Don't let them hold you back
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We all believe in myths.
What made humanity unique is our ability to believe in shared stories.
But the moment we outgrow them? That’s when real progress begins.
When it comes to building a paid newsletter, some persistent myths could be silently holding you back from launching or growing your paid membership.
Some feel instinctual. Others are repeated so often they start to sound like facts.
But none of them should go unchallenged.
If there’s one thing that drives growth—both as humans and as creators—it’s questioning what we’ve been told.
That’s exactly what we’ll do today.
We’re going to dig into 5 common myths about paid subscriptions and why it’s time to stop believing them.
Over the past two years, I’ve interviewed more than 90 newsletter operators and studied this space with full dedication. One thing is clear: most creators hold onto misconceptions that quietly hold back their growth.
So instead of believing these myths, let’s question them—together.
Ready? Let’s get into it.
Myth #1 - “You need a huge list to launch a paid subscription.”
This one stops a lot of people before they even start.
Sure, if you’re trying to make a full-time living with your newsletter from day one, a bigger list helps. But for most creators, the early phase of paid subscriptions isn’t about replacing your income; it’s about testing, refining, and figuring out if you have newsletter-market fit.
This is the phase where you can craft your content, value, and engage with your superfans.
That fit isn’t about hitting a magic number. It’s about having a clear audience, delivering something they actually want, and seeing signs they’re willing to pay for it.
Even with under 1,000 subscribers, you can:
Define your audience clearly. Get specific. Research your most engaged readers. Are they actually the people you thought you were writing for?
Check for newsletter-market fit. Look at your metrics, replies, and comments alongside your audience research.
Test and improve. Use your early subscribers to learn what resonates and sharpen your offer.
Talk to your superfans. Jump on calls, send surveys, or just email your most engaged readers to gather feedback.
If you’ve got an engaged group with shared pain points or interests, you can launch your padi subscription before reaching thousands of subscribers and build from there.
Treat your newsletter as a community
Lindsay Johnstone didn’t wait for a massive list, she turned on paid subscriptions just a few months after launching her newsletter.
By mid-2024, about eight months into the paid tier, she had 60 paying members. That’s when she decided to rethink her mindset and strategy.
She connected with her subscribers from early days, ensured retention, reached out to her most active readers and put intentional effort into turning her active readers into paid members.
What set her apart was her community-first approach; she didn’t see subscribers as numbers on a dashboard, but as people she was building something with.
That mindset paid off: by the time I interviewed her, she’d reached a 10% conversion rate, one of the highest I’ve seen for a small list!
Her steps to reach her first 100 paid subscribers were straightforward yet powerful:
Reached out to her personal network with a discounted “friends & family” annual plan.
Personally emailed free subscribers to welcome them, explain what to expect, and share her paid offerings, which included live courses, async courses, and a paid community chat.
Targeted her most active free subscribers with a time-bound discounted annual plan.
Reached out to new free subscribers right away to make sure they knew what was on the table.
Added an email header button linking to her paid plan across her posts, Notes, and Instagram.
Provide an irresistible solution to convert
Evann Ryan also didn’t wait until she had thousands of readers to launch paid; she became a Substack bestseller before hitting 900 subscribers.
And she achieved that with a laser-focused paid offer which solved a real problem for her vegan-curious audience: weekly meal plans complete with ingredient lists, grocery store guides, detailed recipes, and smart substitutions.
The takeaway: you don’t need a massive list, you need a deep understanding of your readers. Listen to them, co-create perks with your early paid members, and deliver the exact product they’re hungry for, exactly when they need it.
“I don’t consider myself to be very marketing savvy and actually have a hard time ‘selling’ but I know my audience, I know what they come to me for, and I know where my strengths are in helping them.
I build based on their needs and simply let them know it exists through my socials.
I have yet to have any ‘huge’ growth days, I just show up consistently, and listen to their feedback.
I think my strategy is and always has been to help my audience achieve their goals in the best ways that I can.”
Myth #2 - “The only way is to share 'actionable content”
Actionable content—like templates, checklists, and frameworks—has real value. But it’s not the only reason people pay for a newsletter.
What’s often overlooked is the emotional side.
Readers stick around when they feel connected and when there’s a sense of belonging.
Providing a safe space where they can share challenges openly and get support from a like-minded community can be just as powerful in driving paid conversions.
The parenting niche is a great example. Moms and dads face daily challenges while raising kids and are constantly looking to share their struggles and learn how others approach similar situations.
Take Apparently from Ilana Wiles as an example. It’s a Substack Bestseller with over 1,000 paid members, focusing on parenting in the “big kids” years—tweens, trends, and internet culture.
One of its strongest paid benefits? Access to “Big Kids Discussion Groups” where paid readers ask questions, exchange stories, and connect in the comment sections. This community-driven feature goes far beyond actionable content; it taps into belonging.
If you’re writing in a niche where your audience values interaction, lean confidently into community-driven benefits.
Remember, there are countless ways to help people and provide value beyond content alone.
Myth #3 - “You should price “really” low to convert.”
It’s tempting to think a low price will attract more paying subscribers. And yes, it might, at first.
But lower prices often mean lower commitment. If someone’s only paying a few dollars, it’s easy to cancel on a whim.
A better approach?
Find fewer people willing to invest more in something they truly value. Your pricing can become a filter that attracts your most dedicated audience.
The numbers back this up.
According to my analysis of 75,000 Substack newsletters, the average monthly price was $10.
But Alex McFarland’s AI Disruptor charges $20/month, which is double the average, and still thrives.
Why? His paid tier offers live workshops, replay access, and an active subscriber community. His readers can’t get that kind of access to him anywhere else.
To them, it’s not “paying for a newsletter.” It’s investing in a unique experience that delivers value far beyond the inbox.
Low prices might bring quick wins, but long-term growth needs a smarter play
Ana Calin from How We Grow takes that principle even further with a pricing model designed to encourage long-term commitment.
Her monthly subscription is $97, much higher than most Substack newsletters, while her yearly plan is $177. That’s a huge drop if you commit for a year, and it’s deliberate.
“I designed my pricing to encourage long-term commitment—because that’s how real growth happens. Monthly is $97, but yearly is $177.
Why? Because I want subscribers who are serious about their growth, not just looking for quick wins. And it works—99% of my subscribers choose the yearly plan.
The math is simple: if you’re in for the long game, the annual plan is a steal.
If you just want to try it for a month? Sure, but at $97, you’ll quickly realize that committing for a year is the smarter move.”
Ana Calin, How We Grow
Write • Build • Scale team uses a similar approach. Their monthly price is $20, but the yearly plan is just $80, less than $8 a month. For a serious reader, it’s a no-brainer to upgrade.
Lenny Rachitsky, creator of Lenny's Newsletter with over a million subscribers, uses a clever twist on the annual plan as well.
He offers free access to 15+ premium products for one year, a perk that nudges readers to upgrade to a yearly subscription.
The catch? The free access expires after a year, so subscribers have an incentive to renew.
It’s a win–win: Lenny locks in long-term subscribers, and they continue to enjoy premium tools at a lower overall cost.
Aakash Gupta recently shared that his newsletter brought in over $33,000 in June 2025. But, even though he has an orange badge with 1,000+ paid members, he admitted that retention was a challenge.
So one of his next steps included improving his annual plan to get more year-long commitments.
For newsletter operators, this highlights a crucial truth: securing annual commitments isn’t just about locking in revenue; it’s about deepening relationships so readers stay for the journey, not just the quick win.
Pricing low might feel safer, but pricing fairly and backing it up with unique value and retention strategies is how you build a sustainable paid subscriber base.
Myth #4 - “Just be consistent, keep publishing and wait.”
I know this sounds a bit counterintuitive, but there’s a big misunderstanding about what “consistency” really means in the newsletter world.
Yes, publishing regularly is extremely important; the ability to show up week after week is an achievement in itself.
But consistent writing alone won’t build a sustainable paid newsletter business.
Consistency needs to extend beyond writing. You also need consistent promotion and experimentation.
That starts with three things:
1. Be clear about who you’re writing for
2. Show up where your audience actually hangs out
3. Track what resonates with them the most
Tom Kuegler, creator of The Writing Long Game, is writing about growing on Substack. In line with his niche, he discovered that Substack Notes is the best channel to reach his target audience.
“Notes is still my number one growth driver, and also great for conversions—telling people about my tools and offerings.”
Tom Kuegler
He identified 20–25 topics that consistently spark engagement by analyzing all of his Notes from 2024, so that he could show up with the most relevant posts.
“What I do track is which topics tend to do well over time.
I analyzed all my Notes in 2024 and identified 20-25 winning topics that consistently get good reactions.
I keep touching on these themes and ideas that people respond to well.”
Tom Kuegler
Once Tom nailed his audience and best-performing topics, he built a posting routine around them. That’s the real consistency, constantly refining and doubling down on what works.
Consistent publishing is only half the battle.
True consistency is about showing up in the right places, with the right message, and improving your game every time you hit “send.”
Another example is Michael Simmons from Blockbuster Blueprint with Michael Simmons.
He mentioned in our live interview that he once invested time in one-on-one conversations with 70 readers to understand their struggles and interests. From there, he shaped his offer around what they needed most.
Myth #5 - “More issues will convert more subscribers”
It’s tempting to think that offering extra issues is the magic bullet for conversions.
More content equals more value, right?
Not always.
Readers already have an inbox full of other newsletters, and another weekly issue can feel like an overload.
Katie Hawkins-Gaar, creator of My Sweet Dumb Brain, learned this firsthand. With over 15,000 subscribers and hundreds of paid members today, she’s a bestseller, but it wasn’t always a smooth process.
When she launched paid subscriptions a year into writing, her setup was simple: free issues on Tuesday, paid issues on Friday. But the workload was heavy, and conversions were sluggish.
So she asked her readers why they weren’t upgrading.
The answer surprised her: they didn’t want more content.
Katie pivoted. She merged the free and paid content into a single weekly issue, keeping her Tuesday schedule. The paid section simply lived at the end of the free post.
The result? A process she could sustain and a noticeable lift in paid subscribers.
Sometimes simplifying creates the space for real growth.
When it comes to growing and monetizing a newsletter, myths can be costly.
They can lead you to focus on vanity metrics, adopt one-size-fits-all strategies, or overlook the deeper work that truly moves the needle.
The most successful creators challenge these assumptions, test different approaches, and adapt based on what their audience actually responds to.
By separating fact from fiction, you can make smarter decisions, build sustainable growth, and create a publication that both you and your readers are excited about month after month.
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Thanks for reading, and feel free to reply if you’d like to connect!
See you next week.
Ciler
Find me on Substack Notes & LinkedIn
Huge +1 to all of this!
Regarding Myth #1, the idea that you need 1000 subscribers before even thinking about going paid is some of the worst advice doled out on this platform. I don't know where it originated, but I wish it would disappear. IMO, you should "go paid" on Day 1. Sure, nothing may happen. But it might, and that could mean everything for a new writer.
For Myth #3, I feel bad for anyone who drops their price to $1 (or whatever). They've just set the ceiling for their pricing forever. Flash sales or other limited-time offerings are an exception.
OTOH, a lower annual price vs. monthly is smart; the reader gets a deal, and the writer has less churn. In my opinion, it's a win-win all around.
As for Myth 5, the best advice I ever saw came from Josh Spector: People don't want "more," they want "different." I've adopted this mantra when crafting any kind of paid offering.
Very good article, Ciler. You can also include what you said in a Note: No more content, rather clear content.