Not sure what to charge for your Substack newsletter? The problem usually isn't the price — it's that you picked a number before picking a pricing model. Here are the 7 models and how to find yours.
There’s a ton of clarity in the way you break down pricing models — especially the part about how creators jump straight to a number before defining what the paid tier actually is. I did that with my first newsletter on beehiiv. That distinction between “what am I charging?” and “what is someone buying?” is one most people never slow down long enough to make. And your point about Substack pricing being more about perceived value and positioning than pure content volume is dead-on.
At the same time, reading this as someone who studies the creator‑advice world, I can’t help noticing the familiar rhythm underneath: the taxonomy, the frameworks, the industry benchmarks… all leading toward the calculator, the playbook, the audits, the accelerator. It’s not a criticism — the information is genuinely useful — but it’s also a reminder that in this space, strategy and sales are always braided together. Understanding both layers is part of the work.
I’m Bob — author of six books and dozens of ebooks, and the writer behind The Funnel Examiner, where I unpack how creator‑advice, pricing psychology, and “new systems” get constructed and sold. Posts like this are fascinating because they’re both insightful and quietly strategic, and that duality is exactly what I love digging into.
I work with a lot of new indie podcasters. Here’s what happens: they want to launch and then they burn out before episode 10 for lack of strategy (mostly). I’ve thought about a monthly option without an annual option. I’ll have to check to see if I can turn that off. If not I thought to poke fun at annual and saying the annual rate is $100k so people know they don’t need to commit long-term and can come in and see if this is for them. What crazy model would that be?
Ha, I love the $100k annual move — that's honestly brilliant positioning. And you're right, removing the commitment barrier changes everything for new people.
So timely, and appreciate the share. I’ve been thinking longer-term and have pricing on the brain, but without thinking too much at this point. I’ve been on here for 9 months, but only started building and gaining consistency in the past 2.
That said, I’m soaking it all in and exploring before jumping into any model. To your point, and what I keep in mind, it’s knowing our value-add before showing up to sell something we don’t even have in place.
There’s a ton of clarity in the way you break down pricing models — especially the part about how creators jump straight to a number before defining what the paid tier actually is. I did that with my first newsletter on beehiiv. That distinction between “what am I charging?” and “what is someone buying?” is one most people never slow down long enough to make. And your point about Substack pricing being more about perceived value and positioning than pure content volume is dead-on.
At the same time, reading this as someone who studies the creator‑advice world, I can’t help noticing the familiar rhythm underneath: the taxonomy, the frameworks, the industry benchmarks… all leading toward the calculator, the playbook, the audits, the accelerator. It’s not a criticism — the information is genuinely useful — but it’s also a reminder that in this space, strategy and sales are always braided together. Understanding both layers is part of the work.
I’m Bob — author of six books and dozens of ebooks, and the writer behind The Funnel Examiner, where I unpack how creator‑advice, pricing psychology, and “new systems” get constructed and sold. Posts like this are fascinating because they’re both insightful and quietly strategic, and that duality is exactly what I love digging into.
That distinction is where most people get stuck and don't even realize it. Glad it clicked.
I work with a lot of new indie podcasters. Here’s what happens: they want to launch and then they burn out before episode 10 for lack of strategy (mostly). I’ve thought about a monthly option without an annual option. I’ll have to check to see if I can turn that off. If not I thought to poke fun at annual and saying the annual rate is $100k so people know they don’t need to commit long-term and can come in and see if this is for them. What crazy model would that be?
Ha, I love the $100k annual move — that's honestly brilliant positioning. And you're right, removing the commitment barrier changes everything for new people.
So timely, and appreciate the share. I’ve been thinking longer-term and have pricing on the brain, but without thinking too much at this point. I’ve been on here for 9 months, but only started building and gaining consistency in the past 2.
That said, I’m soaking it all in and exploring before jumping into any model. To your point, and what I keep in mind, it’s knowing our value-add before showing up to sell something we don’t even have in place.
You're doing it exactly right — soaking it in before slapping a price on something. That patience is going to pay off big.