The Nine Commandments of Newsletters and Money

  1. Thou shalt not add subscribers without their permission. The rudeness! It’s like barging into someone’s house without knocking first. If you want someone to sign up, ask them to subscribe. Respect their decision.

  2. Keep thy promises. If you take someone’s money, hold up your end of the bargain. Do what you said you’d do. Send when you said you’d send. Provide the features you said you’d provide.

  3. Thou shalt consider all modes of compensation. Despite what some platforms would have you believe, there are many ways to be paid for a newsletter, not just recurring payments from readers. You could include ads or sponsorships. You could use it to find new clients. You could sell workshops or classes or the book you want to write. 

  4. Thou shalt not paywall everything. At least if you are hoping to grow your audience. Because if new readers cannot read your writing, why would they commit to paying for it?

  5. Thou shalt not conflate thy subscription price with thy inherent worth. I don’t feel my words are less valuable than those that are priced at $50/year. Cash money is only one way subscribers show they are invested in you. Open and click rates matter. Yearslong readership matters. Value loyalty and attention in addition to money. 

  6. Thou shalt not collapse the ecosystem. Think about your own media spending. How many annual subscriptions can you afford at this rate? Price accordingly. Also think about the ideas ecosystem: Are you linking to other writers? Are you crediting them? 

  7. Thou shalt not comb the subscriber data looking for friends’ names. Your friends are not subscribers and your subscribers are not friends. These are two separate groups of people. Sure, there’s some overlap. But just because a friend doesn’t read your newsletter (or pay for it) doesn’t mean they “don’t support your work.” And equally, your subscribers do not need to know everything about your life just because they pay you. These are distinct relationships.

  8. Thou shalt only make things thou really wants to make. Do not feel pressure to add “bonus features” just because you’re charging for subscriptions. If you, as a creator, want to make more stuff, then do it! But if you do so out of obligation to paying subscribers, they can smell your lack of enthusiasm. And it smells bad. 

  9. Honor thy subscribers. Treat them with respect. Be honest with them. Read their replies. Ask their opinions. Correct your mistakes.