My First 35 Days on Substack

Making Up For the Decline in Earnings on Medium

When I finally got serious about Substack, I made $1,000 in subscription revenue in just over 30 days. The scary thing is that my publication was offered free until I publish 150 stories, a figure I’ll hit sometime in mid-September 2024.

I may be in a unique position because I have over 1,000 stories in my catalog, many of them evergreen. I’ve published a mix of old and new stories, allowing me to be consistent, hopefully without sacrificing quality.

I plan to convert to paid only after I reach 150 stories. I’ve read that you should expect about a ten percent conversion rate from free to paid. I just passed 700 free subscribers, so 70 paid subscribers would be a nice addition to the 25 existing ones.

I’m wrapping up a story for Medium titled “The Pocahontas Exception.” Based on my recent experience, my expectations for Medium are that it won’t get boosted. None of my other stories were Boosed this month despite several editor recommendations. I may get a couple hundred views, almost all from my Medium subscribers, and earnings will range between $5 and $20. The same article on Substack will soon get 350-2000 views. and attract a few subscribers; hopefully, at least one will pay. I’ve found almost all of my subscribers have chosen the annual…