Hey there. I need your thoughts and advice. For a decade, I funded my blog, my writing, and my social media work through sponsored posts. But there has always been tension about the sponsored content from readers, and from me as a creator too. The general feedback I’ve received is basically: We know sponsored posts are necessary so you can make a living, but we don’t like them, and we are going to scroll past, no matter who the sponsor is, or what the content is; we’ll try to be good sports about it, but we really don’t like sponsored posts.
Honestly, I get it. I understand. The mix of personal posts and paid-posts (which are also sometimes very personal!) can feel super weird. Plus, working with sponsors means I don’t always get to choose the topics I’m writing about — so some sponsored posts can feel forced. Working with sponsors is also a huge time-consumer above and beyond the content creation — the proposals, the back-and-forth on contracts, the project management, the approvals, the reporting. I’d rather use that time to create more content and connect with readers.
So 18 months ago, when we moved back to France, I stopped saying yes to sponsored posts. And since then I’ve been looking into other options for monetizing my work, but wasn’t having any luck finding an option that makes sense for me. Then, a few months ago, the people at Substack reached out and I think their platform might be the answer.
Substack is basically newsletter software where writers/creators can offer a combination of free subscriptions, and paid subscriptions that come with perks. Sort of like when you download a free app, but then you can pay if you want to unlock all the app-upgrades. Different writers/creators use Substack in different ways, but the general format is to offer a free newsletter that’s available to everyone, and then, if people want to pay $5/month (or $50/year), they will have access to additional subscriber-only content. The paid content can take various forms — as I’ve explored Substack, I’ve seen subscriber-only discussion posts, recipes, ebooks, live Q&As, podcasts, videocasts, essays, etc. It really depends on the writer/creator and how their subscribers want to connect.
After months of research, I’m hopeful this will be a good fit for monetizing my work. My plan is to write a weekly newsletter that is free for everyone. The newsletter will have a little bit of the feel of my Friday link-list posts, and a little bit of the feel from my Random Thoughts posts, and a little bit of the feel from my Twitter rants. I’ll write about a topic on my mind, and also include other links to explore with notes on why I’m recommending them. I want it to be a thoughtful and interesting place where we can be curious about everything. Again, this will be a free newsletter.
For those who would like more connection, interaction and content from me, I’m offering a paid subscription too. From what I can tell (via emails and messages) the main things people want from me are design advice, parenting advice, moving abroad advice, and they want to talk with me about current events and religion. So for paid subscribers, I’ll be hosting subscriber-only live Q&As, and discussion posts, where the community can choose the topics. If that seems to be going well, we’ll stick with it. Or, if paid subscribers are interested in something different (like maybe a subscribers-only podcast?), I can update the paid-subscriber perks as we go.
Oh my I want to make this so good!! I want people to find the paid-subscription valuable and worthwhile. And I want to be especially flexible as I start out, so I can adapt and respond to what people are looking for.
Anyway, THIS IS HAPPENING. I actually sent out the first newsletter on Tuesday. I wrote an essay about Woody Allen and how his custody battle brought the idea of parental alienation into the courts (which has since ruined thousands of lives — not exaggerating). Did you receive the newsletter? If you didn’t receive it and you’d like read it, no worries. I’ll link to it below.
My newsletter situation is a little bit odd because I have had a “subscribe to my newsletter” box here on the blog for a decade or so. And every single day there are new subscriptions, but I haven’t actually sent out a newsletter in years and years. (I know. I know. That’s not good.) There were a couple of months back in the day when I sent out newsletters, but the timing wasn’t right and I ended up stopping. What this means is that I have a long list of email addresses from people who have subscribed to my newsletter, but I’ve never sent them a newsletter. Until this week! I’m sure there were some people who were surprised to hear from me. : )
Here’s how the Design Mom Newsletter is going to work:
-If you previously signed up for my newsletter (anytime in the last decade), you’ve already received the first one. If you think you’re subscribed but didn’t get it, you can check your spam box — it was sent on Tuesday, March 16th from Gabrielle Blair.
-If you didn’t get the first newsletter, but want to get the next one, you can sign up for the Free Newsletter here.
-If you’re interested in the paid-subscriber option, here are the details:
For $5/month (or $50 for the year), the paid subscription will include extras beyond the newsletter like subscriber-only discussions, and live interactive Q&A sessions, on topics like design and religion and life in France and parenting. When I have something new to share, paid subscribers will get the news first — early access to new projects, and sneak peeks of upcoming work. You can sign up for the Paid Subscription here.
-If you missed the first newsletter — the one about Woody Allen — and want to read it, you can find it on my Substack archive page. It’s free to read! And there are already some really interesting comments happening. I also put some of my earlier writings (oldies but goodies!) on the Substack page, so my first newsletter wouldn’t be lonely.
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Now, back to that advice from you. What are your thoughts on this type of thing? Are you already familiar with stuff like this? Maybe you support a few Patreon accounts? Or you already know about Substack? If you were thinking about signing up for a paid subscription, what kind of perks/extras are most appealing to you? Do you have any questions beyond the Newsletter About Page? I’m also curious to know, for those who have been reading here for years, have you noticed the absence of sponsored posts here on blog, or on social media?
I’ll admit, I’m very nervous about this new idea. I’m not really nervous about the free newsletter — I think it will be good and I like the first one I wrote. But I am nervous about the paid option. Maybe it’s not what people want? Will I need to abandon this after a short while because it doesn’t get enough interest? Will it be a failure and an embarrassment? On the other hand, what if it’s great?
If you were me, how do you think you would monetize my mix of work (which includes: personal writing and updates, Twitter threads, weekly link lists, discussions about current events and parenting, renovation and design, Instagram posts and Stories, travel posts, etc.)? Do you think this Substack idea is a mistake? Do you think I’m charging too much or too little? Let me know.
P.S. — For those who are curious about Substack monetization, here are all the details:
-Writers/Creators can set their price. They could pick $10/month, or $17/month, or whatever they want. The lowest price they can set is $5/month (which is what I’m choosing).
-The reason Substack set a $5 minimum, is that Substack takes 10%, and Stripe (the company that processes the credit card payments) takes a percentage as well (I can’t remember how much). Beyond this, writers/creators are also responsible for self-employment taxes on this revenue, which is approximately 30%. Because of this, Substack found $5/month was the minimum to make it still worthwhile to their writers/creators.
-Within Substack, the writers/creators can set 4 different price levels:
1. Free Subscription — Writers/Creators get to decide what they want to offer at this level. It’s most often a newsletter, but it could be also be an e-book, or a list of product recommendations, a podcast, etc.. Substack software can create newsletters, “blog” posts, and podcasts. In my case, for Free Subscribers, I’m offering a weekly newsletter.
2. Paid Subscription per Month — Again, writers/creators get to decide what they want to offer at this level. It can be anything beyond the Free Subscription offering. My rate for this level is $5/month.
3. Paid Subscription per Year — This level offers the exact same perks as the previous level, but at a discount. I’m doing $50/year ($5/month adds up to $60/year, so the rate I set is a $10 discount for committing to a whole year up front).
4. Founding Member — Writers/Creators can make this option be whatever they like. In my case, I’m not offering additional perks at this level, it’s just for people who really enjoy reading Design Mom and want to support my work beyond $50. (I have a $75 prompt listed for this level, but subscribers can choose any amount above $50.) But a writer/creator could also make this a really special or unusual perk, like one big sum for a personal zoom call or consultation.
If you have ideas about what you think I should offer at these levels, feel free to let me know. They’re set for now, but they are easy to change if I want to update them.
After reading most of the comments, I keep asking this one question to myself:
What are the advantages for you to use Substack vs a donate button?
Is it that you feel good about a new project or,
that the Substack platform and visibily are worth it for their simplicity or,
maybe as a blogger, following Substack/Patreon’s is part of the evolution?
Maybe Substack inspire you and this is a good thing. I trust that whatever you choose or simply try will be a good evolution.
it reached me when you said: “Maybe because I’m not actually much of a shopper, I tend to feel cringe-y creating shopping posts. They’ve never been a natural fit for me, and when I’ve made them in the past, they don’t generate enough to make it worth my while.”
(I am curious about how your old time followers have started to be fan of DesignMom. For me, it’s since I stumbled upon the potato print clothing article in 2009.
Hi Julie, regarding your question about Substack vs. a Donate Button, I have two thoughts:
1) I much prefer the Substack model to a Donate Button. A donate button can really put some people off. And I get it, it doesn’t feel right to me as the writer/creator either. A donate button feels like something you do for a Go Fund Me for a medical emergency; it does not feel like a good way to make a living.
And I don’t want people to donate to me. If they read my work and appreciate it, I’m asking them to pay for the work they appreciate. A donation feels like a gift, which is nice, but I don’t want a gift. I want to exchange my work for money. I want a job. I want to sell what I write. So for me, it’s like saying: Hey, I’ve been writing a virtual book of essays and commentary and projects for a decade. If you’ve been reading the essays or trying the projects, perhaps you would consider paying for the virtual book.
I know there’s technically no difference between someone sending money through a Donation Button, and someone sending money through a Substack subscription — in both cases it’s money moving from one account to another. But it definitely feels different to me. I can’t see myself ever putting up a Donate Button. Maybe I’ll be convinced otherwise, but I doubt it.
To be clear, if someone wants to choose a paid subscription to support my work, but isn’t actually interested in the perks, that’s totally fine with me. In that case it really would be a donation from their standpoint, which is fine. Of course there are others who want the perks. I’m sure when the NPR membership drive comes around, some people just send money, while others listen until there’s a perk they’re very interested in. So for those people who want a perk, the Substack model allows me to offer them something, while keeping the rest of the content free.
2) Using Substack makes things easier for me from a platform/backend perspective. They handle the financial transaction set up and communication. They offer technical support. They offer a free and paid option for readers, and it’s really easy for the writer/creator to choose which pieces of content are free, and which are paid, and to turn that access off or on at will. And I like the simplicity of their software — their newsletter option is very easy to use (I’ve tried several different email platforms, so I have strong opinions), and they even have a built-in podcasting option that I’d like to try.
Thank you for sticking with me since 2009!
Hi Gabby,
I check out Designmom every Friday, either as my end of the week “me time” or at work on my lunch. I sometimes scroll through all of the posts for the week, and sometimes I don’t. When you have written about a compelling issue, I often read ALL of the comments- the community here is full of intelligent and thoughtful women.
I have never had a paid email subscription, but I will think about it now. Previously, I just scrolled past many #ads – they just weren’t the kind of things I wanted to buy,
All the best and good luck with this new idea!
I just subscribed for the year and thought ‘what a deal’. I’ve been reading your content for over 12 years now; $75 feels like a drop in the bucket for all the content I’ve devoured for over a decade.
As I look around at all the incredible WOMEN that inspire me and form my community, all I see is generosity. I encourage you to monetize in any way that supports your time and efforts put into this wonderful community. Your voice gives hope and inspires!
I haven’t read all the above comments, but I’m weighing in. I personally don’t like the paid content idea, and don’t love sponsored posts unless they are a natural fit in alignment with your brand. But I want you to be paid for your work. Frankly I’m shocked you’re still doing the content creation and that you haven’t been swooped up by an online publisher or Oprah’s OWN to have your own talk show, a book series or some sort of bigger online presence (unless that’s not your plan and you like things the way they are – size wise). You are a change maker and I feel like this paid option really isn’t the best fit for your audience or your brand, but may be a good step in the direction you are headed. Good luck, hoping you find what works best for you – I appreciate and value what you bring to the world.
I first came across your blog when pregnant with my now almost nine year old and did a search for “decorating for living with kids”. It was the design advice that drew me in, but the stories of motherhood and sense of community that kept me coming back. I’ve perceived a gradual shift over the years to what seemed to me less personal content, but always felt grateful DesignMom was still here when so many other bloggers called it a day. I’m sorry to see the old business model has broken down for another favourite place on the Internet. Thank you so much for all you’ve shared over the years, and wishing you the very best of success on the new path.
I love your blog (have read it for many years). I don’t mind the sponsored content at all – I understand that you need to be able to earn a living from your blog and that you think carefully about what you sponsor. I do read them too! I have thought about subscribing to another blog who is shifting to sub stack but haven’t yet. I would love to read your newsletter and will consider subscribing but have to say that I like the flexibility of being able to read your blog at any time. There is so much on all of our schedules (work, kids, life) that having something fun to read at anytime is lovely. I don’t know that I would be able to attend Q and A or other things that would require a certain time set aside for it. Now it is more of a fun escape. Either way I’ll keep reading your blog and following your wonderful creative adventures!
Like so many others, I am a longtime reader of the blog. I can’t remember how I got here, but it was around the time that you were on House Hunters International. I’ve enjoyed the many swoops and turns that your life, and thus content, have taken. It has always felt genuine to me, and I want you to monetize that and continue to have the freedom to always be honest in your content creation.
Like so many others, I have too much email and often delete emails before reading them, even if it’s for content I am subscribed to and authors I adore.
Like so many others, I don’t want to have yet another subscription to mange. I already have years worth of unread posts on Patreon, and podcasts, and YouTube videos. I continue to pay these creators but I feel guilty that they are working so hard on creating extra content that I ignore.
My wallet can afford more donations, but I don’t want to put my credit card details into yet another site, where I will likely ignore the “perks” of my subscription (I support most makers via Patreon and don’t want a Substack account).
I don’t know the hearts and minds of others, but I will tell you that I disagree with most of your political opinions (and that’s okay!). I don’t go off in a huff because I feel that you offer an interesting perspective on complicated issues, and I always learn some nuance when I dig into what you write or share. But I cannot quite get over the hump of giving money to somebody who stands so solidly on the other side of the barricade from me. And while I think that you and I and many of your readers could all get together and have civil discussions, that is not the case for most of America today. I do feel that the days of voting differently and still getting along are not possible in this political climate, so it does feel like a barricade between us. Perhaps my view will change in 2024? Until then, I will read your free content and continue to be grateful for our differing views.
I’m not sure what to make of your comment, JJ. If I understand correctly, you’re saying you’ve read this blog for a longtime (and indeed there are comments from you as early as 2013 — about a year after the House Hunters episode). You mention you “always learn some nuance” from my work and because of this you find it valuable. You’re also saying you can afford to support my work, but choose not to because we disagree politically. But you want to keep reading my work, because you benefit by reading it — you just don’t want to pay for it. How did you put it? “But I cannot quite get over the hump of giving money to somebody who stands so solidly on the other side of the barricade from me.”
If I understand all of that correctly, maybe it would be best for you to stop reading here. I’m not sure what you thought you were communicating, but I found your comment to be very rude.
I’m trying to imagine you saying something like this in any other context. Like: Hey Neighborhood Grocery Store, I really like your free samples, and thanks to you I always find new food products to try. I find the services you provide really valuable, but I’m never going to shop at your store because I don’t agree with the religion of the owner; so I’m going to go some place else to actually buy my groceries. But I’ll keep coming back to you for the free samples so I can get new ideas for products to try.
Can you see how rude that is? I don’t owe you free content, and I experience no benefit from you reading here.
Perhaps I misunderstood what you are trying to say?
Several years ago, I became acquainted with your writing on Twitter and enjoyed reading your threads so much that I started following you on Instagram. Today, I signed up for your newsletter and gladly paid for a year’s subscription. I appreciate and value your work product and you deserve to be paid for your time and effort.