The Walled Gardens of Content

Deciding on a good value when paywalls are involved

Jul 16, 2024

Here are some reasons why I’ll subscribe to a newsletter or publication and pay for it:

I genuinely want to support that person or organization, even if just for a month.
I feel the potential for good value and positive vibes; connection.
I want to get information that I feel is personal and targeted toward my goals.
I believe in a future where AI helps speed up processes (hi taxes, real estate..) but doesn’t replace human artistry, music, voice, etc.

I believe in people getting paid a living wage for their work. However, I am often hesitant to pay for something behind a paywall unless I know it’s worth it. How can I find out if it’s worth it? I pay for it - for a month.

Here’s some math. $5/mo isn’t much. But $5 times 10 is $50, and a year of that is $600.

Those are numbers that approach having multiple subscriptions to large, professional organizations like the New York Times, Economist, Vogue, etc. What makes a smaller publication stand out?

The Good

It’s often easy to forget that a number of successful Substacks started with a nice paycheck. I’m not sure if the Substack fellows program even exists anymore but originally a few writers and authors were given $100k to commit to writing on the platform. That jump-started a professional vibe on this platform that set a bar for what good writing should look like for the people looking to make a living.

I love a writer with a good and unique voice. Humor is next level and much appreciated but I understand, it can be risky to completely be yourself on the internet without fear of …something happening, whatever that may be.

A few times I got a very specific thought in mind that was something along these lines: “here’s a thriving but not-too-big community I feel an affinity for and want to participate in it and meet people”.

Another snap judgement was once or twice where I couldn’t resist an interview with someone successful.

Curation is good, but I can’t feel like you’re trying to sell me things. Well, an occasional thing is ok. 📚 🥧 🎁

The Bad

One time I subscribed and paid for a month’s subscription to a Substack and didn’t get a single email. There was an associated Discord, but it was loud and disorganized. I can go to reddit or find free Discord channels for that level of chaos!

Another time I subscribed to a newsletter I’ll call “list of upcoming events in our city that are free and cool in this scene”. It was frustrating that a couple of the lists had events that had already occurred (or were, for example, happening that night) and had already sold out or run out of space. It made me wonder how much of an insider look I was getting, and decided it wasn’t worth the money to find out about events too late.

Here are the things that make me leave a newsletter:

No emails or very infrequent emails (mental space cleaner kicks in; unsubscribe!)
Emails too frequent and not interesting
A topic or piece that feels like a rant, like the author is just getting something off their chest with no value for me.
Not delivering what was promised

The Very Large Middle

I’ve subscribed and paid for at least 20 publications. Once or twice I subscribed for an entire year, and was initially pleased but then the engagement/writing of the author dried up.

The Unknown

There are many other writers out there trying to make a living from their passion, their writing, and their stories. I would like to discover you. I’m willing to help you! But I need a good incentive to join, and consistency, positive energy, and useful information to stay tuned. If you truly have a good suggestion, I’d love to hear.