I agree Ragged. I don’t want to paywall any of my stuff. I want the widest readership possible. But I also put a lot of work into my posts, so it’s great that so many readers have taken a paid subscription. I’m very grateful for their support.But not everyone can or wants to take a paid subscription .
I find it a bit annoying when I read a post and hit a paywall half way. I don’t tend to read ‘previews’ because of that. I do pay for subs but they soon add up.
The Buy Me a Coffee works well. And again it gives me a real boost when a post leads to lots of ‘coffees’. But a Substack own tip jar would be great, integrated and a simple ‘one button’ stop.
In real life it’s all going the wrong way. Me and a mate got a coffee in town yesterday. The card machine had a ‘tip’ button when it came to tap my card. No thanks. You just charged me nearly £4 for a coffee!
What a great post. First, I hate the American tipping culture. In some hotels they give you a card saying how much you have to tip each person per day (half of whom you’ll never come across – the person who stacked the dishwasher after your meal?) - I just wish they would include it in my bill or pay people properly. I love that there's no concept of tipping in Japan (although it's creeping in to the big cities). In Britain I like the concept of "buying one on" or "having one for yourself" in your local so the bartender can have a drink on you after hours. But in restaurants and the like then we're going the American way.
But, back to the point. YES – add tipping to Substack. It’s an excellent idea. And make it easy to do it with Paypal, etc. You have my vote!
You forgot to mention that Americans are racist when they tip and there’s no reason at all to think that Brits and Canadians aren’t equally so. And there’s no reason to think YOU and ME aren’t exactly the same.
Identical service according to the recipient of that service? Higher tips go to the whites. This holds true even when the customer is black.
Not sure what the protocol is when I saw your stack first, but I’ll comment again here. Hope that’s not incorrect.
You wouldn’t… as long as they kept their ethnicity a secret and didn’t write on subjects or from perspectives that implied to the reader that they’re non-white.
So black writers could avoid discrimination by “passing” as white.
Not better. (as The Lonely Island put it).
Tipping, (aside from being a crappy move by employers to weasel out of their responsibility for paying their employees), is objectively bad for society for the racism reason alone even if we ignore everything else.
I would be curious to know how many paywalled writers see subscriptions ebb and flow, as people subscribe to finish a particular article and unsubscribe two weeks later when content doesn’t deliver?
I completely agree, and I suspect it would be a good move for Substack, that probably needs some more revenue streams (without advertising). If Substack could just let me tip writers $2 here and $5 there with a single click of a button, and then bill me monthly or deduct it from a balance I hold with them, I wouldn't mind if Substack took a bit off the top.
Another option I like, is a tier between free and personal subscription, more similar to Medium's model. I would gladly pay $10/month, and let Substack take a cut and divvy up the rest between all writers I have engaged with that month. I'd pay even if I didn't get anything more than the people who don't pay. I just want to support and incentivize good writing from people who I don't know, and who I can't defend paying on a monthly basis. And, I want to see a more realistic path to monetizing my own writing without having thousands of followers.
There are innumerable ways that could work, and it doesn't have to compete with the direct subscriber model. Anyone can still make posts only available to their own paying, personal subscribers.
Substack could definitely collect up all my $5 tips and bill me at the end of the month. It would save a bunch in commission to Stripe.
I expect there is a big gap between the Big Writers who get subscriptions and little writers who might get an occasional cup of coffee. The tips would hardly eat into the subscriptions at all.
It's tough to subscribe here because as you point out it really ads up. For reference I pay $10 a month for NY Times and read a few articles every day. Wired magazine costs me $5 for an initial year and then $35 to renew. I think if it was $10 or $20 for substack and it was disperesd amoungst the articles I read, aybe even a ranking if I want one to get more than the average that would work better.
I see a similar problem in podcasts. I listen to several a day so if they all wanted a subscription fee it would just become too much so for the time being they have started working in more ads to ake them profitable. Not ideal but they should be paid for good work.
Agreed but I think it's a model for the cost for reading a post. I don't know exact numbers but youtube creaters get paid for us watching ads but it's very littl end requires a large following to add up to a salary. I haven't switched yet but if I subscribe to youtube I don't see the ads but my subscription fee gets distributed to the creaters of the videos I watch.
I might be a jerk but $5 or $10 per month per subscription would be just too much and I'd have to stay off it.
I also agree, Ragged Clown. I think tipping would be a good idea for Substack. I would say the vast majority of those of us who write on Substack are not making big bucks, we write because our heart and soul need to write and actually have something to say that could be of value to someone else. I do not put pressure on my readers to pay, I only and politely say "consider becoming a paid subscriber for $1.25 a week, $5.00 a month." I also use Ko-Fi , which is similar to BMAC and that can also help. The creative spirit is a narrow ledge and one difficult to keep on without falling into despair on a regular basis. Writing is primal stuff.. and not remotely easy, if you care about your words and hope to make some positive difference in the lives of those who might take the time to read what you say. People are overwhelmed with demands on their time, I do not want to add to that. I will accept "something is better than nothing." I think the folks who run Substack are doing a great job, with the myriad of details and infrastructure to keep afloat. Wendy
I agree! I don’t want to paywall my content-I find it quite annoying to come up against that roadblock when reading other posts
The Idea of a Simple tipping option would be great!
-I can’t afford to subscribe to the Substacks I love, but I would gladly tip for a great article. For now, I at least try to comment, restack and do what I can to bring more readers to the writers I love, with the hopes that they will gain paid subscribers.
Great post! I agree with the faff of the buy coffee thing. Tipping would be so much easier. But what about the pledges? Or are those regular payments? If they were one-offs it would be better. I’ve been thinking about the paid option idea and I’ve come to the same conclusion as you - it would feel like pressure to perform. Whereas without that, you’re free(er).
I hate tipping as much as you do when it comes to paid services in the real world. If they charge you, they should charge you what they think the service is worth.
It's different on Substack. There is no obligation or exhortation to tip like there is in an American restaurant. Click the like button or don't. Buy me a coffee or don't. You'll make me feel good if you do. No one will know if you don't.
I think tipping in a restaurant and tipping on Substack have very little in common. It's more like giving money to a busker in the street. Call it a donation if it makes you feel better.
I agree Ragged. I don’t want to paywall any of my stuff. I want the widest readership possible. But I also put a lot of work into my posts, so it’s great that so many readers have taken a paid subscription. I’m very grateful for their support.But not everyone can or wants to take a paid subscription .
I find it a bit annoying when I read a post and hit a paywall half way. I don’t tend to read ‘previews’ because of that. I do pay for subs but they soon add up.
The Buy Me a Coffee works well. And again it gives me a real boost when a post leads to lots of ‘coffees’. But a Substack own tip jar would be great, integrated and a simple ‘one button’ stop.
In real life it’s all going the wrong way. Me and a mate got a coffee in town yesterday. The card machine had a ‘tip’ button when it came to tap my card. No thanks. You just charged me nearly £4 for a coffee!
What a great post. First, I hate the American tipping culture. In some hotels they give you a card saying how much you have to tip each person per day (half of whom you’ll never come across – the person who stacked the dishwasher after your meal?) - I just wish they would include it in my bill or pay people properly. I love that there's no concept of tipping in Japan (although it's creeping in to the big cities). In Britain I like the concept of "buying one on" or "having one for yourself" in your local so the bartender can have a drink on you after hours. But in restaurants and the like then we're going the American way.
But, back to the point. YES – add tipping to Substack. It’s an excellent idea. And make it easy to do it with Paypal, etc. You have my vote!
JustInTime
Excellent! I was saving a comment about Japan for the first person to say that we need tipping to encourage good service 😉
I’d invoice those card-giving hotels for payroll services.
You forgot to mention that Americans are racist when they tip and there’s no reason at all to think that Brits and Canadians aren’t equally so. And there’s no reason to think YOU and ME aren’t exactly the same.
Identical service according to the recipient of that service? Higher tips go to the whites. This holds true even when the customer is black.
Tipping is a loathsome relic.
How do you know what colour the writer is?
Not sure what the protocol is when I saw your stack first, but I’ll comment again here. Hope that’s not incorrect.
You wouldn’t… as long as they kept their ethnicity a secret and didn’t write on subjects or from perspectives that implied to the reader that they’re non-white.
So black writers could avoid discrimination by “passing” as white.
Not better. (as The Lonely Island put it).
Tipping, (aside from being a crappy move by employers to weasel out of their responsibility for paying their employees), is objectively bad for society for the racism reason alone even if we ignore everything else.
That's fine either way. We often get our wires crossed like this. I replied in the other thread.
I would be curious to know how many paywalled writers see subscriptions ebb and flow, as people subscribe to finish a particular article and unsubscribe two weeks later when content doesn’t deliver?
I completely agree, and I suspect it would be a good move for Substack, that probably needs some more revenue streams (without advertising). If Substack could just let me tip writers $2 here and $5 there with a single click of a button, and then bill me monthly or deduct it from a balance I hold with them, I wouldn't mind if Substack took a bit off the top.
Another option I like, is a tier between free and personal subscription, more similar to Medium's model. I would gladly pay $10/month, and let Substack take a cut and divvy up the rest between all writers I have engaged with that month. I'd pay even if I didn't get anything more than the people who don't pay. I just want to support and incentivize good writing from people who I don't know, and who I can't defend paying on a monthly basis. And, I want to see a more realistic path to monetizing my own writing without having thousands of followers.
There are innumerable ways that could work, and it doesn't have to compete with the direct subscriber model. Anyone can still make posts only available to their own paying, personal subscribers.
Substack could definitely collect up all my $5 tips and bill me at the end of the month. It would save a bunch in commission to Stripe.
I expect there is a big gap between the Big Writers who get subscriptions and little writers who might get an occasional cup of coffee. The tips would hardly eat into the subscriptions at all.
Agreed, I'm a bit like yourself, I don't want to create a massive subscriber base to then be compelled to write articles day in and day out.
It's tough to subscribe here because as you point out it really ads up. For reference I pay $10 a month for NY Times and read a few articles every day. Wired magazine costs me $5 for an initial year and then $35 to renew. I think if it was $10 or $20 for substack and it was disperesd amoungst the articles I read, aybe even a ranking if I want one to get more than the average that would work better.
I see a similar problem in podcasts. I listen to several a day so if they all wanted a subscription fee it would just become too much so for the time being they have started working in more ads to ake them profitable. Not ideal but they should be paid for good work.
It would be a real shame if Substack started taking ads. I think it’s all downhill after that.
Agreed but I think it's a model for the cost for reading a post. I don't know exact numbers but youtube creaters get paid for us watching ads but it's very littl end requires a large following to add up to a salary. I haven't switched yet but if I subscribe to youtube I don't see the ads but my subscription fee gets distributed to the creaters of the videos I watch.
I might be a jerk but $5 or $10 per month per subscription would be just too much and I'd have to stay off it.
I also agree, Ragged Clown. I think tipping would be a good idea for Substack. I would say the vast majority of those of us who write on Substack are not making big bucks, we write because our heart and soul need to write and actually have something to say that could be of value to someone else. I do not put pressure on my readers to pay, I only and politely say "consider becoming a paid subscriber for $1.25 a week, $5.00 a month." I also use Ko-Fi , which is similar to BMAC and that can also help. The creative spirit is a narrow ledge and one difficult to keep on without falling into despair on a regular basis. Writing is primal stuff.. and not remotely easy, if you care about your words and hope to make some positive difference in the lives of those who might take the time to read what you say. People are overwhelmed with demands on their time, I do not want to add to that. I will accept "something is better than nothing." I think the folks who run Substack are doing a great job, with the myriad of details and infrastructure to keep afloat. Wendy
I agree! I don’t want to paywall my content-I find it quite annoying to come up against that roadblock when reading other posts
The Idea of a Simple tipping option would be great!
-I can’t afford to subscribe to the Substacks I love, but I would gladly tip for a great article. For now, I at least try to comment, restack and do what I can to bring more readers to the writers I love, with the hopes that they will gain paid subscribers.
Great post! I agree with the faff of the buy coffee thing. Tipping would be so much easier. But what about the pledges? Or are those regular payments? If they were one-offs it would be better. I’ve been thinking about the paid option idea and I’ve come to the same conclusion as you - it would feel like pressure to perform. Whereas without that, you’re free(er).
Right. The pressure to perform would be just too much. I would feel guilty if I took a few weeks off and I’m still receiving the subscriptions.
Yes and I’d probably start taking it very personally once the unsubscribes started!
DO NOT expand tipping culture.
Charge for your product or don’t. And Substack is finish to show only subscriptions not that’s a different issue.
Tipping sucks in all its forms….
And fun fact. It pays white people more for identical service.
DO NOT expand tipping culture.
I hate tipping as much as you do when it comes to paid services in the real world. If they charge you, they should charge you what they think the service is worth.
It's different on Substack. There is no obligation or exhortation to tip like there is in an American restaurant. Click the like button or don't. Buy me a coffee or don't. You'll make me feel good if you do. No one will know if you don't.
There was no obligation to tip at all kinds of places until that was normalized.
And there are tons of places where people won’t know including at restaurants when you pay and leave.
That doesn’t fix any of the problems with it. It’s a loathsome bit of western Anglo culture that should be killed, not expanded.
I think tipping in a restaurant and tipping on Substack have very little in common. It's more like giving money to a busker in the street. Call it a donation if it makes you feel better.
And it was fine to buy a drink for a teenager back then!