How I Built a Profitable Substack (Without Locking Anything Behind a Paywall)
—and why you don’t need thousands of subscribers to make it work
When I first joined Substack, everyone and their cat was screaming “Go paid!”
You know the drill:
Gate your content, charge $5/month, get 200 subscribers, boom — $1,000/month.
But something about that didn’t sit right with me.
I didn’t want to lock my content. I wanted reach. I wanted connection. I wanted people to actually read my stuff — not bounce off a paywall.
And I figured… what if there was another way?
Turns out, there was.
And in less than a year, one of my free Substack posts led to over $30,000 in revenue. 😲
No subscription button. No sales pitch. Just content that hit the right nerve.
Let me walk you through how I did it — and how you can too.
Here’s what I’ll break down:
- 🧠 Why I ditched paid subscriptions (and what I did instead)
- 📥 The power of one simple email
- 💸 How I turned free posts into real clients (and real money)
- ✍️ What I learned from writing consistently
- 📚 How I repurposed content into books, products, and affiliate income
- 📰 Why Medium became an unexpected cash machine
- 🧩 The mindset shift that changed everything
Ready? Let’s dive in.
1. Why I Said No to Paid Subscriptions (For Now)
Substack makes it super tempting to go paid. There’s that shiny orange badge. The monthly revenue stats. The promise of passive income.
But for me, paywalling felt like putting up a velvet rope when I hadn’t even built the dance floor yet.
I realized: the audience I wanted wouldn’t grow if I kept the best stuff hidden.
So I made a call — keep everything free and explore other ways to monetize.
Scary? A bit.
Smart? In hindsight… absolutely.
2. It All Started With One Email
In March 2024, I wrote a simple post:
“I’m open for work.” ✍️
That’s it.
One reader reached out. We didn’t even end up working together, but that email? It cracked everything open.
Through that connection, I got affiliate opportunities, got featured in a course, and started getting real traction — all without charging readers a dime.
Proof that you never know which post will change the game.
3. The $30,000 Post (And No, It Wasn’t Salesy)
Fast-forward a month. I wrote a piece that wasn’t promotional at all. It just resonated — big time.
Someone read it, binged the rest of my content, and referred me to two clients.
Both hired me.
Both turned into retainers.
Suddenly I was making way more than the equivalent of 200 Substack subscribers — and my content was still 100% free.
Lesson: Your posts aren’t just “content.” They’re mini salespeople.
They work in the background while you sleep.
4. Writing Consistently = Data Goldmine
Let’s be real — the first 6 months? I was all over the place.
I wrote about:
- Facebook ads
- ADHD
- Life lessons
- Digital nomad stuff
- Content burnout
Total chaos… but necessary chaos.
Because each post gave me data: What people liked, what they shared, what they commented on.
Those signals helped me refine my focus — not by guessing, but by watching.
Over time, I started leaning into what resonated. I niched down without forcing it.
That’s when things started snowballing.
5. From Posts to Products
Here’s where things get fun. Once I noticed what my audience was really into, I took the next step:
- Turned my best posts into books (2 published, 1 on the way)
- Turned comment section questions into lead magnets
- Turned DM convos into digital products (4 and counting)
No guesswork. No hoping.
Just listening — and building based on that.
Sounds doable, right?
6. The Affiliate Surprise 💰
I used to think affiliate income was for influencers with 50k followers and Amazon storefronts.
Nope.
It turns out, just recommending tools or programs you genuinely use — especially in a tight niche — can bring in steady cash.
One day I got $300 wired to my account for referring someone to a friend’s program.
Totally organic. No hard sell.
Affiliate revenue is now one of my favorite income streams.
Effortless. Aligned. And very real.
7. Enter Medium: My “Secret” Distribution Channel
Here’s the kicker: I didn’t even plan to be on Medium.
A friend suggested I repurpose my Substack content there.
I figured… why not?
So every Friday, I took a post from Substack and published it to Medium publications (yes, the good ones).
A few of those got picked up — and suddenly, I started seeing commissions.
Same content. New audience. Extra income.
Repurposing is so underrated.
8. Monetizing Differently (and Proud of It)
Today, I’m supporting my family through my writing — without charging readers a cent.
My wife even got to quit her job and go back to school. That alone made all of this worth it. ❤️
But here’s the truth:
This didn’t happen overnight.
The first 6 months? I had 31 subscribers.
Now? Over 3,000.
Radical Incrementalism — that’s the term Oliver Burkeman uses. Small steps. Compounding results.
If I had tried to monetize too early, I would’ve killed my momentum.
Instead, I built slowly. Authentically.
And now?
My free content generates leads, clients, affiliate income, and digital product sales — all while keeping my writing open to the world.
Conclusion: You Don’t Have to Follow the Crowd
Substack is a tool — not a mold. You don’t have to fit into someone else’s strategy.
Maybe paid subscriptions are your jam.
Maybe they’re not. Both are valid.
But if you’re like me and the idea of a paywall makes you cringe — know that there’s another path.
Write. Connect. Share.
Then listen to what your audience tells you.
Monetization will follow.
So — what’s your Substack story going to be?
Let me know in the comments, or shoot me a message. I read every one. 👇
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