Why your newsletter is worth more than your pricing

On setting a price that supports your long game.

Running a paid newsletter can become a strange psychological game. When you first set a price, you’re trying to balance the confidence in your work and the self-doubt that inevitably comes with it.

You want people to sign up. But you also want to seem fair. And deep down, you probably don’t want to scare anyone off. The temptation to charge a low fee can often feel like the only sensible move.

But cheap pricing is a trap for smaller creators. It might bring a few early sign-ups. It might feel nice to see those numbers tick up. Yet, after a while, the maths and the mindset can wear you down.

The comfort of low pricing

When you’re setting up your paid newsletter, putting a price on your work can feel awkward. We’re used to writing, perhaps, but not selling. We’re not Netflix, after all. We don’t have fancy graphics or a huge marketing team. You might just tell yourself to keep it affordable, and that’ll encourage growth.

You’re not Netflix, and you don’t have a big team or fancy graphics. So you might tell yourself, “I’ll keep it affordable to encourage growth.” It sounds generous. It sounds strategic.

You might get a few more paid subscribers than if your work was valued more. But in reality, the people who genuinely value your work are usually happy to pay more.

The weight of too many small subscriptions

Here’s a problem most creators don’t see coming: five-dollar subscribers can be more demanding than ten-dollar ones. When revenue depends on volume, every unsubscribe hits harder.

You start checking metrics more often. You second-guess content choices. You write to please the many rather than the ones who really appreciate you.

The pressure grows because you’ve essentially created a treadmill for yourself, and you will need constant growth to make it worthwhile. The chase for more subscribers becomes its own full-time job, and your relationship with the writing starts to feel transactional (I know, because I’ve been there).