Writing online isn't as simple as it seems, as writers on subscription email platforms grapple with complexities beyond the promise of economic prosperity.

In an increasingly integrated digital era, subscription newsletter platforms like Medium and Substack offer an enticing promise: strong economic opportunities for professional writers. Behind this promise of economic prosperity lies a more complex reality faced by writers. This article delves into the real-life stories of professional writers striving to overcome platform limitations, income uncertainty, and fierce competition. We will take you deeper into the world behind the economic promises of subscribers, exploring how writers navigate these challenges in their efforts to succeed in the subscription newsletter world.

It's no secret that when there's a story about paid platforms with good content, people become curious about what's inside. They may not want to register or subscribe; they just want one thing: to access the pro/premium content for free. Platforms like Medium, for example, engage in a cat-and-mouse game with hackers who manage to grant non-registered and non-paying readers access to pro/premium content. This, of course, harms the writers. The same goes for Substack. People often access the free version, hesitating to subscribe until they've had a look around. Readers also struggle to compare the free version with the paid one. It's like picking something from a bag; they don't know if the paid version is truly better than the free one.

Platforms report writing performance through "analytics." How many people read, click counts, which titles are the most popular, long-tail keywords, where readers come from, and more.

The more detailed, the better. Limited analytics hinder development. Analytics serve as "insights" for writers to improve their strategies, maintain quality, and attract readers. Vague analytics that lack details pose a major problem in platforms that pay writers. Obscure analytics don't provide specifics. They only show view counts and do not reveal reader engagement statistics.

There are technical challenges here: privacy and data security.

On one hand, platforms want to protect user (reader) data rigorously. On the other hand, readers have their own security preferences.

The algorithms used by platforms to analyze writing performance can be highly complex. Revealing too many technical details about these algorithms could lead to misuse or manipulation by writers.

Creating highly detailed analytics or openly explaining mechanisms can only be done by giants like Google. And they do it by sacrificing user privacy.

Platforms are reluctant to disclose which ads play a role, in detail. They don't want to be bypassed. This is at the core of their business. Platforms also have competitors. Revealing this to users is akin to exposing their business to competitors.

How do these platforms handle distribution?

Spreading content is crucial. The more strategically it's spread, the more visible it becomes, attracting traffic.

The distribution mechanisms are often kept secret by platforms. They label it "paid traffic."

If writers know these distribution channels, they might be able to boost visibility and appear more frequently in the feeds of other members.

The reasons editors of platforms (whether human or algorithmic) choose a piece to feature on the front page remain a mystery not transparently revealed. There are clues and hints to get a piece on the platform's front page, but there's no certainty about who can be there. Similarly, SEO tutorials and official guidelines on becoming number one can be found everywhere, but the secret formula remains in the hands of the platform. Spoiler: it changes, it's never static.

Digital marketing comes in many forms. Newsletter-based platforms like Substack don't always follow modern customer-centric digital marketing principles. Even email-based marketing doesn't conform to the "funnel" marketing principle.

What is "funneling marketing"?

In the concept of funneling marketing, there are six main stages: 1) Awareness: Potential customers become aware of the product or service. 2) Consideration: Customers consider their options. 3) Intent: Customer interest increases, and they explore further. 4) Purchase: Potential customers become actual customers. 5) Post-Purchase: Good customer service and customer satisfaction. 6) Advocacy: Satisfied customers share their positive experiences. These stages help guide customers from awareness to purchase and advocacy.

In funnel marketing, there are stages where we capture readers, initially with free content, and then they explore the main pillars of our content. They see these pillars and perceive you as an expert who can solve their problems. This is where readers are filtered into customers.

Content that was initially informational becomes transactional. That's the essence of funnel marketing.

The problem arises when you entrust customer-based marketing to the platform where you write.

Your readers buy your product or service. In email subscription-based marketing like Substack and Medium, this approach doesn't work. Your customers are ultimately the people who are on the same platform as you. Substack and Medium are not concerned with the quantity, activity, or purchasing power of their users. That's not your concern.

It often happens: earning 32 million this month, only paid 28 million due to "Terms and Conditions." If you frequently engage in ads, this is common.

Detailed calculations only provide general information about revenue percentages, without specific details. It's like looking at your bank balance without a statement explaining deductions. Policy changes have been explained; we may not have read them carefully.

Spoiler: you can't change the "privacy policy"; you can only complain.

The problem is, you know where your income actually comes from. What comes from customers, what comes from ads, cannot be fully disclosed.

Online writers, if they want to gain recognition and attract customers, need to put in extra effort beyond just writing. We've all seen how a traditional book author talks about their book that's about to be released or has just been published.

Professional writers have an "agency." They write. Just writing. Everything else is done by the agency and publisher. There's an editor, a cover designer, a distributor, a salesperson, a schedule manager, book signings, reader meetings, and more. They sit down and write monographs for their readers.

Amateur writers work differently. They often have to lobby publishers, who are often not professionals. Publishers who have no data on their readers, what they're most interested in, feedback, purchasing power, and, as a result, they work on books with guesswork. It's not uncommon for writers to have a say in cover design. They create marketing campaigns, participate in sales events, and build a fan base. They may even pool resources with the publisher for printing and distribution costs. They also handle sales on their social media profiles.

The problem that arises? Online writers who earn from email subscription systems often find themselves playing the role of an amateur like this. They become editors and content marketers who frequently share links. Their focus on writing and creativity is divided due to additional tasks.

If you want to succeed, you can write high-quality content. Regularly. On a consistent schedule. Engage with readers. Actively promote your content. Share it widely. Deal with the pressure to stay motivated, face criticism, or rejection.

Believe me, writing online is not as easy as people imagine. Planning and executing a long-term writing career can take years.

Intense Competition. Writers must capture readers' attention. Building an audience is the main challenge in their marketing efforts.

• Uncertain Earnings. More precisely, unstable earnings that fluctuate depending on the number of subscribers and cancellations. "Just $5/month, you can cancel anytime."

• Writing depends on loyal readers. Building a loyal reader base is a must. Retaining loyal readers is the key. Readers can easily switch to other writers. These difficulties also apply to attracting new customers. Reputation and reach need to improve continually.

• Lack of income diversification is another problem. Writers' income depends entirely on revenue from subscribing readers. Fluctuations within the platform make it more vulnerable.

• It's very challenging to identify which marketing strategies and tactics are working. Today, your subscribers increase by 100 people. Is it entirely because of your latest engaging content? Not necessarily.

When you write on a platform, you are building a house on someone else's land. It's not yours. It's not your home. [dm]

Day Milovich,,
Webmaster, artworker, writer live in Rembang and Kota Lama Semarang Indonesia.

Writing online isn't as simple as it seems, as writers on subscription email platforms grapple with complexities beyond the promise of economic prosperity.

In an increasingly integrated digital era, subscription newsletter platforms like Medium and Substack offer an enticing promise: strong economic opportunities for professional writers. Behind this promise of economic prosperity lies a more complex reality faced by writers. This article delves into the real-life stories of professional writers striving to overcome platform limitations, income uncertainty, and fierce competition. We will take you deeper into the world behind the economic promises of subscribers, exploring how writers navigate these challenges in their efforts to succeed in the subscription newsletter world.

It's no secret that when there's a story about paid platforms with good content, people become curious about what's inside. They may not want to register or subscribe; they just want one thing: to access the pro/premium content for free. Platforms like Medium, for example, engage in a cat-and-mouse game with hackers who manage to grant non-registered and non-paying readers access to pro/premium content. This, of course, harms the writers. The same goes for Substack. People often access the free version, hesitating to subscribe until they've had a look around. Readers also struggle to compare the free version with the paid one. It's like picking something from a bag; they don't know if the paid version is truly better than the free one.

Platforms report writing performance through "analytics." How many people read, click counts, which titles are the most popular, long-tail keywords, where readers come from, and more.

The more detailed, the better. Limited analytics hinder development. Analytics serve as "insights" for writers to improve their strategies, maintain quality, and attract readers. Vague analytics that lack details pose a major problem in platforms that pay writers. Obscure analytics don't provide specifics. They only show view counts and do not reveal reader engagement statistics.

There are technical challenges here: privacy and data security.

On one hand, platforms want to protect user (reader) data rigorously. On the other hand, readers have their own security preferences.

The algorithms used by platforms to analyze writing performance can be highly complex. Revealing too many technical details about these algorithms could lead to misuse or manipulation by writers.

Creating highly detailed analytics or openly explaining mechanisms can only be done by giants like Google. And they do it by sacrificing user privacy.

Platforms are reluctant to disclose which ads play a role, in detail. They don't want to be bypassed. This is at the core of their business. Platforms also have competitors. Revealing this to users is akin to exposing their business to competitors.

How do these platforms handle distribution?

Spreading content is crucial. The more strategically it's spread, the more visible it becomes, attracting traffic.

The distribution mechanisms are often kept secret by platforms. They label it "paid traffic."

If writers know these distribution channels, they might be able to boost visibility and appear more frequently in the feeds of other members.

The reasons editors of platforms (whether human or algorithmic) choose a piece to feature on the front page remain a mystery not transparently revealed. There are clues and hints to get a piece on the platform's front page, but there's no certainty about who can be there. Similarly, SEO tutorials and official guidelines on becoming number one can be found everywhere, but the secret formula remains in the hands of the platform. Spoiler: it changes, it's never static.

Digital marketing comes in many forms. Newsletter-based platforms like Substack don't always follow modern customer-centric digital marketing principles. Even email-based marketing doesn't conform to the "funnel" marketing principle.

What is "funneling marketing"?

In the concept of funneling marketing, there are six main stages: 1) Awareness: Potential customers become aware of the product or service. 2) Consideration: Customers consider their options. 3) Intent: Customer interest increases, and they explore further. 4) Purchase: Potential customers become actual customers. 5) Post-Purchase: Good customer service and customer satisfaction. 6) Advocacy: Satisfied customers share their positive experiences. These stages help guide customers from awareness to purchase and advocacy.

In funnel marketing, there are stages where we capture readers, initially with free content, and then they explore the main pillars of our content. They see these pillars and perceive you as an expert who can solve their problems. This is where readers are filtered into customers.

Content that was initially informational becomes transactional. That's the essence of funnel marketing.

The problem arises when you entrust customer-based marketing to the platform where you write.

Your readers buy your product or service. In email subscription-based marketing like Substack and Medium, this approach doesn't work. Your customers are ultimately the people who are on the same platform as you. Substack and Medium are not concerned with the quantity, activity, or purchasing power of their users. That's not your concern.

It often happens: earning 32 million this month, only paid 28 million due to "Terms and Conditions." If you frequently engage in ads, this is common.

Detailed calculations only provide general information about revenue percentages, without specific details. It's like looking at your bank balance without a statement explaining deductions. Policy changes have been explained; we may not have read them carefully.

Spoiler: you can't change the "privacy policy"; you can only complain.

The problem is, you know where your income actually comes from. What comes from customers, what comes from ads, cannot be fully disclosed.

Online writers, if they want to gain recognition and attract customers, need to put in extra effort beyond just writing. We've all seen how a traditional book author talks about their book that's about to be released or has just been published.

Professional writers have an "agency." They write. Just writing. Everything else is done by the agency and publisher. There's an editor, a cover designer, a distributor, a salesperson, a schedule manager, book signings, reader meetings, and more. They sit down and write monographs for their readers.

Amateur writers work differently. They often have to lobby publishers, who are often not professionals. Publishers who have no data on their readers, what they're most interested in, feedback, purchasing power, and, as a result, they work on books with guesswork. It's not uncommon for writers to have a say in cover design. They create marketing campaigns, participate in sales events, and build a fan base. They may even pool resources with the publisher for printing and distribution costs. They also handle sales on their social media profiles.

The problem that arises? Online writers who earn from email subscription systems often find themselves playing the role of an amateur like this. They become editors and content marketers who frequently share links. Their focus on writing and creativity is divided due to additional tasks.

If you want to succeed, you can write high-quality content. Regularly. On a consistent schedule. Engage with readers. Actively promote your content. Share it widely. Deal with the pressure to stay motivated, face criticism, or rejection.

Believe me, writing online is not as easy as people imagine. Planning and executing a long-term writing career can take years.

Intense Competition. Writers must capture readers' attention. Building an audience is the main challenge in their marketing efforts.

• Uncertain Earnings. More precisely, unstable earnings that fluctuate depending on the number of subscribers and cancellations. "Just $5/month, you can cancel anytime."

• Writing depends on loyal readers. Building a loyal reader base is a must. Retaining loyal readers is the key. Readers can easily switch to other writers. These difficulties also apply to attracting new customers. Reputation and reach need to improve continually.

• Lack of income diversification is another problem. Writers' income depends entirely on revenue from subscribing readers. Fluctuations within the platform make it more vulnerable.

• It's very challenging to identify which marketing strategies and tactics are working. Today, your subscribers increase by 100 people. Is it entirely because of your latest engaging content? Not necessarily.

When you write on a platform, you are building a house on someone else's land. It's not yours. It's not your home. [dm]

Day Milovich,,
Webmaster, artworker, writer live in Rembang and Kota Lama Semarang Indonesia.