Letters by Burk #145: Paid Subs Are Not the Way to Go

Also, redirection, Gmail, facts about digital marketing, and more

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Hi friends,

Substack is my favorite place online right now. I enjoy my weekly newsletter. I love Notes.

But I won’t be going all in on Substack just yet.

Because I have increased my WordPress blog stats (visitors, clicks) a lot recently which has then increased my ad revenue, as well as sponsorships and other income opportunities.

And I have done this with the help of Substack.

How?

Redirection.

By now, my newsletter has 2200+ subscribers with a good amount of engagement and reads. Also, quite some traffic from Google and other places.

That’s great.

And I’ve redirected much of this free traffic to my blog and other places like Medium or Vocal where I do make money from the reads.

You can read more about that in today’s main story below.

First, let’s get our quote of the week out of the way:

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#1 Main Story:

Why You Shouldn’t Focus On Paid Subscribers On Substack (Mostly)

Yes, paid subscribers are great.

For multiple reasons:

• They pay for your writing

• It feels good to have direct compensation and reassurance

• It’s a direct way to get paid within Substack

So, paid subs are the holy grail for many Substack writers.

But here’s the thing – they’re not the only path to success on this platform.

In fact, some savvy creators aren’t even trying to get paid subscribers (at all).

They’re making money in other ways, and honestly? That’s pretty smart.

Why Paid Subscribers Shouldn’t Be Your Only Goal

I get it. The idea of a steady stream of income from loyal readers is appealing, to say the least.

But let’s break down why putting all your eggs in the paid subscriber basket might not be the best move:

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#2 Off Topic:

Why You Should Ditch Gmail 2025 (And What to Use Instead)

You open your inbox and it’s a freaking war zone.

• Spam emails.

• Sketchy “You’ve won!” messages.

• Newsletters you don’t remember signing up for.

• And let’s not forget those lovely “We’ve updated our privacy policy” emails that nobody reads.

If you’re nodding along, thinking “Yep, that’s my life,” then we need to talk about our email habits, specifically why you’re still clinging to Gmail.

The Gmail Trap

I get it. Gmail is everywhere. It’s easy. It’s… Google. What could go wrong?

A lot, actually.

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#3 Fun Facts

Here are 10 fun facts about digital marketing:

1. The first banner ad appeared in 1994 on HotWired.com, achieving a 44% click-through rate.

2. Email marketing has an average return on investment of $42 for every $1 spent.

3. Over 500 million people use Instagram Stories daily, making it a prime platform for digital marketers.

4. The term "viral marketing" was coined in 1996 by venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson.

5. Google processes over 3.5 billion searches per day, highlighting the importance of search engine optimization (SEO).

6. Mobile devices account for over half of all internet traffic worldwide.

7. The first YouTube video ad appeared in 2007, just two years after the platform's launch.

8. Influencer marketing is projected to be a $16.4 billion industry in 2022.

9. The average person is exposed to between 6,000 to 10,000 ads every single day.

10. Chatbots are used by 67% of consumers worldwide for customer support.

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Read more

• How to Make Money Online in 2025 (9 Easy and Quick Methods)

• The $0 Secret to Making Serious Money Online

• The Downsides Of Substack (Is It a Sinking Ship 2025)

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Something to think about

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Best,

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