What Are Substack Pledges & Should You Enable Them?
Substack pledges vs paid subscriptions, benefits and drawbacks
Substack Pledges are a feature on the Substack platform that allows readers to pledge their support for a writer's newsletter before paid subscriptions are enabled. This innovative tool serves multiple purposes - it gauges audience interest, provides confidence for creators to eventually charge, and readies an initial subscriber base for when payments go live.
What are Substack Pledges?
First, if you're completely new to Substack or have never heard of the platform, here is a comprehensive review of what Substack can and cannot do:
Now, back to the topic.
Substack Pledges enable readers to promise future financial support for a newsletter they enjoy. It allows subscribers to pick a monthly or yearly pledge tier and enter payment details, signaling their willingness to pay when the writer decides to activate paid subscriptions.
This preemptive pledge serves as an informal commitment from fans who see value in the creator's work. By pledging, audiences demonstrate their e…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Letters by Burk to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.