Why Our Best Substack Content Should Not Be Paywalled
And why Medium is a completely different game
My Medium friends can read this story over there as well.
Paywalls are not all the same.
On Substack, a paywall means: pay this writer to read this publication.
On Medium, a paywall means: pay one subscription fee to access thousands of writers.
That difference changes a lot.
Substack paywalls depend on us
When we lock a post on Substack, we’re asking someone to subscribe specifically to us. That’s a hard sell for most of us.
No network effect.
No bundle.
No “while I’m here, I’ll read this too.”
It’s our voice. Our reputation. Our proof. If someone doesn’t already know us, a paywall is a very hard sell…
It’s friction. People hate friction. And friction often kills discovery.
Substack traffic mostly comes from:
Our own distribution
Referrals from other writers
Social media
Search
Mine does. And most Substack writers ignore the most valuable traffic drivers: external visits (from Google, social media, and now AI too).
If we hide our strongest work, we weaken those discovery channels quite a lot. And consequently, our chance to gain more free readers, and with that, more paid subscribers over time.
Because the best content is what earns clicks, shares, and search rankings. No visibility, no growth.
Medium works differently
Substack is not Medium. Medium is not Substack. That’s good! Because it makes them ideal companions.
Medium is a bundled subscription. A reader pays once and gets access to thousands of publications.
That means when someone hits a paywalled article on Medium, they’re not being asked: “Do you want to subscribe to this one writer?”
They’re being asked: “Do you want access to everything?”
That’s an easier yes.
And the key: Medium already has built-in traffic.
Their recommendation engine surfaces stories.
Their homepage curates content.
Their internal search drives reads.
Even paywalled articles get distributed inside the ecosystem.
So on Medium, writing behind the paywall can still generate exposure. Because the platform handles discovery.
On Substack, we handle discovery. Big difference.
Leverage (I hate that word)
Medium monetization is platform-first. Substack monetization is creator-first. Again, big difference.
On Medium, the subscription is to Medium. Writers get paid from member reading time. Let’s not sugarcoat this. This model comes with many downsides. We Medium writers know this.
On Substack, the subscription is to us. A single publication. Again, no sugarcoating here. This has just as many downsides. If not more.
The risk profile changes completely.
On Medium, we can experiment with more paywalled content because:
Readers are already paying
Traffic can still flow internally
We’re not asking for an extra decision per publication
On Substack, every paywalled post reduces our surface area for growth. Especially if we’re still building.
The practical takeaway
If we’re cross-posting or thinking strategically:
On Medium, paywalled content can still spread because the audience is pooled.
On Substack, free content means more discovery. Paid content means deeper relationships.
Trying to treat both platforms the same is a not great. Although, we can absolutely post the same content on both. That’s not the issue. The issue is the paywall strategy.
So what do we do?
On Substack:
Make the most shareable, searchable, convincing work free.
Use the paywall for depth, access, frequency, and community.
On Medium:
It’s more viable to publish behind the paywall, because readers are already inside the system.
Discovery doesn’t die because the story is for members.
Different platforms. Different economics.
The Bottom Line
Paywalls are tools. And we have to pick a strategy.
On Substack, our best work needs to be visible because we are the product people are subscribing to. And SEO, external traffic is a huge deal and, in my opinion, highly underrated on Substack.
On Medium, the subscription is bundled. The platform carries more of the distribution weight.
So yes, writing behind a paywall can be practical on Medium. On Substack, it’s more risk.
Know the difference. And work with it.
And if you want more about SEO on Substack or Substack + Medium, here are my in-depth guides:
