I tried to find your newsletter with just your name, and couldn't. (And a HUGE thank you for subscribing to mine!! I so appreciate!)

Mulling over your question, though... I went paid after just a couple months. I left a lot--most--free, though. Until just recently. (So eight months later...)

Substack does not allow you to charge less than $5/month. One way around this, is to do $5/month, but then have a low annual amount. Sarah Bessey, for instance, has $5/month but I believe her annual cost is about $40...which really encourages folks to sign up for that.

You might have an introductory rate that is really low... if this makes you feel more positive about it.

But DO have a "founders" option; I didn't at first, and then set it up with an attitude of "why not?" and was surprised that a half dozen people did it--people who are supportive of what I am doing. There will be some!

I let readers know that some posts would always be free, and at that time--and until recently--everything I posted was free for at least a month before some went behind the paywall! So, theoretically, if a reader kept up with the posts, they'd be able to read all. I've stopped that because this is becoming my primary income (along with writing books), and I just can't afford to do it without some pay.

Honestly, it's been a process! Much of it feels to be intuitive: what will work NOW?

If you do start with a low annual cost, you might get more subs, but then you might also be stuck with that amount. You might be better offering a reduced rate once in awhile.

I've also let people make the decision about what they can afford: so I've let them know, for instance, that if they feel they can only afford a certain amount, I've created an "offer" (check out the Settings page) and then offered that next to the regular "subscribe" button. I've had just a couple people take advantage of this so far. Which makes me think that they genuinely needed the break...and as a writer, I know what that's about :)

There are so many ways to handle this! I should write another article! Ha! Thanks for asking.