You can make money on Substack without paid subscriptions by selling newsletter sponsorships, using disclosed affiliate links, or adding a separate link for one-time reader payments such as tips, questions, shoutouts, or services. Sponsorship and affiliate earnings depend on advertiser terms and reader response; one-time payments do not require a recurring reader commitment.
Do you have to turn on paid subscriptions to make money on Substack?
No. Substack Support states that "Publishing is free on Substack– no matter how many subscribers you have!" and that Substack's 10% of each transaction fee applies only once a publisher enables paid subscriptions and connects Stripe (Substack Support — How much does Substack cost?, article updated December 16, 2025).
Substack also permits sponsorships on free publications: Substack Support says "you're welcome to host sponsored content and we don't have any policies in place that prohibit publishers from doing so," because Substack's own business model "relies solely on subscriptions instead of revenue from advertisers" (Substack Support — Can my publication host sponsored ads?, article updated December 17, 2025).
If you do not enable paid subscriptions, you can still earn through:
- Sponsorships: A brand pays for placement in your newsletter under negotiated terms.
- Affiliate links: A merchant pays the commission specified by its affiliate program when an eligible purchase or action is attributed to your link.
- One-time reader payments: A separate payment link lets a reader pay once for a tip, question, shoutout, or service without joining a recurring plan.
Sponsorship and affiliate relationships both trigger disclosure duties: the FTC instructs endorsers to "disclose when you have any financial, employment, personal, or family relationship with a brand," to "place it so it's hard to miss," and warns that disclosures "are likely to be missed if they appear only on an ABOUT ME or profile page, at the end of posts or videos, or anywhere that requires a person to click MORE" (FTC — Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers). For a newsletter, that means the disclosure belongs next to the sponsored or affiliate link inside the email itself, not only in a footer.
Related: Substack vs. Ko-fi's payment models compares the setup step above against a lighter one-time-tipping tool.
What are your alternatives to a paid subscription?
Three: newsletter sponsorships, disclosed affiliate links, and one-time reader payments taken through a link outside Substack. The table below sets those three against the paid-subscription tier they replace, which carries a 10% Substack fee and a $5/month or $30/year US minimum (Substack Support).
| Method | How it generates revenue | Practical audience requirement | Payment pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsorships or paid ads | A brand pays an agreed price for newsletter placement | No universal minimum; eligibility and pricing depend on the sponsor, niche, opens, clicks, and audience fit | One-time per placement or campaign |
| Affiliate links | A merchant pays the commission stated in its affiliate-program terms after an eligible conversion | No universal minimum, although some programs impose their own eligibility rules | One-time per eligible conversion |
| Paid subscriptions | A reader pays for recurring access or support | No minimum list size; Substack’s US-dollar price minimum applies | Recurring monthly or annual payment |
| One-time reader payments through FanBell | A reader pays once for a question, shoutout, service, tip, or project goal | No follower or subscriber minimum (pricing) | One-time per payment or request |
| Other one-time payment tools (Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, Stripe Payment Links, PayPal) | A reader pays once through a link the writer places outside Substack's own checkout | Set by each tool's own account terms rather than by a follower count | One-time per payment, at the published platform rates quoted below |
Ko-fi's help center states: "Ko-fi Free - Pay 0% on one-time tips. A flat 5% service fee applies to anything else, such as shop items, memberships, monthly tips" (Ko-fi — Does Ko-fi take a fee?). Buy Me a Coffee's help center states: "We charge a 5% transaction fee, and creators keep 95% of the earnings". Stripe adds no separate platform fee to Payment Links beyond its US online card rate of 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge (Stripe — Payment Links and Stripe — Pricing). PayPal's published US fee schedule lists 3.49% + $0.49 for a payment link paid through PayPal Checkout, Pay with Venmo, or PayPal Guest Checkout, and 2.99% + a fixed fee for Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments (PayPal — Merchant and Business Fees).
Sponsorship revenue is priced either as a negotiated flat rate or with the CPM formula sponsor price = monetized opens ÷ 1,000 × agreed CPM; a hypothetical newsletter with 8,000 monetized opens earns $200 at a $25 CPM and $320 at a $40 CPM. No authoritative source publishes a universal newsletter CPM range or a "few thousand opens" eligibility threshold, so ask each sponsor for its budget, audience criteria, placement requirements, and reporting terms rather than assuming a benchmark.
Affiliate revenue can be estimated as tracked clicks × conversion rate × commission per conversion. Commission rates differ by program and category: Amazon Associates, one of the affiliate programs newsletter writers commonly link to, pays standard commission income ranging from 1.25% to 10% depending on product category, such as 10% on Physical Books and 1.25% on categories including Digital Music and Health & Personal Care (Amazon Associates Central — Standard Commission Income Rates).
Two Amazon Associates rules matter specifically to newsletter writers. First, the Associates Program Policies permit affiliate links in email only to opted-in recipients: "You may include Special Links in emails, SMS and direct messaging from your social media Sites; provided, that such communications are solicited (i.e., opted into by the receiving customer)" (Amazon Associates Program Policies, policies updated April 14, 2026). Second, the attribution window is short: a Qualifying Purchase session ends 24 hours after the click, though an item added to the cart during that session can still pay commission if the order is completed no later than 89 days after the initial click-through (Amazon Associates Program Policies — Commission Income Statement).
Third, affiliate income is not paid until it clears a threshold: Amazon Associates states that "the minimum payment threshold is $100.00 for check, but only $10.00 for card," and that the direct-deposit threshold for US-based Associates is $10.00, with payments issued monthly once the balance clears that minimum.
Conversion rates themselves are not universal: they vary by program, product, attribution window, audience intent, placement, and traffic quality, so the commission and attribution rules should come from the specific affiliate program rather than a generic newsletter benchmark.
For a broader comparison, see how to get paid for a newsletter.
Why might you skip Substack’s paid-subscription tier?
Because of two published constraints: the fee stack and the price floor. A Substack paid subscription is charged a 10% Substack fee plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 card fee and a 0.7% recurring-billing fee, and US-dollar publications cannot price below $5 per month or $30 per year.
Substack Support lists the fee stack explicitly as "From Substack: 10% of each transaction" plus, from Stripe, "a credit card fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction fee) and a Billing fee for recurring subscriptions (0.7% for recurring payments as of July 2024)". See Substack fees for the full breakdown.
Substack Support states that "the minimum subscription price on Substack is $5 per month and $30 per year," and that these minimums apply to US-dollar Stripe accounts. Enabling payments also adds a waiting period before any money lands: Substack Support states that "the first payout for every new Stripe account takes 7-14 days to deposit in your bank account". Writers deciding between recurring subscription platforms may also find how Patreon and Substack compare useful before committing to either one.
The following examples apply the published fees to a $5 US card payment; actual Stripe costs can vary by country, payment method, currency conversion, taxes, refunds, or disputes.
| Payment model | Published fee structure | Fees on a $5 example | Amount remaining before other costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substack paid subscription | 10% Substack fee + 2.9% + $0.30 Stripe processing + 0.7% recurring billing | $0.98 | $4.02 |
| FanBell one-time payment | 12% FanBell platform fee + separate Stripe processing | Approximately $1.05 using the same 2.9% + $0.30 US card rate | Approximately $3.96 |
| Direct sponsorship | Negotiated between the writer and sponsor | Depends on the contract and payment provider | Depends on the contract |
| Affiliate conversion | Commission is set by the affiliate program | No reader payment-processing calculation for the writer | The program’s stated commission |
A recurring $5-or-more monthly commitment can be a larger decision than a one-time payment for a specific request. Is Substack worth it for a small newsletter examines that trade-off, while how much do Substack writers actually make explains the relationship between free readers, paid conversions, and revenue.
Does Substack have a built-in tip jar?
Not as a standalone feature. Substack's closest equivalent is the Founding Member option, which lets a reader pay above the standard price but is only available once paid subscriptions are switched on — so it still sits behind the $5/month or $30/year US minimum and the 10% Substack fee.
A writer who wants to accept a one-off tip without enabling subscriptions can place a separate payment link inside a post, welcome email, profile, or newsletter footer. A FanBell Tips link accepts a single payment with a suggested amount and does not require the writer to provide a reply, and it works on a free Substack publication that has never connected Stripe (how FanBell works).
How do one-time reader payments work?
A reader clicks a link that sits outside Substack's checkout and pays once for a named offer, with no recurring commitment and no subscriber minimum. On FanBell the writer keeps the payment less a 12% platform fee and separate Stripe processing, and there is no monthly cost.
Instead of asking a reader to begin a recurring subscription, you publish a link to a specific one-time offer:
- Paid Private Questions: A reader pays to ask a private question and receive a text reply.
- Personalized Shoutouts: A reader requests a custom video response.
- Creator Services: A reader purchases a defined deliverable, such as draft feedback or a quick edit.
- Tips: A reader sends a one-time payment without requiring a reply.
- Project Support: Readers contribute toward a stated goal displayed with a progress bar.
FanBell's pricing page states a 12% platform fee per paid transaction and $0/month, charged only when a fan actually pays, with no follower or subscriber minimum to open a page (FanBell pricing page, checked and). Payments and payouts run through Stripe, and Stripe's own processing is charged separately from FanBell's 12% platform fee. Disclosure: this guide is published by FanBell, and the offers listed above link to FanBell's own features.
These offers do not require Substack paid subscriptions or a recurring reader commitment. See one-time payments vs. recurring creator revenue for the broader comparison and accept tips without starting a membership for a tip-specific setup.
How do you add a non-subscription payment link?
In four steps: pick one offer, set its price and turnaround, publish the link in your newsletter, and fulfil or refund each request. No Substack setting changes, and FanBell requires no follower or subscriber minimum and charges $0/month with a 12% fee only on paid transactions.
- Choose a specific offer. Select a paid question, shoutout, small service, tip, or project goal.
- Set the price and turnaround. You control the offered amount and displayed delivery terms within the applicable FanBell workflow.
- Publish the link. Add it to your newsletter footer, post, welcome email, or profile without replacing your free Substack content.
- Fulfill or refund the request. If you accept a paid deliverable, complete it within the stated terms or issue the appropriate refund.
Upfront payment does not eliminate chargeback risk, and disputes carry their own cost: Stripe charges a $15.00 dispute received fee for each dispute a business receives, plus a $15.00 dispute countered fee that is refunded only if the dispute is won. Writers should therefore describe each offer accurately, retain fulfilment records, meet the stated turnaround, communicate delays, and refund any request they cannot complete.
The payment link can operate alongside either a free or paid newsletter.
Frequently asked questions
Can I earn from Substack without ever enabling paid subscriptions?
Yes. Substack Support states that "publishing is free on Substack– no matter how many subscribers you have," and that its 10% of each transaction fee applies only to publications that have enabled paid subscriptions. Sponsorships, disclosed affiliate links, and a separate one-time payment page all work on a free publication.
How many subscribers do I need before seeking sponsorships?
There is no universal sponsor minimum, and Substack itself sets none: Substack Support says publishers are "welcome to host sponsored content" and that it has no policies prohibiting it. Each advertiser sets its own requirements on niche, audience fit, opens, clicks, geography, and budget, so ask prospective sponsors for their eligibility criteria rather than relying on an unsupported "few thousand opens" rule.
Does Substack let readers tip without subscribing?
No. Substack's Founding Member tier is not a standalone tip jar, because it can only be offered after paid subscriptions are enabled and therefore inherits the $5/month or $30/year US minimum. A separate Tips link accepts a one-time payment with no Substack subscription involved.
Is a one-time payment link the same as a Founding Member tier?
No. A Founding Member tier is a higher-priced option inside Substack's recurring subscription system, so it carries the 10% Substack fee, Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30, and the 0.7% recurring-billing fee. A one-time link charges the reader once, with no recurring billing fee because there is no recurring plan.
How can you get started?
You don't need paid subscriptions, a $5/month price floor, or a subscriber minimum to get paid by your Substack readers. Create your free FanBell page — it's free to start, with a 12% platform fee only when a reader actually pays.
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