My experience going paid in 2024
And reflections on the journey ahead in 2025.
Well, has it been a while! And here am I, back to overwhelm your inbox with a girnomous essay! Just kidding - I hope?
Anyway, recently, in a moment of weakness, I subscribed to a popular newsletter about increasing Substack paid subscriptions. I wondered if there was a "magic formula" for Substack success.
Turns out, there isn’t any.
You see, I've worked in content marketing for years, so the writer didn't tell me anything new. If anything, the advice felt simplistic.
The biggest takeaway?
Substacks that revolves around personal essays and fiction are incredibly tough sells ... unless your brand is strong.
And your brand is essentially your personality or your persona. You must be dramatic, magnetic and, yes, famous enough for people to pay for content that doesn’t fulfil an urgent need.
The easiest way for Substackers to get more paid subscribers is to offer a service that isn't easily replicable. News about China perhaps. Top tips to earn a million bucks in a year, that kind of thing.
This shouldn’t have surprised me.
Personal essays and fiction have always, always, always been challenging to monetize, no matter the medium.
My experience of going paid
I introduced paid subscriptions sometime this year, when Tai Tales was mostly a newsletter sharing fiction. And when I did, it was on a whim. Someone told me to flip the switch on because who knows, I may get subscribers! Since I've got nothing to lose, I did just that, all the while thinking who in the world would pay me for my blatherings.
To my surprise, some of you did end up being my paid subscribers, and for that, I’m endlessly grateful.
I’ll be honest: paid subscriptions do come with guilt and pressure. I constantly wonder if my work is worth your hard-earned money. And since I've pivoted Tai Tales away from fiction, and have stopped writing fiction for a while, the guilt is immense!
For those of you who’ve deigned to become paid subscribers, I want to assure you that every penny goes toward my survival fund which I save and invest. As a worker in the tech industry, the reality is that I'm always one moment away from a pink slip. (As I recently shared with paid subscribers, who will know what I’m talking about.) So, your generosity will literally feed me, and I’m deeply, deeply grateful for your generosity.
When I think about Tai Tales, I can’t pinpoint a solid reason why anyone should pay for it. Does that mean I’m being too hard on myself? Not really. I’m simply looking at things through a content marketer’s lens. If your content doesn’t offer something people can’t find elsewhere, its value becomes harder to justify. And, yeah, I don't think I'm famous.
Last time I checked anyway.
But maybe newsletters is more than just value?
Staying paid, but patronage style
I recently watched a video from a YouTuber I deeply admire. A scientist by trade, he shares incredibly valuable content to improve your health without any strings attached—no courses, no upsells.
He only recently opened a Patreon account to let people support him because they begged him to. He said that he was told that his approach to sharing content was "unique", but he doesn't want to do any sponsorships, content marketing or advertising, because that's not his way.
His approach—the "patronage model"—really resonates with me far more than the aggressive content marketing approach that that popular Substacker recommends.
I will still keep the TMI category, where I share private or personal updates, exclusive to paid subscribers. It feels right to reserve those private moments only for them. I also have a tip jar where you can tip me whatever you like.
Recently, some Substackers I follow have been ungating their content, such as Lily:
I’m thinking of doing the same, but I haven’t figured out the mechanics yet. Should I ungate all of them? Keep some parts of the issue gated? Decisions!
So, yes, please do support if you can afford it, but no pressure. Just know that if you do, your gesture is deeply appreciated, especially in uncertain times like these.
Sharpening the focus
One of the things I also did during my long break was to reassess my approach to this newsletter. The conclusion? I’m happy with where I am. Leaving the fiction realm was sad, but I realised that I just can’t create fiction on command like some people can. And I seem to prefer to write fiction in private. (Yes, I’m actually writing a novel for my own amusement right now! I’m not sure when I’ll share it with the public, but I’m having fun writing it for myself right now.)
In 2025, want to tighten Tai Tales’ focus even further.
This newsletter will still revolve around Chinese and Malaysian culture. I’ll be sharing more travelougues and essays on life in Malaysia, but I will also be combining Chinese learning efforts with my love for Chinese dramas. Yup, I'll be using Chinese dramas to help you learn Chinese!
The term "comprehensive input" is something you'll hear from me a lot. This is based on Stephen Krashen’s "Input Hypothesis", which states that languages is best learned when learners immerse themselves in content from their target language that is slightly above their current skill level, but still understandable.
Although I’m a banana trying to learn a Chinese language other than her own native one, and thus not exactly an expert, I’m really skilled at learning things.
And that’s what I want to share—how to learn Mandarin effectively while having fun learning about Chinese dramas!
My goal is also to make each issue of Tai Tales more meaningful instead of flooding your inbox four times a month in the name of “consistency”.
So, I’ll scale back the number of issues per month to deliver higher-quality content.
I’m not sure about the number yet. ;P
Thank You
Thank you for being here, for reading, and for supporting this little corner of the internet. I’m excited about Tai Tales in 2025 and hope to create something that entertains, educates, and brings a bit of joy to your day. Let me know what you think about these changes—your feedback is invaluable.
Until next time,
Liz
As I know subscribing to a newsletter can be quite a commitment, you can also give me a tip:
I'm glad to see the evolution of Tai Tales, and how you move closer to what you enjoy sharing on this platform. I think we're doing our readers greater service when we move in sync with our internal rhythm and inspirations. Personally, I often feel a sense of resistance toward "rule-based" promises of fame and fortune, the way Substack has often been proselytized to aspiring writers. I, too, have been exposed to a lot of marketing BS and tried most of them "tricks" and "hacks," ha! When I decided to call my Substack a "blog," I just really wanted to free up my creative energy from all that guilt and pressure of performing, you know. So, instead of standing on the stage performing ballet (which I actually did not so many years ago), I want to sit among my readers in a circle with a bonfire in the center. I haven't really given much thought about "de-gating" (thanks for that word). My old newsletters are still behind the paywall (after six months), but people haven't asked to read them (will they ever?) so I chose to do nothing, LOL!
I really think that your theme of learning Chinese through watching Chinese drama is an interesting one that will attract like-minded people who want to learn the language. In fact, I may be able to find some readers for you next year ;-)
P.S. The pink slip is also my nemesis and source of anxiety.
I enjoy your writing about Malaysia even if you post once a month.
One of my brothers watches every Chinese film but he likes the ones with fights.
I wish Substack would include an option where we can pay for a piece we like, and not commit to paying all year round. The way we’d buy a magazine from the newsstand. I bet it would help.