1
A free newsletter with a paid tier: extra issues, full archives or the good stuff, billed monthly on Substack, beehiiv or Ghost.
Newsletter
8.9/10
A paid newsletter keeps a free edition that grows the list and sells a paid tier with more: extra issues, the full archive, deeper analysis, a community thread, calls or Q&As. Substack made the model mainstream with one-click Stripe billing; beehiiv and Ghost offer the same with different fee structures; Kit (ConvertKit) and Memberful bolt paid tiers onto existing lists.… Read more →
Pros
- The simplest recurring-revenue product there is: write, publish, get paid
- Works from 1,000-2,000 free subscribers in a niche people pay for
- Substack, beehiiv and Ghost handle billing, gating and dunning with no code
Cons
- You commit to a schedule the paying readers expect forever
- Substack takes 10% plus Stripe fees; Ghost and beehiiv charge platform fees instead
- The free tier must stay strong or the funnel dries up
Earns: 3-8% of free readers at $5-10/mo; $150-600 per 1,000 subscribers per month · First payout: 2-4 months · Cost to start: $0-100/mo · substack beehiiv ghost paid subscribers newsletter
2
8.8/10
A membership sells belonging and access rather than a product: a paid tier of your newsletter, a private community with you in it, early or ad-free access to episodes, members-only posts, a monthly call, a badge. It runs on a subscription platform that bills the card, grants access and chases failed payments, and it is the model behind Patreon creators,… Read more →
Pros
- Recurring, predictable revenue that does not move with ad markets or algorithm updates
- Members are worth 10-50x an ad impression and tell you what they want
- Platforms (Patreon, Memberful, Ghost, Circle, Substack, Mighty Networks) handle billing, access and dunning
Cons
- Members expect something every month; it is a job, not a passive line
- Churn of 5-10% a month means constant replacement
- Only 3-8% of even a devoted audience will pay, so the free audience has to be large or the price high
Earns: 3-8% of an engaged audience at $5-15/mo; $20-150 RPM on web traffic · First payout: 2-4 months · Cost to start: $0-100/mo · membership recurring revenue churn patreon paid community
3
YouTube Partner Program, TikTok, X, Facebook, Twitch and Snapchat pay creators a share of ad revenue and bonuses from creator funds.
YouTubePodcastSocial account
7.2/10
The big platforms share advertising revenue with the creators whose content carries the ads, and some add creator funds and bonuses. YouTube's Partner Program is the reference: 55% of long-form ad revenue, 45% of the Shorts pool, plus channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks and a share of YouTube Premium. TikTok's Creator Rewards Program, X's creator ad-revenue sharing, Facebook's in-stream… Read more →
Pros
- No sales, no sponsors, no products: publish and the platform pays
- YouTube's share (55% of ad revenue) is the best on any platform, and Shorts, Premium and memberships add to it
- Passive on evergreen videos for years
Cons
- Eligibility thresholds (YouTube: 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours or 10M Shorts views) and demonetisation at the platform's discretion
- TikTok, Facebook and X pay a fraction of YouTube per view
- You own nothing: the audience, the payout and the rules belong to the platform
Earns: YouTube $1-8 RPM per 1,000 views; other platforms far less · First payout: 2-6 months · Cost to start: $0 · youtube partner program creator fund ad share rpm shorts
4
7.0/10
An event sells live access: a paid webinar or masterclass over Zoom, a half-day online workshop, a virtual summit with many speakers, a cohort of live sessions, an in-person meetup or conference. The ticket is the product; the recording, the slides and the sponsor placements are the upsells. It suits anyone with expertise and an audience who would rather learn… Read more →
Pros
- Fast: announce, sell, deliver within weeks, cash up front
- Live access to you is worth more than any recording, so prices are high
- Sponsors pay for events they would never sponsor as posts
Cons
- Your time, live, every time; it does not scale without recording and reselling
- No-shows and refunds
- Ticket platforms and conferencing tools have real costs
Earns: $20-500 per ticket; $20-200 RPM on an engaged audience · First payout: 1-2 months · Cost to start: $0-500 per event · webinar workshop summit tickets live
5
6.6/10
Donations and tips ask the audience to pay voluntarily: a "buy me a coffee" button, a Ko-fi page, a recurring "supporter" option, a GitHub Sponsors profile for open-source work, a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign for a specific project, a Patreon page with no locked content. Nothing is gated; readers pay because they want the work to continue. Tip platforms (Buy… Read more →
Pros
- Zero barrier: a link and a button, live in ten minutes, no minimum audience
- Works for content that cannot carry ads or a paywall: open-source tools, niche archives, free education
- Crowdfunding campaigns can raise a year of costs in a month for a concrete project
Cons
- Typically 0.5-2% of readers ever give, and most give once
- Platform fees (5-10%) plus card fees on small amounts
- Asking too often costs goodwill
Earns: 0.5-2% of readers give $3-10; $1-8 RPM · First payout: Days · Cost to start: $0 · tips buy me a coffee ko-fi crowdfunding supporters