Turn on a paid newsletter tier
Short answer: beehiiv and Substack both let you add paid subscriptions to a free newsletter. Each platform sets its own fees; see their pricing pages.
Starbelo playbook. Not one person's story: a play built from official platform rules, linked below.
| Platform | Email Newsletter |
|---|---|
| Tools | beehiiv, Substack |
| Category | Email & Link-in-bio |
| Type | Starbelo playbook |
| Source | — · Oct 2026 |
| Updated |
What did they do?
beehiiv and Substack both let you add paid subscriptions to a free newsletter.
What were the results?
Each platform sets its own fees; see their pricing pages.
What tools do you need?
beehiiv (newsletter platform); Substack (free and paid newsletters).
How much does it cost?
You can start for $0: beehiiv, Substack have a free plan. Check each tool's site for current prices.
Is it allowed?
Yes. Marketing emails need an unsubscribe link and a physical address. Source.
Worth knowing
Grow the free list first; paid works when readers already rely on you.
What prompt can I copy?
Design a paid tier for my [niche] newsletter: what free readers get vs paid, and a launch email.
Updated . Share
Related use cases
An email list is the audience platforms can't take away; start with a simple weekly format.
View prompt
Design a 5-section weekly newsletter for [niche] beginners that I can write in 30 minutes.
A common creator pattern: ask viewers to comment a word, and an automation sends them the link or freebie by DM.
View prompt
Write a Reel caption asking viewers to comment "[word]" for [freebie], plus the DM message they receive.
Creator Subscriptions let followers pay you monthly for subscriber-only posts and perks.
View prompt
Design 3 subscriber-only perks for my [niche] X account that take under 1 hour a week to deliver.
Link-in-bio tools hold your email signup, digital products and affiliate links in one page.
View prompt
Write button labels for a link-in-bio page for a [niche] creator, max 5 links, ordered by priority.
More in Email & Link-in-bio · Email Newsletter · beehiiv use cases