Why I'm Moving to a Paid Subscription Model
And what it means for you who are already subscribed to my substack.
Normally, I try and start every piece with a fun lede or something that’s wormed into brain over the last week. This is going to be a bit different, because to be direct, I am moving my substack from the free let’s use this as post-processing coping mechanism to something more akin to I like doing this a lot more than my day job, let’s put some real effort into this.
Here’s how I envision this working:
As a subscriber, you validate the time and effort I put into writing something, which is often a lot longer than just sitting down and typing out words into some order.
As a content creator charging for his content, I now have a financial accountability mechanism to deliver those words on a far more consistent and high quality basis.
The monthly rate is going to be $5.44 with a yearly rate of $44.44. (IYKYK). This is going into effect immediately and will unlock all content.
A free subscriber will get select access to some posts (usually link emails to content created elsewhere or quick hit type pieces) and the two month archive for these pieces.
But: for all of you, those who hit subscribe when this was literally just me messing around, I have the most profound gratitude in my heart and want to extend that with upgraded subscriber status, for free and the designation of “Founding” subscribers.
Everyone who subscribed to High Variance before today (July 21) will get 6 months free to carry through the meat of the college football season. (When I’m going to be the most active) + Founding status
Everyone who has been a subscriber for at least one year will get an Annual Subscription for free + Founding status
The small handful of people who have been subscribed to high variance since 2021, when it first launched, will get a lifetime free subscription + Founding status.
But wait: there’s more! I’ve enabled the Substack referral bonus program on my site as well. It essentially guarantees that if you send me at least 3 paying subscribers, you will be rewarded with free months on your subscription.
Lenny’s Product Newsletter (probably one of the most monetarily successful Substack platforms out there) recently posted an essential reading guide for professionals who want to build things. In it was this amazing interview with NPR’s Ira Glass talking about how one can get better at something they love to do.
Spoiler alert if you didn’t watch the video: it’s the hard work of doing that thing badly a lot.
Over the last four years, I’ve been branching out and trying to do more things I genuinely enjoy or at least get some level of satisfaction in doing. Writing has always been one of those things. I started at the tail end of the sports blogging era when Bleacher Report let anyone write on the platform, and have expanded into podcasting as well. There are probably thousands of pieces of content with name attached to it at this point, and to be blunt, it’s probably 99.9% trash.
But over the last six months or so, I feel like I’ve hit something different. Not a level I or any real writer would consider good, but a different level than the mostly superficial stuff I would churn out post Syracuse football game. And in order to keep that personal momentum, I need an accountability system to keep me writing. Subscriptions are my first real attempt at an external system, and I hope that rationale, if not agreeable, is logical.
What’s the first piece of “Subscriber Exclusive” content you’ll receive in your inbox? It’s going to be a multi-thousand word preview of the Syracuse Football team. Because of course it is. From there, I’ll be covering college football at a national level and at a Syracuse/ACC focused level as well with some previews and podcasts. Some podcasts will be widely available, others will be more of a one man show I keep exclusive for subscribers.
So if you’re reading this directly from email on July 21, it means you are a subscriber. Thank you. I really cannot express how deeply wonderful I find it that you liked my content enough to get it emailed directly to your inbox. I hope this next evolution of High Variance is enjoyable for you.
It will be for me.