Paid subscriptions are down. What now?

Originally published: November 25, 2025. Updated: March 12, 2026.

Paid subscriptions are my top source of income, but the MRR is not enough yet to cover my full time salary and the cost of running my business.

I make this publication work with upgrade drives, one time campaigns, sponsorships and paid events. Last year, we almost exclusively operated on subscriptions and sponsorships. This year, events are playing a bigger role. I am often taking in one time or short lived revenue to fund this sucker until we can build up enough MRR to be self-sustaining. The question every quarter is...where's that extra money going to come from?

It's pretty normal for small publishers like me to have a ramp up to reader-sustainability. Unless you launch with a massive audience that already trusts you, you're going to get a wave of founding members and then you're going to have to work to earn the trust of the rest of the people you need to make your project fly. Lifetime Legends (who pay more up front but are never charged again) have been a massive help because they have contributed thousands of dollars to get us through this transition period.

Reader-funded sustainability takes time for independent creators. But it's worth it. Being audience-backed means you get to spend your time listening to your audience, building with them, catering to them and hanging out with them. It's an ideal model for anyone who wants to write, publish, host or create stuff that's worth paying for but isn't easily packaged for sale individually. The recurring revenue part is what makes it sustainable longterm because chasing down a few bucks per post or per event does not add up to meaningful income, but having 500 paying subscribers at $99/year does.

I am bought in. But some months, it does get scary. Now is one of those times.