Can we talk about free content?!
Last week we launched our newsletter Punch List on Substack and received some pointed comments about paid content (Substack offers free and paid subscriptions). We’ve always tried to be open and honest with you guys so we wanted to take a moment to respond and share a bit of the content creator’s perspective, from both Garrett and I.
First, let me just say we value you guys as readers. We have a thoughtful, positive community of house lovers here on the Grit and Polish and we so appreciate your feedback, support, and advice over the years. We read all of your comments from a place of gratitude and truly appreciate that folks care enough to share their thoughts!
So if you haven’t heard, Substack is a new-ish platform and . We really like Substack for a number of reasons we’ll dig into below, and launched Punch List to share the Hill House renovation in a different way then we’ve done before. I want to make clear that Substack is an additional platform we’re creating on, not a replacement for the blog. We see ourselves sharing more progress photos and videos there (kind of like what Instagram used to be) as well as thoughtful, personal posts on our renovation process. But we’ll still be creating free content here on the Grit and Polish and popping onto Instagram. You’ll still see a fair bit of our renovations whether or not you subscribe on Substack, though of course we hope you do, whether free or paid. (psst: there’s an OG Grit & Polish rate to give folks a chance to check it out for awhile for 30% off.)
The hot topic of course is the paywall associated with some content on Substack. You can read the full comments from readers on our Life Update post and the Friday post if you like, but here I’ll present a condensed version that I think represents the general sentiments conveyed by the commenters (these are in no particular order).
I’m frustrated and disappointed that many of my favorite bloggers some of whom I’ve followed for years are putting their content behind paywalls.
I totally understand this sentiment. While I don’t have any inside knowledge of what other creators are thinking on this I can certainly say that putting some content behind a paywall wasn’t an easy decision for us! There’s no straightforward path to earning a living as a creator and there are tradeoff’s whatever one chooses to do. It was fun when everything was open and free back when blogging was in its hay day, but Garrett and I just can’t support ourselves and what we do by creating free content all the time, and I suspect that’s true for a lot of creators. But I’ll reemphasize that The Grit and Polish will still be right here and you can subscribe to Punch List for free to keep updated on lots of the Hill House project.
There are so many options for paid content out there, you’re just another blogger asking for my money and if I paid for all the people I follow I’d go bankrupt.
Word! We are very aware that there are loads of really talented content creators out there trying earn your attention and financial support. We’ve taken a hard look at our own media/entertainment budget and have ended some subscriptions (bye bye Netflix and Max) and started others (hello Homeward and Good Bones Life). Each person will make the decision regarding what (if any) content they’ll pay for and we hope our’s make the cut for some. At the end of the day it’s on us to showcase our renovations and create content that our audience finds valuable.
When creators have both free and paywalled content, the quality of the free content goes down so I know it’s time to stop following them.
So to restate, if a creator doesn’t put out their 100% best content for 100% free you stop following. Seems a bit unfair…?
I’m a bit wary of paying for something that hasn’t been created yet.
In other words you don’t really know what you’re getting when you become a paid subscriber. Totally fair. Though if you have liked The Grit and Polish’s past content, there’s a good chance you’ll love Punch List! Also there’s an option for a 7 day free trial. If you’re thinking about taking advantage of that, I’d suggest following for free for a while and then do the free trial. You’ll have access to all the back content so you’ll get a full picture of what we’re sharing on Substack.
Aren’t I already paying you indirectly just by visiting your site in ad revenue?
There is some truth to this. But ad revenue is probably a lot less than you think. We pulled the numbers and the average visitor on the Grit and Polish contributes in the realm of $0.07 per month in ad revenue paid to us. While we’re grateful for it, that’s not enough to run the Grit and Polish. We did think hard about our pricing on Substack and tried to base it roughly on the cost of a latte and added an OG Grit & Polish discount for you guys.
I already want to consume less online content and be more present in the real world. The paywall is a barrier that helps me do this.
I think we can all relate to wanting to spend less time online and be more present in the real world, and I would propose that subscription platforms help achieve this. Here’s why. Last summer our family drastically reduced our screen time (after reading this book). We quit video games, cancelled Netflix and drastically reduced scrolling on our phones, especially on time-sucks like Instagram. It sounds intense but it felt like a breath of fresh air. Screens still have their place in our lives (family movie nights aren’t going anywhere) but it’s become a much more intentional place. And that’s one of the things I like best about Substack. One of their principles is subscribers take back their minds. “On Substack, you are the customer. We want to help you be intentional in determining your media diet. We don’t seek to trap you in an attention game that can never be won, and instead we want to help you find and spend time with work that you deeply value.” I’ll take that kind of purposeful screen time over scrolling Instagram any day.
Substack is just another platform why should I be on it?
Content creation is like the Wild West - it’s always changing and new platforms seem to pop up every year. It can be exhausting as a consumer and exhausting as a creator. We’ve tried to be deliberate in the platforms we choose, focusing on a quality-over-quantity approach to content, and favoring longer-form pieces over snappy, algorithm-driven social media. Sure we’re on Instagram, but we like Substack a whole lot better. Here’s why:
as a creator, we don’t have pressure to get the most impressions or to hit keyword counts for SEO. We get to share in the most authentic way.
as a reader we appreciate that the content is creator driven, not ad driven or algorithmically picked for us
Substack is a much more positive experience than scrolling social media. It leaves me feeling fulfilled and thoughtful rather than lesser.
no distracting banner ads
the pay wall, though polarizing, offers creators the ability to share more personally. It can be hard to put out personal posts for all the internet to read (I’m thinking about budget numbers here but personal stuff too) - Substack offers a more intimate and private setting
More intentional time on the internet, less attention trap. On Substack you decide what content you want to see.
We’re obviously big fans of Substack. And regardless if you choose to follow us or not, it’s a really cool place where people are putting out really thoughtful content and we find it a kinder, gentler, more positive place than the other platforms. We encourage you to sign up, follow some folks (you can follow anyone for free), and check it out. For fellow house lovers I recommend Leanne Kilroy’s Good Bones, Amanda Hesser’s Homeward, Kate Arrand’s House Call, and W.D.C. Journal. And I love the content from OG bloggers like Joanna Goddard’s Big Salad, Jenny Rosenstrach’s Dinner: A love Story, Camille Style’s Breathing Space, Emily Schuman’s Fwd: from a friend, Casey' Finn’s Beyond the Playbook, Julia Berolzheimer’s Trade Offs. And so much more!
One consideration to leave you with is that “free” content does actually come with a cost and the payment is your attention, your time, and your data. There’s a reason social media companies are some of the most valuable on earth despite being “free” to users. When you support any content provider or creator on a platform like Substack you are making an affirmative commitment that you want their thoughts, ideas, information and creative output to enter your consciousness. You are taking control of your attentional landscape rather than auctioning it off to advertisers and data brokers.
At the end of the day, we love what we do. Getting to work on these old houses is a dream come true and we take a lot of pride in the legacy we leave behind with each renovation. We get to wear a lot of hats - homeowner, designer, plumber, carpenter, painter, detective - and we’re excited to share more of that and more of our process. We’re excited to share more of these old houses because they’re worth it. Substack gives us that opportunity in a thoughtful, independent way. We’d love to see you over there, whether as a free or paid subscriber, but if not, that’s okay. We’ll still be here.
xx
-Cathy and Garrett
