In this lesson, I'm going to show you how to create special offers on Substack while using the latest email marketing insights to drive more subscriptions on Substack.

Need a social proof?

Chris Got 3 New Paid Subscribers With One Special Offer

I had a coaching session with Online Writing Club member and bootcamp almuni . Our goal: We want to make Chris a bestseller in 2025 :) He suffers from a rare disease and hits a nerve with “Hello, Adversity”. I see his publication as a bestseller (with hundreds of paid subscribers) and want to help it become one in 2025.

One idea during the coaching session for my Club Member was to offer a special discount. Chris was unsure about this marketing technique and didn’t want to screw up the special offer on the back end.

I told him to get out of his comfort zone and trust me and.... tada... he got three new subscribers.

YAY!

Would you like that too? Of course you would!

I'm a brand and marketing manager and I love email marketing. In this tutorial, I combine my knowledge of the Substack platform (Substack for Newbies, Noobs, Solos or Dummies) and my email marketing knowledge. Have fun!

Trust me: If the free content is this good, imagine how incredible the paid content must be! 🎉

I’m all about overdelivering—my lives and workshops are packed with vibrant energy, inspiration, and motivation. Plus, you’ll get to meet amazing interview guests who bring even more value. Don’t miss out—subscribe now and unlock your full potential to kickstart 2025!

Step 1: Dive into Substack Settings

So let's dive in and create your first special offer on Substack. First, let's create a discount that everyone can enjoy. For this, we go to the dashboard and click on settings. And here we search for payments or we go to payments. So I could also search for payments. And here we are. We scroll down and then find discounts.

Step 2: Setting Up the New Year's Special

So here it is. It's called discounts, special offers, create discounts or coupons for special occasions.

We would click on manage. I have created already some of them this year. So we would go on new special offer. And now let's say we make it a New Year's special. So it would be the New Year's special and the description could be:

"Start the new year strong, subscribe today and get exclusive content to level up your business."

Now I can think about the percent discount. Let's say we make it 25% off. We can decide whether it will be forever or for 12 months. We can also give people, for instance, a free trial. So now it would be pretty, pretty easy.

I would just click on create offer and then I would copy the link and open a new tab and see how it looks.

Step 3: Scarcity and Exclusivity in Offers

So now we have the New Year special. "Start the new year strong. Subscribe today and get exclusive content to level up your business."

And now you see it's not $90. So this is in Germany with euros with 85. I think here the monthly one is better. So it's not 12 per month. It's nine per month or it's about 60 per year instead of 90 per year. This is awesome. This is a wonderful New Year's special.

Step 4: Managing Your Special Offer

Now go back. So we would have here the link. We could share it anywhere we want. We can also send by email. So we would click this one here and then we could create an email and then, for instance, send it to all of our subscribers.

We could also pick specific subscribers in the backend and then send them the email with this New Year's discount, which I love.

Step 5: Enhancing with Extra Options

So now let's go back to new special offer and see what else we have. So we have some more options here. We can set when customers must redeem this offer by, you know, to add some scarcity. So let's say this is the New Year's special again. We have the 25% discount for 12 months.

And now I have, for instance, here the option to set when customers must redeem this offer by. So this would add scarcity to it.

Have fun creating these special offers. There are so many great days to do this—specific awareness days, weeks, months, birthdays, or your newsletter anniversary!

Happy Sunday!

P.S. Psst! Something BIG is coming… and it’s just for YOU.

Imagine this: 100 subscribers hanging onto your every word and happily paying $100 each. That’s $500/month in your pocket, just for sharing your ideas and stories. It’s not a dream—it’s a goal, and I want to help you smash it and become a Substack Bestseller.

Here’s what’s waiting for you:

✅ Personalized Newsletter Audit
We’ll dive into your newsletter and find exactly where it needs a boost. You’ll leave with a crystal-clear roadmap for success and actionable steps to grow. ($250 value)

✅ Quarterly 1:1 Strategy Meetings
Every three months, we’ll meet for a private strategy session to keep you focused, motivated, and scaling. ($760 total value)

✅ Q&As
Monthly Q&A sessions. We’ll find an A to your Qs.

✅ All Paid Perks Included
You’ll unlock the full suite of tools and resources from the Online Writing Club membership. ($105 value)

✅ 50% Off Bootcamps
Master advanced strategies like Substack Notes, Minimalist Newsletter Design, Medium-Substack Flywheel, and more—at half the price! (Save $50–$200)

Here’s the kicker: For the next 48 hours only, you can grab this entire VIP package for just $515 (valued at a minimum of $1165). That’s the equivalent of just ONE month of your Substack earnings! 💸

I want to become a VIPer!

🙌YAHOOO! I’ve personally invested in courses and coaching at this price point myself because, as a business owner, it’s all about professional development—and guess what? It’s tax-deductible.

That’s right: You’ll get an invoice, and this investment in your growth can go straight into your tax deductions.

So, not only are you growing your newsletter and income, but you’re also making a smart, professional move.

Don’t wait—this offer is only available for 48 hours! Grab your spot now and let’s make your Substack a bestseller! 🚀

This is your chance to step into the spotlight, grow your newsletter like never before, and turn your words into consistent income.

Don’t wait—become a VIP member NOW and claim your spot! 🎉You can aslo send me an email to mail@kristinagod.com, I’ll answer all your Qs.

2025 will be amazing for your newsletter!

let me become a VIP member now

So let me tell you how it works - and there's even a little something special under the tree for those who join in.

Today, I got a notification telling me that starting Tuesday, December 17th, Substack will add a shiny gift subscription upsell at the top of my posts and emails.

It’s like Substack dressed up as Santa and sprinkled gift-giving magic everywhere.

Give a gift subscription

So I was like:

Wow, I love it from a marketing and email marketing perspective.

Now your readers can play Secret Santa and gift your paid subscription to their favorite humans:

• Their colleagues

• Their friends

• Family

• Someone, for instance, in the online writing club who wants to start their email list

• Who wants to start writing

• Who wants to become a better copywriter or a better writer

The gift subscription is perfect for stuffing someone’s digital stocking.

I really, really love it. And it’s very simple to spread the cheer.

Give a gift subscription

How The Gift Feature Works:

Readers will see a “Gift a Subscription” button.

For example, , part of my community, Substack bestseller and top writer on Medium, has a Substack publication called I’d Rather Be Writing. I was reading his story about how his puppy kept him on his toes by completely covering the kitchen.

And there I saw this button: Gift a Subscription.

This is how I found out about this wonderful new feature.

How To Give a Gift

You can go to your Substack publication link: https://your-substack.com/gift

For custom domains like mine, it’s: https://onlinewritingclub.com/subscribe/gift

Here, you can choose a paid subscription as a gift:

• €12/month or €90/year (for me in Germany)

Then you add the recipient's email and a message:
“Happy holidays, Merry Christmas!”

You can even send it anonymously or schedule it for later, like Christmas morning.

Click Buy Gift, and if you haven’t entered your credit card yet, you’ll be prompted to do so.

The lucky recipient gets an email with instant access to premium content.

Give a gift subscription

Rob Gifted Me A Subscription To Cassandra’s Publication

Club member Rob gifted me 30 days of a paid subscription to Cassandra’s newsletter,

It’s inspiring because I know Cassandra and love her insights. This gift allows me to read her publication and gives us a potential touchpoint for collaboration, like a podcast.

I clicked Accept Gift and got immediate access.

Is This Gift Feature Worthwhile?

A few months ago, I spread the news about the first wave og gift subscription. Back then, they were coming from Substack.

Club member told me via Notes about Substack’s last gift subscription boost.

• Out of 40 people who became paid subscribers for one month, 10 stayed!

• That’s a 25% conversion rate—and I think this is awesome.

Give a gift subscription

A Special Thank You 🎁

If you gift a subscription OR gift yourself a subscription, let me know!

Send me an email or a direct message, and I’ll send you:

• The 2025 1-Month Substack Planner - organize your writing stress-free

• The 2025 Substack Calendar - more than 1000 ideas for 365 days

• NEW Substack Course: Launch, Grow, and Monetize Your Substack Newsletter

  

• and an exclusive special 🎁 just for YOU

This is my way of saying:

“You’re awesome.”

THANK YOU for being sooooo amazing and helping the Online Writing Club to reach 10,000 subscribers. YAY! Cue the confetti.

Thanks for sharing the holiday love.

I wish you all the best.
See you very soon in your inbox,

Give a gift subscription

P.S. Ho ho ho… You can copy this exact strategy and also add “give a free gift subscription” buttons and a nice present or freebie or discount on your products/services to say thank you.

You don't know about this?

No worries. You're in good company.

Many writers don't know about tags (=labels).

And so I want to show you how you can organize your little corner on Substack and how to highlight and feature specific parts because there are special featured areas you can capitalize on.

And also, since you are the editor-in-chief, you're managing your whole newsletter, website, and internet publication. It's so important that you decide which parts you want to highlight.

So many asked me about my Members Area where paid subscribers can find all replays, tutorials, and live sessions.

How to add a featured area to my Substack?

We can click on it, and then you will see all the live sessions for members, which are paywalled.

Read more

I recently made more than $250 within an hour writing on Substack Notes, Substack's internal social media network. Let me show you how!

You can see from my recent notifications:

• "Your note made you $112"

• "Your note made you $157"

But what is Substack Notes, and how did it impact my growth on Substack?

What is Substack Notes, and why use it?

Substack is THE platform to start and grow your email list. I joined a bit late, around fall 2022. Before that, I was writing on Medium since December 2020, shortly after giving birth to my baby.

In fall 2022, I decided to diversify my efforts and not put all my eggs in one basket. I was a top writer on Medium, earning a decent income from writing ($800-$1,000+), but I wanted to explore other ways to add more income streams to my online business.

After giving birth to my second baby in 2024, I was ready to open a new chapter in my life in January 2024 and my part-time online writing business. So, I turned on the paid button on Substack, offered a premium newsletter, and started writing on Substack Notes.

My growth on Substack came with using Notes

That's when the hockey stick effect kicked in. Before that, I was experiencing slow but steady incremental growth. Then, my subscriber count soared from around 3,800 to 8,800 subscribers, where it stands today.

You can also see this reflected in the money I'm earning through Substack — there's a clear upward trend that I absolutely love! 🎉

I also became a Substack bestseller in March 2024.

I sacrifice sleep and time with my hubby

Now, I could tell you the "sexy story" that it only a few weeks to reach this point, but the "unsexy story" is that I've been writing since I was six. I studied journalism, worked as a PR and marketing consultant, and became a brand and marketing manager. After giving birth in 2020, I returned to writing part-time, and by the time I became a Substack bestseller, I had been writing for three years.

This is an important reminder: if you're reading all these "overnight success" stories, remember that there’s often an unsexy side to them that isn't shared.

Mine is that I write in the morning when my baby is asleep, during lunch breaks, while pushing the stroller, and in the evenings. I sacrifice sleep and time with my hubby for my part-time business.

Substack gifts me a week with my sick dad

However, it gives me more freedom. Last week, I visited my sick dad for a week and I’m eternally grateful for all the time I spent with my family.

The funny thing is, I also met my boss at an apple market with my family. I love my corporate job as a marketing manager. Still, I’m also happy that I’m flexible and can spend a week with my family if someone needs me.

What is Substack Notes?

Substack Notes is like a social network for writers and readers. You can connect with other writers and, importantly, their readers. This creates a network effect that can help grow your audience exponentially.

As Steve Jobs once said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward."

I trusted that the dots would connect, and by actively engaging on Substack Notes, I started to see growth not just for myself but for my entire community.

Shoutout to and

Substack Notes drives my subscriber growth

When you write on Notes, you can generate both paid and free subscribers.

For example, I recently wrote a note, and soon after, I received a notification that "Jacob became a free subscriber." From there, Jacob can explore my writing and, if he enjoys it, choose to become a paying member.

This is the cycle:

• people follow you

• read some stuff

• engage with your content

• and eventually become paying members.

WOW-worthy Substack Notes success stories from the community

I’m not the only one experiencing growth. Take my friend , for example. He has been writing on Medium for years, focusing on AI, and recently started writing on Substack after I inspired him.

Now, he’s seeing incredible growth on the platform. Within 30 days, he gained 25 new paid subscribers, increasing his annualized revenue to over $3,000.

(here’s our podcast interview), another friend, made $119 with just one note.

And there are countless other examples of how Notes can drive real engagement and revenue.

Why write on Substack Notes?

People often ask me:

"Is it worth writing on Substack Notes? Isn't it just another social media platform?"

Yes, it is social media, but it’s a different animal.

On traditional social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, only 1-3% of your audience sees your posts, and engagement rates are notoriously low (e.g., 0.43% on Instagram, 0.06% on Facebook).

Substack Notes is a different animal. More people engage, more people see your content, and there’s no algorithm dictating visibility. Substack has shared that Notes uses an engagement-based algorithm, rewarding writers who actively interact with their audience.

Examples of engaging notes that are lovely and will make you smile

Here are some inspiring examples of engaging notes by and which show how awesome Notes can feel and that you can get paid to be you:

Substack Notes isn’t just about sharing content.

It's about showing different facets of your personality and building a community around it.

🤔Are you using Substack Notes? If so, how are you faring with it? If not, what makes you stuck? 🤔

🎉Become a Substack Notes Rockstar!

Want to make your writing dreams come true and get paid to be you with the help of Substack Notes?

All you need is clarity, guidance, and a little push.

You can start a writing career and build an email in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.

You’re never too old to make your wild, crazy dreams come true.

If you're afraid of the bad impact of social media, I feel you. I also try to spend as little time on social media as possible. Notes is different. It’s a lovely social place on the internet.

Let me become a member!

I’m in my 30s, two kids and a hubby in the house. I write for 2-3 hours in the evening, during lunch break, or whenever I can make time. Helping others showing the world how incredible they and their stories are is what drives me.

I’d love to help you use Substack Notes to get more subscribers and learn how to share mini anecdotes, mini memoirs, slices of your life, and facets of your personality with the Substack Notes world.

Let me become a member!

All premium subscribers get a bit deeper and have access to my “Online Writing School” membership with the Substack School.

Be a part of it and join a lovely and vibrant community of more than 300 (!) wonderful aspiring writers.

Inside Substack School, I’ll show you the EXACT (baby) steps to use Substack and go from zero to Substack hero.

I’ve grown my email list to over 8,800 subscribers within 23 months. Became a Substack bestseller with hundreds of paid subscribers and earn 5-figures with my newsletter - part-time with two kids in the house.

🥳Surprise! To celebrate this crazy life and grow together, you can get 20% off if you’re joining us this week:

Get 20% off for 1 year

You need an exclusive 1-on-1 session in October?

Become a founding member, get access to ALL the goodies plus a 60-minute strategy session with me (value: $187) to set your Substack up for success:

Let's meet, Kristina!

🚀This month, inside Substack School…

you can join us LIVE or catch the replays of 3 LIVE workshops, and 1 LIVE session with on Wednesday “100K without Traditional Social Media” (here’s our podcast interview).

Also, 1 new cohort for audio-aficionados who want to add voiceover, audio/video, Substack Live, or a podcast to their Substack.

Let me become a member!

Make sure to subscribe, like, and see you in the next short and sweet Substack School video post.

Hugs🤗,

P.S. If you're interested in starting your journey on Substack Notes, I’ve got you covered. Inside the School is the Notes Club as part of my paid membership experience. It's a space where you can learn, have fun, and kickstart your Substack Notes writing journey.

P.P.S. I also run a Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp with for those who want to dive deeper and need intense training. No matter where on your writing journey you are, my Online Writing Club got you covered and will support you every step of the way.

I think anything that can make it easier for your readers to sign up is a win. Your readers simply point their phone at it, and they are taken straight to the newsletter publication you want them to go.

So how to generate a QR code for your Substack publication?

And where to put it?

Of course, you have to put it right in the center of your forehead—stamp it to your forehead 😂

There are so many other funny writers. , for instance, shared this:

So, my idea is that you're..

• going right now in your Settings

• then you go on Branding

• on QR code

Then you can use this QR code to share your publication. No typing required.

Having an avatar incorporated increases the hit rate

What I love about Substack's new QR code is that from a marketing standpoint, I think some people are suspicious of clicking on random QR codes if they are unsure what it might do to them or their data.

So having an avatar incorporated certainly increases the hit rate, I think. So here with me in the middle, I think this is awesome to have this avatar here.

My recommendation: generate your QR code right now.

In the past, I know that writers used, for instance, QR Code Monkey, or Canva, where you can also generate QR codes for free.

But I think having it native to Substack is a way better idea.

Where to put Substack’s new QR code?

And there are a couple of places to add your QR code.

For instance,

• as a tattoo, or you can staple it to your forehead 😂

• You can put it on your YouTube videos.

• You can put it on stickers, stick it to coffee shops.

• You can create business cards as did, but Simon did it with a QR generator. Now he's also pretty happy that we now have this opportunity here.

• There are physical flyers as is using it for.

• Integrate your QR code into your book!

How other Substack writers are capitalizing on the new QR code on Substack

said:

"Super cool! I also love the comparison of underground mag/zine with Substack. I write an underground mag here. Scan it! I can see myself doing this to friends of friends at parties. “

Which I love and shows the philosophy and spirit of Substack writers.

Then we have Simon again. I asked him about how he is using his QR codes. I asked him about book fairs. He said that you should use it for book fairs, but he seems to use it for workshops, panels, talks. And also, he’s been “known to mysteriously leave them in cafes and stick them up on pub notice boards just to see what happens," which I love.

So, a lot of inspiration coming from Simon.

There are so many people excited about this new feature.

And, for instance, had the great idea to put his QR code on a mug for the world to see and scan.

How my hubby is using his merch

My hubby has about 66,000 subscribers now on YouTube, and he's at a point in his creator life where he's also having some merchandise and swag for his fans. He has a cap and a mug for his .NET Web Academy.

So, this could be something, as shared here, that we then would have this QR code on our mug.

The platform that Patrick is using is called FourthWall. "Launch your brand on your terms." You can see many familiar faces and also some great examples, when you’re accessing the page.

The state of QR codes (on Substack)

If you're still here with me, let's talk about the state of QR codes just for a sec.

As I shared, I think anything that can make it easier for your readers to sign up is a win.

Did you know that QR stands for "quick response" and that they have been around for ages? They were invented in Japan back in 1994, and the idea was that they should replace the humble barcode.

And now we have these QR codes, and as I said, we can just use our phones, and then people can directly go to our publication.

I love that Substack is constantly improving. We've been getting all the updates we wanted as of late.

So, the thing I am now, of course, most interested in is:

🤔Where will you put your Substack QR? Tell me in the comments. 🤔

🎉Become a Substack Rockstar!

Want to make your writing dreams come true and wave your flag?

All you need is clarity and guidance.

You can start a writing career and build an email in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.

You’re never too old to make your wild, crazy dreams come true.

Let me become a member!

Although I’m in my 30s, as a mom of two and a loving wife and daughter, I’m writing with the end in mind, thinking about my eulogy and leaving a legacy. That’s what drives me. I’d love to help you use your QR code to get more subscribers and learn how to hype yourself (even when you don’t like selling).

Let me become a member!

All premium subscribers get a bit deeper and have access to my “Online Writing School” membership with the Substack School.

Be a part of it and join a lovely and vibrant community of more than 290 wonderful aspiring writers.

Inside Substack School, I’ll show you the EXACT (baby) steps to use Substack and go from zero to Substack hero.

I’ve grown my email list to over 8,800 subscribers within 23 months. Became a Substack bestseller with hundreds of paid subscribers and earn 5-figures with my newsletter - part-time with two kids in the house.

🥳Surprise! To celebrate this crazy life and grow together, you can get 20% off if you’re joining us this week:

Get 20% off for 1 year

You need an exclusive 1-on-1 session in October?

Become a founding member, get access to ALL the goodies plus a 60-minute strategy session with me (value: $187) to set your Substack up for success:

Let's meet, Kristina!

🚀This month, inside Substack School…

you can join us LIVE or catch the replays of 3 LIVE workshops, and 1 LIVE session with and 1 new cohort.

Let me become a member!

Make sure to subscribe, like, and see you in the next short and sweet Substack School video post.

Hugs🤗,

P.S. 👻We’re also gonna have a Halloween Party on October 30! Will you join us or would like to teach something spooky (draw a spooky pet, design a spooky Canva design, write a spooky memoir)? Tell us in the comments.👻