Growing an email audience and charging for subscriptions on beehiiv or Substack.
BRI Score
out of 100
Slow and compounding. At a 0.62% median conversion you need a large free list before paid income matters. Worth it if you will write every week for a year.
Suits
People who can publish consistently for 6–12 months before it pays.
Not for
Anyone who needs income in the first few months.
What would change our view: Rates falling or many new sellers in the same marketplaces would mean the window is closing.
One person in the US, about 10 hours a week, after 12 months
Recalculated daily from the latest data; the history chart appears after the second daily update.
60% the method's unit economics ($112 a month for an active practitioner), 40% the US side-hustle distribution.
| Monthly price (median) | $10 | Source |
| Free subscribers after 12 monthsBRI assumption. | 2,000 | BRI assumption |
| Platform and payment feesBRI assumption. | $0.1 | BRI assumption |
| Free-to-paid conversion (median) | 0.62% | Source |
Paid-subscription revenue $19M in 2025 (+138%); median price $10/month; median conversion 0.62%; median 45 days to a paid tier
beehiivPaid-subscription revenue on beehiiv grew 138% in 2025 to $19M.
