
How to Write for a Living 323: Why waiting to monetise your Substack is actually costing you money (with Philip Hofmacher)
➡️ Learn the exact system used by Write • Build • Scale to build, launch, and automate your first mini-course so you can build your own passive income stream. Get it here.
Season 3, episode 23 is here!
My pal Philip Hofmacher from Write • Build • Scale joined me for a conversation about monetising on Substack without needing thousands of subscribers first.
We talked about why mini courses outperform massive flagship programs, the exact price points that convert best, and how to promote your products without feeling spammy.
What we covered:
- Why some Substack creators make six figures from day one while others build to 30,000 subscribers before monetising
- The story of how Jari Roomer’s full course overwhelmed people and failed to deliver results, then how he turned it into a two-hour procrastination mini course that sold like wildfire and created a natural upsell path
- Why mini courses solve one specific problem instead of trying to be a fit for everything, and how that narrow focus actually makes them easier to recommend because everyone knows someone struggling with that exact issue
- The sweet spot pricing range for mini courses based on testing hundreds of offers, and why charging $47 instead of $27 doesn’t actually hurt conversions but significantly increases revenue
- How to promote your products organically through live streams, DMs, and value-first conversations rather than shouty upsells, including the exact sequence from commenting on a note to becoming a paying customer
- Why bundling mini courses with coaching, communities, and group settings creates multiple entry points for different types of customers, and how the same content can be packaged differently from free posts to thousand-dollar coaching
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thedavidmcilroy.substack.com/subscribe
