Here's How I Make Money On Substack

Real numbers, goals for the year, and my only other favorite topic besides fashion: money.

Let’s talk about money.

It’s impossible to talk about how we get dressed without addressing the topic. When I started this letter, almost three years ago, I was freshly laid off from my first tech job, cobbling together freelance writing stories and brand projects, and needed a distraction from the stress of my newfound instability. Thus: Long Live was born.

I was really putting in the work on Canva back in the day

I didn’t even think about turning on a Paid option for years, until I once again found myself consulting outside of a fulltime job this spring. It was scary! I’d been writing this letter at least once per week for years and never charged anyone a dime. How would they react? A call with

Christina Loff

helped calm my nerves. Conversations with the great

Joanna Goddard

made me feel like I was embarking on the next right thing. And posts by

Becca Freeman

and

Grace Atwood

inspired me to really commit.

Today’s letter is about how I make money here on Substack. And the reason for my openness is this: talking about growth helps us contextualize our own goals. It’s the Wild West out here, in all the best ways, so sharing can make all of us feel a little less alone.

Same with the photo shoots…this is very much not the level of production you can expect from me today <3

We’ll get into…

subscriber growth, my projected annual income on Substack, my best performing posts, my big EOY goal, and the hard parts.