Reader,

Before we dive in today, I offered a small group of subscribers an INSANE resource, and wanted to extend to everyone...

So, if you buy a single copy (or more) of Kelly's book, The Miracle Hour before midnight tomorrow, we will give you access to our custom Substack Strategy GPT.

This GPT walks you through a free content strategy, builds your paid tiers, and creates a 30-day content calendar for you AND gives you some welcome message ideas and templates.

And you get it FREE when you get a copy of The Miracle Hour (which will give you a FULL system for sales on Substack... and everywhere else).

To get access to that, click here... you can come back to this email.

I'll wait. This is honestly TOO good!

Okay, now for today's newsletter...

A free Substack subscriber is not a buyer yet. They’re lurking... sussing things out.

They are TOP of funnel. Moving them into your paid tiers gets them MUCH warmer...

The good news? There are three specific things you can do right now, without being salesy, and without feeling like you are on a content hamster wheel, to start turning those free followers into paid subs on the daily.

Strategy #1: The Welcome Message (That Actually Converts) ... you knew I would start here, right????

MOST people STILL do nothing with new subscribers or followers anywhere, but CERTAINLY on Substack.

Which is like someone walking into your house and you saying NOTHING to them. It's weird.

When someone subscribes for free, they just raised their hand at least a little.

They said, “I’m interested.” Your job is to meet them there, immediately, and start building the relationship that eventually leads to a paid upgrade.

Substack has a direct message feature built right in.

When someone subscribes, you can go into your subscriber dashboard, filter by free subscribers, and send them a DM directly on the platform. It takes a few seconds, and it works!

📩 Welcome Message Template (Free Subscriber → Relationship Builder)

Hey [Name]! So glad you’re here, welcome to [Publication Name]! 🎉

I create content for [describe your audience] and would love to know a little more about you.

Quick question — just reply with the number that best describes you:

1️⃣ I’m [qualifier — e.g., a business owner just getting started with content]

2️⃣ I’m [qualifier — e.g., a business owner consistently posting but not seeing conversions]

3️⃣ I’m [qualifier — e.g., a business owner ready to scale my content into real revenue]

No wrong answers, just helps me make sure I’m sending you the most relevant stuff!

Talk soon,

[Your name]

A few things to note here: this message is short, doesn't require too much thinking to answer, and does NOT pitch anything. Its only job is to start a conversation. That’s it.

Once they reply?

Now you have a real conversation happening. Ideally, based on their answer, you would point them to a paid article that meets them where they are. OR, you can choose a free article with a paid pitch at the bottom and share that with them. Either way, you are inviting them to take the next step with you and your content. Bonus points for sending them something with video or audio to build trust and familiarity faster.

Strategy #2: Strategic Button Placement in Free Articles

Okay, this one is soooooo underutilized, and it’s honestly cray to me.

Every time you publish a free article on Substack, you have the ability to insert a paywall and a “subscribe” button directly inside that article. This is not just a nice-to-have. This is your conversion engine.

Here’s how to use it strategically:

The setup: Write a free article that delivers REAL value, aka... teach something specific, share a framework, give a behind-the-scenes look at how you do something. Get them nodding. Get them thinking “okay, this person knows what they’re talking about.”

Then, right at the moment of peak curiosity, insert your paywall with a button. You’re not cutting them off rudely. You’re giving them a taste, and then inviting them to go deeper.

This is how we do all of our once-a-week paid articles (ours actually have in-depth trainings).

​Here's an example of a high-performing one (and this training is 🔥).

Button placement that works:

• After your best free insight: Drop the CTA right after you’ve delivered something valuable. They’re already in “yes mode.” Don’t wait until the end.
• Before your most tactical content: Tease what’s behind the paywall. “Paid subscribers also got the full breakdown of exactly how we structured this, including the copy we used and the timeline.” Then the button.
• In the middle AND at the end: Don’t make them scroll to find it. Two buttons per article is not too many. One mid-article, one at the close.

The copy on the button matters too! Instead of the generic “Subscribe,” customize it. Try:

• “Get the full breakdown →”
• “Join the paid community →”
• “Unlock the rest →”

Specificity creates demand. Even your button copy should feel intentional.

BUT, this isn't the only way to use those trusty ol' buttons.

Even in your free content, you should place at least 2-3 buttons (top, middle, bottom) so those that aren't subscribed, are prompted to subscribe, and those that aren't getting upgraded content, upgrade!

​Here's an example of a high-converting FREE article that drove both free subs AND paid upgrades!

Strategy 3 - Live Videos for Paid Subscribers (+ How to Use the Invite to Convert Free Readers)

This is one of our favorite strategies right now, and it does double duty.

Host a live video exclusively for your paid subscribers.

It could be a deep-dive training, a Q&A, a behind-the-scenes strategy session, a hot seat coaching call, whatever fits your content style.

But here’s where the magic happens for your FREE subscribers too.

Before the live, send a free article or note that teases what the paid community is getting access to. Something like:

“This Friday, I’m going live with our paid subscribers to walk through [specific topic]. It’s going to be [specific outcome]. If you want in here’s how to upgrade before we go live →”

Then, schedule a "Going Live" event about a day or two before you are going live. It will notify subscribers, and those that aren't paid will be prompted to upgrade.

Between those two things, you will get a bunch of paid subs that want the free training.

We did that THIS week with this one and got several new subscribers! -> This training on publishing your book with Jen Kem is worth the price of an entire YEAR)!

A few deets on the logistics:

• Substack has a live video feature built right in, no third-party tool needed, which means you can go live anywhere!
• After your live, Substack will give you video clips you can use to promote after the fact, and drive them back to your live that is behind the paywall!
• You can promote to your main email list, and send the link for the live that's scheduled, and it will prompt them to join the paid tiers!

Alrighty...

Go get busy.

But before you go, don't forget...

You get the BOMB.COM custom GPT I built to help with your Substack strategy. It will give you a content calendar and EVERYTHING!

So, go grab your book and you'll get an email MONDAY with access to the GPT!

Happy Easter!

Danielle