The Brief.

The business of content.

Category: Platforms

  • The Ultimate Guide to Self-Publishing Platforms That Pay Creators

    The Ultimate Guide to Self-Publishing Platforms That Pay Creators

    The creator economy has reshaped the publishing landscape. The old pathways — agents, commissions, traditional media hierarchies — still have weight, but they no longer hold a monopoly on opportunity. Today, writers, educators, artists, podcasters, photographers, adult creators, and niche experts are building sustainable income streams through direct-publishing platforms that give them control over content, cadence, and audience relationships.

    Self-publishing is no longer a fallback. It’s a business model — one rooted in independence, data ownership, and the freedom to build without permission. This guide explores the platforms actually paying creators, what they offer, where they differ, and how to choose the right model for your work.

    First Glance

    Subscription Platforms

    Recurring revenue is the closest thing creators have to stability. Subscription models suit those producing regular work and cultivating loyal audiences.

    Substack

    Ideal for writers, journalists, and commentators.

    – Email-first publishing
    – Paid newsletter subscriptions, founding memberships
    – Podcast and video-friendly
    – Community tools (chat, notes)

    Strength: direct audience ownership via email
    Good for: writing-led independent media brands, niche commentary, community-driven publishing

    Patreon

    One of the earliest models for recurring creator income.

    – Tiered memberships
    – Exclusive content, early access, community perks
    – Audio and video friendly

    Strength: flexible membership structures
    Good for: podcasters, educators, musicians, creators with a strong personality-led following

    OnlyFans

    Often framed narrowly, but a major economic engine for adult and wellness creators — and increasingly also for fitness coaches, entertainers, and educators.

    – Fan subscriptions
    – Pay-per-view content
    – Direct fan messaging
    – Tips and paid livestreams

    Strength: high audience conversion, direct creator-fan intimacy
    Good for: creators monetising intimacy, personality, and private-community dynamics

    Digital Product & Storefront Platforms

    For creators who prefer one-time sales, digital delivery, and asset-driven income.

    Gumroad

    Simple, creator-first infrastructure.

    – Sell digital downloads, courses, memberships
    – Pay-once simplicity
    – No storefront complexity

    Good for: digital tools, ebooks, creative assets, templates, photography packs, indie publishing

    Ko-fi

    Creator support platform with tipping embedded into culture.

    – Donations (“buy me a coffee”)
    – Digital storefront
    – Memberships available

    Good for: artists, illustrators, independent makers, early-stage creators testing paid content

    Etsy

    No longer just crafts.

    – Digital downloads thrive (planners, fonts, Lightroom presets, guides)
    – Search-driven audience discovery
    – Known buyer intent

    Good for: visually-led creators, designers, lifestyle content, niche digital goods

    Course & Teaching Platforms

    For educators, coaches, and creators with actionable knowledge.

    Teachable / Thinkific

    Standalone course infrastructure.

    – Host video courses, sell bundles
    – Affiliate systems
    – Landing pages and student dashboards

    Good for: creators monetising expertise — marketing, design, fitness, language learning, technical skills

    Skillshare

    Marketplace model.

    – Creators paid via watch-time and referrals
    – Platform brings the audience

    Good for: design, illustration, writing, craft, productivity educators building top-of-funnel reach

    Screenshot

    Marketplaces & Ad-Share Platforms

    Better suited for reach-driven creators who monetise attention.

    YouTube

    The backbone of creator video income.

    – Ad revenue
    – Channel memberships
    – Merch shelf, SuperThanks, brand deals
    – Podcast push underway

    Good for: long-form storytelling, tutorials, commentary, evergreen content

    Medium

    Writer-focused platform with a native audience.

    – Paid Partner Program based on member reading time
    – Niche publications
    – Distribution advantages when the algorithm hits

    Good for: essays, opinion, tech, wellness, personal narrative

    Screenshot

    Community-Led Spaces

    Private ecosystems where access is the product.

    Discord / Geneva

    Community hubs with paid entry or tiered access.

    – Membership-gated channels
    – Real-time conversation culture
    – Loyalty over scale

    Good for: niche groups, education cohorts, fan communities, accountability clubs

    Choosing a Platform: Strategic Questions

    Self-publishing isn’t about choosing the trendiest tool — it’s about choosing alignment.

    – Do you want ongoing revenue or one-off sales?
    – Is your work episodic or evergreen?
    – Where does your audience naturally gather?
    – How much control do you want over data and distribution?
    – Are you monetising information, entertainment, intimacy, or community?

    Creators who thrive treat platforms as infrastructure, not identity. Many operate with a portfolio approach: newsletter for core audience, marketplace for assets, community for depth. A sustainable publishing model is rarely one-platform-only — it’s a system.

    Erika Moen

    Case Studies: Creators Turning Platforms into Businesses

    The most successful self-publishers treat their platforms as infrastructure, not identity. These creators demonstrate how different models translate into long-term, independent income.

    Anne Helen Petersen — Substack

    A former BuzzFeed journalist, Petersen left traditional media to build Culture Study, a paid Substack newsletter exploring work, culture, and burnout. Her newsletter revenue now outpaces her former salary, and she’s expanded into podcasting and events.

    Lesson: Subject-matter authority and consistency can replace institutional backing.

    Hank Green — Patreon and YouTube

    One of the earliest YouTube educators, Green co-founded VidCon and runs a portfolio that spans science education, podcasts, and books. Patreon memberships fund niche projects free from ad pressure.

    Lesson: Diversification across platforms protects creative independence.

    Erika Moen — OnlyFans and Patreon

    The cartoonist behind Oh Joy Sex Toy built her audience through webcomics before adopting subscription models on Patreon and OnlyFans for adult education and art.

    Lesson: Intimacy and transparency can be a professional asset when framed within a clear ethical and creative vision.

    Ali Abdaal — Teachable and YouTube

    A former doctor turned productivity educator, Abdaal used YouTube as discovery and Teachable for conversion, building a multimillion-dollar online course business.

    Lesson: Free reach can feed high-value educational products when paired with structure and credibility.

    Traci Thomas — Podcast and Newsletter Ecosystem

    Host of The Stacks podcast, Thomas leveraged her literary community into paid newsletters, brand partnerships, and speaking events.

    Lesson: Community can be monetised laterally — through media, live experiences, and sponsorships.

    Each example underscores the same pattern: clarity of voice, audience ownership, and a willingness to evolve the business model as platforms shift.

    🔑 Key Takeaways

    💼 Self-publishing is a strategic business model, not an alternative to traditional media.

    💸 Subscription platforms like Substack, Patreon, and OnlyFans deliver recurring income and audience depth.

    🛍️ Digital storefronts such as Gumroad, Etsy, and Ko-fi work best for evergreen products and creative assets.

    🎓 Course platforms (Teachable, Thinkific, Skillshare) help knowledge-driven creators scale education.

    📺 Marketplace platforms including YouTube and Medium reward reach but depend on algorithms.

    💬 Community platforms like Discord and Geneva build loyalty and higher-value engagement.

    🧭 Operate across multiple channels — the most sustainable creator businesses diversify their presence.

    Ownership, consistency, and direct audience relationships remain the real differentiators.

  • How Substack Writers Can Build Audiences Without Paying for Visibility

    How Substack Writers Can Build Audiences Without Paying for Visibility

    When Substack first gained traction, it was hailed as a lifeline for independent writers: a platform where newsletters could bypass algorithmic feeds, connect directly with readers, and generate revenue through subscriptions. But as the platform has grown — now hosting hundreds of thousands of publications — discovery has become one of its most persistent challenges. Substack offers paid promotion tools, but not every writer wants (or can afford) to invest in ads to reach readers. Growth without a budget remains both necessary and possible.

    Start with the writing, not the platform

    Readers don’t subscribe because of the mechanics of Substack. They subscribe because the writing offers clarity, perspective, or utility they can’t find elsewhere. Growth begins with sharpening the voice: a distinct angle, a rhythm of publishing, and an ability to frame ideas in ways that matter to a specific audience. Consistency matters less than predictability. Weekly is fine, monthly is fine — so long as the cadence is steady enough to build trust.

    Borrow audiences strategically

    Most successful newsletters don’t grow in isolation. Writers leverage overlapping communities — Twitter threads linking back to essays, guest posts on other newsletters, podcast appearances, even traditional op-eds. Cross-pollination works because it taps into audiences already primed to read. An early-stage Substack benefits more from being recommended by three peers in its niche than from paying for anonymous clicks.

    Make the archive work for you

    One overlooked advantage of Substack is the permanent archive. Each post has a URL that can circulate far beyond its send date. Treat the archive as evergreen publishing: update older posts with context, resurface them on social media, and link internally within your own essays. Search visibility may not be as powerful as a dedicated blog on WordPress, but Substack posts do index in Google, and long-tail discovery remains a real source of organic growth.

    Lean on recommendations and networks

    Substack’s own recommendation feature, while imperfect, still provides value. Writers with even modest subscriber lists can generate meaningful referrals, especially within tightly defined niches. Beyond the platform, independent networks of newsletter writers (informal Slack groups, Discord servers, co-promotion collectives) are quietly effective. The key is reciprocity: the best growth often comes from communities where writers actively support each other rather than chasing one-way promotion.

    Don’t ignore design and accessibility

    While content rules, presentation helps. Clear subject lines, accessible formatting, and thoughtful design reduce friction. Readers who enjoy receiving your work are more likely to forward it to others — one of the oldest and most reliable forms of organic growth. Substack offers limited customisation, but small details — images, typography, readability on mobile — make an outsized difference in shareability.

    Growth without shortcuts

    The temptation with any platform is to search for hacks. Substack is no exception. But the newsletters that endure, and the ones that generate revenue, tend to grow steadily rather than virally. They are built on a compound model: one reader forwarding to another, one post being cited by a larger outlet, one collaboration leading to a new audience. None of these require an ad budget, but they do require persistence and clarity of intent.

    The Brief will continue to track how discovery evolves on Substack and other newsletter platforms. For now, the message is straightforward: growth without payment is slower, but it builds an audience that is more loyal, more invested, and more likely to stay.