Same subscribers.Different cut.

How much creators make

The bars above count paying subscribers, not followers. Most accounts never fill a list that size. The amounts use the price set above, rounded to the nearest dollar, before tax.

• X

  Up to ~97%

  20 paying

  $97

  100 paying

  $485

  500 paying

  $2,425

  1,000 paying

  $4,850

• YouTube

  ~70%

  20 paying

  $70

  100 paying

  $350

  500 paying

  $1,750

  1,000 paying

  $3,500

• Patreon

  ~85–92%

  20 paying

  $88

  100 paying

  $440

  500 paying

  $2,200

  1,000 paying

  $4,400

• Substack

  ~87%

  20 paying

  $87

  100 paying

  $435

  500 paying

  $2,175

  1,000 paying

  $4,350

The middle, not the headline

• Patreon

  $55a month, median

  March 2024, among Patreon-only creators already earning over $10, in a 2025 study by Strauss, Yang, and Mazzucato. The average in that group was $307, because a few large accounts pull it up. Creators on more than one network were left out.

• Substack

  $4,000a year, reported median

  Secondary write-ups of 2025–2026 data put nearly 100,000 earning publications at a median near $4,000 a year, and say almost half of paid publications cleared under $500 in 2025. More than 50 are reported at $1 million or more. That is not an audit.

• YouTube

  70%of membership net

  YouTube's published membership share. It does not publish a typical membership income. For most channels this is a smaller line next to ads, not the whole living.

• X

  ~97%of subscription gross

  X's own Subscriptions wording, after payment fees. X does not publish how many subscribers a typical account has. Followers are not subscribers. Twenty people at $5 is about $97 a month.

How to market your page

People subscribe to someone they already see. Repeat one clear offer where they already are. Do not ask a stranger to leave an app for a signup.

1. 01

   Sell the next piece, not the platform

   People pay for something they can picture. Name the day and the format: a Sunday thread, a members cut, a Friday letter.

2. 02

   Pin one offer

   Price, the one perk they do not get for free, and where to tap. A list of ten benefits is easier to ignore than one clear thing.

3. 03

   Stay where they already are

   If they live on X, the pitch belongs in the timeline. A link out is a tax. Use it only when the perk cannot live in that feed.

4. 04

   Show what subscribers got

   “Yesterday’s post was for subscribers” beats “please subscribe.” One proof a week is enough.

On each platform

The marked plan matches the platform selected above.

• XSubscriptions
  1. Keep the pitch in the feed: an exclusive post, a reply-gated thread, and an occasional subscriber Space.
  2. Pin one post with the price X set, the badge in replies, and what the public post does not include.
  3. Quote a subscriber post back to the timeline with one line of the payoff, not the whole thing.
  4. Reply to people who already talk to you. That is the list. Do not build a second home until the feed is the product.
• YouTubeMemberships
  1. End the public video with one sentence about the members cut, live, or early watch.
  2. Use the memberships shelf and a members-only community post so the offer sits on the channel.
  3. A badge and emoji only work if the public can see them in comments.
  4. A Short can point at the members video. Do not hide the whole channel.
• PatreonMemberships
  1. Every public piece needs an exit: the link, the tier, and why it is not on this platform.
  2. Ship one free post a week that is good enough to share, and one line that the rest is on Patreon.
  3. Name the reason to leave: downloads, a Discord, or a tier. “Support me” is not a reason.
  4. Discovery is weak here. Bring people yourself. A bio link and a collaboration beat a new tier.
• SubstackSubscriptions
  1. The free post has to be complete. The paid one is the next piece, not a worse version of the free one.
  2. Notes and recommendations are the discovery. Comment on writers your readers already read.
  3. Recommend a few letters you actually read. That is how new readers arrive.
  4. A founding tier is a label for people who want to be named. It is not the marketing plan.

Social tactics

Moves you can do this week. The pitch stays one sentence. The network only changes where it shows up.

• X

  Reply before you post

  Fifteen replies in threads your audience already reads, then one post of your own. The subscriber badge only works if people see you in those replies.

• X

  Quote the lock

  Publish the subscriber post, then quote it with one sentence and the price. The rest stays behind the lock.

• X

  Gate one thread

  Once a week, limit replies to subscribers. The public timeline shows the lock. That is the ad. Do not gate every post.

• X

  One swap, not a blast

  Quote one peer a week and name the piece their subscribers got. Ask for the same once. A reply chain beats a group tag.

• Instagram

  Crop the payoff

  One story: a cropped shot of the subscriber post with the last line cut off, plus the same sentence as your pin. Not a second pitch.

• TikTok and Reels

  Stop before the answer

  Fifteen seconds that sets up the question. The last frame is the sentence and the price, not a logo and not “link in bio.”

• YouTube

  Last ten seconds, first comment

  Say what members get and which day. Pin that same sentence as the first comment. A Short can use the same line and point at the members cut.

• Facebook

  Text first, link second

  Write the perk in the post. Put the link in the first comment. A bare link preview is easier to scroll past than a sentence.

• Every bio

  One sentence

  Price, day, perk. “$5. Sunday thread. Subscribers only.” Use it in the bio, the pin, the end screen, and the story. Change it only when the offer changes.

Collaborations

A collab trades an audience that already pays attention. Pick a shape. Follower count is the wrong size.

You give

One public post that names their price, their day, and the perk. They post the same sentence about you, the same week.

You get

Their audience sees the offer, not a “go follow” tag. Paying subscribers on their side matter more than a big follower count.

Where

An X quote, a YouTube community post, or a story. Do it where both audiences already scroll.

It fails when

A group tag of ten accounts. Nobody owes you a post, and the audience cannot tell who is being sold.

• Write the day, the sentence, and who posts. If money changes hands, call it a paid placement.
• Do not promise a subscriber count. A quote does not tell you who subscribed.
• Run one, then look. If paying subscribers did not move, do not book the same shape again.

Negotiation

Pick what they asked for. The reply is the deal. Follower math is not a price.

Hold

Same week, both posts, and their sentence names your price and your day. A favor with no date is not a deal.

Send this

I can quote you Thursday if you quote me the same day. The line is the price, the day, and the perk. No group tag.

Walk away if

They want your post and offer a “soon” in return, or a tag with ten other people.

The script

Swap Thursday, the price, and the category for yours. Stop when they will not meet the last line.

1. Them

   Can you give us a shoutout? We’ll return the favor soon.

2. You

   I can quote you Thursday if you quote me the same day. The line is the price, the day, and the perk. No group tag.

3. Them

   We’ll tag you in a roundup with a few other people.

4. You

   That is not the swap. One post for one post, same day, or we skip it.

Before you name a price

• What is the exact post, clip, or live
• What day it goes up, and how long it stays
• Who writes the sentence, and whether they can edit it
• Whether they can run it as an ad, and when that ends
• When you get paid

Contract clauses

Pick a clause. The first line is what to ask for. The second is the version that leaves you exposed.

Ask for

One asset, one platform, one day, and how long it stays up. A stranger should be able to check that it happened.

Refuse

“Social promotion” or “a post” with no platform, no date, and no end.

• If the PDF and the messages disagree, the PDF is what you signed. Read that one.
• A clause you do not understand is a question before you sign, not after.
• This is a checklist, not a contract and not legal advice. If the money is real, have someone who does this read it.

One week

• Four public pieces that stand alone
• One exclusive piece on the day you named
• A pinned offer that still matches what you shipped
• More replies than announcements