How to earn from substack in india
- Introduction
What is Substack? (A Powerful Platform for Writers)
In today’s digital world, building your own identity as a writer is very important. Substack is an excellent platform designed specifically for writers, journalists, and content creators. Simply put, it is a combination of a blog and an email newsletter.
Here, you can write and publish your ideas, and they are delivered directly to your readers’ email inboxes. Even without technical knowledge, you can start your own publication here in just five minutes.
How Is It Useful for Content Creators in India?
Currently, content creation in India is becoming a major revolution. In the past, writers in Telugu or other regional languages had only Google AdSense as a source of income. But through Substack:
Direct Connect: You can build a direct relationship with your readers without any algorithms (like Facebook or Instagram) interfering in between.
Sustainable Income: In India, the culture of paying for quality information (Paid Subscriptions) is now growing.
Global Reach: While staying in India, you can reach readers worldwide and even earn in dollars.
Difference Between Regular Blogs and Substack
A common question many people ask:
“I already have a website or blog. Why do I need Substack again?”
Here are the main differences between them:
Feature Regular Blog (WordPress/Blogger) Substack
Distribution Readers must visit your website, or you need to share the link. Once you publish, it automatically goes to readers’ email inboxes.
Income Depends only on Ads. Even with high traffic, earnings are usually low. Even with fewer readers, you can earn more if they pay subscription fees.
Technical Work Hosting, domain, plugins… a lot of technical headaches. No technical tension. You can focus only on writing.
Control Your email list does not fully belong to you. Your subscriber email data is fully yours. You can download it anytime.
- Getting Started: Setting Up Your Substack
Starting to write on Substack is easy, but laying the right foundation is crucial to your success. Let’s now look at how to do it step-by-step.
Choosing a Good Niche (Topic)
You can write about anything on Substack, but choosing a specific niche helps you build loyal readers.
Your Interest: Think about what you can talk or read about for hours.
Audience Need: Are you providing useful information to people? Or are you entertaining them?
Examples:
Finance: Stock market analysis or personal finance tips.
Technology: New gadgets or AI updates.
Personal Stories: Your life experiences or inspirational stories.
Career Guidance: Job opportunities or soft skills.
Publication Name and Logo Design
Your publication name represents your brand identity.
Title: Your name should be easy to remember. It can be related to your topic (e.g., “Telugu Tech Talks”) or based on your own name (e.g., “Sai Diaries”).
Description (One-line bio): Explain in one line what your Substack is about. As soon as readers visit your page, this should tell them why they should subscribe.
Logo Design: For a professional look, you should have a good logo. You can design a simple logo using free tools like Canva. Keep it clean and not overly complicated.
Writing and Publishing Your First Post
After completing the setup, your first step is “writing.”
Welcome Post: Usually, the first post is written as a “Welcome Post.” In this, explain who you are, what you are going to write on this Substack, and what benefit readers will get from it.
Editor Tools: The Substack editor is very simple (similar to MS Word or Google Docs). You can easily add images, links, and buttons.
Publishing: When you publish a post, it appears on your website and is also sent to all your subscribers via email.
Schedule: You can publish immediately or schedule it for a specific time.
Small Advice:
Don’t expect to be perfect at the beginning. First, build the habit of publishing content. You will automatically improve as you move forward.
Sure 👍 Here is your third section translated into English exactly as it is, in a clear and structured format:
- How to Earn Money? (Monetization Methods)
Many people think Substack is only for writing, but it is actually a great source of income. Here are 4 powerful ways to monetize the content you write:
Paid Subscriptions
This is Substack’s most powerful feature. If readers like your content, they can pay a monthly or yearly fee to read your “Premium Content.”
How it works: You can keep some posts free for everyone and make others available only to paid subscribers.
Setting the Fee: You can set a minimum of $5 per month (approximately ₹400) or even higher.
Main Goal: If you have 100 loyal readers and each pays ₹200 per month, you can earn ₹20,000 as steady monthly income.
Affiliate Marketing
In your articles, you can describe products or services you like and provide their links.
How it works: If someone purchases a product through your link, you earn a percentage as commission.
Example: If you write book reviews, you can provide Amazon affiliate links. Or if you write about software, you can use that company’s affiliate links.
Caution: Recommend only the products you genuinely trust. This builds credibility and trust with your readers.
Sponsorships & Ads
As your subscribers grow, companies may approach you to promote their brands.
How it works: You can include a small sponsored segment at the beginning or middle of your newsletter and earn significantly.
Benefit: Unlike Google Ads, you can directly negotiate deals with companies. If you have a quality audience, even small brands may offer you a good amount.
Selling Digital Products
Instead of limiting your knowledge to articles, you can sell it separately.
E-books: Combine your articles in a structured way and sell them as an e-book to your subscribers.
Courses: Create video courses or conduct workshops providing in-depth knowledge on a specific topic.
Paid Webinars: Host special live sessions and sell tickets.
Pro Tip:
In the beginning, provide 80% of your content for free. Only after readers understand the value of your content should you introduce paid subscriptions. That’s when they’ll be ready to pay.
- How to Set Up Payments in India? (Technical Step)
Writing and publishing content on Substack is one step, but bringing the income earned through subscriptions directly into your Indian bank account is another important step. For this, you need to follow a few key steps.
Stripe Account: The Heart of Substack Payments
Substack does not send money to you directly. It uses Stripe, an international payment gateway.
Mandatory: If you want to earn money on Substack, you need a Stripe account.
Security: It is a globally trusted platform, so your transactions are very secure.
How to Connect Stripe in India?
When you go to Substack settings and click the “Payments” option, you’ll be prompted to create a Stripe account. While registering from India, keep the following ready:
PAN Card: Your personal PAN card number is mandatory. You can register as an Individual.
Bank Details: Your bank account number and IFSC code. Stripe converts your earnings from dollars to rupees and transfers them to this account.
Business Type: If you are writing alone, select “Individual” or “Sole Proprietorship.”
Purpose Code: As per RBI regulations, to receive international payments in India, you must provide a “Purpose Code” (for example, P0806 – Other Information Services).
Currency Note: Income in INR (Indian Rupees)
Earlier, using Stripe in India was slightly difficult, but now the situation has changed:
INR Support: Currently, both Substack and Stripe allow payments in INR (Indian Rupees) in India.
Automatic Conversion: If someone pays in dollars from abroad, Stripe converts the amount to rupees at the current exchange rate and deposits it into your bank account within the scheduled payout time.
GST: If you earn more (above ₹20 lakhs per year), GST regulations will apply. For beginners, this is usually not a major concern.
> Important Note:
While setting up your Stripe account, make sure the name on your PAN card and the name on your bank account match exactly. Otherwise, you may face verification issues.
- Growing Your Audience (How to Increase Your Readers?)
No matter how good your content is, you earn income and recognition only when it reaches the right audience. Writing alone on Substack is not enough — you need certain strategies to take your words to thousands of people. Here are three key ways to attract new readers:
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Substack Notes: Networking Within the Platform
Substack is not just a writing tool; it is also a social network. It has a feature called “Notes” (which works almost like Twitter or X).
How to Use: Post the key points from your articles or short thoughts in the form of “Notes.”
Connecting: By commenting on popular writers’ notes and following them, their readers get to know who you are.
Cross-Promotion: By collaborating with other writers (Recommendations), their subscribers get introduced to you, and your subscribers get introduced to them. This is a powerful way to grow quickly.
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Social Media: Expand Your Reach
Just putting your Substack link in your profile is not enough. You must use social media smartly.
X (Twitter) & LinkedIn: Write threads or long-form posts. Instead of posting the full article there, share an interesting summary and provide your Substack link for complete details.
Instagram: Convert key quotes or important points from your article into graphics (using Canva) and post them. Keep your Substack link in your bio.
WhatsApp Groups: Share your article link in groups you are part of, along with a short explanation of why people should read it.
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Consistency: Disciplined Writing
Many people start enthusiastically but stop later. To succeed on Substack, consistency is very important.
Schedule: Get into the habit of sending at least 1 to 2 quality articles per week.
Trust: If you send your article at the same time every week (for example, every Sunday at 9 AM), readers may start waiting for your email.
Quality vs Quantity: Instead of posting daily and reducing quality, it’s better to write one excellent and informative article per week. The longer you write consistently, the more the Substack algorithm will promote you.
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Remember: Getting your first 100 subscribers is difficult, but once you cross that milestone, your growth accelerates.
- Challenges & Solutions
Let’s look at some of the difficulties you may face in your Substack journey and how to overcome them:
Stripe Onboarding Issues:
Challenge: Sometimes while opening a Stripe account in India, it may show “Invite-only” or your verification may remain pending.
Solution: Check whether your PAN card and bank account details are correct. If the issue continues, contact Stripe support or try registering with a different bank account you have.
Will People Pay for Subscriptions?:
Challenge: In India, people are more used to free content, so there may be doubts about whether they will pay to read.
Solution: It’s okay if not everyone pays. Even if 2% to 5% of your readers find your content highly valuable, they will definitely support you. If the information you provide is exclusive and not easily available elsewhere, readers will not hesitate to pay.
Not Getting Reach:
Challenge: Writing consistently but not seeing subscriber growth.
Solution: Don’t just write and leave it there. As mentioned earlier, stay active on Substack Notes and social media. By leaving meaningful comments on other writers’ posts, your profile visibility will increase.
- Conclusion
Substack is not just a website; it is a digital asset for writers. Here, you don’t have to fear algorithms — your readers truly belong to you.
Important Thing to Remember:
Earning money through writing is not overnight magic. It is a long-term game. Even if income is low in the beginning, if your content quality is good, both your income and your brand value will grow over time.
If you are passionate about writing, start your Substack journey today. Turn your words into your weapons and create a new income stream for yourself!