My 18th Month Publishing on Substack: Here's What I Learned
Changes in the wind...
Happy Tuesday, y’all. Let’s jump right in!
Here’s What Happened in November
I ran a big experiment last month, one I’ve been putting off for a while.
On November 14th, I pruned 25% of my email list.
I deleted 312 subscribers in a couple of hours.
Most were old, imported emails from years ago with zero activity. I expected three things to happen immediately afterward:
Open rates: up
Deliverability: up
Total views: down
Two out of three happened.
The third one…didn’t.
Views actually went up by 23% in the first 24 hours after each send.
That was the shock. Logically, removing a quarter of a list should reduce total views. It didn’t.
I wrote a full breakdown for Paid subscribers last week on why this happened. Substack’s algorithm behaves in some interesting ways when you clean your list. Paid members got a full breakdown last week on exactly WHY the pruning increased my views, including screenshots, data, and the exact ways in which Substack’s algo reacted to the prune. This allows for Paid subscribers to better understand what happens when a list is pruned.
Here’s a quick look at November’s views so you can see what I mean:
The dip at the very end of the month was Thanksgiving week, pretty normal for a mostly-U.S. audience.
Open rate also jumped from 24% to 31% after the pruning.
So yes, it worked far better than expected.
Here’s what free-subscriber growth looked like over the last 90 days:
The cliff is where the pruning happened, of course. As of today, I sit at 1,039 subscribers, 19 of which are Paid. I gained 4 Paid subs in October and another 5 in November. My conversion rate has increased from 0.5% in August to 1.9% now.
Pricing Transparency (And Why I’m Adjusting the Annual Rate)
Part of these monthly recaps is sharing how I’m thinking about building Backstage Pass.
Until now, the annual plan has been deeply discounted: 33% off the monthly. That made sense early on, when most Paid subscribers came in through annual and I was still refining the direction.
Going into 2026, my goals have shifted:
Growth, momentum, and reaching Bestseller status by June, not for the badge, but for the visibility boost that helps this whole community grow.
To get there, I need a healthier mix of monthly subscribers. Monthly members create steady, predictable momentum. So starting February 1st, the annual discount shrinks to 20%, which is much more sustainable long-term.
What this means for you:
If you love a deal, the current $60 annual is the lowest it will ever be
If you prefer flexibility, the $7.50 monthly you lock in now stays yours for life
Either way, you get everything: deep dives, frameworks, experiments, support, all of it.
What I Will Be Focusing on This Month and Beyond
One area I am going to focus on is spending more time on personal engagement and support. Engagement from the standpoint of interacting more with other users (priority given to current subscribers), and support focusing on Paid subscribers. I am also going to spend a lot more time on personal outreach, especially for new subscribers. I need to do a much better job of welcoming new subscribers and making them aware of what our community has to offer.
Additionally, the focus for the rest of the month and next from a content perspective will be on helping you get your Substack off the ground. I will be writing more on Thursday about where I believe Substack is headed in 2026. I think 2026 will be a huge year for Substack’s growth, and I also think it will be a huge year for creators who put themselves in a position to take advantage of the platform’s growth. I want you to be one of those who do, and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on how to do this in the coming weeks.
Make sure you check out Thursday’s post on where Substack is headed in 2026. If you’ve been on the fence about upgrading to Paid, now is the time to invest in yourself so you are in a position to take advantage of Substack’s growth in 2026. With the systems, guidance, and personalized support I’m giving Paid members every month.
Mack
Mack, I always appreciate how transparent you are about the behind-the-scenes thinking. It makes the whole “building on Substack” journey feel a lot less mysterious — and honestly, less lonely.
The pruning effect is wild to see in action. It makes total sense when you explain it, but I never would’ve guessed views would increase that dramatically after a big list clean. That alone is a reason your work is worth the subscription — fewer myths, more actual data.
And good on you for announcing the price change early. The clarity plus the “lock it in for life” angle feels fair, thoughtful, and very aligned with how you run this place.
Cheering you on as you go all-in in 2026—big momentum ahead for Backstage Pass.
💛 Kelly
Congratulations on all of the growth!