Most newsletter creators price themselves out of the market — or price themselves into irrelevance.

Here's what actually happens:

The "free forever" trap

You build 500 subscribers. You think "I need more before I can charge." You hit 1,000. Still not enough. Meanwhile, you've trained your audience to expect free. When you finally put up a paywall, 90% of them leave — because you never made a case for the value.

The "50/month premium" trap

You go the other direction. You charge a lot, justify it with "premium positioning," and watch conversions flatline. Not because the content isn't good — because trust takes time to build and $50 asks a lot from strangers.

What actually works:

$9–$15/month as an entry offer. Low enough that the decision is easy. High enough that subscribers are bought in. Then raise prices for new subscribers every 6 months as social proof builds. Lock in early subscribers at their rate — they become your biggest advocates.

The goal in year one isn't maximum revenue. It's maximum momentum.

That's the playbook I'm running with The Leverage Letter — weekly strategies, frameworks, and case studies for founders and operators who want to grow faster.