Notes on building creator apps.
Essays on paywalls, retention, release QA, and running an app for an audience instead of just shipping one.
Monetization
What to actually charge for your first subscription
Creators either underprice out of guilt or overprice on gut feel. Neither is a pricing strategy. Here's how to actually set your first subscription price.
·5 min read
Strategy
Your Instagram following isn't an audience until it pays you
Followers and reach are rented from the algorithm. An audience is a list of people who chose to keep hearing from you. The difference decides whether you can monetize.
·5 min read
Monetization
Instagram Subscriptions vs a subscription app: which one actually builds your business
Instagram's native Subscriptions feature is free to turn on and takes no platform cut. Here's why that's still not the same decision as owning a subscription app.
·5 min readMonetization
Patreon, Stan Store, or your own app: what actually pays more
Every creator monetization platform takes a cut somewhere. Here's what Patreon, Stan Store, and your own app actually cost once you add it all up.
·5 min read
Paywalls
Your paywall test needs a release plan
A mobile paywall test touches revenue, subscriptions, analytics, and App Store review. Treat it like a release, not a copy swap.
·6 min read
Retention
The push notification vs. Instagram DM problem for creators
A DM sits in a request folder the algorithm decides to surface. A push notification lands on the lock screen. For a paying subscriber, that difference is the whole relationship.
·5 min readMonetization
Weekly billing is spreading through subscription apps. Is it right for yours?
RevenueCat's 2026 data shows weekly billing is now a standard third pricing tier — but weekly retention rarely clears 10% at six months.
·6 min read
Community
Discord built your audience. It won't collect your subscriptions.
Discord scales to millions of members. What it doesn't do is bill anyone. Here's where the community model stops and the monetization problem starts.
·5 min read
Build & Launch
What it actually costs to turn your Instagram into a paid app
Building a creator app costs more than a developer's invoice. Here's every line item, including the App Store cut most creators forget to budget for.
·5 min read
Build & Launch
What you need before Apple lets you sell a single subscription
The paywall isn't the first gate. Apple won't process a single subscription until your developer account, tax forms, and banking are set up — here's what to have ready.
·5 min read