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Building up a new supporter base is tough to do, especially when you move to a new platform and at the same time offer a paid subscription as well. The paid offering was something I had already planned to do, having built up a good support over the last four years it felt like the right time to take the plunge.
So while offering enough for subscribers to ensure they’re getting value for the money there is a need to encourage people to become a free subscriber and get a taste of what they will find behind a paywall.
This is the new creation called ‘Freebie Friday’ and the aim is it will be a regular piece for free subscribers to have a look at and also for those who don’t want to be a regular subscriber but still wish to support my work.
A free subscription will generate an email for each piece that’s written directly into your inbox, as it would for a paid subscriber, you don’t even have to log into the site to read it but registers that on my stats box that it’s been read, it’s that easy.
The beauty of non-league football is always something is there for you to write about, something that catches your eye and the only part of the thought process to consider is whether you make it available for everyone to read or it goes behind the paywall, whose attention will it get the most?
I’m quite lucky I think in the fact that Substack are constantly encouraging you to grow your audience and your product, at WordPress I can’t say I felt that support was there.
For me, both sets of subscribers are as important as each other. Free subscribers turn into paid subscribers, paid subscribers can share and promote your work just as much as you can, they also get the opportunity at least once or twice a year to ‘gift’ subscriptions to friends and family as like a taster, there’s no full on commitment at the end of that gift either.
I appreciate it’s not the easiest time to ask people to commit although it’s not substantial amount monthly, £5 get’s you 8 blogs per month as a full subscriber, which works out at 50p an article, you can’t grab a cuppa these days at that price!
I would hope that shouts value for money and that these Friday pieces tip a few people on the plus side, the annual price for £48 actually works out cheaper too, you can’t ask for more than that!
But, why should you subscribe and what are you really going to see behind the paywall? Well, whatever the piece is about you will see the first three paragraphs but nothing more, the remainder is for the paying subscriber. I go to a lot of games from the National League down to County league level at Steps 5-7 and I vary it around so you aren’t reading about the same leagues and clubs all the time.
It's not just a match report you read anywhere, I’ll pick out players that stand out, something about one of the clubs, other bits I’ve seen that most would miss so it looks a bit different.
I’ve some work to do on interviews, I haven’t covered too many so far this season but now we’re a few games in it’s a priority to get covered and again I’ve got contacts at all levels to give you an insight.
There’s podcast material to come as well, despite having launched it months ago I’ve had a struggle getting in some recordings but realise there needs now to become a bit more of a structure to www.footballwriting.co.uk.
I’ve got offers to come for both Black Friday and Xmas, it’s never a good time to ask people to part with cash so I appreciate every single person who supports my writing with a free or paid subscription.
I’m always open to ideas for what goes on this blog, it’s not inclusive, it’s open for all across the game, while I keep up with as much as I can there is always something that passes you by but something someone else has seen, I’m all ears.
If you like what you read, please leave a comment, the game is all about opinion’s and it’s great to hear everyone else’s too, nothing better than a great debate either.
All that’s left to say to have a look around the site, there’s a lot there and an archive that’s being transferred over from WordPress as we speak which when finished will date back to 2017, enjoy Freebie Friday and remember to come back next week for the next instalment.
Trev’s passion for non league football is clear to see. Not just match reports but lots of thought provoking pieces supporting the grass roots game.
I can highly recommend becoming a subscriber. I am a paid subscriber and it’s great value if you take up the option and support Trev in his writing about nonleague football.