Paid Subscriptions Aren't the Only Way to Get Paid on Substack. Here's the Faster One.

All week we've talked about why relying on paid subs is the slow road. Now here's the exact formula for building the thing that actually pays, plus a bonus to do it this weekend.

This week I made the case that relying on paid subscriptions alone is a trap, and that one simple digital product is the smarter, faster first step.

A lot of you agreed. And the most common reply was some version of the same thing.

“This sounds great, but what would I even make?”

This is the answer. And I’ve got something that makes it easy to start this weekend.

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What your first $1,000 actually changes

This isn’t about some abstract number. It’s about what that money does in your real life.

• It might mean finally building an emergency fund…

• It might mean taking on fewer clients the way I did, going from 5 to 7 calls a day to choosing when and how much I work…

• It might mean leaving the job you’ve been itching to quit, or dropping to part-time…

At the most basic level, it means you can actually make a living writing.

Not paid by the word or waiting for a pitch to get picked up. Not praying your paid subscriptions grow fast enough.

You make something once and sell it again and again, even while you sleep.

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Skip my mistakes and go straight to what works

I learned this the hard way.

I built products nobody bought. I spent weeks on a course that barely sold.

I even made things I assumed people needed instead of what they were actually asking for.

But the simple products that solved one real problem worked every single time.

You don’t need ten products or a big, long course. You need one product and your first $1,000 from it.

Because the moment you make that first sale, something shifts. You stop wondering if this works and you realize it actually does.

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Introducing: The $1K Digital Product Formula

I took everything I’ve learned building products that have made over $100K and put it into one simple system. My $1K Digital Product Formula. It’s the exact process from idea to first sale.

Here’s what it walks you through:

• How to validate your idea this weekend, so you know it’ll sell before you build it

• The simple product format that actually sells, no big course required

• How to price it so people say yes

• The complete path from idea to your first $1,000

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Here’s the offer (and why this weekend specifically)

The $1K Digital Product Formula comes as a bonus when you join my Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass this weekend.

The Masterclass is the foundation. And the Formula is how you turn that audience into income. Build the readership, then build the thing that pays you.

The $1K Formula bonus disappears after Sunday night, and Masterclass pricing goes up July 1st. So right now is the most complete version of this offer at the lowest it’ll ever be.

After this weekend, both of those change. You can join below:

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Here’s what writers say after going through it:

“I absolutely love the honesty. I like how he doesn’t pressure you to be on every platform and just chose a few to start with. This is why it’s important to invest in learning from people who have done the work before.” — Sumu Sathi

“I validated my idea Friday, created my workshop Saturday, and made my first sale Monday morning. $50 from something I made in one weekend. I can’t believe I waited so long.” — Cindy M.

“The roadmap took all the guesswork out. I thought I needed months to create a product. I launched mine in 5 days and hit $500 in the first two weeks. Simple workshop format, just like Wes teaches.” - Michael T.

This time next year you’ll either still be wondering if you could make money writing, or you’ll have launched a product and made your first $1,000.

Keep writing, Wes

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Question: What’s the one problem your readers keep asking you to solve? That’s very likely your first product.