How to Make Money with WordPress, Substack & WP RSS Aggregator (Without Even Writing a Word)

If you want to make money from your writing online, you’re probably familiar with Substack. It’s the hottest platform right now for writers and content creators with an audience. You can use it to share valuable content and get paid for your efforts by the people who want access to it. All through Substack.

Substack offers a great platform for content creators, but not one that you can call your own. If you’re active on Substack, it makes sense to also have a WordPress website where you can share additional content, insights, and resources for your audience. With WP RSS Aggregator, you can even share free Substack content on your site on autopilot.

In this guide, we’ll go over how to use Substack with WordPress, how it compares to other options, and how this combination can help you grow your audience. Plus, we’ll go over the technical limitations you need to know about upfront. Let’s get to it.

What Is Substack?

Substack is a platform that lets writers publish newsletters and build direct relationships with their readers. Think of it as a combination of email marketing tool, blog, and payment processor all rolled into one.

At its heart, Substack is designed to be simple. You write, you publish, and your content goes directly to your subscribers’ inboxes. No algorithm decides who sees your content, no complex dashboard to navigate, and no need to worry about hosting or technical setup.

The platform handles everything from collecting email addresses to processing payments. You can publish text posts, record audio, upload videos, and even create Twitter-like threads. Everything you create gets delivered to your audience automatically.

Substack supports multiple content types to keep your audience engaged:

• Text posts: Traditional newsletter-style writing
• Podcast episodes: Audio content with built-in hosting
• Video content: Upload videos directly to the platform
• Threads: Short-form, Twitter-style posts for quick updates

Over two million users actively pay for subscriptions on Substack and that number keeps growing., These are people who want to support their favorite writers, journalists, and content creators directly, and Substack makes that possible.

How It Compares to WordPress and Mailchimp

Unlike WordPress, you don’t need to worry about hosting, themes, plugins, or any technical maintenance. Substack provides a ready-to-go publishing platform that works right out of the box.

Compared to Mailchimp, Substack is focused entirely on content and subscriptions rather than traditional email marketing campaigns. You won’t find automation sequences, lead magnets, or complex segmentation tools. Instead, you get a streamlined system designed specifically for writers who want to get paid for their work.

Why Use Substack?

Substack offers several compelling advantages that make it attractive for content creators looking to build and monetize an audience:

• Direct-to-inbox delivery without complex algorithms. Your content goes straight to subscribers’ inboxes every time you publish. Unlike social media where algorithms decide who sees your posts, Substack guarantees delivery to everyone who subscribed (unless they decide not to open your emails).
• No upfront costs or technical requirements. You can start publishing immediately without paying hosting fees, buying themes, or learning how to use WordPress. There are no monthly platform fees until you start earning money from paid subscriptions.
• Built-in payment processing and subscription management. Substack handles all the technical aspects of collecting payments, managing subscriptions, and delivering content to different subscriber tiers (in exchange for payment fees).
• Discovery through the Substack network. The platform has its own social network and a recommendation system where successful writers can introduce your newsletter to their audiences. This gives you potential access to readers beyond your existing audience.
• Ownership of your subscriber relationships. Unlike social media followers, you have direct access to your subscribers’ email addresses and can export your list anytime if you decide to move to another platform.

Who Should Use Substack?

Substack works best for specific types of content creators. Understanding whether you fit the ideal user profile can save you time and effort.

Substack is ideal for:

• Independent writers and thought leaders. If you’re an expert in your field, have unique insights to share, or want to build a personal brand around your writing, Substack rewards consistent, high-quality content over flashy marketing. Journalists, industry analysts, and subject matter experts tend to do well because readers subscribe for their specific expertise.
• Niche content curators. Content curators who can consistently find and share valuable information in specific niches can build substantial audiences. If you’re already spending time reading industry news and can package those insights for others, a newsletter can monetize that effort.
• Consultants and freelancers. Substack works well for consultants who want to demonstrate expertise while building an email list of potential clients. Publishing valuable content regularly keeps you top-of-mind when readers need professional services.
• Podcasters and video creators. The platform supports audio and video content with built-in hosting, making it easy to distribute multimedia content alongside written posts.

Substack is not the best option for:

• Brands needing complex marketing automation. If your business model requires detailed analytics, complex sales funnels, A/B testing of email sequences, or integration with CRM systems, traditional email marketing platforms might be a better fit.
• E-commerce focused businesses. The platform lacks e-commerce integration and advanced promotional tools that retail businesses typically need. Plus, Substack discourages content that centers around promoting specific products.
• Teams requiring advanced collaboration features: Substack is designed for individual creators and small teams, not enterprises with complex publishing workflows.

How to Make Money Using Substack

Substack’s monetization is straightforward: readers pay to subscribe to your content. But there are several strategies you can use to maximize your earnings.

Set Up Paid Newsletters with Tiered Pricing

Most successful Substack writers use a freemium model. They publish some content for free to attract readers, then offer premium content for paying subscribers.

Substack allows three pricing tiers:

• Monthly subscriptions: Typically $5-15 per month
• Annual subscriptions: Usually discounted to encourage longer commitments
• Founding member tiers: Higher-priced options for your biggest supporters

The key is finding the right balance between free and paid content. Give away enough value to hook readers, but save your best insights for paying subscribers.

Offer Gated Content with Teaser Sections

A smart way to convert free readers is to write posts that start free but require a paid subscription to read the full analysis. You might share the first few paragraphs of an article, then add a paywall before the most valuable information.

This approach lets potential subscribers see the quality of your work before asking them to pay. It’s more effective than hiding all your best content behind a paywall from day one.

Realistic Free-to-Paid Conversions

Let’s be honest about the numbers. Substack used to suggest writers could expect 10% of free subscribers to convert to paid subscriptions, but real-world data tells a different story.

Industry research shows that most newsletters achieve conversion rates between 2-5%. Even successful publications rarely exceed 5% conversion rates. Casey Newton, one of Substack’s most prominent writers, achieved about 5% conversion despite having a large, engaged audience.

This means if you want 1,000 paying subscribers at $10 per month, you’ll likely need 20,000-50,000 free subscribers. Plan accordingly.

Leverage Audio and Video for Premium Content

Audio and video content can justify higher subscription prices because they require more time and effort to produce. Podcasts, video tutorials, and recorded Q&A sessions give paying subscribers something they can’t get anywhere else.

Many successful Substack writers use their free newsletter to build an audience, then offer exclusive audio or video content to paid subscribers. This approach lets you cater to different media preferences while increasing the perceived value of your paid subscription.

How to Curate and Share Substack Lists Using WP RSS Aggregator

Here’s where WordPress and WP RSS Aggregator come into play. With Aggregator, you can build a content hub that showcases the best Substack newsletters in your niche while driving traffic back to your own properties.

Step-by-Step: How to Use WP RSS Aggregator

Important Technical Limitation: Substack RSS feeds only include free content. Paid posts won’t appear in RSS feeds because they’re gated behind subscriber paywalls. Keep this in mind when selecting what sources to aggregate from Substack.

To get started, you’ll need to find the RSS feed for the Substack you want to aggregate. Every Substack newsletter has an RSS feed at [newsletter-url]/feed. For example, if a newsletter is at example.substack.com, the RSS feed is at example.substack.com/feed.

To add that feed in WP RSS Aggregator, go to the WordPress dashboard and navigate to Aggregator > Sources and click on Add a new source:

Look for the Source Link field under the Details tab and paste the URL of the Substack RSS feed you want to show. You can use the Limit the amount of stored items to field right underneath to configure how many Substack posts you want to import for the feed.

WP RSS Aggregator will import content from the Substack feed on a schedule. To change that schedule, look for the Update strategy section, where you can configure how often the feed will update:

Since the plugin handles updates on autopilot, you’ll want to set up some automations to ensure the WP RSS Aggregator only imports the Substack content you want. To do this, go to the Automations tab.

Here, you can set up powerful content automations using a simple and/if/or system of rules. To get started, click on Add new automation:

Check out this guide on how to set up automations in Aggregator. In a nutshell, you can configure the plugin to filter content where it finds keywords you set in the title, the body of the text, or its tags. You can also have the plugin only import content that includes specific keywords.

Take some time to learn how to use filters and WP RSS Aggregator will reward you with a mostly hands-off curation experience. With automations, you can import content on autopilot and be sure your users aren’t going to see anything they don’t like.

With your source set up, it’s time to create a display. Displays in Aggregator can combine items from one or more feeds and they’re fully customizable.

To create a display, go to Displays and click on Create a new display:

In the next screen, look for the Sources field under Settings. Type the name of the source you want to add and select it:

Select a layout for the display under Select your layout and then you can move on to the Customization tab to change the style of the feed further. In the Customization tab, you’ll see options to change how the display shows images, titles, author information, and more:

When you’re happy with how the display looks, click on Embed in the top-right corner of the screen. Here, you’ll see a shortcode you can use to embed the display anywhere on your site or the option to set up a new page or post for it:

You can also add displays on your site using the RSS Aggregator Display block, if you use the Block Editor. That block will let you choose from the displays you’ve set up and let you place them anywhere on your site.

Use Cases That Actually Work

• “Best Substacks for [Niche]” roundups. Create comprehensive lists of the top free newsletters in your niche. Since you’re only aggregating free content, focus on newsletters that provide substantial value in their free tiers and that your audience might appreciate.
• Weekly curated newsletters. Compile the best free posts from multiple Substack writers into a weekly roundup. This saves your audience time while positioning you as a content curator who knows what’s worth reading.
• Topic-focused content hubs. Build WordPress pages that automatically update with the latest free content on specific topics. This creates evergreen resources that continue attracting traffic as new content is published.

Monetization Models That Work

• Drive traffic to WordPress with ads and affiliate links. Use your curated content to attract readers to your WordPress site, where you can display ads and include affiliate links. Just remember that you can’t include affiliate links directly in Substack newsletters due to platform restrictions.
• Build a free list, then redirect to premium content. Use your WordPress content hub to collect email addresses, then promote your own Substack or other paid offerings. This approach builds your audience first, then monetizes through your own content.
• Promote affiliate products in curated collections. Create themed collections of curated content around specific products or services, then include relevant affiliate links on your WordPress pages.

What You Need to Know About Substack Before You Commit

Like any platform, Substack has advantages and disadvantages you should understand before investing significant time creating content designed for it.

Pros:

• You own your email list. Unlike social media platforms, Substack gives you direct access to subscribers’ email addresses and you can export your list anytime.
• Built-in monetization. Payment processing, subscription management, and content delivery are handled automatically (for a cut of your earnings).
• Minimal technical setup. Start publishing immediately without learning how to use a CMS or how to host a website. Just write and publish what you want.
• Direct reader relationships. No algorithms that interfere with content delivery to your subscribers. If someone is subscribed to your content, they’ll see it.

Cons:

• Platform fees add up. Substack takes 10% of paid subscription revenue plus credit card processing fees (around 2.9%). For a newsletter earning $10,000 monthly, you’re paying over $1,300 in platform fees.
• Limited integrations. No integration with most email marketing tools, CRM systems, or advanced analytics platforms.
• Content restrictions. Strict guidelines about promotional content, and affiliate marketing has significant limitations (Amazon affiliate links are stripped from email versions)
• Platform dependency. You’re subject to Substack’s terms of service changes and platform decisions

If you intend to use Substack seriously, we recommend that you backup your content and subscriber list regularly. Don’t rely solely on Substack for your content archive. While you’re at it, you’ll also need to make sure your content and monetization strategies comply with their terms of service to avoid losing your audience. While Substack allows content export, having your own backup ensures you don’t lose everything if any issues arise with the platform.

Understanding these limitations upfront helps you make informed decisions about whether Substack fits your brand’s long-term content strategy and business goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the downside of using Substack?

The main downsides are platform fees (10% plus processing costs), limited customization options, and restrictions on promotional content. You’re also dependent on Substack’s platform and subject to their terms of service changes.

Is Substack free to use?

Yes, Substack is free to start. You only pay fees when you earn money through paid subscriptions. There are no upfront costs or monthly platform fees for creators.

Can you read Substack for free?

Many Substack newsletters offer free content, but writers can choose to put some or all content behind a paywall. Free content is available to anyone, while paid content requires a subscription.

Why is everyone going to Substack?

Writers are attracted to Substack because it offers direct relationships with readers, built-in monetization, and freedom from social media algorithms. The platform handles technical complexity while allowing writers to focus on content creation.

Can I use affiliate links on Substack?

Affiliate links are technically allowed, but with restrictions. Amazon affiliate links are stripped from email versions of posts. Substack doesn’t want publishers to create content focused solely on promoting products.

Can I integrate Substack with my WordPress site?

Limited integration is possible through RSS feeds, but only for free content. You can use WP RSS Aggregator to display free Substack feeds in WordPress.

Is WP RSS Aggregator beginner-friendly?

Yes, WP RSS Aggregator is designed to be user-friendly. Setting up feeds is easy and you can preview them during every step of the way.

Conclusion

Substack gives you publishing power without technical complexity. WordPress gives you design flexibility and complete control over your content. WP RSS Aggregator automates the content curation process, so you can leverage your Substack content (and that of other creators) in WordPress.

Together, these tools create a system that can operate largely on autopilot once you’ve done the initial setup work. You curate valuable content from other sources, build an audience around that curation, and then monetize that audience. That can mean getting direct subscribers to your Substack or using affiliate marketing, among other options.

Do you have any questions about how to use WP RSS Aggregator to curate Substack content? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!