The following is an adaption of an e-mail I sent to paid subscribers on 1 August 2023.  I’m working hard to provide quality content on a daily basis, and am hoping to increase my subscribers.  There are real financial costs associated with maintaining The Portly Politico, and ad revenue does not come close to covering those costs.  Subscriptions are what keep the blog self-sustaining; without them, it would require a substantial financial outlay from yours portly to keep the blog going.

There is also a substantial amount of time that goes into maintaining the blog.  It takes hours each week to write, edit, and promote the blog and my related ventures.  Subscriptions certainly help financially, yes, but they also motivate me to keep going.  I want to provide a quality product in exchange for your hard-earned dollars.  It is difficult, at times, to churn out post after post, day after day.

As conservatives, we should support conservative creators.  The Left is eating our lunch in the culture wars (well, they were until everyone started waking up in the last couple of years) in large part because they support their own.  Maybe it’s not me you choose to support, but I would be humbled to receive your support.  Remember, Ben Shapiro, Turning Point, Dennis Prager, etc., etc., have plenty of resources already.

As the below e-mail/post relates, I am a good steward of the money sent my way.  I don’t blow it on fancy parties or glossy promos.  I use it to maintain the blog and to obtain necessary supplies, and occasionally to commission works from other creators for the blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read this appeal.  Even if you are not in a place to subscribe, please forward this message to others who might be interested.  Every little bit helps.

Regards,

TPP

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for your continued support of The Portly Politico on SubscribeStar (https://www.subscribestar.com/the-portly-politico).  Your subscription makes it possible to maintain the main blog (https://theportlypolitico.com/), which costs about $123 per year in hosting and domain name costs.

In the months ahead, I’d like to increase the number of paid subscribers.  To that end, I’d like to ask for your help.

If you have found value in my scribblings, and think you know someone else who would appreciate my writing, please encourage them to subscribe.

My goal is to increase subscribers at the $5 a month tier, which can be found at this URL:  https://www.subscribestar.com/the-portly-politico/subscribe?tier_id=6855

If you’re currently a $1 or $3 a month subscriber, I’d also encourage you to consider upgrading to the $5 a month tier.  I’m not sure how changing tiers works in SubscribeStar, but it should be fairly easy, and I can certainly assist should you decide to do so.

Of course, I am thankful for subscriptions at any tier, but I’d like to explain a bit of the economics of SubscribeStar.

SubscribeStar, naturally, takes a portion of every subscription.  That percentage decreases the higher the dollar amount paid.

For example, a $1 a month subscription yields yours portly $0.62 a month.  SubscribeStar takes 38% of that subscription fee, or $0.38.

However, a $5 a month subscription yields $4.30.  SubscribeStar takes only 14% of those subscriptions—just $0.32 a month more than at the $1 tier.

SubscribeStar also assesses a $6 transfer fee whenever I move funds out of SubscribeStar, which I only do once a year in late December.  That is, essentially, ten (10) months of one subscriber at the $1 a month tier ($0.62 * 10 + $6.20).

Currently, thanks to your generosity and support, subscriptions are bringing in $19.06 a month after SubscribeStar’s cut.  After hosting costs for the main blog and that annual $6 transfer fee, TPP is netting $99.72 annually.  That is truly excellent, and it means I have some funds to reinvest in the blog beyond the hosting costs.

However, that is lower than past years, as some subscriptions have lapsed.

As such, I’m setting a target goal of bringing in $50 per month (after SubscribeStar’s cut).  If everyone reading this e-mail managed to get one friend or colleague to sign up for a $5 a month subscription ($4.30 to the blog), we’d be a mere $0.84 away from that goal.

To sweeten the pot, I have plans to increase the amount of exclusive content at the $5 tier.  Currently, those subscribers get access to Sunday Doodles and some ad hoc bonus posts periodically.  I hope to increase the frequency and number of bonus posts in the next few months, especially as I continue work on my third book project, Offensive Poems: With Pictures.

Every penny counts in these trying economic times, but for the cost of one fancy cup of coffee a month, you can help support insightful, humorous, conservative writing.

Thank you for your time and support.

Yours portly,
TPP
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