I'm guessing it's just laziness. The cost is only pennies per day- a tiny fraction of what a cup of coffee would be. I look forward to the column every day.
People are fickle about what they consider worthwhile paying for. I get multiple emails from various Substack sources that I may have looked at once or twice but don’t feel the need to monetize. On the other hand I am more than happy to pay for sources that I think are important to me. NVF only had to say “hello” and I ponied up and will continue to do so. I also wouldn’t be surprised if you had to start selling ad space.
I think people do cit back on certain expenses - ones they can do without - as holidays approach. I also think that you've perhaps captured the first "round" of subscribers at a decent rate, but your next, slightly less enthusiastic "round" may come on a slower rate.
Many reasons for this, including this is a new way to get NV news, people may not yet see the value of this newsletter, there are other ways to get news about NV, and people are reluctant to pay for their news (KQED has seen a big drop in donors). Please continue to publish NV Features. I may not read every issue, but I do value its existence. Thank you.
I know that but given the “thriftiness” demonstrated by the number of non-paying subscribers I wouldn’t be surprised or disappointed if you did start running ads.
Thank you. We appreciate you. There are lots of potential ways to make this sustainable if this trend continues. My personal (Tim Carl) hope is that we can make this work as subscriber funded, but that may be unrealistic. Worst case we will need to reduce the number of contributions per week as we figure it out. Either way, we look forward to a fruitful 2024.
I started out as a free subscriber due to my life-long necessary stinginess, being a public school educator and all. However, I LOVE what you all are doing here and recently converted to a paid membership. As a local, I see our traditional news outlets slowly fading away and realize we need to develop new ways to share the news. And your beautiful photos are an added bonus.
I can't recall whether you offer some sort of sustaining membership--maybe with perks--at a higher cost? Some of us might go for that--even me--based on the value of what you are doing here.
Thank you for your support and investment. We do have a Founding Member level ($250). We are still deciding on the perks, but they a likely to increase early access, special rewards and multiple year membership. Some are gifting multiple subscription, which is also a fantastic way to get the word out. Either way, thank you.
I think it is natural to not pay for something you can get for free. This is why some publications have Subscriber Content Only. This encourages non paid subscribers to consider subscribing to get something others don’t. Just a thought.
Mike. Perhaps, and it’s not off the table, but as a platform intended to connect people creating such divisions are potentially antithetical to the goal.
I really appreciate your response. I do hope you are able to keep true to your stated mission and goals. I believe it will be hard to do, but I like your mission and goals.
One other suggestion: I have heard from many friends that they keep the NV Register only for the obituaries to keep track of friends and acquaintances that they are not in constant contact with. It seems to me this would be a natural for the community news.
I have friends who quit the register because there was no local news and they could get most of what they wanted nationally on the radio or tv. Others don't have time or interest to read printed words. Also the internet gives us alot of news. So it is a combination of things. And everything has been going up in price. Grocery shopping for 1 used to be $50 a week, now it is $80 and I am not eating differently. Also I noticed prior to the Register switching its format that the advertising dollars are not there any longer. Every Sunday use to be lots of printed ads stuffed into the paper. That is no longer happening. They are advertising on the internet and tv
I have friends who quit the register because there was no local news and they could get most of what they wanted nationally on the radio or tv. Others don't have time or interest to read printed words. Also the internet gives us alot of news. So it is a combination of things. And everything has been going up in price. Grocery shopping for 1 used to be $50 a week, now it is $80 and I am not eating differently. Also I noticed prior to the Register switching its format that the advertising dollars are not there any longer. Every Sunday use to be lots of printed ads stuffed into the paper. That is no longer happening. They are advertising on the internet and tv
Often, people tend to value something they have to pay for... I think it was wonderful that you offered this for free at the beginning, but now, with the cost so reasonable, and the quality so rich, I think it should be a "for pay" subscription.
I just signed up soley so I could comment on why I had not been a subscriber, so I guess that worked! ha!
I really like the idea of this space, and what it represents. I waited so long to subscribe because, even though I'm making the most money I ever have in my life.. I live in Napa and I still live paycheck to paycheck somehow. But as the months have gone on, I have not found much I've been very interested in from these newsletters. I'm probably something of an oddity in that I absolutely do not care about the wine or the "luxury" stuff that exists in Napa and which it seems this newsletter focuses on. It just does not interest me at all.
I really crave a space for Arts & Entertainment and I hope that this can work to cover the ROBUST arts and music community that we have in Napa. With the exception of an article or two... Is mostly ignored in town with the exceptions of the Weekender. And I skim through the Weekender every week and just wish there was more to it. More in depth profiles and articles about the many musicians and talented artists who call Napa home.
I'm the concert promoter at the Distillery and one of the biggest challenges I have, is getting the word out about what we're doing and why we're doing it the way we're doing it. So I'm more likely to spend my subscription dollars to places that are better serving the arts and especially the music.
On top of that, there are a ton of new small businesses in town that I'd love to learn more about. Zeppelin Comics, Armistice Brewing, Folklore all spring to mind. I'd love to read more about this stuff and a lot less about wine and dinning. Everyone is writing about Wine and dinning and the luxury. What are those other publications NOT writing about, and lets showcase why those things are special too.
And I'd like to add a note. I want you guys to ask, "How do people discover Napa Valley Features?"
I discovered it through Facebook, but like a lot of activities in Napa... You have to know where to look to find them. I googled, "Napa Valley news" to see where Features ranked and it did not show up at all. AT ALL. So how do people discover this newsletter? How do you make it easily accessible for those who are not in the know, or actively avoid Facebook. A better web presence would do that. Also more community outreach and sponsorship in events would help as well. I know ya'll have 2,000+ subscribers, but there are over 130,000 people in these Napa counties. How do you get more of them to know this even exists? Figure that out and I feel like more subscribers will come your way.
These are just some thoughts from a frustrated concert promoter. I do value the work you all are doing and I know these are still the building stages. I hope some of my over-caffeinated thoughts help! It is all meant as constructive. Thank you all for all your hard work.
Thank you for your time, insight and investment. Appreciate the suggestions. We are attempting to cover a lot of ground with limited resources. That said, there are really four general categories we focus on: wine and food / arts and culture / climate and environment / health and wellbeing. If you ask most people in the Napa Valley they'd likely agree with your comment about "luxury" and food/wine, however these are actually at the very base of our local economy so are important to understand. The question we are addressing at a macro level is: What IS the Napa Valley? From your perspective it might be a place where arts and culture are often overlooked but play a critical role in the quality of life aspect of those living here, drives tourism and creates an ecosystem that fosters creativity and joy. And we wouldn't disagree. The problem is, why can the Napa Valley even be such a place? And, what is the role of local journalism if not to delve into these sorts of questions? We don't take ads, we are word of mouth (don't have money to advertise, promote or sponsor) and understand the potential consequences of these limitations. But we are intending to be something different. Something that does not chase after eyes, $ or praise. We are chasing after asking questions and following the answer, no matter where it leads. And, to your point, that might be a dead end. Even so, again, our question remains: What IS the Napa Valley? We believe that if we can answer that question, everything else is just gravy.
I am drawn to your model, and love reading the articles- and seeing the AMAZING photos. I find the paid subscription to be very reasonable, and would pay more, but not quite the Founding Member cost. As with most who have responded, there are articles and pieces that are of greater interest to me than others, but I find much joy and interest in what I find here. I do believe that many people tighten their belts in anticipation of the Holidays- all of them. And, I believe that Fall is a time of pulling inward for many, so it makes sense to me that there is a slow down of new subscribers at this time. I sincerely hope that you can find a solid way to weather this period (a few less articles for the time being seems potentially helpful), and hope that you will encourage readers to both subscribe and consider giving gift subscriptions to others. Also, I believe that some are overwhelmed by the amount of information online, even when it is excellent. I am sorry to hear of the fresh challenges and really hope that they are manageable and that NVF will have a great future.
I think this is a great service to our community. I am appalled that more people don't subscribe. I will give a couple of gift subscriptions to my neighbors at Christmas. Please don't stop publication!
Many people feel stressed about money during the holidays. (Read my next column to see one way to solve that problem.)
I'm guessing it's just laziness. The cost is only pennies per day- a tiny fraction of what a cup of coffee would be. I look forward to the column every day.
People are fickle about what they consider worthwhile paying for. I get multiple emails from various Substack sources that I may have looked at once or twice but don’t feel the need to monetize. On the other hand I am more than happy to pay for sources that I think are important to me. NVF only had to say “hello” and I ponied up and will continue to do so. I also wouldn’t be surprised if you had to start selling ad space.
Appreciate the insight and support. To be clear, ads are not within the scope of our business model.
I think people do cit back on certain expenses - ones they can do without - as holidays approach. I also think that you've perhaps captured the first "round" of subscribers at a decent rate, but your next, slightly less enthusiastic "round" may come on a slower rate.
Definitely a hypothesis to examine. Thank you.
Many reasons for this, including this is a new way to get NV news, people may not yet see the value of this newsletter, there are other ways to get news about NV, and people are reluctant to pay for their news (KQED has seen a big drop in donors). Please continue to publish NV Features. I may not read every issue, but I do value its existence. Thank you.
I know that but given the “thriftiness” demonstrated by the number of non-paying subscribers I wouldn’t be surprised or disappointed if you did start running ads.
Thank you. We appreciate you. There are lots of potential ways to make this sustainable if this trend continues. My personal (Tim Carl) hope is that we can make this work as subscriber funded, but that may be unrealistic. Worst case we will need to reduce the number of contributions per week as we figure it out. Either way, we look forward to a fruitful 2024.
Hi Tim,
I started out as a free subscriber due to my life-long necessary stinginess, being a public school educator and all. However, I LOVE what you all are doing here and recently converted to a paid membership. As a local, I see our traditional news outlets slowly fading away and realize we need to develop new ways to share the news. And your beautiful photos are an added bonus.
I can't recall whether you offer some sort of sustaining membership--maybe with perks--at a higher cost? Some of us might go for that--even me--based on the value of what you are doing here.
Thank you for your support and investment. We do have a Founding Member level ($250). We are still deciding on the perks, but they a likely to increase early access, special rewards and multiple year membership. Some are gifting multiple subscription, which is also a fantastic way to get the word out. Either way, thank you.
I think it is natural to not pay for something you can get for free. This is why some publications have Subscriber Content Only. This encourages non paid subscribers to consider subscribing to get something others don’t. Just a thought.
Mike. Perhaps, and it’s not off the table, but as a platform intended to connect people creating such divisions are potentially antithetical to the goal.
I really appreciate your response. I do hope you are able to keep true to your stated mission and goals. I believe it will be hard to do, but I like your mission and goals.
One other suggestion: I have heard from many friends that they keep the NV Register only for the obituaries to keep track of friends and acquaintances that they are not in constant contact with. It seems to me this would be a natural for the community news.
It is on the list. Thank you.
I have friends who quit the register because there was no local news and they could get most of what they wanted nationally on the radio or tv. Others don't have time or interest to read printed words. Also the internet gives us alot of news. So it is a combination of things. And everything has been going up in price. Grocery shopping for 1 used to be $50 a week, now it is $80 and I am not eating differently. Also I noticed prior to the Register switching its format that the advertising dollars are not there any longer. Every Sunday use to be lots of printed ads stuffed into the paper. That is no longer happening. They are advertising on the internet and tv
I have friends who quit the register because there was no local news and they could get most of what they wanted nationally on the radio or tv. Others don't have time or interest to read printed words. Also the internet gives us alot of news. So it is a combination of things. And everything has been going up in price. Grocery shopping for 1 used to be $50 a week, now it is $80 and I am not eating differently. Also I noticed prior to the Register switching its format that the advertising dollars are not there any longer. Every Sunday use to be lots of printed ads stuffed into the paper. That is no longer happening. They are advertising on the internet and tv
Often, people tend to value something they have to pay for... I think it was wonderful that you offered this for free at the beginning, but now, with the cost so reasonable, and the quality so rich, I think it should be a "for pay" subscription.
I just signed up soley so I could comment on why I had not been a subscriber, so I guess that worked! ha!
I really like the idea of this space, and what it represents. I waited so long to subscribe because, even though I'm making the most money I ever have in my life.. I live in Napa and I still live paycheck to paycheck somehow. But as the months have gone on, I have not found much I've been very interested in from these newsletters. I'm probably something of an oddity in that I absolutely do not care about the wine or the "luxury" stuff that exists in Napa and which it seems this newsletter focuses on. It just does not interest me at all.
I really crave a space for Arts & Entertainment and I hope that this can work to cover the ROBUST arts and music community that we have in Napa. With the exception of an article or two... Is mostly ignored in town with the exceptions of the Weekender. And I skim through the Weekender every week and just wish there was more to it. More in depth profiles and articles about the many musicians and talented artists who call Napa home.
I'm the concert promoter at the Distillery and one of the biggest challenges I have, is getting the word out about what we're doing and why we're doing it the way we're doing it. So I'm more likely to spend my subscription dollars to places that are better serving the arts and especially the music.
On top of that, there are a ton of new small businesses in town that I'd love to learn more about. Zeppelin Comics, Armistice Brewing, Folklore all spring to mind. I'd love to read more about this stuff and a lot less about wine and dinning. Everyone is writing about Wine and dinning and the luxury. What are those other publications NOT writing about, and lets showcase why those things are special too.
And I'd like to add a note. I want you guys to ask, "How do people discover Napa Valley Features?"
I discovered it through Facebook, but like a lot of activities in Napa... You have to know where to look to find them. I googled, "Napa Valley news" to see where Features ranked and it did not show up at all. AT ALL. So how do people discover this newsletter? How do you make it easily accessible for those who are not in the know, or actively avoid Facebook. A better web presence would do that. Also more community outreach and sponsorship in events would help as well. I know ya'll have 2,000+ subscribers, but there are over 130,000 people in these Napa counties. How do you get more of them to know this even exists? Figure that out and I feel like more subscribers will come your way.
These are just some thoughts from a frustrated concert promoter. I do value the work you all are doing and I know these are still the building stages. I hope some of my over-caffeinated thoughts help! It is all meant as constructive. Thank you all for all your hard work.
Thank you for your time, insight and investment. Appreciate the suggestions. We are attempting to cover a lot of ground with limited resources. That said, there are really four general categories we focus on: wine and food / arts and culture / climate and environment / health and wellbeing. If you ask most people in the Napa Valley they'd likely agree with your comment about "luxury" and food/wine, however these are actually at the very base of our local economy so are important to understand. The question we are addressing at a macro level is: What IS the Napa Valley? From your perspective it might be a place where arts and culture are often overlooked but play a critical role in the quality of life aspect of those living here, drives tourism and creates an ecosystem that fosters creativity and joy. And we wouldn't disagree. The problem is, why can the Napa Valley even be such a place? And, what is the role of local journalism if not to delve into these sorts of questions? We don't take ads, we are word of mouth (don't have money to advertise, promote or sponsor) and understand the potential consequences of these limitations. But we are intending to be something different. Something that does not chase after eyes, $ or praise. We are chasing after asking questions and following the answer, no matter where it leads. And, to your point, that might be a dead end. Even so, again, our question remains: What IS the Napa Valley? We believe that if we can answer that question, everything else is just gravy.
I am drawn to your model, and love reading the articles- and seeing the AMAZING photos. I find the paid subscription to be very reasonable, and would pay more, but not quite the Founding Member cost. As with most who have responded, there are articles and pieces that are of greater interest to me than others, but I find much joy and interest in what I find here. I do believe that many people tighten their belts in anticipation of the Holidays- all of them. And, I believe that Fall is a time of pulling inward for many, so it makes sense to me that there is a slow down of new subscribers at this time. I sincerely hope that you can find a solid way to weather this period (a few less articles for the time being seems potentially helpful), and hope that you will encourage readers to both subscribe and consider giving gift subscriptions to others. Also, I believe that some are overwhelmed by the amount of information online, even when it is excellent. I am sorry to hear of the fresh challenges and really hope that they are manageable and that NVF will have a great future.
I think this is a great service to our community. I am appalled that more people don't subscribe. I will give a couple of gift subscriptions to my neighbors at Christmas. Please don't stop publication!
Thank you for your support!