Paywalls are a great way to convert readers into paying members — give them a taste of your content, hook them in, and let the paywall do the rest. You can also send paywalled posts as emails to newsletter subscribers as a teaser to drive sign-ups, or gate content for specific membership plans to encourage upgrades.
Content & Design
First, configure your paywall appearance and copy in your Paywall settings. You can also choose whether it's soft or hard there.
Soft and hard paywalls
A soft paywall allows visitors to dismiss it and keep reading without becoming a member. It's a nudge or a reminder that your content has value. Many will dismiss it, but some will convert over time.
A hard paywall can't be skipped. Visitors must become a member to continue reading. There is no x on the top right corner to close the paywall. Use this for content you want to reserve exclusively for paying members. More than 75 percent of media makers on Steady use the hard paywall.
How to add a paywall to a post on Steady
Open the post you want to add a paywall to (or start a new one).
Place the cursor where you want the paywall to sit. Click paywall icon 🔒 in the top bar to insert the paywall exactly where in the post you want it to appear.
We recommend placing the paywall as early as possible to increase the likelihood that readers will actually see it.
A paywall marker appears in the text. Everything above it is visible to everyone; everything below is hidden behind the paywall.
Click Continue to go to the post's publishing settings.
Under Access, choose which membership plans can read past the paywall. By default, all members have access. Select specific plans if you want to gate content for higher-tier members — anyone on the wrong plan will see an upgrade prompt instead of your content.
This plan-based access differentiation is only possible in Steady posts and not while using the paywall on your own website.
Under Distribution, choose whether to show the post on your Steady page, send it as an email, or both. Sending to newsletter subscribers or lower-tier members is a good way to use the paywall as a teaser.
Publish your post.