We’re ten days into our Friends with Benefits subscription program and heartened by the response.  After an initial surge, subscriptions have leveled off, with an unexpected increase in readers. What is most surprising is that about a third of our subscribers gave MORE than the base price. Each subsription is like a gift.

It was WONDERFUL to receive some revenue just as the programmer’s invoice came in. Whew and yay! We feel like the guy being helped up the pyramid.

But best of all has been the support and affirmations of the new program. Here are a few (we couldn’t have made them up!) We also got an invitation to dinner!

“I am more than willing to pay for your great source of inspiration, motivation, creation and kick in the butt! I need that from time to time as I live in Shanghai! Thank you!

 “I read IL every day, it’s the only one of the multitude of daily blogs, digital newsletters etc that I open without fail. It nurtures me instead of overwhelming or draining me.

“I just want you to know that I have enjoyed the website for many years; the connections all of you make are invaluable to me as an artist often living a rather solitary life!”

” I look forward to your posts every day. So often they contain just what I need and your archives are often a first resort for me as well. In fact, as recently as yesterday, they gave me the answer…”

“I love the little life enhancing sayings and poems and stuff you can live by. And my son’s 26 year old girlfriend is a designer. She LOVES it for all the cool DIY stuff, and the quirky text and funny attitude.”

Funny attitude, eh??    Yep, that’d be us!

We’re not covering our whole nut yet, but figure this is a process AND a risk we have to take: to SEE if the many readers who visit us frequently will join us in making Improvised Life keep resonating in the world, without ads.

It might not work, but then again…it just might…


via Retronaut LINK; source Library of Congress 

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

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4 replies on “Friends with Benefits, 10 Days In…

  1. Sally, not only is IL a daily read and inspiration for me, it is the first time I have ever paid for a “newsletter.” Your asking price is a bargain – with or without ads. I recommend your site to others all the time and love starting my day with IL topics; fascinating springboards that charm, amuse and startle me in the best way.

  2. Hi
    I’ve been trying to become a Friend with Benefits but when I click on Subscribe it just send me around in a circle without showing a spot to sign up.
    I live in Canada….could that be the problem as my Canadian email address would be visible.

  3. Hi, I’m sorry you’re having trouble.
    We have a number of subscribers from Canada with a .ca email address so I don’t believe that’s the problem. The first thing to do is to refresh your browser a number of times —4 or 5 — and then try clicking one of the subscribe buttons on our Friends with Benefits page. You should see a very distinct Tinypass subscription box in the middle of the page.
    If this doesn’t work, please contact me at [email protected] and we’ll go from there.

  4. Mary, thank you for your wonderful words, lovely to wake up to (: I’m honored that you are subscribing to Improvised Life and very happy you consider it a bargain. We WANT it to be a bargain and great value for our readers, and are hoping that a lot of painless payments will help keep us afloat: a win-win for everyone.

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