The platform has two different types of subscriptions, and it helps to understand the difference between them, since they unlock different things.
The first is the platform subscription, a membership plan tied to your account that determines what you can do on the platform as a whole, such as writing, monetizing your stories, and earning awards.
The second is a story subscription, which is paid by readers to unlock a specific creator’s story or episodes whenever that creator chooses to lock their content.
This article explains both, so you know exactly what each one unlocks.
Platform subscription
Every account on the platform can register, read stories, and explore freely, without needing a platform subscription. However, certain abilities are unlocked only once you subscribe to a platform plan.
The platform offers a few tiers, and some of these tiers are free, while others are paid, so you can choose the one that fits what you want to do on the platform.
With an active platform subscription, you can unlock the ability to create and publish your own stories, monetize the stories you publish, and become eligible for awards, based on the plan you are on and how your content performs.
A platform subscription also unlocks additional features, including the verified badge, anonymous posting, and voting power, which lets you cast votes that can affect things like story rankings and award standings.
Without a platform subscription or on a free tier that does not include these features, you can still register, read, and interact with the platform, but you will not be able to create a story, monetize your content, or access the extra features tied to higher tiers.
Story subscriptions
A story subscription is different from a platform subscription, since it is not about what you can do on the platform in general. Instead, it is about unlocking a specific creator’s locked content.
Creators can choose to lock their stories or episodes, and readers who want to access that locked content need to pay for a story subscription to that creator. This can apply at the episode level, where individual chapters are locked, or at the season level, where an entire season of a story is locked at once.
Story subscriptions are set individually by each creator, so pricing and what exactly is locked can vary from one creator to another. A reader can hold story subscriptions to multiple creators at the same time, since each one is separate.
Readers who are not subscribed to a particular creator can usually preview the first few free episodes of a story before deciding whether a story subscription is worth it for the rest.
Payments and revenue
Both platform subscriptions and story subscriptions are processed through supported Nigerian payment gateways, including Paystack, Flutterwave, and Korapay.
For story subscriptions, the payment a reader makes is split automatically between the creator and the platform, based on the current revenue split settings, and creators can track this income from their wallet dashboard.
Managing your subscriptions
You can view your active platform subscription and any story subscriptions, along with renewal dates and payment history, from your account settings.
Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. If you cancel a platform subscription, you will keep the features tied to your current plan until the billing period ends, after which your account will move back to the free tier unless you resubscribe. If you cancel a story subscription, you will keep access to that creator’s locked content until the billing period ends, after which it will be locked again.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a platform subscription to read stories? No, reading is available to every registered account. A platform subscription is only required if you want to create stories, monetize them, or access features like the verified badge, anonymous posting, and voting power.
Do I need a platform subscription to pay for a story subscription? No, story subscriptions are separate. Any registered reader can pay for a story subscription to unlock a creator’s locked content, whether or not they have a platform subscription of their own.
Can I be on a free platform tier and still subscribe to a creator’s story? Yes, story subscriptions are independent of your platform tier, so you can subscribe to as many creators as you like, regardless of which platform plan you are on.
How does voting power work? Voting power comes with certain platform subscription tiers, and it lets you cast votes that can influence things like story rankings and award standings.
How do creators get paid from story subscriptions? Creators can track their story subscription earnings from their wallet dashboard and withdraw once they reach the minimum payout amount, using the payment details set up on their account.
If you run into any issues with either type of subscription, please reach out to support so the team can help resolve them.