Paid Tier Readiness Check

Four gates

All four must pass for "ready":

1. Scale: ≥1,000 free subs OR explicit request to evaluate sub-1,000. At sub-500, refuse with reason: 2-5% conversion × 500 = 10-25 paid, below the threshold where paid changes behaviour.
2. Engagement: median open rate ≥40% across last 3 months (or documented reason low-rate is acceptable).
3. Section candidate: at least one section has ≥5 posts AND shows differential engagement vs publication baseline. This is the section paid subs would pay for.
4. Writer capacity: published at least once every 3 weeks for the last quarter. Launching paid adds pressure; irregular base breaks the writer.

Workflow