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Researched profile. Starter Story's AI research system compiled this page from 102 public sources — the founder didn't write it. Automated research can misread or misattribute a source, so treat figures as best-effort. How this works →
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How Starter Story Makes Money

In-depth interviews with successful entrepreneurs

How did Starter Story monetize?

Summary of the sourced claims below

Starter Story monetizes primarily through recurring subscriptions, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing. Sponsorships account for around 57% of the revenue, with companies like Klaviyo paying to sponsor the website and newsletter. Affiliate marketing contributes about 5% of the revenue through commissions on affiliate links. Starter Story also offers courses and mentorship as part of its subscription tiers, and sells standalone courses separately.

Revenue sources

6 sources · grouped by how Starter Story makes money

  • Recurring subscriptions

    · 4 mentions · 4 sources
    “Starter Story has a similar business model to what the New York Times has for its content... There are 3 pricing tiers for the subscription, with the highest one including their courses and mentorship for your business.”
    medium
    Show 3 more quotes
    “Join our free newsletter to get unlimited access to all startup data.”
    medium
    “it is profitable and generates a 'seven-figure' revenue, according to founder Patrick Walls.”
    medium
    “the business started to look less like a hobby and more like a media company. He doubled down on publishing, hired carefully and built out a subscription product.”
    medium

  • Advertising revenue

    · 4 mentions · 4 sources
    “We would put the ad at the top of every page, and then we put a native ad in every newsletter.”
    high
    Show 3 more quotes
    “Within two years, Starter Story surpassed $1 million in annual revenue.”
    high
    “The business is run by a team of three full-time staff: Walls, his sister and chief operating officer Sam, and producer Gus Tiffer.”
    medium
    “An early sponsorship relationship turned into deeper conversations, and eventually an offer.”
    medium

  • Sponsorships & partnerships

    · 3 mentions · 3 sources
    “Sponsorships account for a slight majority of the revenue Starter Story brings in, around 57%. In March of 2019, Pat said Klaviyo started paying $4k per month, or $48k per year to sponsor the whole website and newsletter.”
    high
    Show 2 more quotes
    “I monetize the newsletter with a sponsorship, and I start making some money from affiliate revenue.”
    high
    “A few months after launching Starter Story, Walls was approached by an email marketing company called Klaviyo, and they soon struck a deal that positioned the company as the exclusive sponsor of Starter Story.”
    high

  • Affiliate / referral commissions

    · 2 mentions · 2 sources
    “Many of these are affiliate links, and Starter Story gets paid a commission when these are used. Affiliate marketing accounts for around 5% of revenue.”
    high
    Show 1 more quote
    “I'm making money through some affiliate marketing.”
    high

  • Course / training sales

    · 2 mentions · 2 sources
    “Pat also created the Lean SEO course that walks through how he grew the website to over 1M monthly visitors from search alone. He sells that as a standalone product that can be bought without having an annual subscription. Right now it’s $249, but it looks like they’re increasing the price to $44...”
    high
    Show 1 more quote
    “Starter Story provides over 4,400 real-world case studies of businesses that are making millions in revenue through expert interviews and storytelling.”
    medium

  • One-time / lifetime deals

    · 1 mention
    “Today, Starter Story has... more than 10,000 paid members...”
    high

How 1,728 businesses make money

Of businesses with mapped revenue sources, the share using each — Starter Story’s highlighted.
  • Recurring subscriptions
    51% ◀
  • Physical products
    30%
  • Services & consulting
    30%
  • One-time / lifetime deals
    22% ◀
  • Affiliate / referral commissions
    16% ◀
  • Course / training sales
    12% ◀
  • Sponsorships & partnerships
    9% ◀
  • Advertising revenue
    9% ◀
  • Usage-based fees
    8%
  • Add-ons & upsells
    8%
  • Marketplace commissions
    5%
  • Donations & tips
    2%
  • Licensing
    2%
  • Setup / onboarding fees
    2%
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