Why “Free” Is No Longer Worth It

“Free” doesn’t attract curiosity. It attracts assumption. And assumptions are expensive, especially online.

I receive questions constantly—about the website, the show, the markets, and more. Some come from longtime readers or subscribers. Others come from people who stumbled onto the site by chance and assumed access meant entitlement. Sometimes those messages are forwarded to me. Most times they are not, either because they don’t require it or because they amount to little more than noise.

I’ve intentionally kept portions of the site open since shutting everything down and beginning the revamp. I’ve explained this often enough. It was done to give longtime readers a way to see my thinking on current developments, if they were interested. Put simply, if I see something worth commenting on, I’ld post it. And if you want to read it, all the better. You can take it or leave it, as it should be. No harm. No foul.

That brings me to why the site moved from anything resembling “free” to being entirely subscription-only, and why that decision matters for anyone operating a business online today.

As many of you have noticed, the site has been streamlined and the subscriber-only aspect made explicit. Language on landing pages was tightened. Notices were added explaining that we’re still in a transitional phase. Red banners appear when buttons don’t work. In other words, it’s been made very clear what the site is and what it is not. At this point, misunderstanding it requires effort.

The redesign was intentional. Its purpose is clarification and classification—who this is for and who it is not. That distinction matters.

Even so, some people remain convinced their opinions must be heard, despite demonstrating that their value as a customer would be less than zero. Let me show you what I mean, because you can’t make this stuff up.

The following email was forwarded to me recently for comment. I’ve left the profanity intact, deliberately, so the point isn’t softened:

How can we help you? I clicked on a link to a podcast only to be given some waffle about:
“MYTR isn’t built for clicks or scale. It’s built for people who value clarity. Access here is earned through engagement, not algorithms.”
…Whatever the fuck that means.
Thanks for breaking the link, douchebag.

Well. Alrighty then.

What makes this more interesting is that in order to reach that page, the individual had to click a button labeled “Subscriber Menu.” From there, they landed on a page that clearly states at the top, “This content is reserved.” Reserved, as in, for subscribers.

To state the obvious, because it apparently bears repeating, they chose to bypass information that would have answered their questions and instead hunted down the contact page solely to make their displeasure known.

If I were a betting man, I’d put dollars to doughnuts on this being someone from the crypto crowd who stumbled onto one of my older Bitcoin™ articles. You know the type. The same crowd chanting “to the moon” while ignoring every warning sign laid out in advance.

Think about the sequence. They found something of mine that caught their attention. They decided it might be of value. They pursued it further. When they discovered it wasn’t free, they fired off a nasty email and vanished. That, in a nutshell, is the modern web.

In my view, this behavior is only going to increase. Subscription-only models aren’t a trend; they’re the destination. Those who want free or nothing will increasingly get exactly that, and it will be labeled accordingly. Slop.

After receiving that email, we adjusted the wording on the site again, making it even more explicit. Not because the complaint was valid, but because it exposed an opportunity to clarify further. In that sense, the email was useful.

That leads to the real question: why do this instead of relying on funnels?

My conjecture is that the idea of funnels as the end-all solution for selling online is finished. What matters far more now is qualifying intent upfront through language, rather than dragging every random click into a process and sorting it out later.

Large corporate websites still operate on the assumption that every click is a potential sale. So too are the vast majority of most others. The result is predictable: bloated sites, inflated overhead, and systems that cost more than they return.

Clear, decisive thinking about value does the opposite. It forces you to clarify your own position first, rather than figuring out how much manipulation is required to convert a maybe.

That’s where I’m placing my money and my intent, in real time, on this site. I don’t just talk about it. I use my own work as proof that I practice what I preach.

Disclaimer: The content published across MYTR reflects opinions, analysis, and perspective.
It is offered to inform thinking and encourage consideration—not to provide instruction, direction, or individualized advice. How any idea is interpreted, evaluated, or applied remains the responsibility of the reader, listener, or viewer, as applicable.
Responsibility for decisions—and their outcomes—begins and ends with the individual making them. Please read, or re-read the “Policy Notes” page for any questions or clarifications.