3 new perks for subscribers

The nectar flow started and it’s bringing some extra benefits.

My posts will continue to pop up in inboxes free to all subscribers, paid or unpaid. My goal is to continue adding benefits for paid subscribers over time. As of today, paid subscribers receive a few more perks:

1. First option to buy honey. My bees’ honey sells out fast. Last year I offered 2 sales: 1 from each apiary. Honey sold out in 2 hours and 12 hours, respectively. I can’t tell you how many people are already texting me and begging asking for honey. (FYI I don’t receive orders by text or email – all sales are managed through the order form during the time it’s live.) The nectar flow started in the Piedmont and we have a glorious, dry week ideal for bee forage and nectar collection. Several hives are already capping honey. The flow is slower to start in the mountains, but I saw a few poplar petals last weekend. As a new perk, paid subscribers will receive the honey order form before anyone else. They’ll get a TLT post with the form once honey is pulled from the hives.

   

   Paid TLT subscribers will get the first opportunity to order honey.

   
   

2. Free shipping on honey. Historically, I haven’t offered many options for honey shipments. My only reason is that one of my personal peeves is the post office. I don’t like packaging everything, waiting in line, and dealing with all of the logistics. My husband has a new shipping vendor through his machining company (he routinely ships products all around the world), so I’ll be able to delegate the shipping logistics now. This year I’ll offer honey shipping options in the US, and paid subscribers will receive free shipping on all orders smaller than a case.

3. Beekeeping app discount. Another North Carolina beekeeper launched an app for managing hive inspections. As of the start of the year, I’ve managed my hive inspections digitally in the HiveTracks app. Folks who use my discount code will receive 40% off HiveTracks Pro (and I receive a nominal referral fee). If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll see the discount code at the end of the post.

   

   
   

Existing paid subscriber perks

• Free access to select online and in-person events. I’ve hosted a few webinars on permaculture and natural beekeeping, which are open to the public for paid registration, but paid subscribers attend at no cost. When I host workshops at my home or around North Carolina, paid subscribers attend at no cost.

• Extra content in certain posts. Occasionally I’ll drop a paywall at the end of a post and only paid subscribers can access the extra content. For example, my series on the Truth About Honey Labels shares info for all subscribers, but paid subscribers get extra content at the end. Another example, my post about my efforts in creating a new potato variety share about the process, but paid subscribers learn the status of the plants at the end. (And my hope is to offer seed potatoes of this new variety to paid subscribers.) I also use Substack’s post structure to offer event access instructions so that paid subscribers attend for free—and similarly I’m using that structure today to provide the HiveTracks Pro discount code.

Before I created content here I managed a blog for writers, which grew to more than 2,500 subscribers. That blog was dedicated to breaking down the misconceptions of freelancing. (My Substack is similarly themed with breaking down the misconceptions in beekeeping, growing food, plants, food sourcing, and food labeling.) For more than a decade I’ve advocated that writers receive compensation for their work. I also understand access limitations. To balance these values, I chose the lowest possible subscription pricing that Substack offers - $50 per year. As I mentioned at the start of this post, my posts will continue to pop up in inboxes free to all subscribers, paid or unpaid.

Stay tuned for my perks down the road.