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How MKT1 Newsletter's Cancellation Flow Retains Paid Subscribers on Substack

Paid B2B marketing newsletter · Substack / Creator Economy · 4-step cancellation flow

MKT1 runs on Substack, so the cancellation flow is platform-level. But there are smart choices in how pause, free month offers, and exit surveys are layered to keep paying subscribers around. Plus a clever post-cancellation detail most newsletters miss.

Choice ArchitectureCommitment & ConsistencyEndowment EffectReciprocityReactivation Loop

Questions Asked

They actually ask. A 7-option exit survey with reasons like "doesn't fit my budget," "not enough content," and "disappointed in the content." Plus an open text field for anything else. It's Substack's default survey, which means every paid newsletter gets the same data structure.

Retention Offers

Two retention offers at different moments. First, a pause option right at the top of the page before you even enter the cancel flow. Then a "get one month free" modal if you click cancel. No discounts, no percentage off, just a free month to keep you around.

Overall Pattern

4 screens that separate the people who just need a break from the ones who really want to leave. Pause catches the undecided early. Free month catches the wavering. Exit survey catches the data. And a renew button in the navbar stays visible after cancellation for easy reactivation.

Step-by-Step: What Happens When You Cancel MKT1's Paid Newsletter

MKT1 Newsletter cancel or pause subscription page showing both options equally with a magenta Pause button and a bordered Cancel button
Step 1 of 4

Cancel or Pause: Substack Puts Both Options at the Same Level

The first screen is a clean page titled "Cancel or Pause Subscription." Two sections, same visual weight. Pause gets a pink/magenta button and a friendly description about taking a break for a few months. Cancel gets a bordered button and neutral copy saying you can resubscribe anytime. What's smart here is that pause lives outside the cancellation flow entirely. If someone just needs a break, they never have to go through the exit survey or see the retention offers.

What it showsTwo equal sections: "Pause Subscription" with magenta button (stops charges and benefits until you resume) and "Cancel Subscription" with bordered button (cancel your paid subscription, resubscribe anytime)
Principles
Choice ArchitectureCommitment & Consistency
Why it worksPutting pause at the same hierarchy as cancel intercepts people who don't actually want to leave. They want a break. By catching them here, Substack avoids losing subscribers who would have canceled just because pausing wasn't obvious. The magenta button on pause vs the plain bordered button on cancel also creates a subtle visual pull toward the less destructive option.
MKT1 Newsletter get one month free retention offer modal with Continue to cancel and Get a free month buttons
Step 2 of 4

"Get One Month for Free": The Retention Offer Before the Exit Survey

If you click Cancel Subscription, a modal appears before anything else: "Get one month for free." Continue subscribing and get one month free so you can keep enjoying the benefits of a paid subscription. Two buttons: "Continue to cancel" (white, neutral) and "Get a free month" (magenta, primary). This is the only retention offer in the flow. No discounts, no multi-month deals, just one free month.

OffersOne free month of paid subscription. No discount percentage, no multi-month deal. Simple and clear. "Get a free month" is the magenta primary button, "Continue to cancel" is the neutral secondary.
Principles
ReciprocityEndowment Effect
Why it worksA free month feels like a gift, not a sales tactic. Reciprocity kicks in because you're getting something for nothing and that creates a small sense of obligation. The endowment effect matters here too because the person still has their paid subscriber status. Extending it for free means they don't have to give it up yet, and giving something up is always harder than not acquiring it in the first place.
MKT1 Newsletter cancellation exit survey with 7 radio button reasons and an open text field for additional feedback
Step 3 of 4

The Exit Survey: 7 Cancellation Reasons Plus an Open Field

If you pass on the free month, here comes the actual cancel screen. "Cancel paid subscription" at the top, a note that benefits continue until the billing date, and then the survey. 7 radio options: doesn't fit my budget, don't want to auto-renew, not enough time, disappointed in the content, not enough content, don't like the advertisements, and other. Below that, an open text field asking "Anything else you'd like us to know?" The cancel button is orange/red at the bottom.

Questions asked7 predefined reasons (budget, auto-renew, time, content quality, content volume, ads, other) plus an open text field for additional feedback. The survey is optional but visible.
What it showsConfirmation that benefits last until billing date (Nov 5 in this case), the exit survey, and an orange "Cancel subscription" button. Copy reminds you that you can resubscribe anytime.
Principles
Commitment & Consistency
Why it worksThe survey does two things. First it collects data the creator can actually use to improve their newsletter. Second, it adds a small moment of friction that forces you to articulate why you're leaving. Sometimes putting a reason into words makes people reconsider. That said, the open text field at the bottom probably doesn't get many responses at this point because motivation is low and the person already decided to cancel.
MKT1 Newsletter post-cancellation state with a red Renew subscription button visible in the top navbar
Step 4 of 4

Post-Cancellation: The "Renew Subscription" Button That Stays Visible

After you cancel, the navbar changes. Where there used to be nothing (or a regular subscribe CTA) there's now a red/coral "Renew subscription" button that stays visible on every page you visit. So every time a canceled subscriber comes back to read free content, the reactivation option is right there. No hunting through settings, no email link, just one click in the top right corner.

What it showsA persistent "Renew subscription" button in red/coral in the top navbar, visible on all pages including individual newsletter posts. This appears only for canceled subscribers who still have an account.
Principles
Reactivation LoopEndowment Effect
Why it worksMost SaaS products forget about you the second you cancel. The renew button turns every future visit into a soft reactivation touchpoint. Canceled subscribers who keep reading free posts are already showing intent. Making renewal one click away removes the friction of having to find the subscribe page again. The red color also creates contrast with the rest of the navbar, making it impossible to ignore.

Retention Tactics and Psychology in MKT1's Substack Cancel Flow

?What Questions Does MKT1's Cancel Flow Ask?

  • 7 predefined reasons via radio buttons: doesn't fit budget, don't want auto-renew, not enough time, disappointed in content, not enough content, don't like ads, and other
  • An open text field: "Anything else you'd like us to know?" with a placeholder "Share some feedback..."
  • This is Substack's default exit survey, so every paid newsletter on the platform collects the same structured data. Substack itself probably has aggregated insights across thousands of newsletters about why people cancel
  • The open field is good practice but at this point in the flow the user has already passed on a free month and selected a reason. Motivation to type something extra is low

$What Retention Offers Does MKT1 Give You?

  • Pause subscription: Available before you even start the cancel flow. Stops charges and benefits for a few months. Catches people who just need a break and don't actually want to leave
  • One free month: If you click cancel, a modal offers to extend your paid subscription by one month at no cost. No percentage discounts, no multi-month deals
  • Post-cancel renew button: The persistent "Renew subscription" button in the navbar makes reactivation frictionless for anyone who comes back to read free content later
  • What's missing: no downgrade option. You're either paying full price, paused, or canceled. There's no middle tier like "pay less, get less"

🧠Psychological Principles Behind MKT1's Retention Flow

Choice Architecture

Pause and cancel sit at the same level on the first screen. Instead of "do you want to cancel?" the question becomes "do you want to pause or cancel?" Adding a third option (do nothing, pause, or cancel) changes the decision structure entirely.

Reciprocity

Offering a free month feels like a gift. It activates the social norm of reciprocity where receiving something creates a subtle obligation to give back. In this case, "giving back" means staying subscribed. It works better than a discount because a discount feels like negotiation while a free month feels generous.

Commitment & Consistency

The exit survey forces you to pick a reason. Putting your decision into explicit terms can create discomfort if the reason feels weak. Selecting "not enough time" hits different when you realize the newsletter takes 5 minutes to read.

Endowment Effect

You already have paid subscriber status. The free month extends that status without asking you to do anything new. You're not "buying" another month, you're just not losing what you already have yet. Psychologically easier than any discount.

Reactivation Loop

The post-cancel renew button is quietly brilliant. Most products send win-back emails that get ignored. Substack puts the reactivation option inside the product itself, right where the user already is. Every time a canceled subscriber reads a free post, they see the button.

Frequently Asked Questions About Canceling MKT1 Newsletter

Go to the MKT1 Newsletter Substack page, click your profile icon, navigate to your subscription settings, and select "Cancel or Pause Subscription." You'll see options to pause or cancel. If you click cancel, you'll get a free month offer, then an exit survey, and then the actual cancellation button.

Yes. The first screen of the cancellation flow gives you a pause option at the same level as cancel. Pausing stops all charges and paid subscriber benefits for a few months until you decide to resume.

Not a discount, but a free month. When you click cancel, Substack shows a modal offering one month free to continue your paid subscription. There are no percentage discounts or multi-month deals.

There's a 7-option exit survey: doesn't fit my budget, don't want to auto-renew, not enough time, disappointed in the content, not enough content, don't like the advertisements, and other. Plus an optional open text field.

It's Substack's default cancellation infrastructure. Every paid newsletter on Substack uses the same flow: pause option, free month offer, exit survey with the same 7 reasons, and post-cancel renew button.

Yes. After canceling, a "Renew subscription" button appears in the navbar in red/coral. It's visible on every page you visit, so you can resubscribe with one click.

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