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# Platform Migration Guides |
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How to move your creator business to makenot.work from other platforms. |
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No platform offers automated subscription transfer. Every subscriber must manually re-enter payment info on the new platform. Email is the only truly portable audience asset. |
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--- |
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## Quick Reference: Export Capabilities |
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| Patreon | Partial (opt-in only) | No bulk content export | No | |
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| Substack | Yes (full CSV) | Yes (zip with posts) | No | |
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| Gumroad | Yes (sales CSV) | No (re-upload products) | No | |
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| YouTube | No | N/A | No | |
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| DriveThruRPG | No | No | No | |
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| Bandcamp | No | Artist can download own files | No | |
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| Ghost | Yes | Yes (full JSON export) | No | |
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| Udemy | No | Re-upload courses | No | |
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--- |
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## From Patreon |
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### How to export your data |
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**Subscriber emails (partial):** |
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1. Go to your Relationship Manager (patreon.com/members) |
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2. Click the CSV export button |
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3. This exports patron names, emails, tier, and pledge amount |
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4. **Critical limitation:** You only get emails for patrons who opted in to sharing their email. Patreon does not give you emails for patrons who didn't check that box. There is no workaround. |
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**Posts and content:** |
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Patreon has no bulk content export. You must manually save each post (copy-paste for text, individual download for files). Consider exporting only key content and letting older posts remain on Patreon during the transition. |
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**Financial history:** |
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1. Go to your Creator dashboard |
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2. Navigate to Income > Payouts |
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3. Export transaction history as CSV |
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### Migration playbook |
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**Phase 1: Build your email list (2-4 weeks before launch)** |
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- Post on Patreon asking patrons to share their email (the opt-in checkbox) |
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- Pin a post explaining you're adding a new way to support your work |
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- Start collecting emails through a separate form (Google Forms, Buttondown, etc.) linked from your Patreon About section |
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- Goal: capture as many patron emails as possible before the switch |
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**Phase 2: Parallel run (60-90 days)** |
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- Set up your MNW creator page with your existing content |
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- Post new content on MNW first, then cross-post to Patreon |
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- Update your Patreon About section with your MNW link |
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- In every Patreon post, include a line: "This content is also available at [your MNW link]" |
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- Do NOT delete or lock Patreon content yet. Let existing patrons continue as normal |
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**Phase 3: Redirect (after 60-90 days)** |
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- Make your Patreon tiers invisible to new patrons (Settings > Page > hide tiers from public view) |
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- Update all external links (website, social bios, link-in-bio) to point to MNW |
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- Pin a Patreon post explaining the move and linking to MNW |
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- Stop cross-posting to Patreon. New content is MNW-exclusive |
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**Phase 4: Sunset (after 3-6 months)** |
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- Email remaining Patreon patrons (the ones whose emails you have) with a final migration reminder |
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- Consider grandfathering early MNW supporters at a lower price as a thank-you |
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- Keep your Patreon page live with a pinned redirect post. Don't delete it, as inbound links may still send people there |
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### Audience retention tactics |
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- **Announce early and often.** Give 30+ days notice before any change in where content appears. |
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- **Grandfather pricing.** Offer migrating patrons the same or better rate they were paying on Patreon. |
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- **Use the parallel period.** 60-90 days of parallel content means your MNW page already has a library when you ask people to switch. |
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--- |
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## From Substack |
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### How to export your data |
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**Full export:** |
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1. Go to Settings > Exports |
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2. Click "Create new export" |
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3. Download the zip file |
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**What you get:** |
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- `posts.csv`: all posts with title, subtitle, date, URL, and full body (HTML) |
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- `subscribers.csv`: full subscriber list with email, subscription type (free/paid), and date |
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- Post images are included as URLs (hosted by Substack, so download separately if needed) |
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**What you don't get:** |
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- Comment history |
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- Substack Notes content |
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- Analytics/view data |
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The subscriber CSV is your most valuable asset. Guard it. |
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### Migration playbook |
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**Phase 1: Export everything (day 1)** |
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- Download your full Substack export immediately and back up the subscriber CSV in multiple places. |
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- Download any images hosted on Substack's CDN that you want to keep. |
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**Phase 2: Set up MNW (1-2 weeks)** |
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- Create your MNW creator page and re-publish your best posts as text content. You don't need to migrate everything. |
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- Set up your paywall for new paid content. |
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**Phase 3: Announce the move (email your list)** |
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- Use your exported subscriber list to email everyone directly (through an email service, or even a BCC'd email for small lists). |
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- Explain why you're moving. Your readers chose Substack for the writing, not the platform. |
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- Link to your MNW page with instructions for how to subscribe. |
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**Phase 4: Redirect** |
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- Publish a final Substack post linking to your new home. |
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- Update your Substack About page with a redirect notice. |
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- If you have a custom domain on Substack, point it to your MNW page using [custom domains](./custom-domains.md) or your own site. |
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- Keep the Substack archive live. Inbound links from Google, social media, and other newsletters still point there. |
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### Audience retention tactics |
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- **Email is your superpower.** Substack gives you your full subscriber list. A direct email from you lands harder than a platform notification. |
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- **Migrate your back catalog.** Bring over your 10-20 best posts so your new home has content before you ask people to subscribe. |
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- **Offer a free month.** If you had paid subscribers on Substack, offer them a free month on MNW as a thank-you. |
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- **Time it with a post.** Announce the move alongside a piece of writing that reminds people why they subscribed. Make the writing the story, not the migration. |
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--- |
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## From Gumroad |
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### How to export your data |
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**Customer list:** |
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1. Go to your Gumroad dashboard > Audience |
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2. Export customers as CSV |
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3. You get: email, name, product purchased, date, amount paid |
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**Sales data:** |
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1. Dashboard > Analytics |
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2. Export sales history as CSV |
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**Product files:** |
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Gumroad does not offer bulk file export. You must already have your original product files (PDFs, zip archives, audio files, etc.). If you uploaded to Gumroad and didn't keep local copies, download each product's files from your product editor page. |
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### Migration playbook |
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**Phase 1: Prepare (1-2 weeks)** |
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- Export your full customer list from Gumroad and verify you have local copies of all product files. |
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- Set up your MNW creator page, upload your products, and match your pricing. |
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**Phase 2: Email your customers (day 1 of migration)** |
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- Email your entire customer list directly: "Same products, same prices, new home." Include direct links to each product on MNW. |
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- Consider a migration discount (10-15% off next purchase) to incentivize bookmarking your new store. |
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**Phase 3: Update all links (same week)** |
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- Update every external link that points to Gumroad: website, social media bios, pinned tweets, YouTube descriptions, email signatures, course materials. |
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- Update embedded buy buttons on your website using [MNW embeds](./embeds.md) or direct links. |
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- If you have a custom domain on Gumroad, redirect it. |
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**Phase 4: Sunset Gumroad (after 30-60 days)** |
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- Stop listing new products on Gumroad. |
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- Update Gumroad product descriptions to say "This product has moved to [MNW link]." |
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- Keep existing products live with the redirect notice. Buyers may still find them via old links or Google. |
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### Audience retention tactics |
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- **Email everyone on day one.** Your existing customers already paid you once. They're the easiest to convert. |
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- **Migration discount.** 10-15% off the next purchase on MNW. |
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- **Bundle your back catalog.** Create a discounted bundle on MNW that gives returning customers a reason to rebuy or upgrade. |
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- **Update your "receipt" email.** If post-purchase emails or course materials link to Gumroad, update those links immediately. |
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--- |
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## From YouTube (Memberships) |
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### How to export your data |
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**The hard truth: you can't.** |
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YouTube does not export member email addresses. No CSV, no API, no workaround. |
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**What you can get:** |
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- Member count and analytics (YouTube Studio > Analytics > Membership) |
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- Your own uploaded video files (Google Takeout > YouTube) |
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- Comments, playlists, and other channel data (Google Takeout) |
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**What you cannot get:** |
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- Member email addresses |
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- Any way to directly contact members off-platform |
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### Migration playbook |
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Because you cannot export your member list, the entire strategy is building an independent email list before you migrate. |
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**Phase 1: Build an email list (start immediately, this takes months)** |
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- Pin a community post linking to a signup form (Buttondown, Mailchimp free tier, Google Forms, anything that captures emails). |
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- Mention the mailing list at the end of every video: "Join my email list so you never miss my stuff regardless of what happens with YouTube." |
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- Add the link to your channel banner, About section, and video descriptions. |
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**Phase 2: Announce on YouTube (after building your list)** |
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- Make a video explaining the change. Frame it as "adding a better way to support me," not "leaving YouTube." |
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- Keep making YouTube videos. YouTube is your discovery engine. MNW is where the support goes. |
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**Phase 3: Run parallel indefinitely** |
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- You probably shouldn't fully leave YouTube memberships. YouTube is where your audience discovers you. |
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- New supporters sign up on MNW. Existing YouTube members can stay or switch. |
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- Exclusive content goes to MNW first. YouTube gets a delayed or truncated version. |
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**Phase 4: (Optional) Sunset memberships** |
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- Only do this once your MNW supporter base exceeds your YouTube membership base. |
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- Announce well in advance. Pin a post. Mention it in videos. |
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- Turn off YouTube memberships but keep your channel active for discovery. |
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### Audience retention tactics |
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- **This is a long game.** YouTube migration takes months, not weeks. |
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- **Email list is everything.** Until you have emails, you have nothing portable. Every video should mention the mailing list. |
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- **Don't burn the bridge.** YouTube is the best free discovery engine for video creators. Redirect the support, not the audience. |
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- **Create MNW-exclusive value.** Early access, bonus content, behind-the-scenes -- things they can't get on YouTube. |
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--- |
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## From DriveThruRPG |
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### How to export your data |
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**Customer emails:** Not available. DriveThruRPG does not share customer contact information with publishers. |
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**Sales data:** Download sales reports from your Publisher Admin dashboard. You get dates, product names, quantities, and revenue, but not customer emails. |
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**Product files:** You should already have your originals (PDFs, maps, art assets). DriveThruRPG has no bulk download, so make sure your local copies are current. |
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### Migration playbook |
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**Phase 1: Go multi-platform (immediately)** |
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- If you're currently exclusive on DriveThruRPG, switch to non-exclusive. You lose the exclusive royalty rate, but you gain the ability to sell everywhere else. |
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- Set up your MNW store and upload your catalog. |
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- Start building an email list independently. Add a signup link to your product descriptions, your website, and your social media. |
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**Phase 2: Build direct audience (ongoing)** |
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- Every product description on DriveThruRPG should include a line: "Get my latest releases at [your MNW link]." |
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- Post in TTRPG communities (r/rpg, r/osr, r/pbta, Discord servers, itch.io forums) with links to your MNW store. |
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- Offer MNW-exclusive products or early access to new releases on MNW. |
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- Use social media (particularly Twitter/X, Mastodon, and Bluesky TTRPG communities) to drive traffic to MNW. |
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**Phase 3: New releases on MNW first (ongoing)** |
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- Publish new products on MNW before DriveThruRPG (or exclusively on MNW). |
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- Keep older products on DriveThruRPG for discoverability. |
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- Think of DriveThruRPG as a billboard and MNW as your store. |
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**Phase 4: Don't fully leave DriveThruRPG (probably)** |
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- DriveThruRPG is the largest TTRPG marketplace. It has organic traffic you can't replicate. |
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- Keep a presence there for discovery, but direct your existing audience to MNW. |
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### Audience retention tactics |
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- **You don't have an audience to retain.** DriveThruRPG never gave you one. This is a build-from-scratch situation. |
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- **Community is your audience.** TTRPG creators with active Discord servers, subreddit presences, or newsletter followings have the easiest path. Start building them now if you haven't. |
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- **itch.io as a bridge.** If you're already on itch.io, add MNW as another storefront, then consolidate. |
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--- |
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## From Bandcamp |
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### How to export your data |
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**Fan emails:** Not available. Bandcamp does not export fan/buyer email addresses. |
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**Your music files:** You should have your original masters locally. Bandcamp lets you download your own uploaded files from the album editor, but there's no bulk export. |
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**Sales data:** Go to your artist dashboard > Stats > Sales. Export options are limited. |
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### Migration playbook |
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**Phase 1: Build an email list (start now)** |
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- Add a mailing list signup link to your Bandcamp bio, every album description, and every release announcement. |
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- Use a service like Buttondown, Mailchimp, or Sendy to collect emails independently. |
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- On Bandcamp Fridays, include a note in your release announcements: "Want to hear about new releases first? Join my mailing list." |
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**Phase 2: Set up MNW as your second storefront** |
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- Upload your catalog to MNW, focusing on your best-selling or most recent releases. Price identically to Bandcamp. |
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- MNW's audio player with chapters is a differentiator for longer works (EPs, albums, podcasts, audiobooks). |
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**Phase 3: Drive traffic to MNW** |
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- When announcing new releases on social media, link to MNW instead of Bandcamp (or both). |
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- Email your mailing list with MNW links for new releases. |
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- Keep Bandcamp for discovery. Fans who find you on Bandcamp can be directed to MNW for future purchases via your mailing list. |
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**Phase 4: Don't leave Bandcamp entirely** |
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- Bandcamp has real discovery value. Think of it as a discovery funnel and MNW as your primary storefront. |
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- As your mailing list grows, MNW sales should overtake Bandcamp sales. |
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### Audience retention tactics |
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- **You can't retain what you don't have.** Bandcamp doesn't give you fan emails. This is a funnel-building exercise, not a migration. |
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- **Use Bandcamp to funnel.** Every album description, bio section, and thank-you email should mention your mailing list and MNW store. |
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- **Physical merch stays on Bandcamp.** MNW doesn't do physical products. Keep merch on Bandcamp (or Big Cartel, Shopify, etc.) and digital on MNW. |
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--- |
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## From Ghost / Beehiiv |
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### How to export your data |
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**Ghost:** |
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1. Settings > Labs > Export |
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2. Downloads a JSON file with all posts, pages, tags, and settings |
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3. Member list exports as CSV with full emails |
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4. Both platforms use Stripe, but membership transfer requires manual re-signup |
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**Beehiiv:** |
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1. Settings > Account > Export Data |
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2. Subscriber list exports as CSV |
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3. Post content can be exported |
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### Migration playbook |
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**Phase 1: Evaluate whether it makes sense** |
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- If you're self-hosting Ghost and it's working, the main reason to move is simplification. |
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- If you're on Beehiiv's free plan and happy, moving makes sense if you want source-available infrastructure or are selling digital products alongside your newsletter. |
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**Phase 2: Export and set up** |
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- Export your Ghost/Beehiiv data. |
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- Set up MNW with your best content. |
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- Members will need to re-sign up on MNW. Use your exported email list to make the transition as smooth as possible. |
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**Phase 3: Redirect** |
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- Point your custom domain to MNW. |
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- Email your subscriber list with the new URL. |
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- Update all external links. |
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**Phase 4: This is straightforward** |
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- The subscriber list is yours and the content is yours. The hard part is already done. |
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### Audience retention tactics |
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- **You already have emails.** Both platforms give you full subscriber lists. A direct email from you lands harder than a platform notification. |
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- **Keep it honest.** MNW is a better fit for creators who want simplicity, don't need custom themes, or are selling digital products alongside text. |
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--- |
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## From Udemy |
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### How to export your data |
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**Student emails:** Not available. Udemy does not share student email addresses with instructors. |
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**Course content:** You should have your original video files, slides, and materials. Udemy does not provide a bulk download of uploaded content. |
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**Revenue data:** Download from Instructor Dashboard > Revenue Report. |
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### Migration playbook |
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**Phase 1: Keep Udemy for discovery, sell direct for everything else** |
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- Do NOT leave Udemy immediately. Its organic traffic is valuable. |
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- Set up your MNW store with course materials (PDFs, code samples, supplementary files, and full-course video). |
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- In every Udemy course, add or update a lecture mentioning your MNW store: "Get my latest courses, bonus materials, and best prices at [your MNW link]." |
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**Phase 2: Build your email list through your courses** |
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- Add a "Resources" lecture to each Udemy course with a link to a free resource hosted on MNW, requiring an email signup. |
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- Use your Udemy course Q&A and announcement features to mention your mailing list. |
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- Create a free lead magnet (cheat sheet, summary PDF, starter template) hosted on MNW to capture student emails. |
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**Phase 3: New courses go to MNW first** |
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- Publish new course content on MNW. If it sells well, consider a delayed Udemy release (or don't release on Udemy at all). |
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- Price your MNW courses at your real price. Udemy can discount their copy during sales; you control your own pricing on MNW. |
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**Phase 4: Reduce Udemy dependency over time** |
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- As your email list grows, your direct audience grows with it. |
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- Consider keeping a few introductory or older courses on Udemy as loss leaders that funnel students to your MNW store for premium content. |
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### Audience retention tactics |
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- **You don't have students to retain; you have students to capture.** Your first priority is converting Udemy students into email subscribers. |
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- **Free resources as email magnets.** Offer bonus PDFs, templates, or starter kits on MNW in exchange for email signup. |
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- **Don't compete with Udemy on discovery.** Udemy has 70+ million students. Use it as top-of-funnel and MNW as your direct sales platform. |
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--- |
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## See Also |
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|
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- [Data Export](./export.md): Export formats and what's included |
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- [Contact Sharing](./contact-sharing.md): Building your email list on MNW |
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- [How We Work](../about/how-we-work.md): Business model and pricing |
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