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# Learning from Tangle's Success
- URL: https://outpost.pub/learning-from-tangles-success/
- Published: 2026-03-18T17:23:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-18T17:23:43.000Z
- Description: Isaac Saul's Tangle media has grown to over $4M in annual revenue, nearly all from subscriptions, using Ghost and Outpost.
- Author: Ryan Singel
- Tags: Client Success Stories

Isaac Saul's [Tangle](https://www.readtangle.com/?ref=outpost.pub) was one of Outpost's first customers and it's grown into a media operation. 

Isaac moved off Substack in Sept 2021 to Ghost and Outpost when he had 27,000 readers.

Almost 5 years later Tangle has 12 employees, 500,000 subscribers and $4M in annual revenue, almost all from subscriptions. That came from a ton of hard work, grinding and experimenting. And Tangle is still on Outpost + Ghost, with great tech that is a tiny percentage of site revenue.

[Politics newsletter makes nearly $4m in subs despite giving most content awayTangle Media, a US politics newsletter, converts 16% of free newsletter subscribers to paid and recieves $4m in recurring revenue each year.![](https://outpost.pub/content/images/icon/cropped-Press-Gazette_favicon-270x270.jpg)Press GazetteAlice Brooker![](https://outpost.pub/content/images/thumbnail/isaacsaul-800x418.jpg)](https://pressgazette.co.uk/newsletters/politics-newsletter-makes-nearly-4m-in-subs-despite-giving-most-content-away/?ref=outpost.pub)

There's a lot to be learned from what Isaac and his team are buildingm and I strongly suggest read more about that here in the [case study/interview](https://outpost.pub/how-did-tangle-get-to-70k-paid-subscribers/) by Lex Roman. 

[How did Tangle get to 70k+ paid subscribers?The paid subscription system that Tangle and Outpost built together is yours for the taking![](https://outpost.pub/content/images/icon/Untitled_Artwork-5-1.jpg)OutpostLex Roman![](https://outpost.pub/content/images/thumbnail/NASAlakeofgold.webp)](https://outpost.pub/how-did-tangle-get-to-70k-paid-subscribers/)

But here's a bit from the Press Gazette profile.

> **Conversion through upsell emails**  
> A key driver of Tangle’s 16% conversion rate is its upsell emails with an informal tone, said Saul.
> 
> “We’re really good at \[converting\] because we tell people a really personal story about what we’re going to do with the money and why we need it,” he added. “We are able to maintain that conversion rate by – \[either\] once a month, once a quarter – reaching out to our audience and asking them to support our work.”
> 
> These upsell emails lean into a more informal with subject lines such as “yes, I’m asking for your money”.