For paid newsletter operators, research publishers, and content creators who distribute premium PDFs or videos to a subscriber base. Gate access by email, watermark every page with the subscriber's identity, and trace any leak back to the exact person who shared it.

Why Peony for Content Subscriptions

Peony is one of the few platforms that combines subscriber access control, dynamic watermarking with unique per-subscriber identifiers, and page-level analytics in a single product. Most newsletter tools protect the email — not the content inside it. Patreon, Substack, and Memberful have no watermarking, no per-subscriber leak tracing, and no page-level engagement data.

An email allow list lets publishers manage a subscriber base and refresh access without re-sharing links. Add approved emails one at a time, or use CSV import to load many at once. Only emails on the list can open the room. When subscribers join or churn, edit the allow list — changes apply instantly to all past and present content. No need to re-share links or re-invite anyone.

Peony's dynamic watermarks burn each subscriber's identity into every page they view, including their email and IP. If a watermarked screenshot surfaces online, you can identify exactly which subscriber leaked it. Watermarks adapt per viewer automatically — you upload one document, and every subscriber sees their own identity, so you never need a separate copy per person.

Peony charges per admin seat, not per subscriber, with unlimited free viewers. A publisher with 5,000 subscribers pays the same as one with 50 — there is no per-subscriber fee, no storage fee, and no file-size fee.

What You Need on Each Tier

The subscriber workflow spans two plan tiers. Knowing which piece sits where avoids surprise upgrade prompts:

Business ($30/admin/mo) unlocks data room creation, the email Allow list (with CSV import), and email verification. This is enough to gate content to a fixed subscriber list.
Data Room ($52/admin/mo) adds the leak-tracing stack this workflow centers on: dynamic watermarks, Advanced Screenshot protection (Screenshield), granular per-file permissions, and domain-level allow entries.

Most publishers who care about leak tracing choose Data Room, because the watermark and Screenshield features live there. If you only need an allow list to keep content behind an email gate, Business covers it.

Why a Data Room for Subscriptions

Most newsletter tools protect the email — not the content inside it. Once a subscriber downloads a PDF or forwards a link, you lose control. Peony keeps the content inside a controlled room where every view is tracked, every page is watermarked, and access can be revoked at any time.

Quick Setup

Create a data room for your content. In the top bar, click Create new data room, then upload PDFs, videos, or any files you distribute to subscribers. (Data room creation is Business and above.)
Create a group to hold your subscribers. In the Permissions tab, click Create new group — this opens a two-step wizard: Visitors then Document permissions.
On the Visitors step, choose an access mode. Pick Link access so you can share one link with everyone, then turn on the email gate. Under Allow list, add approved emails with Add, or use CSV import to load your whole subscriber list at once. Only emails on the list can open the room.
Enable dynamic watermarks on the Document permissions step (or in the group's Screenshot protection / watermark controls). Every page renders with the subscriber's email and IP, so any leaked screenshot or photo traces back to the source. (Dynamic watermarks are Data Room and above.)
Share the link in your newsletter, Telegram group, or subscriber portal. Subscribers enter their email to access. Click Save at the bottom right to apply any changes.

What Subscribers See

A subscriber clicks the link, enters their email, and lands in the data room. Every page they view carries a dynamic watermark with their identity. They can read and browse but cannot remove the watermark or (if downloads are disabled) save a local copy.

If someone tries to access with an email not on the allow list, they are blocked automatically. Peony rejects any email that is not on the list.

Tracking and Leak Tracing

Open the Analytics tab to see:

Which subscribers opened the room and when
Which documents and pages each subscriber read
Total view time per subscriber

If a watermarked screenshot surfaces online, cross-reference the watermarked email against your subscriber list to identify the exact person. For teams that need a discrete per-document tracing code, Peony offers an 8-digit content ID for leak tracing — available to accounts with three or more seats on an annual plan. Contact sean@peony.ink to enable it.

Customizing the Watermark

Open a group's watermark control and click Customize watermark to configure the lines that render on each page. You can stack multiple lines — for example, email on one line and date on the next. A common setup renders four lines (name, email, date and time, and IP).

For publishers who need disclaimer text, copyright notices, or regulatory language on every page, the footer watermark supports custom text positioned along the bottom of every page.

A note on file types: watermark position applies correctly to PDFs, videos, and images. On .docx files Peony renders through Microsoft's viewer, which keeps the watermark centered regardless of the position you pick. Convert to PDF and the chosen position takes effect.

Managing Subscriber Access

Adding subscribers. Add individual emails in the Allow list, or run a CSV import to add many at once.
Removing subscribers. Remove an email from the allow list, or re-import a CSV without it. Access stops immediately.
Weekly content drops. Upload new files to the same room. Existing subscribers see them instantly — no need to resend links or re-invite.

Recommended Security Stack

Allow list (Business and up) — only approved subscribers can open the room
Email verification (Business and up) — confirm the viewer controls the inbox
Dynamic watermark (Data Room and up) — subscriber identity on every page
Custom watermark footer — copyright and disclaimer text
Advanced Screenshot protection / Screenshield (Data Room and up) — hardens against screen capture, especially on mobile
Downloads disabled — view-only, no local copies

Screenshot protection is desktop-optimized; mobile screen capture has inherent limits, which is why dynamic watermarking is the strongest all-around deterrent — a second camera can always photograph a screen.

Common Mistakes

Emailing the PDF directly. Once it leaves your server, you cannot revoke, track, or watermark it. Use a data room link instead.
One link per subscriber. Unnecessary for subscriptions. Use one group link with an allow list — far easier to manage at scale.
Forgetting to update the allow list when subscribers churn. Former subscribers retain access until removed.
Forgetting to click Save. Group security settings apply only after you click Save at the bottom right.

Common Questions

Do I need a separate copy of each document for per-subscriber watermarks? No. Dynamic watermarks adapt to each viewer automatically — one document or link watermarks per-viewer with their email and IP.

Can I put the watermark on two lines (email on one, date on the next)? Yes. Click Customize watermark and type each line into the watermark field, pressing Enter to start a new line. You can insert dynamic values (like email or date) from the token chips below the field. A typical setup stacks several lines — for example, email, then the date.

Why does the watermark stay centered on my Word document? Watermark position works on PDFs, videos, and images, but not on .docx files — those render through Microsoft's viewer and stay centered. Convert the file to PDF and the position you pick will apply.

Am I charged by the number of subscribers, storage, or file size? No. Peony charges per admin seat only. Viewers are always free, storage is unlimited, and there are no size fees.

Which tier do I actually need? For an email allow list gating your content, Business ($30/admin/mo) is enough. For dynamic watermarks and Advanced Screenshot protection (the leak-tracing features), you need Data Room ($52/admin/mo).

Does mobile screenshot protection fully block screenshots? No tool can fully block a phone camera pointed at a screen. Advanced Screenshot protection (Screenshield) makes on-device capture much harder, and dynamic watermarking ties any captured image back to the subscriber — pair them for the strongest deterrent.