- Domain, hosting and WordPress — The three things that have to exist before Publisher does — a domain name, a host to run on, and WordPress installed on it.
- Install the theme and the plugin — Install Stoat, upload OwlDraft Publisher, let it pull in Editorial Blocks, and activate your licence key.
- Set up email — Create a Resend account, add the API key, verify two sending domains in DNS, and wire up the unsubscribe webhook.
- Set up Stripe — Connect Stripe in test mode, run a test subscription end to end with a test card, then switch the same site to live.
- Set up Google Analytics — Connect a GA4 property so readership figures show up inside WordPress, next to the posts they are about.
- Tiers and access — Decide who can sign up, what a new post costs to read, and what your paid tiers are called and priced at.
Ghost, inside WordPress.