Chat is a new space for writers to host conversations with their subscribers. We’ve designed it to be simple, fun, and seamlessly integrated with your Substack.
In this video, Sachin Monga, Substack’s Head of Product, will give you a tour of Chat, walk you through composing your first chat in the app, and preview the 4 key steps to launching and succeeding with your chat:
Announce Chat to your readers via email—the most important step!
Note: As of March 15, 2023 Chat is also available on the web. For the most up to date guidance on getting started with Chat, visit our guide to Substack Chat.
Step 1: Get the Substack app
Chat is currently only available in the Substack app, with Android and web coming soon.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon in the bottom bar. There, you’ll see a new row for your publication at the bottom of the list. Once you tap in, you’ll see a “Start a new thread” button at the bottom.
Read more: How do I enable Chat on my Substack?
Step 2: Start your first thread
Your first thread is a chance to welcome readers into this new space—or dive straight into conversation. For example:
3W/3M asked what people wanted to see in their chat
Leslie Stephens of morning person asked for readers’ fall to-do lists
Tsh Oxenreider kicked things off her chat with an intro thread
Each chat thread can include text, links, and images. Tap the lock icon to select whether you want all subscribers or only paid subscribers to be able to view and reply.
Looking for inspiration for your first Chat thread? See what other writers are trying out in our most recent conversation in the On Substack Chat:
Step 3: Announce Chat to your readers
The most important part of launching your chat is emailing a dedicated announcement post to your subscribers. Most of them won’t have the app yet, so this is a crucial opportunity to bring them in.
We’ll notify your readers via email when you post your first chat, but it’s always better for them to hear in your voice about why you’re doing this.
We’ve added a chat announcement template to your post drafts that you can edit and publish directly. In your post, be sure to include:
Instructions to join your chat, with a “Get the app” and/or “Visit my chat” button near the top (these can be found in the Buttons menu)
What you hope to do together and how your chat conversations might differ from other spaces like social media
Great examples of announcements from other writers include:
Think of it as a giant group chat just for the Isolation Journals!
I see this as the digital version of the Grow-Ups Table [where we are] sitting around a big round table in a room sharing artwork with each other. I’m really excited about it, and hope you are, too.
So what is the JoeBlogs subscriber chat? Well, I don’t think this is exactly how Substack would want me describing it but … it’s kind of like Twitter, but just for us (A Fitter Twitter!).
We recommend sending this announcement right after you start your first chat so subscribers immediately have something to reply to. Simply copying and pasting a chat link into a post will also generate a preview of your chat.
You might also want to share a link to your chat on other social media platforms, encouraging followers to subscribe to your Substack to join the conversation.
Read more: How to share a link to your chat
Step 4: Keep the conversation going
In Chat, you can host quick commentary, conversation prompts, and life photos and tidbits. Each thread can be for all subscribers, or just those who pay. It should feel low pressure, like sending a text to your subscribers.
Here are some of the fun threads we’ve seen writers start in Chat:
Suleika Jaouad kicked off with a huge introduction thread
3 Worlds / 3 Moons hosted a live watch party for the movie Alien
Hunter Harris solicited reactions to the latest episode of Love Is Blind
Wendy MacNaughton asked readers to share their drawings
Sports blogger Joe Posnanski live-blogged Game 3 of the World Series
Tic Toc Trading gave out midday trading tips
Elle Griffin shared a favorite recent read
Darryl Cooper prompted readers to react to his latest podcast
Bernard Hickey shares news updates every morning
You’ll also want to consistently remind new subscribers about your chat, for example:
Embed recent chat thread links in future email posts
Share screenshots and links to your chat on social media
Link your chat in your post footers, About page, and welcome email
List your chat as a free or paid subscriber benefit
Read more: Five types of conversations writers are hosting in Chat
Learn more about Chat
To learn more about Chat, visit our FAQ where we answer questions such as:
How do I paywall my chat?
Writers can paywall individual threads by tapping the lock icon when composing a new thread. Currently, it is not possible to paywall the entire chat space, only individual threads.How do I moderate my chat?
Writers have a few options to moderate their chat:Turn off (lock) replies for a chat thread via the three dot menu
Delete any reader reply by long-pressing it
Ban any user from replies and comments by long-pressing their reply
Turn off reader image replies for their chat by long-pressing their chat row or going to your publication settings
Additionally, readers can flag and hide explicit images by long-pressing a reply.
The default is that only publication contributors can start chat threads. Writers have the option in settings to let subscribers participate by starting top level chats. This empowers subscribers to help steward the community around your publication.
Is Chat available on the web and the Substack app?
Yes, you can visit Chat in the Substack iOS and Android apps in addition to the web via susbtack.com/chat.
To learn more about building community on Substack, check out our guide to finding and engaging your readers.
What creative ways have you seen writers start a chat? Let us know in the comments.
Really cool feature-- looking forward to incorporating this!
I understand the technical and financial reasons for this decision...but launching with full Android/desktop capabilities would have been smart and considerate of your creators.
I use a MacBook Pro, but primarily engage with my readers on my phone, a Samsung.
Just an urgent request—I know it is coming! #AudioIssues
Heard! We will get it out asap.
This is a great idea. When it comes out for android, and especially desktop, I think I can make good use of it by drawing from my subscribers and new potential subscribers from other social media.
We will get there soon!
Amazing feature! Thanks Substack for this opportunity
What is the difference between Chat and the comments sections?
Seems like threads and chats are intended for the same use but threads don’t require downloading the app? It is a bit confusing.
Comments are attached to a post, which goes out via email (if you choose).
New Chats do not go out via email to your readers' inboxes.
Also - in Chat you can use photo replies.
I had the same thought
Love it! Will activate it once ready for Android!
Great we will have it ready for you soon!
Exciting! Thanks for this feature and the use cases 👌
Hello Elena are you already using this feature? My question is will everyone that has the app download it automatically be forced to be involved with chat threads chat alerts and then have to figure out how to turn off chat notifications altogether? I feel that would be very stressful and could possibly piss off so many of my readers because I got them to download the app by just pitching the ease of access and the email provider is no longer be in the gatekeepers of our contact. I never said anything about you're going to be forced to involve in a chat thread and for anyone that has lots of readers the amount of notifications they would receive upon immediately download in the app and sign it in could cause a massive problem and a lost interest between me and my readers as they may feel as if I beat it and switch them I have a older demographic that reads my stuff. Lastly if you do have it is it true that the only way for them to opt out of chat is to completely unsubscribe from you all together and lose them as a reader? If so sadly I won't be able to launch chat and I really want it but I fear too many people will get stressed not take the time to learn how to silence chat notifications and just unsubscribed and it's not worth it.
The feedback is greatly appreciated! Read everything Subs Doctor has online about it and that's why these concerns of mine are being raised I read that our subscribers have no way to opt out of chats on the app without disowning us completely in unsubscribing from our publication. Which me personally I kinda am a bit sideways about that because lipstick has had all those push in the app and I was happy to do so I love Subs Doctor but however I was not informing all of these people that when I activate the chat aspect of things that they're gonna be forced to endure it or have to figure out a way to silence all of that we'll walk a very fine line between our readers and it's based on trust and I feel like some people will feel that might've been a little bit shady on my cart not really easy and it was out of my control and that if you want the app in a publication of chat enable your force to be part of it as well and your only option is to silence those notifications or your only other option is to opt out completely and we lose a reader. So I almost feel like Subs Doctor is twisting your arm here in a way that is if you want your readers on the app your readers you're gonna have to be automatically opting to chat and I get it the amount of engagement will cause a lot more traffic for sustack but it will certainly caused us to lose some trust and no telling how many readers until you actually take the risk and do it.
Only work around I see from this is to make all chats a premium option and surely God sub stack would not require someone who is a free reader to endure the alerts of a premium chat thread that they can access that would make them even more mad feeling like it's like ha ha you can't read what we're talking about until you pay us money and you're gonna be forced to hear all of these dings on your phone until you can figure out how to turn the dings off. Lol sorry for the long message I've had a few glasses of wine and this is stressing me out thinking about it because I'm trying to watch the feature ASAP. I wish there was a way to rule things out and beta test them without our entire reader base seen these features.
That would be a great upgrade tool for writers to have so we know how everything fully works before launching it on our readers.
Will be interesting when it works for Android as well. It took me a while to realize that it doesn't currently, that information should be more prominent :)
Heard, thanks for the feedback Adam.
Thanks for your hard work on this!
So the question is, why can't I read this, or use this, on my computer? I have a Mac, and spend all day on my computer. I don't have a phone (I know, but let's not go there; life doesn't depend on having a phone.) I don't want to have to get a phone and then read something on that tiny screen when I can see much better looking at my monitor. I mean, the older I get, the larger I seem to make the font waiting for my next pair of eyeglasses.
It will be available on the web eventually!
Oh thank you...but how long is eventually? I'm already 64'ish...
This post is helpful -- thank you -- and my chat thread launched well this past week (you can see my launch post at https://sarahrunning.substack.com/p/lets-chat -- I customized the Substack template for it. Thanks for providing the template!). However, I am still struggling with notifications. I only want to receive notifications when someone on my newsletter's chat posts. I do not want to receive notifications from other chat threads; for example, I am part of the Isolation Journals chat, which was generating a gazillion notifications of new posts, so I turned off notifications. Now I am not getting notifications for my own thread's posts. Anyway to change this so I get notifications only for my newsletter's chat?
Let me check with the team on this, Sarah!
Looking forward to when this is available on Android. Will you repeat this post then please as it is a bit irrelevant at the moment for us non iphone people?
Absolutely, thanks Cali!
I think this is spot on! It really opens up possibilities. You can share more the behind the scenes. I will definitely give it a try. Great work Substack team!
I was thinking a few days ago, how switching to substack gave me more confidence and ease in my writing process. This feature is super smart within the model.
As an Android user, I have to say this is the first time I've been frustrated with Substack rolling out features at different times. I'm getting all kinds of requests for chats with other Substacks that I can't participate in. It feels like we're being left behind a bit.
Hi Michael! We are truly, sincerely bummed we couldn't launch on both platforms. We know it's frustrating, and promise to get Android to you asap!
I know how hard you guys you work and what you put out is amazing. And I'm sure there is all kinds of behind the scenes stuff we're not even aware of. I just wish you could've waited and rolled out at the same time. I can't help but think our subscribers are getting messages from other Substacks and at least some are wondering why we're not participating.
Anyway, thanks again.
I wonder if Locals.com having recently launched articles forced this move. The world may never know
Exciting feature, thanks Substack 🫶
Wow that’s really amazing
Can you make a web version of this chats? It will be for everyone!
I presume Substack is reading Elon Musk's tweets. He intends to rev up Revue to compete directly with Sub.
We want Substack to live long and prosper.
I feel like a broken record. You announced this a couple of days ago too, right? And still it's iOS only?
It's a very confusing experience to have the email say: Just download our app! (some restrictions apply, i.e., it's only iOS) I feel like one announcement was understandable oversight. Two? We are fast approaching (un?)intentional deafness.
We have a much smaller Android team, and if we could have gotten this out at the same time we absolutely would have. We know it's frustrating, and are working hard to get Android out the door for y'all.
I started my own chat, I’m so excited!
A.M. Radio, Founder And CEO
A.M. Productions,
Produce, Before Dawn
Si Se Puede!
Really frustrating for the 70% of us who don't use Apple's OS. What does "soon" for the rest of us mean?
A matter of weeks!
When will Android version come out?
As soon as possible (a few weeks)
A fresh start , with so many possibilities in social media this opens a wide door!
Looking good!
Great feature, more engaging way to connect with subscribers
Great timing!
Thanks for the is feature
I'm signed in to my account on the app. When I click on the chat icon, nothing happens. I don't see an option/button for "start a new threat."
What am I doing wrong?
Can you help, @substackbailey?
Is there an audible alert option for a new chat post?
Thanks for this! Question: will my subscribers get an email every single time i start a chat? i don't want to spam them!
Placing this on the app first was a big mistake. The web should always be 1st priority unless your doing an APP ONLY service. It's worn to assume everyone is just going to download and install yet one more app. Some of us like security/privacy and know how dangerous it is to just install app after app regardless of the authors intent for the app.
Can you pretty please add the option for people who have the app to not have to be involved in chats because I read that if someone is in chats the only way out of Chad's is to unsubscribe from the publication which to me sounds insane because many readers are going to be senior citizens who are tech experts and will get frustrated before taking the time to learn how to silence the chat notifications versus the notifications for new posts etc. Absolutely love this chat feature but please make it to where our subscribers can simply opt out of chats and not act completely out of our publication, maybe a recommendation is to have an opt out button that then triggers a pop-up that says opt out of chats only or unsubscribed fleetly which means you will no longer get email alerts or new posts within the app. I don't know an easier way to explain this I just feel it's going to cause a big problem if readers only way out of chat is to completely unsubscribe from our publication. Show me these people just got smart phones in the last five years in center first text message not too long after that the extent of their social media is creating a Facebook page and having no idea how to use it.
So I'm making my readers were my demographic is 55+ up to 80-90 years old and my readers due to how I generated my contacts from another company I who deals with these people face-to-face and that is how I got 30% of my readers information. And I would love for all of them to be able to have the app to her Gmail account no longer play the arbiters of who's allowed to read what we sent out or what folder will end up being without them having the ability to so easily unsubscribe from your publication when they're just trying to stop the chat from sending them notifications. I know that they can obviously chat notifications but I feel having to explain all of that out will be even more confusing to them probably won't be worded right and they'll just be frustrated probably even just delete the app and go back to emails and that would be bad for Subs Doctor and REIDER as well.
I believe that sub stack knowing it could cause the older demographic to delete the app altogether would be incentive enough for them to make it to where people can unsubscribe from chats without unsubscribing from the publication of together by simply creating a pop-up that they give them both options to either unsubscribe from Jets or unsubscribe from the publication altogether I would absolutely love this feature. And I'm only saying this based on what I've read from sub stack directly on how things work I have not launched chat yet because I'm scared of anything being put in front of my readers until I fully understand how it works so I can make a whole page to describe the setting options in a very fine detail to prevent any issues we work hard to get our readers losing them over a simple misunderstanding or them just being frustrated about all the chat notifications would be very frustrating. Obviously sub stack as well as writers want lots of engagement in the app chat will be gold for that but forcing everyone to arbitrarily be involved without them saying they want to be involved just for simply downloading the app seems risky for both of us.
If this doesn't make sense or it stated something incorrectly than how it is please let me know I was just reading one of your other resource pages they specifically said there's no way to unsubscribe from chat without unsubscribing from receiving the publication altogether. We're pushing them to the app and away from emails so we can have full control over the experience without the email provider getting in the way but many of our readers just will work access to our newsletter in our posts without having to figure out how to turn off notifications for for chats only. Authors who have tens of thousands of readers are going to be very paranoid about the amount of alerts all of our readers would be getting by having chats and Notifications for jazz turned on by the fall upon downloading the app if the publication has chats in enabled. There's a fine line that publications walk with their readers and we are always very careful to never do anything that we feel that our readers may feel like we blindsided them or didn't explain everything clearly before they took an action. I've been pushing everyone to get the app because I love it and I want chat enabled but now I'm terrified to enable the chat because every single person that has the app downloaded from my understanding it's gonna start getting blown up from everyone that engages in the chat threads so please change that as an ox in feature easily accessible, heck even whenever they're downloading the app maybe have a pop-up come up that says when you also whiten able chats? But most certainly they have to be able to do away with chat and just use the app for all the other great features without unsubscribing and COSTIN both of us a potential premium subscriber due frustrations. Sorry for the long message I've had a glass of wine and been working on my publication for hours and I want to turn on premium options within the next day or two as well as chat features but I'm just really scared of rolling it all out at the same time without the readers having to fully opt in for each experience that we offer I really feel that the app in the chat threads need to be opted in separately even if it's at the initial download of the app at least they were made aware because I have not made anyone aware that they'll be getting chat alerts for downloading the app I simply sold them on the fact that they'll get instant notifications without having to check their email for new post and I just feel like so many of them will get mad if they're not made aware of the chat feature being automatically enable whenever they sign into the app. Also I know this feature is brand new so please don't take any offense to what I'm saying Substack is awesome I love you guys I don't know what I would do without you!
I know you're tweak things as it goes but I got a lot of readers and I'm really ready to go premium options with the app & chat feature for my paid readers I just have to kind of pump the brakes until i yeah option for everyone to download the app and physically opt in to having chat access and getting all the chat notifications but pretty please make it to where the lease unsubscribe from chats without unsubscribing altogether someone that says has just 10K readers would have peoples phones going absolutely ham then I think about 30,000 and 50,000 hundred thousand readers, I can't think of a faster way to make my readers his average age is probably 68 years old unsubscribe as fast as possible and never return by feeling like a beaded and switched them by convincing them to go to the app to ditch the email because the app is so easy and they'll never be late to a post as my posts are time sensitive.
Cool! I just started and looks great! Just waiting for the web feature!
This is so cool, awesome Substack staff! I am motivated to have my own newsletter too, as thru chat I would have an endless flow of ideas thru my subscribers by asking them what they wanna discuss or learn with me. Thanks so much, guys! 🙏🏻🖤😎
Excellent.
Going to try this out as one who is technology challenged
Wonderful feature for someone focusing on visual arts and social justice. Can’t wait to start using it.
We held our first chat with our subscribers last night!
The UI and message threading were great. Everything was easy to follow.
The only issue we had was having to do it all on the phone. It may not have been as much of an issue if we were leaving the thread open for longer, but we were testing it as an Office Hour kind of post where we'd answer questions for a limited time.
All-in-all, it was great to hear from our subscribers and we're looking forward to desktop support!
I'm new to Substack ...
I'm doing podcasts with my client that range from 30-60m long ...
Does it make sense to also post written transcripts of our interviews with our audio?
If so, how do I post written material to my client's Substack page?
Your thoughts please, thx ...
Hi I’m Yashwanth
Hey my name is Natalia from Poland. My way here it was long but im here and im happy ;) Best wishes
https://mslyravega.substack.com/p/fall-ventus?sd=pf
Liking the possibilities this opens up! Put me down as another person who wants to use this on the desktop ASAP, because while the phone can work, I do most of my Substack work on the desktop.
This "Slack-a-fication" of Substack is a horrible idea. Another time-suck distraction to take writers away from they should be doing most often. Just because it's technically possible doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. I'm already communicating effectively with subscribers via comments/emails.
Writers are in control. If you don't want to cultivate a community amongst your subscribers, there's absolutely no need to turn Chat on.
Like some other commenters, I will/have to wait for the android, but even more for the desktop version! I don't use my cellphone all that much; when I'm at home I find it much easier to read things on the monitor. But I bookmarked this article. The potential for this feature is obvious, THANK YOU, Substack developers!
And like you, I only use my computer. Do you have any idea of how long the wait will be for the desktop version of the App? I must have missed that memo. Not that I want to use the CHAT all that much, it'll just be another distraction that takes me away from my writing, but hey, it's a techie world, isn't it?
nice to see
What kick starts, inspires me to move, motivates me not like a kick but suddenly and really excites me like a flame thrower turning on is (wait for it)...is deeply, honest substack writing about interpersonal male to female relations (my preference) and freindships (any gender). This for me is where the hot rubber spews learning gravel all over (our?) certainly my sometimes inappropriate expectations and assumptions.
Not forgetting learning is change. My contributions to substack (I've been checking it out and learning about it for weeks) will be, it seems to me, be about the validity of the interpersonal relations I have with mostly women in my life and sometimes men. I have benefitted immensly from therapy all my life and continue to do so
And does that include fiction? I only write fiction, but it's the interpersonal male to female relationships that got my attention. So check me out and take a long look...https://benwoestenburg.substack.com
The feature is the right direction. But it's bit confusing to see that Chat is available when you open the App homepage and when you open any content/newsletter/article, it's sows Comments. Is chat universal to the App and commets specific to a particular article/newsletter?
Cool feature. But all the "New Messages" about the chat notification is getting a bit annoying.
Sachin,
Thanks for this video about the 'chat!' You sure seem like a great guy.
I started a Substack site a few months ago (at jimmydunne.substack.com). They're short 'essays' that started as a column in our local paper (in Pacific Palisades) with extraordinary results. I posted some of the stories on my Facebook page, and many went viral (one with 250,000 comments and 27,000 shares, another with 77,000 comments). There was an article recently in AARP Magazine (22M subscribers) about this 67-year-old guy who is hitting a viral nerve with positive stories. I have about 600 subscribers on my Substack site, with only about 70 paid subscribers.
I want to significantly grow the site. Any ideas on how I can do this, or how I can hire someone to help me accelerate my site? Thank you so much, Sachin.
A very interesting feature. I participated in David Leiboviz's Chat as a paid subscriber and found it all quite odd, frankly. David was so lovely and polite. He ever so graciously answered a great many questions that were rather redundant and dull, I thought. As much as some of us tried, there was very little interactive chat that was worthwhile; all quite labored. Overall, this new Chat function is also for those who have many followers, obviously, who are engaged at roughly the same time which is not for Substack newbie writers such as myself. I have a good, sometimes thriving group of followers already, but I am truly not convinced that they would spend the time chatting whatsoever. However, I am staying flexible and trying to think as to what good use this could be overall in the future.
Hello everybody!
Thanks
This is a great way to communicate with everyone and keep the conversation going a synchronously. I am interested in encouraging all of us to becoming self sufficient using #aibasedselfemployment to bring about an self-reliant economy and build an infrastructure to strengthen the political economy. Kindly click on the hashtag above and follow to be kept informed.
Can we add videos to chat?
Not yet but photos replies are available for writers and readers.
Hello, I am from Alabama and writing about:
Dissatisfaction with both Biden and Trump, one at a time or together;
The necessity of a gradual Balanced Budget Amendment enforced with proration, a line-item veto, and term limits for Congress and the President should they not lower the national debt or deficit during their terms of office;
History;
Current Events; AND
ANSWERS & OPINIONS to any question you send to me relative to these topics.