Was so tempting to get back that 10% revenue share and oh boy did I quickly realize how much I missed from being on the substack network and how happy I am to give that 10% revenue share for 0 headaches and the benefit of the substack network for growth.
People don't realize 10% is nothing when it comes to share. I write elsewhere and the take is 25%. I always smile when someone says "Substack's 10% cut is too much!" Some folks don't know what they don't know. But the truth growth and character comes from realizing what the playing field is like and return to the best solution saying, "Yeah, it's actually a good deal."
I continue to be impressed by how your team is evolving the tech stack and the experience here. As a writer and a reader, I'm spending more time on Substack than ever before. I love publishing my thoughts here and hope more photography folks will join me. Thanks for everything you're doing, Hamish. Please keep going!
I've no plans to leave Substack any time soon. I've found so many awesome publications here – my current favourite is the absolutely hilarious deardante.com
I think they are not asking the right question, the question to ask is how much is it WORTH instead of how much does it COST... the value is clear, Substuck has a lot of added value.
Hamish mentions growth. How has Substack helped you grow in Substack, or are your external social media activity still the main driver? As someone hoping to grow here and help others grow here, I could use the insight.
For God's sake, knock it off with the "we're all in this together" rhetoric. You operate a boutique service that helps elite journalists and writers monetize their pre-existing followings. There's nothing wrong with that, so why are you pretending otherwise?
I'm going to ask the same question I do every time I find this garbage in my inbox: As someone with no relevant connections, how do your "discovery" features help me? How do recommendations help when I don't have anyone to recommend me?
I've been running this serial for over a year, struggling to funnel in traffic from external sources and failing to convert anyone into a reader. I've received nothing from within the platform as they are no meaningful discovery tools. The way I see it, that's because your entire model (short-sighted as it is) is built on attracting people who are already celebrities of one kind or another. Am I wrong? Are you going to do anything to help people who don't have six- and seven-figure Twitter followings?
If we really are all in this together, I'd like an answer to that.
I think it is so important to hear the range of experiences here on Substack. So, even though I have a positive view of what they are offering, I think this is vital feedback.
I'd be curious to know your basic stats. From there, conversions should be at about .5-2% if it's just in line with ordinary conversion rates anywhere online. Because readers ≠ subscribers, it would definitely be important to look at those opening stats to get a better sense of your reach. Your basic traffic. (Where does most of your traffic seem to be coming from, btw? :) Also, if your stats show high traffic but no conversions, that would be a different issue and not one I'd think is solvable by Substack. Thoughts?
Like some of the other comments, I still take a positive view on these posts, but I really would love to see articles about small fry, those that came with no followings and have built from the ground up. Not that it's necessarily about numbers of course. My goals are simply to have an easy and accessible place to read and write.
I have had quite a few new subscribers come through tagged as via Discovery on the platform. I don't really know how this works, though. Sometimes I go scroll the Explore tab and I see my own posts in there under Fiction or Recommended, the latter due to somone I know having Liked my post. The former is far more sporadic. But some transparency on what drives this discovery would be good.
This is no huge milestone, but I just hit 100 subs earlier this week, and only about 10 of those are close friends. Everyone else has been through engaging through comments on this platform and having some interesting/amusing/random discourse over on Notes. It's a slow and steady process, but I'm enjoying it. However, more nuanced discovery tools, e.g. more sub-genres to look through, would certainly help.
I'm sorry, but I don't think the statement: "You operate a boutique service that helps elite journalists and writers monetize their pre-existing followings." Is in any way fair.
I think that I'm a good example of that. I came to substack with just about zero Twitter followers, a very small, very basic occasionally update blog, and a typical Facebook timeline.
But, I came here, and I wrote stuff. Stuff that I cared about, on a regular and frequent schedule. I turned on paid subs day 1. I also made good use of all the tools substack makes available. In the early days, that was pretty much just Threads, but I used the hell out of Threads.
I saw the 'big guys' you are referencing in your comment grow like mad. While I was growing little. I could have posted comments complaining about all of that, but comments like that may gain attention, but they never gain numbers of quality followers. Instead I kept writing, and kept using the tools.
I read about how awesome Recommendations were working for the 'big guys' but hey, I was a little guy, so no one was Recommending me. I kept writing. Someone finally did Recommend me. Now lots do.
Chat came out. Most writers here don't use it, or use it to just post links to their own stuff. I use it. It took me quite a bit of time to figure out what my subscribers would find valuable in that space. I finally did. Video was offered, so I started making zero budget, zero skills videos of myself reading my essays. Some people I've learned prefer watching them to reading my essays themselves. Likewise with my zero skill podcast, where I'm able to reintroduce essays written quite some time ago. Notes came out, more subscribers found me, as I found other great writers to engage with.
So, no, what you write isn't fair from my perspective. What I would say is that 'Substack operates a service that has allowed me, with no following whatsoever, to monetize my writing, and more importantly to build a community around my very specific interest and ideas.'
I think you're right, but there's also some basic best practice stuff you're not following, which makes your newsletter very unwelcoming to a new reader. I clicked through because I saw you post on notes, but didn't subscribe because I couldn't get a handle on what I could expect if I subscribed
Strongly recommend: providing more of a "hook" in the subtitle - rather than just saying it's fiction, tell me something about who the narrative is about, or what kind of a life, or what its themes are. I know the wordcount is tight but think of the one-sentence loglines people write when pitching books to publishers
You're doing something pretty experimental/niche here, so you really need to help readers understand how to engage with it (also because it's niche - even within fiction, it's an unusual format - so growth is going to be slow even in the best case scenario)
More ways to be welcoming to new readers: Consider pinning Issue #1 to the top of the feed, given most readers will want to start a book from the beginning
give each issue a different descriptive or poetic title, rather than just "#127".
Give each issue a different description, rather than just repeating the title. This could be just taking a line of dialogue from the issue itself (you can change this in Settings for each post)
At the moment if I click through I just see "Empathy Remnants 1-130" and it doesn't give me any clue as to what the newsletter is about or where to start. Again thinking of it like a book - but with a book, as well at the title, you have the cover, the blurb, and even where it's shelved in the bookstore to give the reader clues about what kind of book it will be. Here there's a lot less to go on, esp. if readers don't click the About page, which they won't always
Consider commissioning a header image that's more like a book cover, again to give readers a context clue (plus good art suggests quality writing - maybe it shouldn't, but it does)
Not trying to give you a hard time, genuinely just think these changes will help you without compromising the kind of art you're wanting to make - I've done newsletter consulting with a few orgs and this is the low-hanging fruit that occurs to me
(update: I can see you do have distinct issue descriptions, they weren't displaying properly when I first looked. But they don't give new readers any indication of what kind of writing to expect, they would only be meaningful to existing readers)
Hey Antonio, as a fellow fiction writer, I invite you to connect with two communities. The first is Fictionistas (https://fictionistas.substack.com) and the second is the Lunar Awards (https://lunarawards.substack.com). Both are microcosms of Substack to specifically lift up fiction writers. 👍
I'm a new fiction writer just tagging along, and I'd like to thank you for recommending these Substacks! I've been having some trouble finding communities like these ones.
As a creative who has gone through too many platforms over the decades, I feel like Substack is the first to finally value writers and artists as human beings, rather than just revenue generation machines (although, we are that too, of course).
They might also be the first to figure out how to transform the age-old art truism to a tech platform: that helping creative people to get better and connect with each other, eventually forms a movement that helps everyone, whether writer, artist, reader, publisher, or just someone who likes to feel that they are a part of something. We are. I'm thankful for that.
I agree, Patrick. What I would love to see are some practices and filters put into place (I'm talking about at the business level) to assure this as a continued trajectory. :) Maybe these already exist, but I'd love to see them made very obvious. To hear about them. And to see how some of the decisions are put through the rigor of them.
LL! Yes to that! There is some rhetoric that does not quite match up to the actions (not just here, but in business and politics and elsewhere in general). So at the very least, this kind of transparency from Substack would elevate the status and trust of the platform, making those connections clear. A benefit our peace of mind, at the least...
I’m moving my IG posts here - growing the community again is a slow process, but I already feel more connected to the new audience on Substack than I did with 17.5K followers on IG.
Katie, this is great news. I've noticed that there seem to be more French than Spanish resources here at Substack. (Unless, like Paloma notes, the Spanish reads are here but hard to find.) Even for those of us interested in reading in other languages for the pure fun and creativity of the experience, it would be marvelous to be able to find those resources easily. I do imagine that there are some challenges in trying to support more languages—from tech to human resource. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this! :)
Agreed. My newsletter is bilingual and I’m using tags to try and reach/grow my Spanish-reading audience, but a full category would make it easier for us.
I love what Substack are doing. The fees are well worth it, and are on par with what an agent would take for securing a book deal (give/take a % or so). The network effect is real, and I think Notes in particular has been a fantastic innovation. My experience of it has been wholly positive - none of the crazy that you experience in other places.
I have one query though: in response to this Note of mine (https://substack.com/profile/934835-shane-omara/note/c-16184223) a few respondents worried that the rate-limiting step for growth are the numbers of readers signed up for Substack itself - as I remarked that relatively little growth is driven by other SM now, as they seem to throttle back on Substack links - I guess if that's true, they see a threat.
Do you have a sense of the readership growth itself? App downloads in the Apple Store, etc.?
I’m not a writer/journalist/publisher. I followed Aaron Rupar from Twitter to Substack. To me, Substack is my hub for all GOOD and ETHICAL writing that appeals to me. It’s a collection of brilliant minds doing what they do best. Substack is diverse in its offerings of content, I feel it’s credible journalism and informative.
I love Substack and have no plans to move. I came here with 0 subscribers and have found it such a supportive environment to grow in. Now, with Notes, it not only feels like a community, but also as if I have colleagues and water cooler chats.
As a reader and not a writer, I want to say I have found a community on SUBSTACK that makes me happy. Not just in the authors but in the comments. I see some of my own thinking and ideas. It’s like walking my dogs w a friend and discussing the ‘this and that’ of the wider world. (I refuse to get into Twitter, Facebook, etc).
Hey, ya’ll, check out The Mill! It’s this wonderful nuanced -what’s the right word? - newsy thing about greater Manchester, England, (and I live in California’s Bay Area). I hope there is more writing like this about other areas. (Yeah, that’s you writers in Oakland. The current ‘newsy’ thing is NOT interesting even though I support you.)
Was so tempting to get back that 10% revenue share and oh boy did I quickly realize how much I missed from being on the substack network and how happy I am to give that 10% revenue share for 0 headaches and the benefit of the substack network for growth.
10% is a bargain compared to all the value and community that Substack delivers. That's why I doubled down and invested as well!
👍👍 Ditto
👍👍
Buddy if time permits then do scroll a look at my recent reads, https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/story-of-a-woman-who-sells-her-flesh-b65d54e96b3a
People don't realize 10% is nothing when it comes to share. I write elsewhere and the take is 25%. I always smile when someone says "Substack's 10% cut is too much!" Some folks don't know what they don't know. But the truth growth and character comes from realizing what the playing field is like and return to the best solution saying, "Yeah, it's actually a good deal."
I continue to be impressed by how your team is evolving the tech stack and the experience here. As a writer and a reader, I'm spending more time on Substack than ever before. I love publishing my thoughts here and hope more photography folks will join me. Thanks for everything you're doing, Hamish. Please keep going!
Me too!
Buddy if time permits then do scroll a look at my recent reads, https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/story-of-a-woman-who-sells-her-flesh-b65d54e96b3a
❤️❤️💪
I've no plans to leave Substack any time soon. I've found so many awesome publications here – my current favourite is the absolutely hilarious deardante.com
Many thanks, fan.
I love Dante 😂
I've seen writers complain that Substack is "expensive", but the time I'd spend doing the things Substack does for me would cost far more.
I think they are not asking the right question, the question to ask is how much is it WORTH instead of how much does it COST... the value is clear, Substuck has a lot of added value.
Hamish mentions growth. How has Substack helped you grow in Substack, or are your external social media activity still the main driver? As someone hoping to grow here and help others grow here, I could use the insight.
So true!
Buddy if time permits then do scroll a look at my recent reads, https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/story-of-a-woman-who-sells-her-flesh-b65d54e96b3a
True dat
For God's sake, knock it off with the "we're all in this together" rhetoric. You operate a boutique service that helps elite journalists and writers monetize their pre-existing followings. There's nothing wrong with that, so why are you pretending otherwise?
I'm going to ask the same question I do every time I find this garbage in my inbox: As someone with no relevant connections, how do your "discovery" features help me? How do recommendations help when I don't have anyone to recommend me?
I've been running this serial for over a year, struggling to funnel in traffic from external sources and failing to convert anyone into a reader. I've received nothing from within the platform as they are no meaningful discovery tools. The way I see it, that's because your entire model (short-sighted as it is) is built on attracting people who are already celebrities of one kind or another. Am I wrong? Are you going to do anything to help people who don't have six- and seven-figure Twitter followings?
If we really are all in this together, I'd like an answer to that.
I reckon you speak for the silent majority here. Great response. I’ve echoed this myself plenty.
I think it is so important to hear the range of experiences here on Substack. So, even though I have a positive view of what they are offering, I think this is vital feedback.
I'd be curious to know your basic stats. From there, conversions should be at about .5-2% if it's just in line with ordinary conversion rates anywhere online. Because readers ≠ subscribers, it would definitely be important to look at those opening stats to get a better sense of your reach. Your basic traffic. (Where does most of your traffic seem to be coming from, btw? :) Also, if your stats show high traffic but no conversions, that would be a different issue and not one I'd think is solvable by Substack. Thoughts?
Like some of the other comments, I still take a positive view on these posts, but I really would love to see articles about small fry, those that came with no followings and have built from the ground up. Not that it's necessarily about numbers of course. My goals are simply to have an easy and accessible place to read and write.
I have had quite a few new subscribers come through tagged as via Discovery on the platform. I don't really know how this works, though. Sometimes I go scroll the Explore tab and I see my own posts in there under Fiction or Recommended, the latter due to somone I know having Liked my post. The former is far more sporadic. But some transparency on what drives this discovery would be good.
This is no huge milestone, but I just hit 100 subs earlier this week, and only about 10 of those are close friends. Everyone else has been through engaging through comments on this platform and having some interesting/amusing/random discourse over on Notes. It's a slow and steady process, but I'm enjoying it. However, more nuanced discovery tools, e.g. more sub-genres to look through, would certainly help.
I'm sorry, but I don't think the statement: "You operate a boutique service that helps elite journalists and writers monetize their pre-existing followings." Is in any way fair.
I think that I'm a good example of that. I came to substack with just about zero Twitter followers, a very small, very basic occasionally update blog, and a typical Facebook timeline.
But, I came here, and I wrote stuff. Stuff that I cared about, on a regular and frequent schedule. I turned on paid subs day 1. I also made good use of all the tools substack makes available. In the early days, that was pretty much just Threads, but I used the hell out of Threads.
I saw the 'big guys' you are referencing in your comment grow like mad. While I was growing little. I could have posted comments complaining about all of that, but comments like that may gain attention, but they never gain numbers of quality followers. Instead I kept writing, and kept using the tools.
I read about how awesome Recommendations were working for the 'big guys' but hey, I was a little guy, so no one was Recommending me. I kept writing. Someone finally did Recommend me. Now lots do.
Chat came out. Most writers here don't use it, or use it to just post links to their own stuff. I use it. It took me quite a bit of time to figure out what my subscribers would find valuable in that space. I finally did. Video was offered, so I started making zero budget, zero skills videos of myself reading my essays. Some people I've learned prefer watching them to reading my essays themselves. Likewise with my zero skill podcast, where I'm able to reintroduce essays written quite some time ago. Notes came out, more subscribers found me, as I found other great writers to engage with.
So, no, what you write isn't fair from my perspective. What I would say is that 'Substack operates a service that has allowed me, with no following whatsoever, to monetize my writing, and more importantly to build a community around my very specific interest and ideas.'
I think you're right, but there's also some basic best practice stuff you're not following, which makes your newsletter very unwelcoming to a new reader. I clicked through because I saw you post on notes, but didn't subscribe because I couldn't get a handle on what I could expect if I subscribed
Strongly recommend: providing more of a "hook" in the subtitle - rather than just saying it's fiction, tell me something about who the narrative is about, or what kind of a life, or what its themes are. I know the wordcount is tight but think of the one-sentence loglines people write when pitching books to publishers
You're doing something pretty experimental/niche here, so you really need to help readers understand how to engage with it (also because it's niche - even within fiction, it's an unusual format - so growth is going to be slow even in the best case scenario)
More ways to be welcoming to new readers: Consider pinning Issue #1 to the top of the feed, given most readers will want to start a book from the beginning
give each issue a different descriptive or poetic title, rather than just "#127".
Give each issue a different description, rather than just repeating the title. This could be just taking a line of dialogue from the issue itself (you can change this in Settings for each post)
At the moment if I click through I just see "Empathy Remnants 1-130" and it doesn't give me any clue as to what the newsletter is about or where to start. Again thinking of it like a book - but with a book, as well at the title, you have the cover, the blurb, and even where it's shelved in the bookstore to give the reader clues about what kind of book it will be. Here there's a lot less to go on, esp. if readers don't click the About page, which they won't always
Consider commissioning a header image that's more like a book cover, again to give readers a context clue (plus good art suggests quality writing - maybe it shouldn't, but it does)
Not trying to give you a hard time, genuinely just think these changes will help you without compromising the kind of art you're wanting to make - I've done newsletter consulting with a few orgs and this is the low-hanging fruit that occurs to me
(update: I can see you do have distinct issue descriptions, they weren't displaying properly when I first looked. But they don't give new readers any indication of what kind of writing to expect, they would only be meaningful to existing readers)
You are 1000% right to call this out, my man. They are selling a dream, and that dream does not include you at this time. And it should.
Buddy if time permits then do scroll a look at my recent reads, https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/story-of-a-woman-who-sells-her-flesh-b65d54e96b3a
Just found this and thought you might get some ideas from it:
https://on.substack.com/p/grow-4 :)
Substack builds, we write. 🤝 It makes it all so easy.
Yes - its a pain having your own website some times...
Absolutely.
Happy place to be!
Really, really happy with Substack so far. As a fiction writer and "adventurer" I feel really at home here.
Hey Antonio, as a fellow fiction writer, I invite you to connect with two communities. The first is Fictionistas (https://fictionistas.substack.com) and the second is the Lunar Awards (https://lunarawards.substack.com). Both are microcosms of Substack to specifically lift up fiction writers. 👍
I'm a new fiction writer just tagging along, and I'd like to thank you for recommending these Substacks! I've been having some trouble finding communities like these ones.
Welcome!
That's wonderful! I'm so glad they are helpful. At the very least they'll lead you to other Substackers with similar interests and writing.
I like it here too!
Buddy if time permits then do scroll a look at my recent reads, https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/story-of-a-woman-who-sells-her-flesh-b65d54e96b3a
I do fiction as well: https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/bob-dylan-as-a-contemporary-female
As a creative who has gone through too many platforms over the decades, I feel like Substack is the first to finally value writers and artists as human beings, rather than just revenue generation machines (although, we are that too, of course).
They might also be the first to figure out how to transform the age-old art truism to a tech platform: that helping creative people to get better and connect with each other, eventually forms a movement that helps everyone, whether writer, artist, reader, publisher, or just someone who likes to feel that they are a part of something. We are. I'm thankful for that.
I agree, Patrick. What I would love to see are some practices and filters put into place (I'm talking about at the business level) to assure this as a continued trajectory. :) Maybe these already exist, but I'd love to see them made very obvious. To hear about them. And to see how some of the decisions are put through the rigor of them.
LL! Yes to that! There is some rhetoric that does not quite match up to the actions (not just here, but in business and politics and elsewhere in general). So at the very least, this kind of transparency from Substack would elevate the status and trust of the platform, making those connections clear. A benefit our peace of mind, at the least...
Buddy if time permits then do scroll a look at my recent reads, https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/story-of-a-woman-who-sells-her-flesh-b65d54e96b3a
Exactly. 🙌🙌
I’m moving my IG posts here - growing the community again is a slow process, but I already feel more connected to the new audience on Substack than I did with 17.5K followers on IG.
Not sure about writers, but readers came back because of you (= the author) 🤗🤗🤗
Let's keep writing!
Hi 👋
I love Substack but I do have a request 😅
I would love to see a category for newsletters in spanish it would make it more easy for us to find each other - writers and readers in Spanish.
This would mean the world to me, specifically because I don’t want to used Social Media but I want to build a community and share my creative project.
Gracias 🙏
Hey Paloma, thank you for your feedback. We’ve been thinking about internationalization and hope to better support writing in all languages soon.
Katie, this is great news. I've noticed that there seem to be more French than Spanish resources here at Substack. (Unless, like Paloma notes, the Spanish reads are here but hard to find.) Even for those of us interested in reading in other languages for the pure fun and creativity of the experience, it would be marvelous to be able to find those resources easily. I do imagine that there are some challenges in trying to support more languages—from tech to human resource. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this! :)
Thank you Substack team, can’t wait 😅❤️
¡Gracias por la sugerencia!
Agreed. My newsletter is bilingual and I’m using tags to try and reach/grow my Spanish-reading audience, but a full category would make it easier for us.
Buddy if time permits then do scroll a look at my recent reads, https://kallolpoetry.substack.com/p/story-of-a-woman-who-sells-her-flesh-b65d54e96b3a
Seconded.
I love what Substack are doing. The fees are well worth it, and are on par with what an agent would take for securing a book deal (give/take a % or so). The network effect is real, and I think Notes in particular has been a fantastic innovation. My experience of it has been wholly positive - none of the crazy that you experience in other places.
I have one query though: in response to this Note of mine (https://substack.com/profile/934835-shane-omara/note/c-16184223) a few respondents worried that the rate-limiting step for growth are the numbers of readers signed up for Substack itself - as I remarked that relatively little growth is driven by other SM now, as they seem to throttle back on Substack links - I guess if that's true, they see a threat.
Do you have a sense of the readership growth itself? App downloads in the Apple Store, etc.?
I did find a little info online (https://substack.com/profile/934835-shane-omara/note/c-16190257) - “According to Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie, there are “millions” of active readers on Substack. Similar Web data shows that Substack generated 24.57 million visits in September 2021, up from 18 million in April 2021.” Source: backlinko.com/substack-users
What of course we want to see as writers is that readers see Substack as the place to be!
I’m not a writer/journalist/publisher. I followed Aaron Rupar from Twitter to Substack. To me, Substack is my hub for all GOOD and ETHICAL writing that appeals to me. It’s a collection of brilliant minds doing what they do best. Substack is diverse in its offerings of content, I feel it’s credible journalism and informative.
You have a newsletter. You write. You publish. Substack makes it easy peasy.
easy peasy!
Yes so easy even I can do it😉
👌👌❤️👍
We do have the option to edit and delete our comments. Bottom right side under your comment, three dots.
I love Substack and have no plans to move. I came here with 0 subscribers and have found it such a supportive environment to grow in. Now, with Notes, it not only feels like a community, but also as if I have colleagues and water cooler chats.
Yes! Great platform
I love this place.
I feel the same!
As a reader and not a writer, I want to say I have found a community on SUBSTACK that makes me happy. Not just in the authors but in the comments. I see some of my own thinking and ideas. It’s like walking my dogs w a friend and discussing the ‘this and that’ of the wider world. (I refuse to get into Twitter, Facebook, etc).
Hey, ya’ll, check out The Mill! It’s this wonderful nuanced -what’s the right word? - newsy thing about greater Manchester, England, (and I live in California’s Bay Area). I hope there is more writing like this about other areas. (Yeah, that’s you writers in Oakland. The current ‘newsy’ thing is NOT interesting even though I support you.)
Bay Area Substack writer here 💪