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This is a guest post by Terrell Johnson, publisher of The Half Marathoner, who has mastered the art of the discussion thread on Substack.
When I moved my newsletter from Mailchimp to Substack in the summer of 2018, I didn’t think a lot would change as far as how I went about publishing it. I’d still put together the same weekly issue, with the same basic structure, and that would be that.
Fast forward several months, and I began to notice a handful of other Substack publishers experimenting with message-board-like discussions. I dashed off an email to Hamish, one of Substack’s founders, to ask if I could I try that too. He said of course, and within a few days I got to try out a feature that has since become one of the best things I offer my subscribers.
To give you an idea of how it has gone, I tried it out for the first time in late May, with this discussion thread on changing your running form. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect; I just gave it a whirl by asking a question about running that I’ve often wondered about myself. I was impressed by the level of knowledge that my subscribers demonstrated in the conversation, but also by the back-and-forth chats once the conversation got going.
Since then, I’ve been hosting a weekly discussion thread every Friday morning that’s open to everyone on my mailing list. For the most part, they’ve gone well, frequently bringing 100 or more people into the conversation.
Hamish asked if I might share what I’ve learned about how to make discussion threads work. I hope this guide will help!
Ask specific questions
When you ask readers to participate in a discussion, It helps to be as specific as possible about your topic. I’ve seen a handful of discussion threads that didn’t seem to attract much activity, and one thing they have in common is the topic was vague. You have to do the work first of sparking readers’ interest – that gives them a jumping-off point and you can broaden it from there. Also: don’t think you have to have all the answers – what are you curious about in your topic area that you’d like to know more about?
Example: “Can running together improve your relationship/marriage?”
Be a social butterfly
I try to do is engage with as many people as I can during a discussion. Sometimes I have (what I think are) thoughtful and helpful comments; other times, I chime in just to make sure people submitting responses feel acknowledged. And sometimes I ask them questions. I’m constantly impressed by the level of knowledge my readers bring to running – and I may never have learned that without these discussion threads.
Become ‘appointment viewing’
We always do discussion threads on Friday mornings, starting between 8:30am and 9am EST. Why then? I wish I had some clever reason to share with you, but I simply copied what I saw Nicole Cliffe doing with her discussion threads. (I even copied the subject line she uses!) But Friday also works well for what I cover, as runners look ahead to the weekends, when races take place. It’s a perfect time to look back on the week that’s just passed and look ahead to something big you have planned for the weekend.
Give readers a chance to share themselves and what’s important to them
Each week, I try to focus our discussion on a single topic/question that will encourage readers to open up and tell us about their own experiences. After all, when it comes to running, I really only know what it’s like on my own 48-year-old legs. Hearing about what it’s like from someone who’s 27 or 77 makes the discussion much richer. When readers feel comfortable enough to share their own experience, that means you’ve earned their confidence – they trust you’ll hear them out and value what they have to say.
Example: “Friday open thread: Your running goal/dream for 2020?”
The finish line
That last point has been pivotal for me in how I understand what matters to the people who subscribe to The Half Marathoner. I’ve found that people seem most engaged when the topic allows them to share something about their own experience. By contrast, I’ve found that when they’re asked to share opinions about things in the news, they’ve been less engaged.
A case in point: a few weeks ago, the legendary runner Eliud Kipchoge made huge news by breaking the two-hour barrier in the marathon. I started a discussion thread on the first Friday following his record-breaking run, thinking this might really captivate my readers’ imaginations. I was surprised to find that it... really didn’t. It generated fewer than 30 responses. On the other hand, this thread on how to run in the cold got 99 responses.
Of course, you may have a different experience. It really depends on your audience and what's important to them – and discussion threads are one of the best ways to find that out.
If you have any questions at all about doing discussion threads on Substack, please feel free to reach me at terrell@halfmarathons.net. I'll be rooting for you!
– Terrell
Learn how to create your first discussion thread by watching our tutorial (video link).
Thanks for this. I’ve been struggling to understand how discussion threads could serve my readers and, just like you explained, sharing your experience was super helpful. Great stuff!
Thanks, Keith!
I never thought of even having a mailing list, because I don't join or read them. But, I'm surprised how many people are joining. I'll give the discussion threads a shot too - see what happens. Thanks!
This is great advice and I want to start using Threads more frequently, but I have a question.
When I look at the settings for threads the only two options are "Public" and "Paying Subscribers Only." Does this include subscribers I've comped a full subscription to? It's worded differently than the options for emails.
Yes, this includes anybody who has subscriber status including comps. (I can see how that's confusing)
Thanks for the clarification!
That's a great question, I'll have to defer to Hamish or Chris on that. From what I understand, everything I send out for paid subscribers includes ones I've given comps to -- whether that's discussion threads, podcasts or emails. Good question, though.
Thanks! That makes sense.
Thanks for your wonderful advice on how to approach this awesome feature. :)
Thank you very much for sharing your experience. I especially like the advice to focus on (specific) personal questions, rather than questions about the news / current events.
You're welcome, Mark! I've found over time that certain questions/topics resonate with readers more than others, but it's hard to predict. Each publisher's audience is unique (and they're not static -- they change over time as subscribers come and go), so the topics that resonate today might be different six months from now. It's all an experiment. :)
Hi Terrell,
I read your guide and found it inspirational, but still have a few questions:
1. How did you launch the thread? (any fanfare or advance notice to readers)
2. If you start at 8:30-9am, how long do you "live post" during the discussion? or float into and out of the thread?
3. Have you ever used invited/featured "guests" to host the thread?
Thanks for your time and consideration. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thank you for sharing this! Great points
Thanks Terrell this is really useful to know about!
Thanks, Bill!
Great advice, thank you! jamesgarside.substack.com/about
Thank you for this write up it was really helpful
Why can't pasted hyperlinks be opened directly on web ?
I'd like to set this up, but my newsletter is free, no paid subscribers. Can I still get this going?
Yes! You can still start a public discussion thread. Just hit the "New thread" button that's below the "New post" button.