New discovery features, chat paywall settings, and recent Substack meetups
Substack Bulletin: News, resources, and community updates
Welcome to the latest edition of the Substack Bulletin, a roundup of product news, resources, and events all in one place. This month, we’re highlighting product updates designed to boost discoverability and convert free subscribers into paid supporters, the ongoing Substack Election Dialogues, and in-person events from Berlin to San Francisco.
We’re continually striving to improve this series, and we value your input. Please share any feedback or suggestions in the comments.
News
Free previews for chat. We’re rolling out a new chat setting that enables publishers to paywall the replies of a thread, functioning like a free preview of a post. When it’s enabled, all subscribers will be able to view top-level chats, but only paid subscribers will be able to view chat threads or send replies. This feature teases the discussions happening in your community and encourages readers to upgrade to participate. Check out how Marc Stein uses it:
Friends don’t let friends miss out on chats. We recently introduced an invite button to chats in the app, allowing readers to invite their friends to join the conversation. Recipients are prompted to subscribe to the creator to enter the chat.
Search notes on mobile. We’ve extended our improved search feature to mobile, making it easier to find notes on your favorite topics in the app.
Discover the best takes on Substack with related notes. At the bottom of each note in the feed, readers can now find suggestions for related notes, facilitating discovery and connections between like-minded creators.
Resources
Enjoy: Substack’s weekly digest now includes more art, multimedia, and notes as a way to better capture the extraordinary variety of work found on Substack. It also has a new name: The Weekender. Read the latest edition here.
Consider: Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie explores how the magic dust of the Substack business model can unlock new value for all types of creators, giving rise to an economy where creators, rather than platforms or advertisers, are in charge.
Chatbot question of the week: What’s the difference between a note and a post?
Notes and posts on Substack serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. Both formats are integral to engaging with your audience and can be used in complementary ways depending on your communication goals.
Notes:
Short-form writing similar to microblogging
Ideal for quick updates and sharing quotes, images, multimedia, and memes or engaging in conversations
Appear in your subscribers’ feed but do not trigger an email notification
Can be used to recommend other posts or to tag and reply to other writers
Posts:
Typically longer and more in-depth articles
Sent directly to subscribers by email and appear on your Substack publication
Used for detailed analysis, stories, or comprehensive updates
Community
Election Dialogues: The Substack Election Dialogues, an ongoing series of discussions between prominent politics publishers, have been streaming live in the Substack app. Highlights have included Nate Silver and Matthew Yglesias analyzing polls and forecasts, Taylor Lorenz and Chris Cillizza dissecting the evolution of media, Matt Taibbi and Marianne Williamson on the problem of censorship, and Andy Borowitz and Mary L. Trump critiquing the media’s blind spots.
More fascinating conversations are scheduled in the coming week, including Dan Pfeiffer and Sarah Longwell discussing the latest polling, Tim Mak and Alexander Vindman exploring the geopolitical impact of U.S. elections, and Josh Barro and Milan Singh breaking down the key issues driving voter behavior. To see more, visit substack.com/dialogues.
Meetups: Substackers in Berlin met to exchange ideas and build community over drinks—thank you to Tuğba Avci for hosting. Up next, Cynthia Girardin is hosting a meetup in Edinburgh and David Ramos is hosting one in Cleveland. Want to host a meetup in your city? Learn more.
Around town: We partnered with Sarah Paine and Dwarkesh Patel to host a three-part lecture series in San Francisco on international military history and strategy. Read more in Dwarkesh’s post.
In the press: Time magazine featured Violet Witchel ’s viral dense bean salad. The Guardian included Nicola Lamb ’s spin on the perfect flan recipe. Byline did a profile on Ashley Reese about writing, grief, and weaving the two together in her Substack. The New York Post interviewed Bobbi Brown about Jones Road and how she reinvented the cosmetics industry, twice. Caroline Chambers partnered with The Infatuation to curate a list of top restaurants in the Bay Area to eat at with kids. Glamour interviewed Pamela Anderson about her latest ventures and striving for authenticity after a lifetime of being objectified. Glossy mentioned Casey Lewis and Chloe Lee of Selleb in its newsletter about Gen Z’s sentiment toward luxury-item dupes. Emilia Petrarca published an article in SSENSE about the history and revival of fashion writing, mentioning Substackers Throwing Fits, Leandra Medine Cohen, Becky Malinsky, and others who are leading the charge. Matthew Yglesias was interviewed by Business Insider about leaving Vox and finding success on Substack. The New York Times spoke with Tina Brown about bringing her personal diary to Substack after editing New York magazine and the Daily Beast for decades. The Hollywood Reporter, the New York Times, and Deadline, among others, noted Taylor Lorenz ’s departure from the Washington Post and the launch of her own publication on Substack. The New York Times and The Daily Front Row reported on Jane Pratt’s new Substack and what fans can expect from the venture. Town and Country published an introduction to Ella Emhoff, spotlighting her Substack launch. The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and the Hollywood Reporter, among others, covered James Patterson’s launch on Substack and his search for an unfiltered outlet.
Milestones: The Mix with Robert Simonson won an IACP Award, recognizing Robert’s writing on cocktails, food, travel, and culture. Jo Thompson ’s work with the Glasshouse, a social enterprise providing second chances through horticulture to women in U.K. prisons, was selected as a featured garden for the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Max Read celebrated his third anniversary on Substack with a reflective post about his creative journey and shared valuable tips for aspiring writers.
Writers celebrating book publication: Caitlin Rivers published Crisis Averted, and Daniel Lavery published Women’s Hotel.
Celebrating a milestone or press feature? Email milestone@substackinc.com or let us know in the comments.
