Have questions about publishing, growing, or going paid on Substack?
The Substack team, and your fellow writers, are here to help!
Today we’re gathering the writer community and members of our Community, Product, and Writer Development teams together in a thread to answer writer questions for an hour.
Have you thought about starting a podcast? You can pair podcast episodes with your writing and share with your readers directly on Substack. Learn more.
Need some inspiration to keep going? Subtle Maneuvers shares advice on building creative stamina informed by their research on how infamous writers, artists, and other inspired minds created creative rituals and routines.
Drop your questions in the thread and we’ll do our best to supercharge each other.
Our team will be in the thread today from 9 am - 10 am PDT / 12 pm - 1 pm EDT answering questions with you.
Lots happening in the thread today, thank you for being here! The Substack team is signing off for today. We'll be back next week for our monthly Shoutout Thread. We invite you to join us and share what you’ve been inspired by on Substack.
And, we're sharing new resources on the Blog regularly. We have a new post coming out later today. Keep your eyes out: https://on.substack.com/s/resources
Happy Writing!
Katie + Bailey + Aaron + Savar + Stefinie + Jessica + Kerianne + Rose + Lisa
Please change the free subscribe box option to "Free" from the current "None."
When a new visitor reaches my Substack website and gets the description, subscribe box, and "Let me read it first" option, if they select subscribe, they get to select from the paid and free options. But the free option is called "None." That is confusing and sounds like they are not subscribing. "Free" makes more sense and is not confusing.
This should be an easy fix (just one word), I would think. I mentioned this in a previous Writer Office Hours, but I think it is important enough to be a pest about it. Thank you.
2. I'd love to have some degree of control over when the font size changes in the post titles or similar, as I hate it when the headline has a single word on the second line after a full line above it, but the font automatically changing frequently stymies my efforts to fix that.
Is anyone doing a de-clutter of non-active subscribers? I have been lately and it's been really good for my open rate and my sub numbers have held. I axed around 20 non-active users. Makes a big impact and I want an active subscriber list as my core base :)
I'm curious to know if Substack intends to promote discoverability on its platform. With the Cocoon acquisition, I expect an app is underway? At the moment, I think of my Substack as a place where I send people once they discover my work on other platforms. Would love to learn if discoverability on Substack is a priority for the team, or if it is already happening and I'm just behind! :)
I write a weekly blog titled My Walks with Stanley, who is 93 yrs old aiming for 100. My focus is on how he is coping with life (or not) and aging gracefully and with enthusiasm. I use our 'walks' as a spring board of ideas to include other seniors. I have a very limited Twitter presence and am building my subscriber base -- all free at this time -- from my friends and contacts. I started in June. I'm a dinosaur in this 21st century marketing world. Any suggestions as how to reach out to a larger audience in the same demographic? My goal is to turn it into a paid subscription.
I've got about 270 email subscribers after three months. But one post last week passed 2,200 views, another from early on broke 1,500. Most average 400 to 500 views. Any thoughts on how to make these viewers free subscribers?
Once a moth I email everyone an update how the newsletter is going and what to expect next month. It would be easier if I can schedule this email. They are not posts, just emails.
Am I the only one who has no schedule for my posts? I know the rule is to schedule your pieces but I've never worked that way. I post when I have something completed; when I have something to say.
I honestly have never paid attention to anyone else's schedule and couldn't tell you when they post, so it never seemed important to me. But I do have trouble building followers, so could we discuss this? How many of you are turned off by posts just appearing in your mail any old time? I really try not to post unless I think I have something interesting to share, but maybe I'm doing it all wrong. Thanks.
There are times when I get a lot more views than the open rate would suggest. For example, one post went to 188 subscribers with a 49% open rate, but got 266 "email opens". Can you explain what that means? My newsletter is https://fracturedrelationships.substack.com/
Thanks again for the help Substack. I leave you all with this. One thing I don't see expressed enough is that it takes courage to create, not moral courage but creative courage! The courage to put yourself out there and try to create something from nothing, which we are all doing. So stay focused and keep writing!
Hi, the other week I wanted to illustrate a post with a collage of photos -- ie, not one image in its own space but 3-4 photos in the "slot" for an illustration. I didn't have anything fancy in mind, just having the photos appear next to one another on a line. But the CMS seemed to be forcing me to give each photo its own space (ie forcing them to appear in a vertical line, which took up way too much space, no matter how much I shrank them). Anyone know how to make several photos work as a single graphic, with a single caption? Btw I am https://robots4therestofus.substack.com/
I see a lot of information on having as many readers as possible.
I was thinking of focusing on a niche (corporate people), for me the number of people doesn't matter as much as the focus they have --and the opportunity for me to get the right clients to know my expertise, rather than many random people who wouldn't become clients anyway (or worse, other consultants who would use my case studies or info for free).
For growth ideas, the past week or so I have been averaging between 4-10 new sign ups per day via IG, Twitter (which I am building out) and shout outs with other writers. Happy to help other writers out, especially seeing as I am writing an issue on the importance of creation this week, which you may find useful.
Hello! :) First, I just wanted to say thank you for being part of the movement to restore the Internet to its intended purpose (the democratization of information and free expression). I really appreciate having a space online again that's mostly algorithm-free and gives its users the breathing room necessary to exercise genuine curiosity -- there are too few of those spaces left in the mainstream digital realm.
Second, I have a really mundane design question. I recently started a pretty boring Substack that was originally intended to be a collection of my thoughts about making journalism better (I'm a freelance journalist that's really struggling with the state of things right now). After a few posts, though, I decided that I also wanted to use it as a blog to post my personal projects, photojournalism, artworks, etc., so I turned the journalism-related stuff into its own section using the new Sections feature to keep them separate.
My problem is that the new section displays super weird -- it shows up under the title of my main Substack and doesn't look right (it's barely noticeable, even to me, tbh). I'd love to have it display on the sidebar instead, or at the very least in the box with the "About" section, just so people actually notice it's there and it doesn't get so lost or look so awkward.
Is there a way to change this that I'm missing?
If not, would you guys possibly consider making a custom design option so that users that have basic coding skills can custom design our Substakcs (sort of like how Myspace originally let users customize their pages if they knew basic HTML or CSS)?
I'm going to add a paid feature to my substack next month, primarily featuring audio posts. For some time I have been considering adding a second format to my larger podcast, where I talk actively about what I'm drawing in the moment. But I hesitated because it felt like it wouldn't work without a visual element. With the substack audio post feature, I like that I'll be able to have a transcript and related images right below the audio player. This is a great solution for someone like me that does not want the hassle of a video podcast.
Until before the Grow sessions, I also had a mental conflict over going paid. I thought it might lead to me losing some of my free subscribers. But since these sessions my thinking has changed. I now think going paid may be a way to directly grow an audience, not simply extract more value from a subset of the free audience. In summary, that people are looking for premium content, and that it has its own market.
I started doing my Substack (Tales from the Exit Ramp) to build a following for a book I'm writing about living richly while growing old. My posts were excerpts from the book. Recently I found out, from two separate but savvy sources that publishers take a dim view of properties that have been published in part on line. So I switched to sending out threads with provocative, I thought, questions. Response has been disappointing. None of the threads have sparked much dialog. An y suggestions?
How do tags work? I put 3 tags on my newsletter in the settings, but when I search newsletters using those tags, my newsletter only shows up for one of them. Also, how does the Search function work in general? I've tried searching using the title of the TV show that I've been reviewing in-depth, the name of which is in almost all my posts, but my newsletter didn't show up with that search.
As newbie on Substack, this thread is very helpful. Thanks. I am limiting my marketing by not posting on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or any other social media. Do I have a snowball's chance in hell to build a decent readership? I only use texts and email (the e in email stands for elderly).
Hi Folks, I intend to serialize my nonfiction book "The Tenant's Tale". I assume that I go about it by creating a new section with the book's title, then post separate entries, correct?
Hey Team, any plans on the seo side of things.. For now I'm indexing my articles on google using console. I'd love to see what the substack team is planning to do for the same.
I'm running my first Discussion Thread next week, but I am thinking about it more as a Q & A and wondered what you think are the pros and cons or perhaps Thread vs Q & A formats? Thanks
Hey, thanks for doing this again. What are some of the benefits we can offer to paid members? and how do we avoid neglecting the unpaid ones? as I feel like it's a very grey line in between
I welcome any and all strategies to take a draft that is 80-90% there and push it over the finish line. Like most things in life, this is simple, but not easy. The last 10-20% is often the hardest for this tired writer. My Substack, White Noise, holds a digital shelf of ten to twenty jumbled drafts. I find it oh-so-hard— Sisyphean even— to get them free and clear!
Another ask: I see many Substack writers participating in Reddit to grow their audience. Any advice for me as a first-time Redditor (things to do, things not to do)?
I'm curious about the "creative stamina" aspect of today's hours. My project is pretty simple, because the only real way I know how to write is through poetry — so I write a sonnet a week. The burnout rate is surprising. I set my sonnets to publish so I can take Monday holidays off (ooh Labor Day is _so close_), to give myself a week off to come up with new ideas and start rolling off new sonnets.
I've been taking advantage of some workshop ideas, etc. I'm curious what other people do to get new ideas going and keep writing. I suppose this is mostly for the creative writing types out there, but you expository folks know what the burnout means too!
Substack, give me a deadline! (This is like "Facebook run my life for me!")
I'm writing the next installment in a short story full of beauty, and it feels SO inadequate! But I think I should "roll it out"--warts and all--either sometime in the next 3.5 hours, or 5-7 hours later tonight!
Tell me when?!? (No sooner than 1 hour and 15 mins from now!)
doesn't Substack check for duplicate user names?? When I google my name, it takes me to someone else's listing with the same name on substack...please help!
Let’s have a “place” on Substack for anyone to post fiction on the COVID pandemic theme. Fiction would balance all the factual reporting and express completely different responses.
Hello everyone! First, I just wanted to say that I really find the Substack platform very user-friendly, clutter-free and I like how it gives us an algorithm-free online environment. One of the features I'd really like on this platform is to give specific solo messages to readers - for example, a new reader signs up and I really value that - I want to be able to generate a personalised Note of Thanks through Substack to send the reader directly. Or even to readers who are actively reading my newsletter - more like a friendly note of appreciation that empowers writers to reach out to readers.
Yooooo! I am building out a Twitter pod to help share/support everyone with different networks/engagement/retweets., let me know if you are down to join by replying here with your handle. Mine is @youtopianJ.
Thoughts re: the large discrepancy in this screen shot of my "New website visitors" (i.e., re: diff between count on graph and count via list-of-sources)? https://twitter.com/FrankRuscica/status/1430926656668151812 Thx much for any insight. Best,
P.S. TPJE is a means of raising awareness re: a threat to many people that I IDed via my work.
Thoughts re: the discrepancy in this screen shot of my "New website visitors" (i.e., re: diff between count on graph and count via list of sources)? https://twitter.com/FrankRuscica/status/1430926656668151812 Thx much for any insight. Best,
Hi there! I've been trying to connect my Stripe account to my Substack account to activate país subscriptions, but haven't been able since I get a message that the platform does not support mexican Stripe accounts. Is that so?
2. How are the best writers deciding on charging subs?
3. Hope to get support on amplification of content
I am flattening out at <80 subs. Standard creator story, I know. Although I am writing for a very niche group (retail tech & creative marketers) I hope to grow my audience. https://forberger.substack.com/
I use GIFs, keep it lighthearted and full of practical advice. Help?
Hello, can anyone tell me how I can share a post, already published as "private", with someone who is not a subscriber? I know this is probably a very easy thing to do, but I can't seem to figure it out... Thanks ;)
Lots happening in the thread today, thank you for being here! The Substack team is signing off for today. We'll be back next week for our monthly Shoutout Thread. We invite you to join us and share what you’ve been inspired by on Substack.
In the meantime, our resources are here for you: https://substack.com/resources
And, we're sharing new resources on the Blog regularly. We have a new post coming out later today. Keep your eyes out: https://on.substack.com/s/resources
Happy Writing!
Katie + Bailey + Aaron + Savar + Stefinie + Jessica + Kerianne + Rose + Lisa
Please change the free subscribe box option to "Free" from the current "None."
When a new visitor reaches my Substack website and gets the description, subscribe box, and "Let me read it first" option, if they select subscribe, they get to select from the paid and free options. But the free option is called "None." That is confusing and sounds like they are not subscribing. "Free" makes more sense and is not confusing.
This should be an easy fix (just one word), I would think. I mentioned this in a previous Writer Office Hours, but I think it is important enough to be a pest about it. Thank you.
1. Word count in the CMS. I am begging.
2. I'd love to have some degree of control over when the font size changes in the post titles or similar, as I hate it when the headline has a single word on the second line after a full line above it, but the font automatically changing frequently stymies my efforts to fix that.
3. Strikethrough would be cool.
Is anyone doing a de-clutter of non-active subscribers? I have been lately and it's been really good for my open rate and my sub numbers have held. I axed around 20 non-active users. Makes a big impact and I want an active subscriber list as my core base :)
I'm curious to know if Substack intends to promote discoverability on its platform. With the Cocoon acquisition, I expect an app is underway? At the moment, I think of my Substack as a place where I send people once they discover my work on other platforms. Would love to learn if discoverability on Substack is a priority for the team, or if it is already happening and I'm just behind! :)
I write a weekly blog titled My Walks with Stanley, who is 93 yrs old aiming for 100. My focus is on how he is coping with life (or not) and aging gracefully and with enthusiasm. I use our 'walks' as a spring board of ideas to include other seniors. I have a very limited Twitter presence and am building my subscriber base -- all free at this time -- from my friends and contacts. I started in June. I'm a dinosaur in this 21st century marketing world. Any suggestions as how to reach out to a larger audience in the same demographic? My goal is to turn it into a paid subscription.
I've got about 270 email subscribers after three months. But one post last week passed 2,200 views, another from early on broke 1,500. Most average 400 to 500 views. Any thoughts on how to make these viewers free subscribers?
Once a moth I email everyone an update how the newsletter is going and what to expect next month. It would be easier if I can schedule this email. They are not posts, just emails.
Is Substack aware of Seth Godin’s recent post about the platform and how the spammers have arrived here? Here’s a link to the post: https://seths.blog/2021/08/the-inevitable-decline-of-fully-open-platforms/
Am I the only one who has no schedule for my posts? I know the rule is to schedule your pieces but I've never worked that way. I post when I have something completed; when I have something to say.
I honestly have never paid attention to anyone else's schedule and couldn't tell you when they post, so it never seemed important to me. But I do have trouble building followers, so could we discuss this? How many of you are turned off by posts just appearing in your mail any old time? I really try not to post unless I think I have something interesting to share, but maybe I'm doing it all wrong. Thanks.
There are times when I get a lot more views than the open rate would suggest. For example, one post went to 188 subscribers with a 49% open rate, but got 266 "email opens". Can you explain what that means? My newsletter is https://fracturedrelationships.substack.com/
Thanks again for the help Substack. I leave you all with this. One thing I don't see expressed enough is that it takes courage to create, not moral courage but creative courage! The courage to put yourself out there and try to create something from nothing, which we are all doing. So stay focused and keep writing!
Hi, the other week I wanted to illustrate a post with a collage of photos -- ie, not one image in its own space but 3-4 photos in the "slot" for an illustration. I didn't have anything fancy in mind, just having the photos appear next to one another on a line. But the CMS seemed to be forcing me to give each photo its own space (ie forcing them to appear in a vertical line, which took up way too much space, no matter how much I shrank them). Anyone know how to make several photos work as a single graphic, with a single caption? Btw I am https://robots4therestofus.substack.com/
I see a lot of information on having as many readers as possible.
I was thinking of focusing on a niche (corporate people), for me the number of people doesn't matter as much as the focus they have --and the opportunity for me to get the right clients to know my expertise, rather than many random people who wouldn't become clients anyway (or worse, other consultants who would use my case studies or info for free).
Has anyone tried that?
For growth ideas, the past week or so I have been averaging between 4-10 new sign ups per day via IG, Twitter (which I am building out) and shout outs with other writers. Happy to help other writers out, especially seeing as I am writing an issue on the importance of creation this week, which you may find useful.
I would be interested in hearing how others have set the amount for paid subscriptions.
Hello! :) First, I just wanted to say thank you for being part of the movement to restore the Internet to its intended purpose (the democratization of information and free expression). I really appreciate having a space online again that's mostly algorithm-free and gives its users the breathing room necessary to exercise genuine curiosity -- there are too few of those spaces left in the mainstream digital realm.
Second, I have a really mundane design question. I recently started a pretty boring Substack that was originally intended to be a collection of my thoughts about making journalism better (I'm a freelance journalist that's really struggling with the state of things right now). After a few posts, though, I decided that I also wanted to use it as a blog to post my personal projects, photojournalism, artworks, etc., so I turned the journalism-related stuff into its own section using the new Sections feature to keep them separate.
My problem is that the new section displays super weird -- it shows up under the title of my main Substack and doesn't look right (it's barely noticeable, even to me, tbh). I'd love to have it display on the sidebar instead, or at the very least in the box with the "About" section, just so people actually notice it's there and it doesn't get so lost or look so awkward.
Is there a way to change this that I'm missing?
If not, would you guys possibly consider making a custom design option so that users that have basic coding skills can custom design our Substakcs (sort of like how Myspace originally let users customize their pages if they knew basic HTML or CSS)?
Where can I find more like-minded political writers for cross-promotion? My SubStack is leftist/socialist for context.
I'm going to add a paid feature to my substack next month, primarily featuring audio posts. For some time I have been considering adding a second format to my larger podcast, where I talk actively about what I'm drawing in the moment. But I hesitated because it felt like it wouldn't work without a visual element. With the substack audio post feature, I like that I'll be able to have a transcript and related images right below the audio player. This is a great solution for someone like me that does not want the hassle of a video podcast.
Until before the Grow sessions, I also had a mental conflict over going paid. I thought it might lead to me losing some of my free subscribers. But since these sessions my thinking has changed. I now think going paid may be a way to directly grow an audience, not simply extract more value from a subset of the free audience. In summary, that people are looking for premium content, and that it has its own market.
I started doing my Substack (Tales from the Exit Ramp) to build a following for a book I'm writing about living richly while growing old. My posts were excerpts from the book. Recently I found out, from two separate but savvy sources that publishers take a dim view of properties that have been published in part on line. So I switched to sending out threads with provocative, I thought, questions. Response has been disappointing. None of the threads have sparked much dialog. An y suggestions?
What's the prep plan for the death of email open rates via iOS 15? We all need to know.
How do tags work? I put 3 tags on my newsletter in the settings, but when I search newsletters using those tags, my newsletter only shows up for one of them. Also, how does the Search function work in general? I've tried searching using the title of the TV show that I've been reviewing in-depth, the name of which is in almost all my posts, but my newsletter didn't show up with that search.
Is there anyone who would like to do a 30-minute zoom meetup this afternoon to review each other's account setup for best practices?
As newbie on Substack, this thread is very helpful. Thanks. I am limiting my marketing by not posting on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or any other social media. Do I have a snowball's chance in hell to build a decent readership? I only use texts and email (the e in email stands for elderly).
Hi Folks, I intend to serialize my nonfiction book "The Tenant's Tale". I assume that I go about it by creating a new section with the book's title, then post separate entries, correct?
What about 'Threads," what's that about?
Hey Team, any plans on the seo side of things.. For now I'm indexing my articles on google using console. I'd love to see what the substack team is planning to do for the same.
I'm running my first Discussion Thread next week, but I am thinking about it more as a Q & A and wondered what you think are the pros and cons or perhaps Thread vs Q & A formats? Thanks
Please, add more embedding options - Getty Images Embed and Telegram (telegram.org).
Hey, thanks for doing this again. What are some of the benefits we can offer to paid members? and how do we avoid neglecting the unpaid ones? as I feel like it's a very grey line in between
I welcome any and all strategies to take a draft that is 80-90% there and push it over the finish line. Like most things in life, this is simple, but not easy. The last 10-20% is often the hardest for this tired writer. My Substack, White Noise, holds a digital shelf of ten to twenty jumbled drafts. I find it oh-so-hard— Sisyphean even— to get them free and clear!
Thanks everyone, I appreciate everyone's ideas and suggestions, even if they are far afield from what I'm doing. Creative ferment!
Did Substack recently announce a new type of embed, like an iFrame type thing? Or did I just dream it, lol?
Another ask: I see many Substack writers participating in Reddit to grow their audience. Any advice for me as a first-time Redditor (things to do, things not to do)?
I'm curious about the "creative stamina" aspect of today's hours. My project is pretty simple, because the only real way I know how to write is through poetry — so I write a sonnet a week. The burnout rate is surprising. I set my sonnets to publish so I can take Monday holidays off (ooh Labor Day is _so close_), to give myself a week off to come up with new ideas and start rolling off new sonnets.
I've been taking advantage of some workshop ideas, etc. I'm curious what other people do to get new ideas going and keep writing. I suppose this is mostly for the creative writing types out there, but you expository folks know what the burnout means too!
Substack, give me a deadline! (This is like "Facebook run my life for me!")
I'm writing the next installment in a short story full of beauty, and it feels SO inadequate! But I think I should "roll it out"--warts and all--either sometime in the next 3.5 hours, or 5-7 hours later tonight!
Tell me when?!? (No sooner than 1 hour and 15 mins from now!)
doesn't Substack check for duplicate user names?? When I google my name, it takes me to someone else's listing with the same name on substack...please help!
I would also appreciate any guidance you can give me on how to set up my masthead with photos, graphics, etc. Thanks, Jim-Admiral's Log
I'm new, I've just written my first post but before I send it, is there any way to enlarge the logo and my picture?
Let’s have a “place” on Substack for anyone to post fiction on the COVID pandemic theme. Fiction would balance all the factual reporting and express completely different responses.
Hello everyone! First, I just wanted to say that I really find the Substack platform very user-friendly, clutter-free and I like how it gives us an algorithm-free online environment. One of the features I'd really like on this platform is to give specific solo messages to readers - for example, a new reader signs up and I really value that - I want to be able to generate a personalised Note of Thanks through Substack to send the reader directly. Or even to readers who are actively reading my newsletter - more like a friendly note of appreciation that empowers writers to reach out to readers.
Yooooo! I am building out a Twitter pod to help share/support everyone with different networks/engagement/retweets., let me know if you are down to join by replying here with your handle. Mine is @youtopianJ.
https://reflexivity.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=web&utm_source=subscribe-widget
Hey folks!
I write 10+1 Things (https://rishikesh.substack.com/) a curated newsletter where I share 11 interesting stories finely handpicked by me!
What are some ways to grow a curated newsletter organically? Since I'm not into particular niche, it has been every difficult!
I really do believe in the power of Curator Economy and would like to connect with other writers who are into Curation or link sharing!
My latest edition is titled: Digital Einstein, Fermi's Paradox, Greatest Investor and How to Start a New Country?
Link: https://rishikesh.substack.com/p/digital-einstein-greatest-investor
Got to check out for the day: nice to have met y'all.
Thoughts re: the large discrepancy in this screen shot of my "New website visitors" (i.e., re: diff between count on graph and count via list-of-sources)? https://twitter.com/FrankRuscica/status/1430926656668151812 Thx much for any insight. Best,
P.S. TPJE is a means of raising awareness re: a threat to many people that I IDed via my work.
Thoughts re: the discrepancy in this screen shot of my "New website visitors" (i.e., re: diff between count on graph and count via list of sources)? https://twitter.com/FrankRuscica/status/1430926656668151812 Thx much for any insight. Best,
Hello everyone!
Subscribe to our newsletter: Global Economic Outlook (G.E.O) for economic insights and analysis of the global economy.
Hi there! I've been trying to connect my Stripe account to my Substack account to activate país subscriptions, but haven't been able since I get a message that the platform does not support mexican Stripe accounts. Is that so?
1. Recommendations on best-performing posts
2. How are the best writers deciding on charging subs?
3. Hope to get support on amplification of content
I am flattening out at <80 subs. Standard creator story, I know. Although I am writing for a very niche group (retail tech & creative marketers) I hope to grow my audience. https://forberger.substack.com/
I use GIFs, keep it lighthearted and full of practical advice. Help?
Hello, can anyone tell me how I can share a post, already published as "private", with someone who is not a subscriber? I know this is probably a very easy thing to do, but I can't seem to figure it out... Thanks ;)