Have questions about publishing, growing, or going paid on Substack? Are there obstacles in the way of you doing your best work?
The Substack team, and your fellow writers, are here to help!
We’re gathering the writer community and members of the Substack team together in this discussion thread to answer writer questions for an hour. Today, we’re joined by Substack’s Services team. They run programs like Substack Defender and Substack Health, and they’re hosting a special thread to hear about the types of services and support that might help Substack writers overcome obstacles.
How to join today’s Office Hour threads:
General Thread 📅 Drop your questions in the thread below by leaving a comment, and we’ll do our best to share knowledge and tips. Our team will be answering questions and sharing insights with you in the thread today from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. PST / 1 p.m.–2 p.m. EST. We encourage writers to stick around after the hour and continue the conversation together.
Services Thread: Obstacles and support 🏔️ What holds you back from writing consistently or going independent? What tools and support would help you to produce your best work? Follow this link to our thread focused on writer obstacles, hosted by the Substack Services team.
I don't want subscribers to donate. Don't want anybody to see a donate button on my page. The instructions say to go to Danger Zone and "disconnect stripe." I tried that, there is no such option.
Let me do something for this thread. TALKERs, the magazine for Talk radio, has taken up production advisories for podcasters because there is so much professional crossover between formats.
Hello! I've seen people launching a free Substack newsletter first, to build a large community, and then later convert it into a paid one. Does anyone also followed that path? Have a nice day!
Help please. How do I put a photo on my posts? I put one on my home page but find no other instructions for each post. (Did I look in the wrong place maybe?) Thanks.
It's Susan again. I did figure it out. It's one of the symbols. It's a bit confusing adding the photo (and for me, finding one that's actually free (coffers are low) but managed it all in the end with help from programmer husband. I just have to practice now so I learn it well.
I thought that this was an event scheduled for January 13 from 1 PM to 2 PM EST. However, I see posts on here from January 7. So please tell me: How does one proffer one's queries? Should we go to this page at any time.
Man, I have written several charitable, funny and uproarious responses to various posts on here, but not a single person responds to any of my posts. More importantly, and more regrettably, none of my vexing questions, regarding impediments to the dissemination of my work product on substack, get answered. What I need is a book agent so I can concentrate on writing and not spend so much fucking time in the trenches of self promotion.
I am 64. Years ago, in the pre digital world, I was paid for stuff that was published in a national news magazine. Years ago, my briefs won cases in courts of law. And now I am reduced to competing with presumably pimply faced children who never knew what it was like to live in a pre digital age when producing written stuff was sometimes an agony of correcto type and white out and other smelly concoctions.
As for your question: I was told that one should write with great frequency, at least one post every two or three days. But a lot of people on here seem to have only one post per week. I don't think there are any hard and fast rules. It';s like life: All the gold in the realm goes to the most clever and cunning shit kicker.
I may have seemed a bit bitter; sorry about that. It might not console one, but one should remember that there is no positive correlation between success and merit. Vincent Van Gogh was one of the finest painters of the second half of the second milenium; he did not sell a single, solitary painting while alive. Kiss and Beyonce amassed more success than Leonard Cohen.
In our society, bad stuff sells. We value stuff that sells and the stuff that sells is the simple, brain dead shit that appeals to the masses of morons ambling through shopping centers munching on junk food with glazed, vacant expressions on their eyes. So the Partridge Family and Matlock and utterly predictable and insipid glitzy garbage from Hollywood sell.
Indeed, Norman Podhoretz, in "Breakings Ranks," said that capitalism's exaltation of schlock culture is what makes intellectual .leftists. In Communist East Germany, their music stations played Beethoven. In America, they play Beyonce and other vulgar whores.
Is there something wrong with my specific account. I am encountering the following errors and oddities: A) On a couple of occasions, I tried to send my posts to subscribers at a future time. However, the posts in question only went to SOME OF MY SUBSCRIBERS. Why is this. Is there something wrong with my account. B) Also, when I examine what posts various subscribers have read, I find that 90 percent of the time, a subscriber will open a post 4 times at the very same time. For example if Subscriber A looks at post B, the records will show that he looked at that post on four occasions and each occasion was at 1:03 PM on April 4. This seems most peculiar. Is my substack not working properly
as I have already been there and it does not answer my question. These are the issues:
A) Usually I post essays. However, sometimes I post poems. In poems, line spacing is critical. To separate stanzas, I want to double space. In all other instances, I want single spacing. Initially, I could control line spacing as evidenced by this poem on substack: https://davidgottfried.substack.com/p/odes-to-rock-n-roll. However, you changed your protocols and now I can’t control line spacing and the line spacing of my poems is an anarchic mess. Please tell me how to take care of line spacing.
B) I have been advised that there is a substack editor that one should use. Of course, when I try to post something, I see a zillion icons on the screen which can enable me to change or view articles in one way or another, but I have yet to see a key, let alone a word, marked editor. Please tell me: Where is the substack editor. Please try to explain with some physical precision. (Most peoples’ verbal abilities fail them when they are asked to explain, CONCRETELY, where something is and what it looks like. Sorry if I seem irritable)
Sorry, as usual I am percolating with questions. Question 1:
1) Some people in this forum said it was imperative to have one’s newsletter indexed on google to get a decent measure of circulation. However, more recently, someone on this forum said that we were now all automatically indexed on google, contending, “Your site is being indexed in Google. To see which pages are starting their road to ranking, go to this url site:https://davidgottfried.substack.com It takes some time to start ranking for keywords, etc. I have an article if you check my substack.”
Please arbitrate between the two conflicting opinions. Should we get indexed on google or is indexing now an automatic process.
Olá, preciso de uma ajuda. Quando compartilho o meu primeiro posto, a pessoa que recebe (inscrito ou não) recebe um link, e não um texto já formatado. O que estou fazendo de errado?
I just started my food newsletter. If I post several recipes a week can they all be sent on the same weekly email to my readers instead of several ones? Thank you
In my more snotty moments, I tend to say that I live in a extra-terrestial twilight of rarified ideas and have no time for the vular, corporal world of "things."
But FOOT GETS ME HOT. Clothing, accessories, architecture may be a lot of boring garbage to me, but I am always interested in things I may consume. What sort of stuff are you serving up. I hope it isn't healthy shit.
As for your question: Although I am sure you can put them all in one weekly e mail, from what I have heard you may be better off with more frequent and shorter transmissions along the lines of one new recipe every two days. If a post is too long, people may opt to turn the page reasoning that they don't have the time for a long post (attention spans are shorter in the digital age). Also, I have been advised that one';s circulation is better enhanced with frequent transmissions.
No healthy shit here David. Just healthyish here and there but only as long as it doesn't compromise flavour. Apart from that my recipes are about what I love to eat each day (which can vary enormously between decadent or 'green') and what I found inspired me on my travels and flying visits to markets.
Thank you for your opinion regarding the frequency of the newsletter, it actually made a lot of sense to me, let's see how it goes...
STyles in literature change, styles in clothing change, everything is constantly in flux. But one thing is a constant: We all Want to eat. I will eagerly and ravenously consume your recipes
Hi all! Northern Ireland (NI) .. We're all somewhat political and I'd like to share my 'Political Musings'; How do I drop the breadcrumbs for people to follow & how do I locate NI breadcrumbs to begin to grow? Thanks to all in advance!
I look forward to ravishing your bread crumbs. My breadcrumbs are generously spiced, with rare and pungeant herbs piercing the status quo with provocations, polemics and pugnaciousness
As FYI, are you aware of the >right-click >translate option on the Internet? I used to try to maintain old blogs in multiple languages, but now I just point people to the auto-translate option provided by Google, Bing, etc. It's not 100% perfect, but pretty close.
My new Substack newsletter is now live (whiskingupastorm.substack.com) and I plan to make it grow to a paid one in the future, keeping some posts free at the same time. How should I differentiate free content from the paid one so that readers become interested in paying? Thank you
I've been working through this same thing! I have a few pieces that have become an on-going series that tend to get good feedback, so I'm planning on making those my initial paid sections. My thoughts there are that people are following this series, it builds on top of itself, and readers will want to continue the journey and will be willing to pay. Then, of course, I plan on always making sure I have some really meaty stuff still available for free to continue to capture new readers. That's my current thought process if it helps! :)
That makes complete sense, thanks so much for your reply! My priority now is to cativate new readers, while starting to think of ideas for pieces that might gather more interest and turn into paid ones in the future.
Select the text in your post that you want to hyperlink (or you can enter something manually). Go to the HTML toolbar at the top of the text entry box, select the Link icon. The top line will be the text to be hyperlinked, and you would enter the URL in the bottom line.
Just looking to grow...trying everywhoch way. And, how to get readers to comment publicly. How to engage them...I'd love to talk to someone from sub stack and have a fluid conversation about the process...not just by writing questions online, here...
I don't get the point of this. I write books. Why is a URL demanded? I want to publish a novel that gobalist publishers will never accept but which other writers say impresses them. Is substack not for novels?
G-d bless you. Someone who heralds from the world of books. The printing press was developed 500 years ago. I fear our world is fast expiring. Now we must endure a snappy, crabby, world crackling with the neurotic urgency of text reduced to emojis (those squiggly annoyances and graphics used in place of language), sound bites instead of sound argument, Beyonce instead of the Beatles or Bach -- oh how I hate the ugliness these pigs have wrought.
Only yesterday, I was telling my Yolngu grandchild that even illiterate people of the Dickinson era could understand the Penny-farthing vocabulary read to them by those who could read; a vocabulary that today, university graduates cannot cope with. Our language is disintegrating and, because we think structurely in language, our logic is collapsing too. And that makes it so easy to propaganise an entire planet into accepting slow-motion suicide and total slavery. This may well extinguish human life, at least on this beautiful planet.
Consider this: Some time ago, I encountered someone on the internet who wanted me to get a new app so we could converse. We already could communicate via e-mail, but he thought his new app was preferable. I spent about 45 minutes trying to figure out his goddamn twenty something toy. And then he sent me a message
And what did this pimply faced moron have to tell me. What had his brilliant, tortured mind wish to bestow upon me ?
His comment consisted of two immortal words:
Wass Up
These kiddies are fucking geniuses. Man, I know spoiled shits who spent their junior year in college in Italy without bothering to learn Italian. Bob Dylan summed them up in "Like a Rolling Stone:"
"Yeah, you went to the finest schools but you know you only used to get juiced in it"
Ha ha. You just reduced a useless generation to the contents of an eye dropper.
Some savvy women were telling me tonight how so many young girls are marrying older men, because the emerging generations are either hollow clones or violent controllers who do not listen. One of these women actually instructed me that I am henceforth her husband and will accompany her to her former husband's funeral in three years time. At age 78 and homeless, she is the second woman to propose to me in the last 3 months. This is an accurate guage of the decline in the quality of human beings in Australia and elsewhere in the West.
Accidental? No way. This has been part of the implemented destruction of society that has been taking place since David Rockefeller assumed the dynastic mantle in 1970. He launched his campaign in 1973 with the completion of the Trilateral Commission. In tandem, and with suspected complicity, so too has Geroge Soros, with Kissinger leading the cheer squad.
The first part of your last message, regarding marriage proposals, was delightful to read. However, you lost me when you launched into a vague conspiratorial rant about Rockefeller, the Trilateral Commission and George Soros.
As the wind blows yesterday's leaves, and dawn evaporates human despair, so too, do I rant.
Ergo... My rant expanded: The clever, albeit psychopathically evil minds behind the campaign to force a New World Order (first designed by Nelson Rockefeller, 1934 to 1938), their first target after establishing the United Nations (on Rockefeller land in NY), was to plan the destruction of Family, because Family generates and perpetuates values inimical to the new fuedal system of elite and serfs.
This was a programme of 20 elements, the nineteenth of which is the covid scamdemic.
But everybody knows that.
Rants are necessary to puncuate the peacefulness of nature, without which peace is without meaning.
My new Substack newsletter is live - deniseelaineheap.substack.com (Why This Matters). I very carefully set up theme for magazine style. I uploaded logo, photo for the Welcome page. I unpinned a post so the magazine style would work. Previewed everything and it looks exactly as I want it to.
But not in real life. The actual Welcome page is the post I have unpinned, and the homepage does not seem to exist at all, as it did in the preview. And yes, I properly saved everything.
I do have screenshots of the previews and settings as well as of what I see when I go to my page.
Kind of annoying because I wanted to end the week with this done. I already have seven posts uploaded and ready to go over the next couple of weeks...
People here (India) do not open emails on a regular basis. For many here ,email is a secondary medium of communication after WhatsApp. Also majority use cellphones to read e content.
I have got the first batch of my subscribers by send the link through Whatsapp.
But again the issue is I have to message them the link to every issue.
I am trying to join "Newsletter to Social" but it won't add a URL for my publication. Is it because I haven't set it up yet? DUH! Give me a break. I'm 85 years old and am trying to work it all out.
Good morning, people have told me they are having trouble finding me on substack. They typed my profile name and substack into google but were not directed to the page. Help.
Wow! I had no idea this was one of the things Substack was about. Man 0 Man we learn shit! Don't we? I just signed up because I am a new lover of UnFucking the Republic. I listen to it when walking my dog, but when I get home I can't remember how to go on and make donations, etc. It took me months to remember the name, Substack. I am in the 4th rewrite of my first novel and have an assigned time. I am shaking in my boots at the prospect of once the novel is at the point of publication, how does one who knows no one in the business, do that?
As a semi-illiterate internet user, I love Substack's ease of use. One thing I still don't understand: is there a way to direct mail other writers, especially those to whom I'm subscribing? I mean sending a private message, not leaving a comment.
Hey gang! Tom White here of White Noise — a free, weekly newsletter on books and behavior, psychology and philosophy.
My question: are there any tools to help avoid our emails from getting sent to spam folders? It seems to be happening more and more frequently as of late :/.
Lastly, sharing my latest on the difficulty and beauty in accepting yourself, warts and all.
An excerpt:
“Acceptance is a funny, squirrelly beast. Regardless of your stature or station in life, it does not come easily to us human beings. It exists as formidable—though not insurmountable—obstacle.
Like most things, it is one thing to say “I accept this;” another entirely to actually do so; and another still to truly believe it.
And yet, I think that’s the purpose of it all: to know oneself, love oneself, live as oneself, believe oneself.”
Hi there- thanks for reaching out- sure looks like you know what's happening! Just getting started . . . its basically travel-centered . . . I love writing but have little interest in the behind the scenes grunt work- mainly the learning curve- for the marketing component . . . I'm just an old geezer I guess . . . anyway, I'll follow up with you tomorrow, if i may . . . thank you
The content on substack is different than that on the site but draws on the podcast. Ideally one checks out the site info AND gets involved on substack. I do think that different platforms attract different crowds. I am hoping I enjoy what I perceive to be a smarter and more literate crowd on substack
Hey community! Sorry I missed the main event this week, but I am always looking to connect to other writers for accountability, connection, and future collaboration. I write about nature and finding belonging. Looking forward to meeting more writers this year!
Hi everyone! I have a substack about the scientific exploration of spirituality and spiritual phenomenon. Does anyone have any tips about the best places to promote it online?
In stats, I have 3 to 4 times more views that I have subscribers for any given post. Is that because readers have opened a post up numerous times, or is there another reason?
If I understand your question, you may be referring to your "open rate" stat. For my current article, say (which published Wed, 9am CT), my open rate shows only 38% of my subscribers (e-mails) having opened the e-mail. But, the total number of opens (shown just below the % rate) shows nearly 3x of opens than I have subscribers!!
The note below (which shows when you scroll over that rate area) says opens (however many) from the same person only counts as ONE, so I've surmised that many of my subs are forwarding my article/e-mail to friends!
Now, if you're referring to what Chris Hicks mentions, yes. But, non-techie that I am, I know that my total page views are the result of (likely) combined sub opens as well as the many views coming from FB, Twitter, et al. Hope at least some of this helps!
BTW, Lloyd, if you dig '70s rock (prog, classic rock, punk, etc), feel free to check my stuff out! I was in FM rock radio and the record biz in the '70s, and am writing about all my misadventures with rock stars, and behind the scenes of the '70s rock era! Good luck, and....write on!!!
Are you posting links on Social Media? If so you might be getting views from that but not subscribers. Your dashboard should show you where your readers came from.
When you add a new subscriber, and then subsequently send out a new post newsletter, can that new reader like/comment directly from the email or do they have to explicitly signup for your newsletter first? I feel that some of my readers are having an easier time with engaging than others for some reason.
Yes, I've noticed, on the articles I subscribe to, likes and comments are accessible with buttons at the bottom of the e-mail/article. And, only subscribers get your newsletters by e-mail. Non-subs who access your pieces, of course, have comment and like buttons at the bottom of the site page. Hope this helps, Rahim!
slight nuance. In both cases they are subscribers. In case a) subscribers were added to my list prior to me publishing the post. In case b) subscribers were added to my list after I published the post. In case b) I first updated the welcome email to include a link to the said post that had already been published. In case b, it seems they are having a very hard time engaging
I guess the key is adding enough photos/images and other visual tricks to break the wordy wall. I've had success both writing shortish pieces and very long posts.
If you're happy with it, hit send! My last Metal Bandcamp Gift Club newsletter was 28 words with a 43% click rate. It serves its purpose. Probably not worth it to anybody else, but this little club has been going since 2016, so I'm happy with it.
I think whatever it takes to get your point across is great! 28 words or 2800, do what makes you feel good!
I tend to agree with Walt's comment, but I also think that a newsletter should be the perfect length for telling your story effectively, not a word to much. But then, that's what good writing is ... right?
On the subject, is there a counter somewhere that keeps us abreast of ongoing word count as we write? I'm used to that thru WordPress when I worked on another blog site. And, if here isn't, can there be (somebody at Substack)?
I tend to let the "Your email is almost too big" warning to tell me when I'm almost done - it seems to kick in every time, but I use a handful of images in every newsletter and they're what racks up the kB. I've seen some text-only newsletters cram in 3,000-4,000 words in one go - but what you're writing had better be really good if you're stretching a newsletter into a longform piece.
As for how long a newsletter *should* be? I think it varies so much. Mine always spiral out of control and go longer than planned, and it hasn't hurt my open rate (so far). So I think it's all about setting an expectation with your audience, and letting them get used to your preferred writing style. How long do you *want* to write newsletters for? Give it a go, see what happens, run a few experiments on either side of that number.
Yeah! And, when I reach the "danger zone too big" notice, I'd like to know just how far I have left, BEFORE I start chopping stuff out when I may not "need" to, at least based on kB amount. Plus, if I have general article word # totals to help me trend out from my previous posts, it can help me corral my wordiness should my current piece not really warrant "all those words"!
As Martin Mull has observed (if not warned!), "Some people have a way with words; others not have way."
There are some good cognitive science studies that show that the optimum article word length to hold a reader's interest without losing them is around 800 words.
Nice! Mine have been averaging around 700. Readers have told me they prefer my longer pieces over the shorter ones, too, so I’ve been posting fewer posts in order to make each one more in depth.
"Create the content (and length) you desire." Bingo! If what I'm writing is interesting on its own, no Harvard study or scientific algo should even matter. I'm not sure if I even want to be THAT contrived in the first place to let that enter my creative equation.
If all my article dictates to hold interest and tell the story effectively and creatively is 300 words, so be it. I'm not about to artificially pad it just to satisfy a Princeton English dept. survey result.
If a particular subject can't be told with the same metrics and objective in less than 2,000 words, I'm not going to let "oh, wait a minute, studies show that the average number of words people will likely read is 600, no more, no less," or my "art" is being cheated. That presumes I'm being honest with my creativity, both in the editing process and letting my creative freak flag fly to at least some degree!
I have to believe that, or no human on earth has ever completed "War and Peace." Or, that "studies appear to show that people would prefer reading a nursing home pamphlet than 'Beowulf.'"
I'd like to think that my love for writing and whatever talents I might possess in doing it supersedes any university study that ignores my personal experiences and/or my style of writing.
I don't write fiction, by the way. That's a whole different animal. My articles tend to slide into two distinct non-fiction categories: Research oriented (ex: my piece where I compare the oddly disproportionate body parts of Astros third baseman Alex Bregman with the equally "unmatched" proportions of Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps...these respective oddities help them excel in their respective sports, but would "doom" them if they switched sports!)....
....and bios of a sort: My memories of spending time with rock stars from my days in FM rock radio and the record biz in the '70s. With each of these types of writing, I've found that the length is dictated by just what is needed to tell the story and/or lay out the info.
Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! Looks like I may have needed to do some editing!!! But, as the good Pastor says, "I'm just doin' me!" Cheers!
Quick question: I love the "View profile" tab for subscribers. And I understand that some people didn't add anything to their profiles, so there's nothing to see. But I'm not clear on why some subscribers don't have a "View profile tab" at all. Also--I'd like to invite subscribers to add to their profiles, but I'm not sure how they can do that. Thanks!
Thanks for this clarification Adam! It does appear that there's other integrations in addition to Revue though (Beehiiv, ConvertKit, Ghost, MailChimp, MailerLite). Unless perhaps I'm missing something? Still would love to hear back from the Substack team once they have the time to file through the tons of q's!
Hi! How important are likes? I get a ton of positive feedback from people replying to my emails directly and offline, but the same people aren’t liking or commenting on the posts themselves. I can’t figure out why and am reluctant to ask readers to start showing their support by liking the posts unless it’s actually impacting their reach.
I have this same issue. My most recent post got a ton of people emailing (and even messaging me on other forums like WhatsApp and FB) to say they loved it and liked it, but they didn't actually engage directly with the post.
I'd reply by thanking them for writing back and asking them to Like the post. Also, it takes way more effort to write an email to say something was good than to hit a Like button, so your content is engaging! Congrats on that!
Exactly! That's why I don't want to ask more of a reader who's taken the trouble to write a personal response. I'm fairly new to Substack so I'll keep writing and see if this issue resolves organically.
So you added them _before_ you publish? Only my recipients that receive my emails but that I've added after I already publish are having difficulty liking/commenting. The ones from before publishing seem to engage.
So I think this goes back to my other questions that no one is answering... It seems that it ISNT easier for my readers to click Like vs just emailing me. They are being put through the signup flow (I tried it with another email I have as well). When they get the welcome email after I add them to my newsletter, there is a link for my newest post, and they are unable to engage without signing up. That doesn't seem correct so I feel I'm not sharing content correctly.
Once they're logging in (and they should stay logged in) it's very easy to click a like button and a lot less effort than writing a reply. But yes, get people over the login hurdle is bumpy. Best thing to do is explain to them that signing up isn't the same as logging in, so it's a two-step process. I wish Substack made that clearer.
actually this shouldn't be a feature request - I just tested it out and it seems that for subscribers that were added by me _before_ publishing, the embedded email allows for liking without any signup/registration and it is correctly attributed. I tested it with a new email address, and even forwarded that to another, and when I liked it, it attributed to the original recipient. Thus I don't understand why I am not able to add subscribers _after_ publishing and then forward that post somehow (via the built in email or welcome) and also allow them to like without signup/registration. It feels like I am missing something very obvious.
So maybe this is a feature request that if I bring a new subscriber, create a token to the links that allows them to like which is tied to a temp user name which can be reflected to something else if that person ever actually signs up. Make it easier for people to engage if they have already been confirmed by me. I get the spam concerns, but that is already a problem given that they already get the email anyway.
These are readers that I have from my existing blog and who have already given me their email address. I thought one of the values of substack is that I would be able to bring my existing audience (small that it is!)
I will say, just as a reader, I'm more inclined to read an article that has Likes vs. one that doesn't have any. Kind of like how we tend to buy more from sellers with more 5 star reviews vs. those with none.
Good point! I usually get a decent number of likes, but if I didn't get any, or just a few, I might spend a month or so doing a campaign to get those numbers up for the reason you stated.
As someone stated below (or above? not sure where it is in this thread), the emailed newsletter has a heart for readers to like, but it doesn't register it unless they sign into the website. It's a lot of steps that don't always happen.
Similar boat. Do you post a call to action to like the piece at the end? I know some writers who do that and they seem to get a fair amount of likes. But I don't do that and I've heard from readers directly who didn't even know that was an option. I know that sounds odd, but a lot of readers just read and never clickthru to the web version
Great point! I actually noticed that today - in the Office Hours emails from Substack! Based on the communication I get solely via email replies, it seems likely that this is what's happening - I'm definitely going to try the call to action in future posts to see if it makes a difference!
For what it's worth, I always focus on sharing the newsletter as my call-to-action, and that's been a really good tactic for growing my newsletter 5-fold over the past year. Point being, that call to action that end, whether you're asking for Likes, comments, or shares, can be really effective.
I would say knowing that people liked your writing is 'important' :) I am assuming that at some point it is going to be used for the algorithm that is backing the discovery page too.
Write, write, and then write! Also follow others who write on topics like yours, and many will follow you, too, if you're writing, writing, and writing.
Newsletter Mastermind anyone? I regularly host Twitter DM’s for writers to connect and learn from one another. Shoot me a DM on Twitter and I can add you: https://twitter.com/n2s_app
I don't want subscribers to donate. Don't want anybody to see a donate button on my page. The instructions say to go to Danger Zone and "disconnect stripe." I tried that, there is no such option.
Let me do something for this thread. TALKERs, the magazine for Talk radio, has taken up production advisories for podcasters because there is so much professional crossover between formats.
Check out a sample of their guidance here: https://www.talkers.com/2021/06/21/monday-memo-podcasters-tell-the-world/
Hello! I've seen people launching a free Substack newsletter first, to build a large community, and then later convert it into a paid one. Does anyone also followed that path? Have a nice day!
Help please. How do I put a photo on my posts? I put one on my home page but find no other instructions for each post. (Did I look in the wrong place maybe?) Thanks.
It's Susan again. I did figure it out. It's one of the symbols. It's a bit confusing adding the photo (and for me, finding one that's actually free (coffers are low) but managed it all in the end with help from programmer husband. I just have to practice now so I learn it well.
Thank you so much, that's so kind of you! 🙏
I thought that this was an event scheduled for January 13 from 1 PM to 2 PM EST. However, I see posts on here from January 7. So please tell me: How does one proffer one's queries? Should we go to this page at any time.
Man, I have written several charitable, funny and uproarious responses to various posts on here, but not a single person responds to any of my posts. More importantly, and more regrettably, none of my vexing questions, regarding impediments to the dissemination of my work product on substack, get answered. What I need is a book agent so I can concentrate on writing and not spend so much fucking time in the trenches of self promotion.
Just dipped my toe into Substack. I'm 63, and trying to forge a new path for myself by starting my newsletter, https://eugeniebryan.substack.com/publish
How many posts should I be writing each week to attract subscribers?
I am 64. Years ago, in the pre digital world, I was paid for stuff that was published in a national news magazine. Years ago, my briefs won cases in courts of law. And now I am reduced to competing with presumably pimply faced children who never knew what it was like to live in a pre digital age when producing written stuff was sometimes an agony of correcto type and white out and other smelly concoctions.
As for your question: I was told that one should write with great frequency, at least one post every two or three days. But a lot of people on here seem to have only one post per week. I don't think there are any hard and fast rules. It';s like life: All the gold in the realm goes to the most clever and cunning shit kicker.
Thanks for your insight, David. Reading through comments here, it seems there are indeed no fixed strategies for success.
I may have seemed a bit bitter; sorry about that. It might not console one, but one should remember that there is no positive correlation between success and merit. Vincent Van Gogh was one of the finest painters of the second half of the second milenium; he did not sell a single, solitary painting while alive. Kiss and Beyonce amassed more success than Leonard Cohen.
In our society, bad stuff sells. We value stuff that sells and the stuff that sells is the simple, brain dead shit that appeals to the masses of morons ambling through shopping centers munching on junk food with glazed, vacant expressions on their eyes. So the Partridge Family and Matlock and utterly predictable and insipid glitzy garbage from Hollywood sell.
Indeed, Norman Podhoretz, in "Breakings Ranks," said that capitalism's exaltation of schlock culture is what makes intellectual .leftists. In Communist East Germany, their music stations played Beethoven. In America, they play Beyonce and other vulgar whores.
Question 3
Is there something wrong with my specific account. I am encountering the following errors and oddities: A) On a couple of occasions, I tried to send my posts to subscribers at a future time. However, the posts in question only went to SOME OF MY SUBSCRIBERS. Why is this. Is there something wrong with my account. B) Also, when I examine what posts various subscribers have read, I find that 90 percent of the time, a subscriber will open a post 4 times at the very same time. For example if Subscriber A looks at post B, the records will show that he looked at that post on four occasions and each occasion was at 1:03 PM on April 4. This seems most peculiar. Is my substack not working properly
Question 2:
I am having problems regarding the most elementary issue in the realm: The proper way to post on substack. Please don’t refer me to the substack article appearing at https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037831771-How-do-I-publish-a-new-post-
as I have already been there and it does not answer my question. These are the issues:
A) Usually I post essays. However, sometimes I post poems. In poems, line spacing is critical. To separate stanzas, I want to double space. In all other instances, I want single spacing. Initially, I could control line spacing as evidenced by this poem on substack: https://davidgottfried.substack.com/p/odes-to-rock-n-roll. However, you changed your protocols and now I can’t control line spacing and the line spacing of my poems is an anarchic mess. Please tell me how to take care of line spacing.
B) I have been advised that there is a substack editor that one should use. Of course, when I try to post something, I see a zillion icons on the screen which can enable me to change or view articles in one way or another, but I have yet to see a key, let alone a word, marked editor. Please tell me: Where is the substack editor. Please try to explain with some physical precision. (Most peoples’ verbal abilities fail them when they are asked to explain, CONCRETELY, where something is and what it looks like. Sorry if I seem irritable)
Sorry, as usual I am percolating with questions. Question 1:
1) Some people in this forum said it was imperative to have one’s newsletter indexed on google to get a decent measure of circulation. However, more recently, someone on this forum said that we were now all automatically indexed on google, contending, “Your site is being indexed in Google. To see which pages are starting their road to ranking, go to this url site:https://davidgottfried.substack.com It takes some time to start ranking for keywords, etc. I have an article if you check my substack.”
Please arbitrate between the two conflicting opinions. Should we get indexed on google or is indexing now an automatic process.
We're only on the thread today right?
This is great!
What is great.
Olá, preciso de uma ajuda. Quando compartilho o meu primeiro posto, a pessoa que recebe (inscrito ou não) recebe um link, e não um texto já formatado. O que estou fazendo de errado?
I just started my food newsletter. If I post several recipes a week can they all be sent on the same weekly email to my readers instead of several ones? Thank you
In my more snotty moments, I tend to say that I live in a extra-terrestial twilight of rarified ideas and have no time for the vular, corporal world of "things."
But FOOT GETS ME HOT. Clothing, accessories, architecture may be a lot of boring garbage to me, but I am always interested in things I may consume. What sort of stuff are you serving up. I hope it isn't healthy shit.
As for your question: Although I am sure you can put them all in one weekly e mail, from what I have heard you may be better off with more frequent and shorter transmissions along the lines of one new recipe every two days. If a post is too long, people may opt to turn the page reasoning that they don't have the time for a long post (attention spans are shorter in the digital age). Also, I have been advised that one';s circulation is better enhanced with frequent transmissions.
No healthy shit here David. Just healthyish here and there but only as long as it doesn't compromise flavour. Apart from that my recipes are about what I love to eat each day (which can vary enormously between decadent or 'green') and what I found inspired me on my travels and flying visits to markets.
Thank you for your opinion regarding the frequency of the newsletter, it actually made a lot of sense to me, let's see how it goes...
STyles in literature change, styles in clothing change, everything is constantly in flux. But one thing is a constant: We all Want to eat. I will eagerly and ravenously consume your recipes
Hi all! Northern Ireland (NI) .. We're all somewhat political and I'd like to share my 'Political Musings'; How do I drop the breadcrumbs for people to follow & how do I locate NI breadcrumbs to begin to grow? Thanks to all in advance!
I look forward to ravishing your bread crumbs. My breadcrumbs are generously spiced, with rare and pungeant herbs piercing the status quo with provocations, polemics and pugnaciousness
What's the best way to publish a bilingual newsletter? Thanks
just had a peek at your newsletter - it's looking good!
Thanks so much, very kind of you!
As FYI, are you aware of the >right-click >translate option on the Internet? I used to try to maintain old blogs in multiple languages, but now I just point people to the auto-translate option provided by Google, Bing, etc. It's not 100% perfect, but pretty close.
That never had ocorred to me, great suggestion, thanks so much!
My new Substack newsletter is now live (whiskingupastorm.substack.com) and I plan to make it grow to a paid one in the future, keeping some posts free at the same time. How should I differentiate free content from the paid one so that readers become interested in paying? Thank you
I've been working through this same thing! I have a few pieces that have become an on-going series that tend to get good feedback, so I'm planning on making those my initial paid sections. My thoughts there are that people are following this series, it builds on top of itself, and readers will want to continue the journey and will be willing to pay. Then, of course, I plan on always making sure I have some really meaty stuff still available for free to continue to capture new readers. That's my current thought process if it helps! :)
That makes complete sense, thanks so much for your reply! My priority now is to cativate new readers, while starting to think of ideas for pieces that might gather more interest and turn into paid ones in the future.
How do leave a real live hyperlink in your post?
Select the text in your post that you want to hyperlink (or you can enter something manually). Go to the HTML toolbar at the top of the text entry box, select the Link icon. The top line will be the text to be hyperlinked, and you would enter the URL in the bottom line.
THANK YOU JJ
My 3 readers salute you
More than I have so far. It's going to take a while to build up a following.
good
Just looking to grow...trying everywhoch way. And, how to get readers to comment publicly. How to engage them...I'd love to talk to someone from sub stack and have a fluid conversation about the process...not just by writing questions online, here...
I don't get the point of this. I write books. Why is a URL demanded? I want to publish a novel that gobalist publishers will never accept but which other writers say impresses them. Is substack not for novels?
G-d bless you. Someone who heralds from the world of books. The printing press was developed 500 years ago. I fear our world is fast expiring. Now we must endure a snappy, crabby, world crackling with the neurotic urgency of text reduced to emojis (those squiggly annoyances and graphics used in place of language), sound bites instead of sound argument, Beyonce instead of the Beatles or Bach -- oh how I hate the ugliness these pigs have wrought.
Only yesterday, I was telling my Yolngu grandchild that even illiterate people of the Dickinson era could understand the Penny-farthing vocabulary read to them by those who could read; a vocabulary that today, university graduates cannot cope with. Our language is disintegrating and, because we think structurely in language, our logic is collapsing too. And that makes it so easy to propaganise an entire planet into accepting slow-motion suicide and total slavery. This may well extinguish human life, at least on this beautiful planet.
Consider this: Some time ago, I encountered someone on the internet who wanted me to get a new app so we could converse. We already could communicate via e-mail, but he thought his new app was preferable. I spent about 45 minutes trying to figure out his goddamn twenty something toy. And then he sent me a message
And what did this pimply faced moron have to tell me. What had his brilliant, tortured mind wish to bestow upon me ?
His comment consisted of two immortal words:
Wass Up
These kiddies are fucking geniuses. Man, I know spoiled shits who spent their junior year in college in Italy without bothering to learn Italian. Bob Dylan summed them up in "Like a Rolling Stone:"
"Yeah, you went to the finest schools but you know you only used to get juiced in it"
Ha ha. You just reduced a useless generation to the contents of an eye dropper.
Some savvy women were telling me tonight how so many young girls are marrying older men, because the emerging generations are either hollow clones or violent controllers who do not listen. One of these women actually instructed me that I am henceforth her husband and will accompany her to her former husband's funeral in three years time. At age 78 and homeless, she is the second woman to propose to me in the last 3 months. This is an accurate guage of the decline in the quality of human beings in Australia and elsewhere in the West.
Accidental? No way. This has been part of the implemented destruction of society that has been taking place since David Rockefeller assumed the dynastic mantle in 1970. He launched his campaign in 1973 with the completion of the Trilateral Commission. In tandem, and with suspected complicity, so too has Geroge Soros, with Kissinger leading the cheer squad.
The first part of your last message, regarding marriage proposals, was delightful to read. However, you lost me when you launched into a vague conspiratorial rant about Rockefeller, the Trilateral Commission and George Soros.
As the wind blows yesterday's leaves, and dawn evaporates human despair, so too, do I rant.
Ergo... My rant expanded: The clever, albeit psychopathically evil minds behind the campaign to force a New World Order (first designed by Nelson Rockefeller, 1934 to 1938), their first target after establishing the United Nations (on Rockefeller land in NY), was to plan the destruction of Family, because Family generates and perpetuates values inimical to the new fuedal system of elite and serfs.
This was a programme of 20 elements, the nineteenth of which is the covid scamdemic.
But everybody knows that.
Rants are necessary to puncuate the peacefulness of nature, without which peace is without meaning.
My new Substack newsletter is live - deniseelaineheap.substack.com (Why This Matters). I very carefully set up theme for magazine style. I uploaded logo, photo for the Welcome page. I unpinned a post so the magazine style would work. Previewed everything and it looks exactly as I want it to.
But not in real life. The actual Welcome page is the post I have unpinned, and the homepage does not seem to exist at all, as it did in the preview. And yes, I properly saved everything.
I do have screenshots of the previews and settings as well as of what I see when I go to my page.
Kind of annoying because I wanted to end the week with this done. I already have seven posts uploaded and ready to go over the next couple of weeks...
I tried to publish an illustrated essay. Substack won’t publish the illustrations. Copyright problems?
People here (India) do not open emails on a regular basis. For many here ,email is a secondary medium of communication after WhatsApp. Also majority use cellphones to read e content.
I have got the first batch of my subscribers by send the link through Whatsapp.
But again the issue is I have to message them the link to every issue.
This is one challenge of using Substack in India.
Edit: Also email is reserved mostly for official communication.
I am trying to join "Newsletter to Social" but it won't add a URL for my publication. Is it because I haven't set it up yet? DUH! Give me a break. I'm 85 years old and am trying to work it all out.
Good morning, people have told me they are having trouble finding me on substack. They typed my profile name and substack into google but were not directed to the page. Help.
Wow! I had no idea this was one of the things Substack was about. Man 0 Man we learn shit! Don't we? I just signed up because I am a new lover of UnFucking the Republic. I listen to it when walking my dog, but when I get home I can't remember how to go on and make donations, etc. It took me months to remember the name, Substack. I am in the 4th rewrite of my first novel and have an assigned time. I am shaking in my boots at the prospect of once the novel is at the point of publication, how does one who knows no one in the business, do that?
It a great honor to have this thread.
If I have any questions I will gladly post them here.
Hi Substack, I would like to find a way to offer my book for free in order to get newsletter subscribers. Is there any way to do that.
As a semi-illiterate internet user, I love Substack's ease of use. One thing I still don't understand: is there a way to direct mail other writers, especially those to whom I'm subscribing? I mean sending a private message, not leaving a comment.
Just "reply" to any one of the writer's Newsletter. They will get your email as a reply in their inbox.
Love the platform, but I do not have an e-mail list to bring. Hope people find by search! Your thoughts appreciated to those without lists.
Thank you. What does that mean though...how to do that.
I’ve written to you many times asking for help in setting up my blog but you never respond at all, so why keep pretending to want to help?
Hey gang! Tom White here of White Noise — a free, weekly newsletter on books and behavior, psychology and philosophy.
My question: are there any tools to help avoid our emails from getting sent to spam folders? It seems to be happening more and more frequently as of late :/.
Lastly, sharing my latest on the difficulty and beauty in accepting yourself, warts and all.
An excerpt:
“Acceptance is a funny, squirrelly beast. Regardless of your stature or station in life, it does not come easily to us human beings. It exists as formidable—though not insurmountable—obstacle.
Like most things, it is one thing to say “I accept this;” another entirely to actually do so; and another still to truly believe it.
And yet, I think that’s the purpose of it all: to know oneself, love oneself, live as oneself, believe oneself.”
https://www.whitenoise.email/p/acceptance
Is there a way to charge less for subscriptions? Like $15 a year instead of $50?
Of course! Go to Settings and search for the subscription plans. Change to any number you like.
hi!! i just launched - it's a travel topic . . . but my page isn't showing up! help!!!!!!
Hi there- thanks for reaching out- sure looks like you know what's happening! Just getting started . . . its basically travel-centered . . . I love writing but have little interest in the behind the scenes grunt work- mainly the learning curve- for the marketing component . . . I'm just an old geezer I guess . . . anyway, I'll follow up with you tomorrow, if i may . . . thank you
Salute to all yous and Happy New Year. Learning the craft of writing, is what we do. Bless and take care all.
The content on substack is different than that on the site but draws on the podcast. Ideally one checks out the site info AND gets involved on substack. I do think that different platforms attract different crowds. I am hoping I enjoy what I perceive to be a smarter and more literate crowd on substack
Hey community! Sorry I missed the main event this week, but I am always looking to connect to other writers for accountability, connection, and future collaboration. I write about nature and finding belonging. Looking forward to meeting more writers this year!
Thanks! I just signed up for your newsletter. It looks interesting! I’m also writing from rural 🌲🌿🌲🌿
Great to meet you and very much enjoy what you are writing about! Looking forward to reading more!
Thank you and likewise!
Greatly appreciate your kind words! And I love hearing what other people find remarkable about nature. Good to meet you :)
Hi everyone! I have a substack about the scientific exploration of spirituality and spiritual phenomenon. Does anyone have any tips about the best places to promote it online?
Twitter works for me.
I just published my first post- enjoy!!!!! https://sluys.substack.com/p/welcome-to-covidinsanity?r=oi8r3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Good post. I subscribed.
thank you very much!!
Thanks, ya'll for another helpful WOH!
In stats, I have 3 to 4 times more views that I have subscribers for any given post. Is that because readers have opened a post up numerous times, or is there another reason?
If I understand your question, you may be referring to your "open rate" stat. For my current article, say (which published Wed, 9am CT), my open rate shows only 38% of my subscribers (e-mails) having opened the e-mail. But, the total number of opens (shown just below the % rate) shows nearly 3x of opens than I have subscribers!!
The note below (which shows when you scroll over that rate area) says opens (however many) from the same person only counts as ONE, so I've surmised that many of my subs are forwarding my article/e-mail to friends!
Now, if you're referring to what Chris Hicks mentions, yes. But, non-techie that I am, I know that my total page views are the result of (likely) combined sub opens as well as the many views coming from FB, Twitter, et al. Hope at least some of this helps!
BTW, Lloyd, if you dig '70s rock (prog, classic rock, punk, etc), feel free to check my stuff out! I was in FM rock radio and the record biz in the '70s, and am writing about all my misadventures with rock stars, and behind the scenes of the '70s rock era! Good luck, and....write on!!!
Thanks for your comments, and I'll check out your newsletter soon.
Are you posting links on Social Media? If so you might be getting views from that but not subscribers. Your dashboard should show you where your readers came from.
Thanks! That's probably it.
When you add a new subscriber, and then subsequently send out a new post newsletter, can that new reader like/comment directly from the email or do they have to explicitly signup for your newsletter first? I feel that some of my readers are having an easier time with engaging than others for some reason.
Yes, I've noticed, on the articles I subscribe to, likes and comments are accessible with buttons at the bottom of the e-mail/article. And, only subscribers get your newsletters by e-mail. Non-subs who access your pieces, of course, have comment and like buttons at the bottom of the site page. Hope this helps, Rahim!
slight nuance. In both cases they are subscribers. In case a) subscribers were added to my list prior to me publishing the post. In case b) subscribers were added to my list after I published the post. In case b) I first updated the welcome email to include a link to the said post that had already been published. In case b, it seems they are having a very hard time engaging
Question:
A newsletter should contain over 1000 words or can be less than that?
I guess the key is adding enough photos/images and other visual tricks to break the wordy wall. I've had success both writing shortish pieces and very long posts.
If you're happy with it, hit send! My last Metal Bandcamp Gift Club newsletter was 28 words with a 43% click rate. It serves its purpose. Probably not worth it to anybody else, but this little club has been going since 2016, so I'm happy with it.
I think whatever it takes to get your point across is great! 28 words or 2800, do what makes you feel good!
https://metalbandcampgiftclub.substack.com
I tend to agree with Walt's comment, but I also think that a newsletter should be the perfect length for telling your story effectively, not a word to much. But then, that's what good writing is ... right?
On the subject, is there a counter somewhere that keeps us abreast of ongoing word count as we write? I'm used to that thru WordPress when I worked on another blog site. And, if here isn't, can there be (somebody at Substack)?
A word counter would be great, agreed!
I tend to let the "Your email is almost too big" warning to tell me when I'm almost done - it seems to kick in every time, but I use a handful of images in every newsletter and they're what racks up the kB. I've seen some text-only newsletters cram in 3,000-4,000 words in one go - but what you're writing had better be really good if you're stretching a newsletter into a longform piece.
As for how long a newsletter *should* be? I think it varies so much. Mine always spiral out of control and go longer than planned, and it hasn't hurt my open rate (so far). So I think it's all about setting an expectation with your audience, and letting them get used to your preferred writing style. How long do you *want* to write newsletters for? Give it a go, see what happens, run a few experiments on either side of that number.
Yeah! And, when I reach the "danger zone too big" notice, I'd like to know just how far I have left, BEFORE I start chopping stuff out when I may not "need" to, at least based on kB amount. Plus, if I have general article word # totals to help me trend out from my previous posts, it can help me corral my wordiness should my current piece not really warrant "all those words"!
As Martin Mull has observed (if not warned!), "Some people have a way with words; others not have way."
There are some good cognitive science studies that show that the optimum article word length to hold a reader's interest without losing them is around 800 words.
Nice! Mine have been averaging around 700. Readers have told me they prefer my longer pieces over the shorter ones, too, so I’ve been posting fewer posts in order to make each one more in depth.
"Create the content (and length) you desire." Bingo! If what I'm writing is interesting on its own, no Harvard study or scientific algo should even matter. I'm not sure if I even want to be THAT contrived in the first place to let that enter my creative equation.
If all my article dictates to hold interest and tell the story effectively and creatively is 300 words, so be it. I'm not about to artificially pad it just to satisfy a Princeton English dept. survey result.
If a particular subject can't be told with the same metrics and objective in less than 2,000 words, I'm not going to let "oh, wait a minute, studies show that the average number of words people will likely read is 600, no more, no less," or my "art" is being cheated. That presumes I'm being honest with my creativity, both in the editing process and letting my creative freak flag fly to at least some degree!
I have to believe that, or no human on earth has ever completed "War and Peace." Or, that "studies appear to show that people would prefer reading a nursing home pamphlet than 'Beowulf.'"
I'd like to think that my love for writing and whatever talents I might possess in doing it supersedes any university study that ignores my personal experiences and/or my style of writing.
I don't write fiction, by the way. That's a whole different animal. My articles tend to slide into two distinct non-fiction categories: Research oriented (ex: my piece where I compare the oddly disproportionate body parts of Astros third baseman Alex Bregman with the equally "unmatched" proportions of Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps...these respective oddities help them excel in their respective sports, but would "doom" them if they switched sports!)....
....and bios of a sort: My memories of spending time with rock stars from my days in FM rock radio and the record biz in the '70s. With each of these types of writing, I've found that the length is dictated by just what is needed to tell the story and/or lay out the info.
Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! Looks like I may have needed to do some editing!!! But, as the good Pastor says, "I'm just doin' me!" Cheers!
Seconded "do you."
Quick question: I love the "View profile" tab for subscribers. And I understand that some people didn't add anything to their profiles, so there's nothing to see. But I'm not clear on why some subscribers don't have a "View profile tab" at all. Also--I'd like to invite subscribers to add to their profiles, but I'm not sure how they can do that. Thanks!
Hi Team - are there any plans to have a Twitter embedded signup functionality without sending it from Revue? Thanks in advance!
Context: https://twitter.com/hargettly/status/1478732808919126019?s=20
Revue is owned by Twitter, hence the tight integration. I would imagine Twitter is hesitant to let other companies tap into that.
Thanks for this clarification Adam! It does appear that there's other integrations in addition to Revue though (Beehiiv, ConvertKit, Ghost, MailChimp, MailerLite). Unless perhaps I'm missing something? Still would love to hear back from the Substack team once they have the time to file through the tons of q's!
Ahhh… I see.
This is a very good question. I would love to see that. I do most of my networking on Twitter.
Hi! How important are likes? I get a ton of positive feedback from people replying to my emails directly and offline, but the same people aren’t liking or commenting on the posts themselves. I can’t figure out why and am reluctant to ask readers to start showing their support by liking the posts unless it’s actually impacting their reach.
I don't think likes matter much here. Even top newsletters with many subscribers have relatively fewer likes.
People, can't LIKE a post without signing into substack (but the button doesn't tell them that). So some try and then give up.
I have this same issue. My most recent post got a ton of people emailing (and even messaging me on other forums like WhatsApp and FB) to say they loved it and liked it, but they didn't actually engage directly with the post.
I'd reply by thanking them for writing back and asking them to Like the post. Also, it takes way more effort to write an email to say something was good than to hit a Like button, so your content is engaging! Congrats on that!
Exactly! That's why I don't want to ask more of a reader who's taken the trouble to write a personal response. I'm fairly new to Substack so I'll keep writing and see if this issue resolves organically.
Hi Meera - how are these readers that are not liking receiving your post? Are they getting it from the auto send after you click publish?
Yes they receive it by email!
So you added them _before_ you publish? Only my recipients that receive my emails but that I've added after I already publish are having difficulty liking/commenting. The ones from before publishing seem to engage.
So I think this goes back to my other questions that no one is answering... It seems that it ISNT easier for my readers to click Like vs just emailing me. They are being put through the signup flow (I tried it with another email I have as well). When they get the welcome email after I add them to my newsletter, there is a link for my newest post, and they are unable to engage without signing up. That doesn't seem correct so I feel I'm not sharing content correctly.
Once they're logging in (and they should stay logged in) it's very easy to click a like button and a lot less effort than writing a reply. But yes, get people over the login hurdle is bumpy. Best thing to do is explain to them that signing up isn't the same as logging in, so it's a two-step process. I wish Substack made that clearer.
actually this shouldn't be a feature request - I just tested it out and it seems that for subscribers that were added by me _before_ publishing, the embedded email allows for liking without any signup/registration and it is correctly attributed. I tested it with a new email address, and even forwarded that to another, and when I liked it, it attributed to the original recipient. Thus I don't understand why I am not able to add subscribers _after_ publishing and then forward that post somehow (via the built in email or welcome) and also allow them to like without signup/registration. It feels like I am missing something very obvious.
So maybe this is a feature request that if I bring a new subscriber, create a token to the links that allows them to like which is tied to a temp user name which can be reflected to something else if that person ever actually signs up. Make it easier for people to engage if they have already been confirmed by me. I get the spam concerns, but that is already a problem given that they already get the email anyway.
These are readers that I have from my existing blog and who have already given me their email address. I thought one of the values of substack is that I would be able to bring my existing audience (small that it is!)
I will say, just as a reader, I'm more inclined to read an article that has Likes vs. one that doesn't have any. Kind of like how we tend to buy more from sellers with more 5 star reviews vs. those with none.
Good point! I usually get a decent number of likes, but if I didn't get any, or just a few, I might spend a month or so doing a campaign to get those numbers up for the reason you stated.
As someone stated below (or above? not sure where it is in this thread), the emailed newsletter has a heart for readers to like, but it doesn't register it unless they sign into the website. It's a lot of steps that don't always happen.
Similar boat. Do you post a call to action to like the piece at the end? I know some writers who do that and they seem to get a fair amount of likes. But I don't do that and I've heard from readers directly who didn't even know that was an option. I know that sounds odd, but a lot of readers just read and never clickthru to the web version
Great point! I actually noticed that today - in the Office Hours emails from Substack! Based on the communication I get solely via email replies, it seems likely that this is what's happening - I'm definitely going to try the call to action in future posts to see if it makes a difference!
For what it's worth, I always focus on sharing the newsletter as my call-to-action, and that's been a really good tactic for growing my newsletter 5-fold over the past year. Point being, that call to action that end, whether you're asking for Likes, comments, or shares, can be really effective.
I would say knowing that people liked your writing is 'important' :) I am assuming that at some point it is going to be used for the algorithm that is backing the discovery page too.
Great to know! in that case I'll treat just it as a vanity metric, even if I want them :')
Aw, shucks....I'm not above "vanity metrics"!!!;-)
Good to know! Thanks!
How do I get more followers on Substack?
Write and promote like hell
Social Media! I write about how writers can have a healthy relationship with social media to help them grow: https://newslettertosocials.substack.com/
Write, write, and then write! Also follow others who write on topics like yours, and many will follow you, too, if you're writing, writing, and writing.
Newsletter Mastermind anyone? I regularly host Twitter DM’s for writers to connect and learn from one another. Shoot me a DM on Twitter and I can add you: https://twitter.com/n2s_app
Sounds cool! I just followed you and sent a message.