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Substack Go. Yesterday, we announced a brand-new program designed to create a space for writers to learn the fundamentals of Substack, forge relationships, and kickstart a sustainable writing habit. This free program is designed for writers who are getting started (or restarted) and eager to publish regularly in community with fellow writers. Learn more and apply.
Joel Gay Creative Fellowships. In partnership with Substack, writer and cultural critic Roxane Gay of The Audacity has announced a new fellowship to support three emerging writers over the course of the year as they develop a newsletter on Substack. The fellowship will include a $25,000 stipend, services, and mentorship from Roxane on the craft and business of writing. Learn more here.
Substack Health deadline. The deadline to apply for Substack Health, a new program designed to help subsidize health care for writers, is next Thursday, January 20th. Learn more and apply here.
Hi Rose, any tips on how to get featured on Substack? been an active member for nearing a year now and would love some tips on how to get some exposure :)
I keep asking the question about embedded mp3 files with a player - uploaded to Substack or linked to another upload site. The community answers but I'm far more interested in someone from Substack answering. Any plans to add this feature?
This is not a podcast - which is a 1 mp3 file upload. I want the ability to embed several mp3 files with a player into a post.
Our product team is actively working on a number of audio features and this is a potential path they might take. Can you tell me more about the use case and I can let the team know?
Sure.. the use case would be similar to what I did with the YouTube video.
I have dozens, maybe a hundred+, song snippets in my voice recorder. Some have become songs, some might still.
I would love to show the genesis or progress with written narrative between.
So...
On X date, I recorded this into my phone while driving. I like the cadence of the lyrics and had an idea for music.
[insert mp3 file]
I didn't get around to the song for another 6 months. But then, upon listening, I heard a different musical approach. I bumped up the tempo, did a slight alteration on the lyrics and came up with this.
[insert mp3 file]
Finally, we got around to a more produced version a year later. Here is what that sounds like.
[insert mp3 file]
It would be great if I could upload them. But, in Wordpress (for instance), if you paste a link to an mp3 file, it auto-converts to a player.
I don't like soundcloud because, well... I don't. Plus, these files are not typically songs... they are snippets. I don't want them in my soungclould account. Plus, I would bump up against the paid limit on uploads fairly quickly.
I can see other use cases just for the sake of audio embellishments to augment a post. For instance:
==========
Here I am writing about a specific topic. Here is the main point I want to make.
I was musing about this with my girlfriend. That short (3:22) conversation can be heard below.
[insert mp3 file]
It's not a podcast really.
Sorry about my verbosity but I hope it provides some clarity.
Wanted to share a win as a very new writer: I reached 200 subscribers this week! This is my second month publishing on Substack and it has been a HUGE leap, as I have never written consistently in my life. It is getting easier and this community has been very helpful. I have committed to publishing weekly for the next year with my editor and very excited to see where this goes.
A number of my subscribers have come from within the community, from posting here and in the discord group and elsewhere. I’ve also gotten a number of subscribers from my local history posts on Reddit.
Did you see my post elsewhere in this comment thread? It's on a really important issue that Substack Grow didn't dedicate a session to (unless I missed it, lol!): how to turn views into free signups.
We hear you! :) We can do a better resource on this for sure, but you need to add CTAs (subscribe buttons) into the body of text for your big posts, like this one. https://join.substack.com/p/is-this-the-most-interesting-idea. There are still none in there!
For the short term, I would subscribe to https://annehelen.substack.com/. She is a genius at this. Check out how she uses buttons and varies her header and footer text to encourage subscriptions.
About half are from instagram and half from interactions on substack. Connecting with other writers through comments and thoughtful feedback goes a long way. I am planning to try a lead magnet this year using book funnel.
Did you see my post elsewhere in this comment thread? It's on a really important issue that Substack Grow didn't dedicate a session to (unless I missed it, lol!): how to turn views into free signups.
The Substack Grow people generously decided to look into the matter and get back to me, so I assume that they'll comment on the post when they find something out! :)
kate, that is a beautiful story! I write about home, the psychology of home, finding home, coming home... this story fits right in on so many levels. If you have any interest, I would welcome publishing it on my site as a guest post. I know a lot of my readers are bakers and cooks - it could possibly drive some of them to subscribing to yours. Regardless, thank you for sharing. With a warm heart and a full cup of tea, Jan
Wonderful! Can you email me at findinghome@substack.com? The photo of the cafe and the text. And maybe we can have a quick chat before I post. That would be lovely! Plus, I love how you're using the new substack layout - I have to try that myself! Can't wait to read more of your stuff.
I just subscribed to your newsletter. I also weave in environmental issues in my Substack as it directly impacts poor and minority communities. Would love to see if we have a way to collaborate...
Has the team ever considered creating a “What to Read” series for new publications / publications with under 100 subscribers? I think that would be super helpful for visibility. Many of the publications I follow were discoveries from What to Read.
That's a really interesting idea, Allie. I will add that a lot of the complaints I hear privately from my newsletter-writing peers here center around Substack's promotion of people who really don't need the help. But maybe a concurrent series, where Substack keeps doing What to Read and another that features 'stacks with a much smaller base would hit a sweet spot.
Hi Allie! I'm so glad to hear you're finding What to Reads helpful in discovering new publications! We definitely aim to feature smaller/undiscovered publications that are going deep into a clear topic, are publishing consistently and have enough material to give readers a sense of what they're all about. (Ex: When we featured Andrew Zeveney's publication, he had only one subscriber :) https://on.substack.com/p/what-to-read-andrew-zeveney-is-judging)
Rose, on the back end, can you and the team see how many subscribers we have? You must be able to, otherwise how would you know if one is "smaller," right?
Small milestone, I just hit double digit subscribers! I've only been posting here for about two weeks (backdated some old posts from Reddit just to fill the pipeline a bit). Still learning/struggling with the self promotion stuff, but learning as I go.
Congrats, Chris! I'm on my 6th month, and have only since August also been active on Twitter & FB, after 2 decades of happily abstaining! How to get readers from Reddit is better tackled by others, I'm guessing, but for Twitter (and FB, if you're game), I'd just hit promo pieces (highlighting the subscription benefits) on each, and/or slap any new article on them, as well.
I'm fortunate that I write about pro musicians (some "famous," others simply hard-working pros for decades on major labels), and many have responded positively to my articles, and generously offered their time for future article interviews, or even offered a factoid that I can add to my previous article about them, giving me a new headline, like, "JUST IN! NEW INTERVIEW WITH whomever" that gives me a chance to re-post (on Twitter, FB, et al), and get new readers!
If your articles don't travel in celebrity-filled (or industry insider) circles, maybe there's a sub-group on FB you could plumb (I'm on several, like a couple of punk rock groups, and '70s-era rock groups)...these are the places, when I post my article links, that have drawn former record execs and even the musicians in the bands about which I write, to come out!
I wonder how many of us have business cards that tub-thump our writings, too! My biz card is my backstage photo (seen here) with me and the Ramones backstage in Houston in '77! When I troll my local Paneras and Starbucks to write for a day, I have these ready to go (and post on bulletin boards!)...talk about a conversation piece! I have the name of my Substack, plus the web address for my stuff, as well as my "sales line": "Go backstage to the Rock & Punk of the '70s & '80s!"
Good luck, Chris, and here's hoping we can meet on Substack Go!--Brad
Thanks, still trying to figure out how to get my 2000+ followers on Reddit and 3000+ Twitter followers to sign up, so hoping that number continues to increase.
Just want to say that it's really exciting to see this community grow, stay positive, and supportive! Keep up the great work, everyone & happy writing!
How to Get More Subscribers: this seems to be a common question! The Sample has been a really good resource for me. The Sample matches readers to newsletters, based on their interests. Each day The Sample sends out sample newsletters. If a reader likes a newsletter, they can subscribe with 1 click. It was started by 2 brothers who are trying hard to help authors and readers connect. It's free for both authors and readers. Enter your newsletter url. I've probably gotten about 60 subscribers recently, if that gives some perspective. Here's a link: https://bit.ly/1thesample to copy/paste in your browser or you can go to thesample.ai. I'd love to hear if others are also using this free service.
I like the Sample, too. I've gotten about a dozen subscribers from them in about 3 weeks. Seems like mileage varies based on what you write, but it's worth a shot and I suspect that as the Sample grows, it'll be able to do a better job of matching readers to newsletters.
Yes, The Sample is proving really great for me too! A nice steady drip of new subscribers - I'm going to say thanks to them by using their paid services at some point soon. Definitely worth signing up for, to see what happens.
(One thing though: they've had an issue with one-click subscribes for Substack, so they're currently requiring you import subscribes manually - but it's super easy and takes me about 60 seconds on my phone, so it's no bind at all in exchange for a new subscriber or two. Definitely still a huge win.)
Just wanted to introduce myself to everyone. I'm fairly new to Substack. This is my second week here. I like it a whole lot more than WordPress. I like Substack so much that I have been learning as much as I can about it. I subscribed to their YouTube channel. I hope that I get chosen for Substack Go. It would be great to meet and support other writers.
Hi Jimmy, and welcome! I remember when I was "2 weeks old"....back in mid-August! You're hopping on just in time, and I hope we get to meet on SubGo! I feel well-supported in my weakest area...the tech side of doing what we do. When I wrote about the Houston Astros on all-sports blog site, The Runner Sports, for 5 years (2015-2020), we not only used WordPress, but my editor did all the "mechanical" things that, now, WE have to do (choose a lead photo, maximize for SEO, etc).
I'm proud to brag that for over our final year (we shut down 3/20..something about a pandemic, and sports shutting down!), with an 85-member staff, I was the site's monthly page view getter, AND ALL WITHOUT BEING ON ANY SOCIAL MEDIA!!! I had gotten what you kids these days call "traction," and even had the players (and broadcasters) reading me on a regular basis...I know, 'cause they'd tell me!
Now, with FB & Twitter at my disposal, I'm getting the musicians and industry insiders getting a hold of me, thanking me, and DM-ing me their willingness to answer questions, which has added extra value to just-written articles, or provided opportunities for future article interviews!
Read my reply to Chris Hicks above for more tips, including biz cards, but also, as you gather subscribers (free or otherwise), treat them like royalty! Each one I get, I send a special welcome "article" to their inbox, and I keep them abreast, exclusively, about the musicians and industry folk that contact me (a couple of them have subscribed, too!), and give exclusive hints to future articles, as well as preview snippets a day or two before full-article publishing!
Good luck, Jimmy, and hope to see you on SubGo!---Brad
Is there any hope for a substack referral system in due time? That would make life so much easier and save a lot of money compared to existing systems, so I bet it is a great added value to substack
Hello all. New to everything here - to Substack, to seeking publication, to finding a writing group ( applied to Go! ). I write short stories and personal essays. Never published but get some nice comments on my work once in awhile. I'm at https://dorothyshrager.substack.com/. Very glad to have found this talented and generous writing community. Auspicious start to 2022 dare I say?
Hey, all. Just checking in. Did a 50% off annual subscriptions deal last week for one day in honor of my 50th birthday and the first anniversary of my newsletter. Got 7 new paid subscribers! Which is a lot for me in one day. Otherwise, I'm struggling to get back in the groove of creating new pieces since the New Year. I didn't take a break, per se, during December, but I did allow my newsletters to be more brief. Now I have to get back into the thick of it, and regaining momentum is hard. Anyone else struggling with this?
Like a bunch of folks I did a retrospective post at the very end of last year, highlighting the three most trafficked posts and also my three favorites from the last year. It was more gratifying than I thought it would be. Reading back over my old stuff I found myself thinking, Oh, hey! This is really good! Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out: https://ashasanaker.substack.com/p/thats-a-wrap
December is always a difficult month for me. You're not alone. I did my first "guest post" to my newsletter - highlighting someone else's writing and that was really well received so I've decided to do more of it - as long as the piece resonates with me and stays on my topic (home). It also gives me a bit of a breather. Won't do more than one a month, I think, but it's also a great way to cross pollinate and work with other great writers.
Yes, struggling to start a Substack. So here I am. Good for you for getting back into longer writing. I had to take the entire first week of January to restart. With the covid surge, etc, I think it was a hard time for many.
When I saw the new Magazine layout, I immediately got format envy and want to know:
When will you offer a serialized novel format?
Most writers are splitting their chapters into several weekly segments, which results in several icons on the home page for each chapter. A serialized novel format would let readers jump to a page for each chapter, which would contain all of the articles that comprise that chapter and let readers easily either 1) jump to the next chapter, or 2) return to the home page.
I thought about using the current "Sections" feature, which creates a tab on the home page for each section. But those tabs are just plain text. I need to have the current homepage icon and text block become a jump to a page that contains all segments of each chapter.
Another problem with the tabs as the top is that as I go into "seasons" over the long-term I need to use those tabs for each season.
So, how about a dedicated serialized novel format? Is that coming soon?
That's what I'm here for today. I posted a book by adding chapters from back to front so they would appear in sequence, but you can't do that for a serialized novel.
Would love to have the option to flip the date so most recent post appears below last post.
Exactly! The current system is built for newsletters. My literary agent writes a lot of short stories on Substack and he instantly switched to the new Magazine layout. It is excellent for his content.
So now we need something that serves all the serialized novels. PLEASE!
In the meantime, I'd like to invite you to join Fictionistas, if you haven't already. We're trying to build a community for fiction writers, as well as share our best practices and put all of our ideas and suggestions in one place. We have a Substack and are trying to do monthly-ish Zoom calls. https://fictionistas.substack.com
The worst part about the current format for a novel is that Chapter 1 is at the bottom.
In addition to having each home page icon jump to all of the articles that comprise one chapter, we could organize those icons in proper chapter order, rather than having them show up in the order they are posted.
I have a question/suggestion for the new magazine layout. I LOVE the new layout. However, I would love to have more intuitive control about which posts get highlighted there. I know how to pin them to the top, and I know they rotate around based on what order you pin them in. And then they have a certain order if nothing is pinned and the four most recent posts end up there. But I would love to be able to say - I want this post in the top left. I want this post in the bottom left. I want this post in the center. I want this post at the bottom. When I try to make the posts fall where I want them based on the order I pin them, somehow I always get them messed up, and the final order isn't what I want. If we could control specifically which spot each pinned post goes to, that would be so helpful.
I genuinely love the new magazine layout; it makes my site much more appealing on the web and let's me have a welcome post front and center while new content is still given high priority. I really appreciate it.
Also, here's a though that I'm not sure I've thought of before... perhaps a word count? 🤔
Word count for the draft/edit mode would be helpful. I think a "read length" for the reader would be helpful too, based on the average 200-250 word/minute read speed. So if you are an average reader, it will take 5 min, 10 min, 3 min, or whatever, to read this.
I draft mine in Word so I know the word count, and I also use an external site to calculate approximate reading speed, since I think that this is something helpful to tell the reader before they open an email
I've joined Substack Go, but I'm disappointed in the lack of categories. No creative non-fiction, for example. And no Writing! There are dozens of newsletters on writing (ncluding mine, Writer Everlasting) and I would love to make connections with some of them.
You have 'politics' but not 'advocacy'. That's another important topic for me. Thanks.
This round, we included the categories based on what we currently feature on our homepage. https://substack.com/
We asked the follow up question, "If applicable, what additional category would you tag your publication?" to try to get smarter about how writers want to categorize their writing. We'll be paying close attention to that as we pair squads.
I find the categories quite limiting too. I write about writing and creativity and there is nothing for this. I picked Culture but that's not really that exact. I didn't pick Fiction because I'm not writing fiction, though I would like to attract fiction writers
I agree. I write about nature, but the closest category is climate change. Words matter and I get that there can't be endless categories, but it feels restrictive.
Advocacy is a good suggestion! I have Politics and Culture
Checked, but I have not checked to see if my posts show up—I tried once or twice but it did not seem to be in alphabetical order by newsletter title, and there was too much there to check.
And I think we've met. I know I spoke with someone about Cancer Road Trip BC (before covid) - were you connected with Participant at all? I can't remember where. I'm also still in the middle of a massive life transition so looking forward to reading your substack. Some of my posts might be relevant to your newsletter.
Yes - I write about climate change issues sometimes, but also other environmental issues (although I admit I find very few environmental issues don't relate to climate change in some way)
Adding another voice to request more categories on Substack in general. I write about personal growth. The closest I could get to that is ‘Health’. It’s related but it’s not the same.
Morning everyone! I actually just wrapped up a podcast interview with a fellow substack writer -- extremely excited to release it. If anyone else writes or likes talking about the outdoors, and you'd like to come on as a guest as well - please reach out to me at colenobleclimbs@gmail.com!
I LOVE Substack. 150 subs in 3 days and I’m making my second post on Saturday. This is equally as fun as discovering TikTok in 2019. Thank you for this platform! H
I’m excited about Substack Go! Hoping to connect with other food bloggers to learn, share ideas, and support each other. Thanks for this new program, Substack!
Check out Jolene's Time Travel Kitchen. She bakes from a 19927 kitchen in Chicago. Her newsletter is a refreshing read with terrific recipes from days gone by.
Proud to be a new member of this community. Shout out to Substack for making it so easy to get started. We regularly share the freshest streaming recs in case you'd like some for this long weekend! https://culturepop.substack.com/ Look forward to learning from y'all.
The new Fellowship sounds like an amazing offer--for "emerging" writers. I wonder if--down the line--there might be something "like" for experienced writers who are busting it to make this happen... those of us who are on Substack to re-create their working life? I cannot consider myself to be "emerging" but at age 57 I do feel very much to be "starting over." My newsletter is my primary income source now after years of underpaid contract teaching. But I am still some years away from being able to do the pension thing. I think there are quite a number of people in similar position here--people who are committed to this, willing to put in the hours and energy, who already are. Just a thought...
I am thoroughly enjoying being in my 50s! But the constant struggle to make ends meet as a writer is just tough at times. At least now, I'm only responsible for myself :)
Alison - I appreciate you thinking of this! We tend to use phrases like "emerging writers" for those who are new - or growing their list of readers - on Substack specifically. I hope that helps!!
I'm hoping to use my Substack as an adjunct to my main website. I hope to get people together to explore some of the issues that come out of my podcast BumpIntheRoad.us. I'm wondering if I should just republish some of my material here as well...
I'm still writing on Medium--though nowhere near what I used to. I'm trying to have very different material here, so it has its own value--I think that's key, even as I use different platforms to drive in certain ways... So I use Medium to bring people over here, with different material. The few pieces I've used in both, I add heavily (and personalize) to the Substack posts. Ultimately, if it all causes readers to go out and buy my books, great. But here, I love working with my writing-readers, and want for it to be its own thing.
Hi! I’m helping writers grow their publications on Social Media with my project https://newslettertosocials.com . Add your newsletter, and the site will generate ready-to-post social media content based on your newsletter issues. My goal is to save writers time, while also making their newsletter content available on all social media platforms. I’m trying to make the dream of focusing on writing while growing a ton a possibility. Would love to hear some feedback!
Good afternoon everyone! I'm excited about entering the SubStack world! I posted my first newsletter Sunday, and plan to every week thereafter. I am curious about a few tipcs & tricks to help me. Overall I felt the process to write, post and share super easy to navigate (which is a plus!). Wondering the following:
1) How to embed video clips (whether through you tube, or on file)?
2) How to post a twitter thread that I may want to use?
3) Any other stylist or "cool" features that people may have to help create an engaging read?
Hi All! I write FIRES and Socially Awkward. Socially awkward (https://sociallyawkward.substack.com) is about everything but I am currently reading a short story a day. I am looking to collaborate with other newsletter writers who want to read one of the short stories and write about it, or choose their own short story and write about it. Especially interested in those of you who write about writing or literature, of course.
If anyone needs it, we have a substack hype pod on Twitter. Follow me @youtopianJ and I will add you to it, could get you some new eyes and subscribers.
Hi friends, quick question from new writers like us who are ramping up. We've noticed if we mention the newsletter (in person or via text/social/email) people are very enthusiastic, but then forget to sign up (even when we send the link that directly opens the subscribe modal). Any tips on closing the deal?
Also, any tips on regularly encouraging people to invite a friend or two without being too annoying about it? Thank you for your insights!
One thing you can do is print old-school business cards, so if it comes up in conversation you can hand the person a card and say, here's my Substack if you want to subscribe.
Of course, both in person and online, you can lead the horses to water, but you can't make them mash the button. 🤣
What are the best ways to grow my newsletter and engage with other creators on this platform? Commenting on articles seems intuitive, but most of the newsletters I'm subscribed to, only allow comments from paid subscribers. Is there a way I can find more people that aren't big names or just starting out, and likely wouldn't require paid subscriptions for comments/engagement?
I'd honestly start right here. There are a ton of great Substack writers represented in this thread. There's also the Substack Writers Unite Discord https://discord.com/invite/q9S4feaDVz
This is a good point. I must say, I practically cry when I am blocked from making a comment when I am not a paying subscriber! Although for the big names, I guess it provides some protection against haters...or whatever.
Hi Simon! Thank you for joining our office hour thread--we're so happy to have you here :-) Here are some helpful resources for growing your newsletter: https://substack.com/resources#growing-your-list
With regards to your questions about finding more people that aren't big names: you might find interesting writers in our What to Read series. We aim to feature undiscovered writers who are going deep into a clear topic and exemplify best practices, like posting regularly and engaging with readers. You can check our recent What to Reads here: https://on.substack.com/s/stories
Great question Filiz! We have made a promise to welcome 500 writers across categories and stages to this first round of Go. We are going to prioritize new writers. After that, we will fill the seats on a lottery system. We had a great volume of interest so far and are going to do our best to serve as many writers as possible.
I didn't realize Substack Go was for new writers only. What is the logic behind that? Wouldn't it be better to include a cross-section of new and seasoned writers so everyone benefits? What will new writers gain from being sequestered together, away from writers with experiences to share?
You're right! That would make for a rich group to have people in different stages and if we can accommodate the volume of writers that applies, we will intend to pair people in that fashion.
We know that it can be overwhelming for writers just getting started about Substack so that's why we set out to help those writers first with Substack Go.
Did you see my post elsewhere in this comment thread? It's on a really important issue that Substack Grow didn't dedicate a session to (unless I missed it, lol!): how to turn views into free signups.
Hey community! A lot of great updates in the new year! I applied for Substack Go, and it sounds like a promising way to meet other writers.
My question: how have other writers used Instagram to promote work? What style of posts seem to be the most engaging? I have a small audience (4k) and got a lot of signups from it initially. I'm trying different posts types that refer back to my newsletter stories, and always looking to experiment with new ideas. Thanks!
Hey! Posting on Instagram (in feed and on my stories) definitely helped me get subscribers with my launch. I feel like I might be missing out by not being on Twitter - do you use that too?
Now that all Instagrammers can post links in Stories, I think that's a useful outlet. But, honestly, I haven't had a huge amount of success with Insta...
I'm really struggling to grow faster. One recent article had over 10,000 views but only around 20-30 new signups. That's despite getting a lot of positive feedback and good reader interaction.
Do other people see similar rates of subscriptions? Because at this rate it will take me a long long time to hit enough readers for me to consider going paid.
Any advice on boosting subscription rates? Are there any ways people have found to convert more readers to subscribers?
Hi Alastair. Try dropping a "Subscribe with caption" button about a third of the way down in your post. Using a button plus some call-to-action text in the middle of the post converts much better than a link at the end of the post. How to do it: when editing your post, in the editing ribbon at the top, go to More > Buttons > Subscribe with caption
I agree. I'm new here, but 1) YouTopian Journey is 100% correct -- you have a beautiful substack and 2) while the conversion rate (viewer to subscriber) is low, you don't know how many come back. It would be nice if we could put some content behind some sort of wall so that only subscribers (free subscribers) could see it.
You aren't the first person to ask for that. I've been asking for the ability to mark content for subscribers only (free or paid, but subscription required), and they have reasons for not allowing that. To me, would be nice if the writer could choose rather than having Substack make that choice for us.
One way around it is to either delete content in your post so it doesn't show up on the web archive or delete entire posts from the web archive. In my case, I sent out a Zoom link to subscribers but because I didn't want that accessible by just anyone on the web, I removed it from the web archive and encouraged those who saw it later to contact me directly for the info. It's not ideal but it achieves the same thing.
I haven't seen a lot of statistics on this, but I think that this is actually a pretty good rate. But I agree with Michael Estrin, a button partway through and even one up the top (you could do what I do and add it to the web version after the email has gone out, since people who receive your emails are already subscribers, unless the email was forwarded to them).
You may want to add a subscribe button midway through the post. You have a lot of links (a good thing!) and content that's on the longer side (also, a good thing, IMO), but you can't assume that everyone makes it all the way to the end to subscribe.
Hi Alastair. That article with 10,000 views...are those views still going up, bit by bit? And on other big-traffic articles? Are you monitoring them day by day, week by week? If they're still rising, those people are still coming in to read the Web version - so you could go and edit those Web versions and try to make them a bit more "if you're reading this, please sign up, folks!"...
And I'd say one way of doing that is to just spend a paragraph or two at the start of a few newsletters explaining what you just said to us all here. Be transparent and a bit vulnerable - saying that you'd love to get more people to sign up, but it's just not happening yet, and are you, dear reader, up for doing it, because it'd mean the world? That kind of thing.
It's really hard and a bit squirmy for us to let our guards down and ask like that (which is why signup buttons are so reassuring) but when you really just use a paragraph or two at the top of a newsletter to step out and ask them 'face to face', it really pays off.
Your substack looks dope! That is the true nature of growing it. You need to constantly market, hustle, share, speak, and do everything possible to promote and get subs.
Is there a possibility to translate button text to other languages? And have you considered adding other more "global" payment methods other than credit card. I live, and have most of my audience, outside the US, so trying to go to a paid model is not something viable, since most of my readers don't have an international credit or debit card
After looking at a comment below about how to gain subscribers, it seems like it would be nice to have a Table of Contents. I know there's the Readers and Writers links, and the suggestion boxes on the right, but that is limited real estate.
What about providing a List format that shows ALL authors under a subject that we choose with our one line description?
That's what I struggle with, I want to quickly see what people write about and have the ability to check out writers in a methodical manner. Perhaps different colors for different authors the longer they are here, one color for those on for 1-2 months, 2-6 months, over 6 months, etc? Or just alphabetical.
Something I've always wondered is why substack choses to list some publications as "written for x number of months" versus "hundreds of subscribers" in the description.
Hello and happy new year! I've got a quick question -- what are some sure(ish) fire ways folks are turning engagement with their posts into actual subscriptions? I get a fair amount of interaction with my writing in terms of open rate, private feedback, etc. -- but only convert about 7-8 new subscribers per each new article. I promote across all my socials, have embraced the twitter thread for sharing new posts, and am even doing a couple Pinterest ads. Any advice would be welcome. This is actually in the face of me passing the three-digit mark last night (whoop whoop!), just eager to grow more. Thanks as always.
And Twitter threads do work. I've been converting a few of my (free list) newsletters into Twitter threads and it's been working well for me. The biggest went viral in November and led to 700 free list signups in a week: https://twitter.com/Mikeachim/status/1466763517487370246 I doubt I'll ever get that lucky again 😄 but most threads get me a handful of subscribers - and threads seem to have a tendency to bounce around for a long time in a way individual tweets comparatively rarely do...
Thank you both for the encouragement! I recently interviewed a favoriate comedian of mine, the thread can be found here (albeit it's a baby one, still getting the hang of it :)) https://twitter.com/EllynBriggs/status/1481422954013601803
oh I see! Using a twitter thread as a long(er) form way to share the contents of an article. I think that's a really smart way to go about it, and to put your content in front of new people. Thanks for the suggestion!
The most important thing you can do is to include a subscription button in every post. It may feel counterintuitive since it's a newsletter you're sending to subscribers, but it makes it a lot easier for people who found your articles elsewhere (plus it may not be obvious to many of these others that they CAN subscribe!)
Gosh I'm new here and feeling earnest AND vulnerably stupid. Anyone else know the feeling? My brand new newsletter is https://christinewolf.substack.com, and I'm wondering if (and WHY) I'd want or need to create a custom domain. My website is www.christinewolf.com. What's the obvious benefit I'm missing about creating a custom Substack domain? Thanks, all.
I intentionally chose NOT to create a custom domain because I want people to know I have a Substack. I did register the domain associated with my Substack (e.g. I write storycauldron.substack.com and I own storycauldron.com) so no one else can register it, but I redirect the domain to my Substack. I think there's value in being seen as part of this community. (I also have a website at my own name, and have a link to my Substack as my newsletter).
I don't have any advice about a custom domain (I don't have one myself) but do want to say: we're all here in the same boat, putting our hearts and energy into something we're creating from scratch, figuring it out as we go along. You're not stupid -- you're brave to show up and try, and to admit how you're feeling. Welcome. Keep going.
A couple of writers have their Substack as their main site, like David Farrier. But since you already have a separate site, you wouldn't want to do that, I assume
Does the same logic hold if your post is relatively short of words but big on image files? Or, put another way, is there a limit to the number of images and GIFs I can use? I've gotten the warning a few times, but then removed a couple of images and the warning went away.
I got the warning when I was drafting, but I cut a few GIFs. Honestly, those GIFs didn't really advance the story, so while I realize this is a technical constraint, it wasn't a bad editorial experience because it forced me to kill one of my darlings. I love my GIFs, as you know 😎
Does anyone know what the size limit is for the Web versions of all our newsletters? I'm wondering, as I just started building a "Table of Contents" post and putting links to all my previously published stuff in it. It'll never go out as a newsletter, it's just for anyone landing on the Web version - but I wonder if there's a point where it's too big to publish? (if not, I intend to turn mine into an absolute monster of a thing...)
Is there a limit to how many Medium articles we can import? Looks like only 6-7 of my 70+ articles came through. And, will they appear on my general feed, or can I keep them tucked away in a separate folder? Thanks!
What is the best way to transition to a paid subscription plan for readers? I have just started my newsletter on Substack and have been thinking that I will keep it free for the first few months to garner readership and then transition into paid subsriptions.
I just went ahead and did it. Writing and publishing are how I make a living. I publish every 3 days. Right now all posts are free, but starting in February one out of three will be paid only. I have 5 paid subscribers now, 8 weeks in. The one caveat-- I have a good sized social media following and have been writing there for years. Enough people knew what they were getting for it to work right away.
I think it's a unique call to each newsletter. I knew I wanted to have at least a year under my belt before going paid because *I* needed to figure out how to produce a newsletter I thought was worth a subscription. I ended up going paid 13.5 months in. Could I have done it sooner? Yes. Could I have waited longer? Yes. It was almost entirely a gut feel for me.
Hi Sarah, I followed a very similar trajectory. Did you go back and edit any of the older free posts and turn them into paids? I've been wondering how this would go over.
Nope. I've thought about it. But I consider my going-paid date as before-and-after -- before, everything was free and will remain free. After, a different strategy.
In terms of how it would go over, I'm not sure anyone would even notice. Are current free subs going back to the archives often? New free subs wouldn't know it had once been free.
Haven't transitioned myself, but I'm thinking one route might be to have posts that are mostly free with an extra couple of paragraphs behind a paywall – a Director's Commentary, if you will. That way, people can get most content for free but they get a little something extra for supporting.
From what I've found, you can't have a portion of a post be behind the paywall and still have the post go out to all subscribers. If there is a paywall, it is default a paid post and will only go out to paid subscribers by email. At least that's my understanding. Now that they have the new paywall feature, though, I would love to be able to send posts with a paywall to all subscribers!
I think there is a way because 1) as a free sub on others' newsletters, there are often emails I receive where I can only read so far and 2) I've seen the feature somewhere (you can even customize the text for the separation bar "paid subscribers only below this point, you freeloader" -- something like that. 😉
I would be interested to know how this works! It's something I've tried to do before and couldn't figure out how to get the paywalled post to go out to all subscribers. Any one have any steps/advice for doing this?
The only way to do this, I believe, is to send to all subscribers with a paywall divider that will then allow paid subs to read on. If you send a paid post, it goes to paid subs. If you send a free post, you can put a portion behind a paywall for paid subs. Those are the two options.
I found in the options that you can send a paywalled preview to free subscribers, but it is still marked as a paid post, not a free post. For me, I would have 95% of the content be free, with some downloadable materials/links for paid subscribers at the bottom. So to me, that's a free post. But it would show up as a paid post for subscribers and on my home page based on the way you have to have the settings. I don't really like the idea of making it look like all posts are paid posts. I think that would be discouraging for potential new readers.
I've just recently added paid subscriptions but no paywall. I know some think that's counterintuitive, but I'm looking for support more than exclusivity. I'll see how it goes. Nothing lost.
I'm planning on doing this too. Part of my motivation is the public service aspect of my writing, and I don't want to paywall that kind of content. I know Katelyn Jetelina follows that model (admittedly she has a huge and well-deserved following) and I pay for her Substack just because I've personally found it very useful and felt that she deserved the support.
I pay for a few, too, because they're worth it. There are others I feel bad about subscribing for free but I just can't pay to subscribe to them all. So I understand if I don't get many paying subscribers. Still, the option is there.
I did it from the start. I don't promote it and push the free right now, but it's for anyone who would like to support my work just because they want to support my work. I've gotten a couple of subscribers that way. They don't get any special posts yet or anything. I didn't want to have to stress over it down the road so just put it up. I don't see the harm in doing that.
I think that it really depends on your newsletter, how well your readers know you, what you can keep up consistently etc. In my case, I'm looking to add a paid option to my Substack after 18 months of writing. That's largely because I've got a relatively small readership (although with great open rates) but also because my previous job was one where they wouldn't have been keen on side hustles.
It's worth looking at a range of other Substacks and seeing what they do, but you'll find no consistency. Some offer paid from the start, others after a relatively short time, others stay free for a long time. I think that it's worth noting that readers probably want to know that you are consistent before they are willing to pay - if they know you and your writing from elsewhere then they will be confident in your consistency sooner than if you are starting from scratch with your substack
Here's a question: how much do you all think aesthetics/branding plays a role in your publication's success? Some of the newsletters I like best have 'in-house' artists who provide the publication with a unified and professional look. I've been playing around with this myself—I'd love to hear what works for you.
Totally agree! If you need help designing any graphic design elements (like a logo, banners, social graphics, etc.) Canva is an awesome, affordable tool (with free and paid versions) https://www.canva.com/
I think great branding can really make a first impression on readers. We try to make this easy with the theme options, but things like the logo or consistent image aesthetic can also help.
If you haven't seen it, we published a great resource on how to improve your publication branding here: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-3
I think it's a huge part of the equation - the logo, the tag line, the images and overall look are so important. (And honestly, I think this is what's holding me back). So if you have the ability/resources to get professional artwork done, it's well worth the effort.
Thank you Substack team, for continuing to evolve and improve!!
I have one giant frustration at the moment. It's completely outside your control, but perhaps you have some insight.
Many of my friends have asked how they can show their support and spread the word about my newsletter. So we planned just before my January newsletter went out for them to all post about it on Facebook, IG, and a few of them posted on Twitter. They were all people with huge followings and active FB accounts, but it was clear that Facebook algorithms blocked the post's view--there were maybe 2 or 3 likes per post. It seems that FB was able to identify the posts as some type of promotion and is now making it impossible to gain traction in that way.
FB apparently deprioritizes posts with links in them. So the best workaround is to create a post (ideally with an image) and then share the link in the comments. I know, this is STUPID and frustrating but it's FB so it's also par for the course.
I've heard that if you link to Substack, FB tends to block the distribution since it is a competing site? Or something like that. I don't understand it all. But it is a problem.
The thing that I find frustrating is the inconsistency. I can post from my Substack the exact same way, and one post will get 100+ view and then next will get 3. What's the difference? Nothing. At least not in the way I posted it.
Hi Rachel, yes, the Facebook algorithm doesn't love links from Substack. One workaround we've seen in the past is to link to your Substack in the first comment of your FB post.
Another work around is to put your URL on your cover photo or your profile picture. Of course it is not a clickable link but it will remain there and the FB engine won't pick it up as a link. (Well, because it isn't a link!) But it gets your URL out there.
I really like the "View Profile" feature on the subscriber pages--but I don't understand why some pages have that tab and some don't. On the pages where the tab does appear, it's often the case that the reader hasn't put anything on their profile. So I realize that some profiles will be "empty." But what does it mean if there is no profile tab?
Wondering if there's a template feature for posts so we can save time? Would be great not to have to rekey my signature and links at the bottom for every post.
Not at this time. I have requested this repeatedly. Right now I save a draft as a template and copy and paste the contents into a new newsletter. But a true template would be great.
For your FB post, I think it's as easy as pasting in the substack address and it will provide a photo and link just as if you were pasting in an article or youtube video.
As for Substack being free... not sure what you mean. All of us are writers - lol!
Thank you Jan! I'm sure I will get better at this but at least right now it feels counter-intuitive. I think someone said something about a thousand mile journey starting with a single step. Guess I just need to take it!
And, a thousand-word article begins with a single word! As the young Brick said once (having just taken up writing) in "The Middle" sitcom, "Writers hate writing, but love having written!" And, Martin Mull once uttered, "Some people have a way with words; others, not have way."
Nice to see you here, Tad, and along with thanking you for the the Columbo reference, I wanna thank you for the relatable (to me, anyway) school-like "will someone actually pick ME for their study group" giggle!! Cheers!---Brad
Just want to give a shout out and thanks to Michael who writes Holy Writ https://holywrit.substack.com/about for introducing me to our customized email addresses during the last office hours. Love this feature! I hadn't realized that the name of our newsletter is also an email address where folks can write us. Thank you, Substack!
Lots happening in Office Hours today. Our team is signing off and will be back next week, same time same place.
In the meantime, feel free to keep chatting with one another here and visit our Resources page for additional guidance: https://substack.com/resources
See you next time,
Katie + Bailey + Jasmine + Rose + Kelsa + Mike + Dan + Zoe + Sachin + Kamil + Kristen + Josh + Damesha
Thanks to all who came with questions and feedback! See you next week :)
What's that address to email support? I can never find the link on the site.
There's also a shortcut form to contact support available here: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Hi Rose, any tips on how to get featured on Substack? been an active member for nearing a year now and would love some tips on how to get some exposure :)
You can always find it through "contact" in the footer of substack.com --> https://substack.com/contact
I keep asking the question about embedded mp3 files with a player - uploaded to Substack or linked to another upload site. The community answers but I'm far more interested in someone from Substack answering. Any plans to add this feature?
This is not a podcast - which is a 1 mp3 file upload. I want the ability to embed several mp3 files with a player into a post.
Thanks.
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for your patience. You can embed mp3 audio via Soundcloud. I see you have YouTube embeds in your latest post. Here's what we currently support with embeds (https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037832971-How-do-I-embed-media-in-my-post-e-g-images-audio-video-GIFs-)
Our product team is actively working on a number of audio features and this is a potential path they might take. Can you tell me more about the use case and I can let the team know?
Thanks Katie.
Sure.. the use case would be similar to what I did with the YouTube video.
I have dozens, maybe a hundred+, song snippets in my voice recorder. Some have become songs, some might still.
I would love to show the genesis or progress with written narrative between.
So...
On X date, I recorded this into my phone while driving. I like the cadence of the lyrics and had an idea for music.
[insert mp3 file]
I didn't get around to the song for another 6 months. But then, upon listening, I heard a different musical approach. I bumped up the tempo, did a slight alteration on the lyrics and came up with this.
[insert mp3 file]
Finally, we got around to a more produced version a year later. Here is what that sounds like.
[insert mp3 file]
It would be great if I could upload them. But, in Wordpress (for instance), if you paste a link to an mp3 file, it auto-converts to a player.
I don't like soundcloud because, well... I don't. Plus, these files are not typically songs... they are snippets. I don't want them in my soungclould account. Plus, I would bump up against the paid limit on uploads fairly quickly.
I can see other use cases just for the sake of audio embellishments to augment a post. For instance:
==========
Here I am writing about a specific topic. Here is the main point I want to make.
I was musing about this with my girlfriend. That short (3:22) conversation can be heard below.
[insert mp3 file]
It's not a podcast really.
Sorry about my verbosity but I hope it provides some clarity.
Thanks.
Thank you for the verbosity! Passing along.
loving the community !
Wanted to share a win as a very new writer: I reached 200 subscribers this week! This is my second month publishing on Substack and it has been a HUGE leap, as I have never written consistently in my life. It is getting easier and this community has been very helpful. I have committed to publishing weekly for the next year with my editor and very excited to see where this goes.
Congrats! I just hit 200 subscribers this week as well, though I've been at it since May, so you're doing GREAT!
Any secrets to share? I am such an introvert!
A number of my subscribers have come from within the community, from posting here and in the discord group and elsewhere. I’ve also gotten a number of subscribers from my local history posts on Reddit.
I am glad I saw your reply! Your story ‘https://storycauldron.substack.com/p/a-fishy-st-louis-family-tradition-1fc’ is a bit similar to one I wrote recently, ‘Where tradition and memory move’. I really liked what I read there on Story Cauldron! Thank you.
That's amazing, Hillarie! I love to see that, especially as I know you are *showing up* for your newsletter.
Did you see my post elsewhere in this comment thread? It's on a really important issue that Substack Grow didn't dedicate a session to (unless I missed it, lol!): how to turn views into free signups.
We hear you! :) We can do a better resource on this for sure, but you need to add CTAs (subscribe buttons) into the body of text for your big posts, like this one. https://join.substack.com/p/is-this-the-most-interesting-idea. There are still none in there!
For the short term, I would subscribe to https://annehelen.substack.com/. She is a genius at this. Check out how she uses buttons and varies her header and footer text to encourage subscriptions.
Thanks! This is great! :))
Thanks for alerting us to Anne—wow! Her About page is phenomenal, too!
Thank you! This is incredibly helpful! I'm so glad you finally saw my plight and responded! :)) Means a lot! :D
Thank you for the reminder, Bailey!!
Wow, that's an impressive milestone! Good for you!
That's awesome progress, congratulations
BRAVO!!!!
I'm glad you've discovered Substack and Ask E. Jean is back!
Congratulation, Hillarie!
That's very exciting considering the amount of time. What do you see as your success?
About half are from instagram and half from interactions on substack. Connecting with other writers through comments and thoughtful feedback goes a long way. I am planning to try a lead magnet this year using book funnel.
Interesting about the lead magnet - please let us know how it goes!
Thanks Hillarie! Your newsletter is interesting to read. I subscribed to it this morning.
What is book funnel?
Congratulations!! Big milestone!!
Did you see my post elsewhere in this comment thread? It's on a really important issue that Substack Grow didn't dedicate a session to (unless I missed it, lol!): how to turn views into free signups.
I would be extremely interested in how to turn views into free signups, Mr. Van Wagner!
I made a post on it: https://join.substack.com/p/how-do-you-turn-views-into-signups.
The Substack Grow people generously decided to look into the matter and get back to me, so I assume that they'll comment on the post when they find something out! :)
Hi hillarie! I love your writing and I just subscribed a few days back. I'm already hooked! Keep creating art.
Love, S.
Congratulations 👍
Nice! Congrats!
Amazing! Huge congrats.
Congrats, Hillarie! Very cool!
Wow, that's great, Hillarie, especially in such a short amount of time!
That's awesome, Hillarie!! That is huge - way to go!
Just published this edition of my newsletter today and got 7 new new paid subscriptions which is a lot for me! https://katemcdermott.substack.com/p/55-herstory
Go kate go!
🔥🔥🔥
kate, that is a beautiful story! I write about home, the psychology of home, finding home, coming home... this story fits right in on so many levels. If you have any interest, I would welcome publishing it on my site as a guest post. I know a lot of my readers are bakers and cooks - it could possibly drive some of them to subscribing to yours. Regardless, thank you for sharing. With a warm heart and a full cup of tea, Jan
I just subscribed, too.
thank you!
Yes, I would be honored to be a part of your newsletter!
Wonderful! Can you email me at findinghome@substack.com? The photo of the cafe and the text. And maybe we can have a quick chat before I post. That would be lovely! Plus, I love how you're using the new substack layout - I have to try that myself! Can't wait to read more of your stuff.
Will do.
Just emailed you to connect us.
Fantastico!!!
Woot! Way to go, Kate! I read it, and it was lovely. Keep up the good work!
That's awesome! Congrats!
Amazing, congratulations!
Liked your story about the trip to Ireland!
Thank you!
Congrats to you! I have it bookmarked to read.
That's huge - congrats!!!
Awesome news!
Congratulations!
That's wonderful. Congrats!
Way to go!!!!
Who else applied for Substack go? Hands up! 🙋♂️
I have. Hoping to connect with others who write about science and environmental issues
Hi Melanie! I also write about climate change and environmental issues.
Connection is already happening !! This has me excited :)
I just subscribed to your newsletter. I also weave in environmental issues in my Substack as it directly impacts poor and minority communities. Would love to see if we have a way to collaborate...
I would love to collaborate! Please email me Lindsay@saveourhappyplace.com :)
I already subscribe to yours. I'll email you and Joan via your Substack emails and we can have a conversation about collaboration
I'm happy to collaborate with you.
I already subscribe to yours. I'll email you and Lindsay via your Substack emails and we can have a conversation about collaboration
Me. So excited. Could be a great resource and way to connect with other writers
I did! Looking forward to connecting with other science writers!
Me, too! 🙋♂️
Just did it! Looking forward to connecting with other writers.
Me too.
my overthinking mind currently overthinking it
Stop thinking and start applying! 🥰
Exactly as Jackie and Rodeo said!
Sameeeee
Yeah!
🙋🏼♀️ Me!
I did!
Me!
Yes!!!
Am seriously thinking about it LOL
Stop thinking about it and do it! ;)
Got it, will do! ;)
<3
Right here!
Me too woo hoo!
I did! Any other writers for English language learners or newcomers to Canada on here?
Has the team ever considered creating a “What to Read” series for new publications / publications with under 100 subscribers? I think that would be super helpful for visibility. Many of the publications I follow were discoveries from What to Read.
That's a really interesting idea, Allie. I will add that a lot of the complaints I hear privately from my newsletter-writing peers here center around Substack's promotion of people who really don't need the help. But maybe a concurrent series, where Substack keeps doing What to Read and another that features 'stacks with a much smaller base would hit a sweet spot.
Hi Allie! I'm so glad to hear you're finding What to Reads helpful in discovering new publications! We definitely aim to feature smaller/undiscovered publications that are going deep into a clear topic, are publishing consistently and have enough material to give readers a sense of what they're all about. (Ex: When we featured Andrew Zeveney's publication, he had only one subscriber :) https://on.substack.com/p/what-to-read-andrew-zeveney-is-judging)
If you have any publications in mind, please let us know using this form: https://bitly.com/substackstowatch
Rose, on the back end, can you and the team see how many subscribers we have? You must be able to, otherwise how would you know if one is "smaller," right?
Correct!
Small milestone, I just hit double digit subscribers! I've only been posting here for about two weeks (backdated some old posts from Reddit just to fill the pipeline a bit). Still learning/struggling with the self promotion stuff, but learning as I go.
https://chrishicks.substack.com/
Congrats, Chris! I'm on my 6th month, and have only since August also been active on Twitter & FB, after 2 decades of happily abstaining! How to get readers from Reddit is better tackled by others, I'm guessing, but for Twitter (and FB, if you're game), I'd just hit promo pieces (highlighting the subscription benefits) on each, and/or slap any new article on them, as well.
I'm fortunate that I write about pro musicians (some "famous," others simply hard-working pros for decades on major labels), and many have responded positively to my articles, and generously offered their time for future article interviews, or even offered a factoid that I can add to my previous article about them, giving me a new headline, like, "JUST IN! NEW INTERVIEW WITH whomever" that gives me a chance to re-post (on Twitter, FB, et al), and get new readers!
If your articles don't travel in celebrity-filled (or industry insider) circles, maybe there's a sub-group on FB you could plumb (I'm on several, like a couple of punk rock groups, and '70s-era rock groups)...these are the places, when I post my article links, that have drawn former record execs and even the musicians in the bands about which I write, to come out!
I wonder how many of us have business cards that tub-thump our writings, too! My biz card is my backstage photo (seen here) with me and the Ramones backstage in Houston in '77! When I troll my local Paneras and Starbucks to write for a day, I have these ready to go (and post on bulletin boards!)...talk about a conversation piece! I have the name of my Substack, plus the web address for my stuff, as well as my "sales line": "Go backstage to the Rock & Punk of the '70s & '80s!"
Good luck, Chris, and here's hoping we can meet on Substack Go!--Brad
Congrats! That's where I'm at-- double digits. Every win is a win, and worthy of celebration! Go, go, go!!!
Congrats, that's very exciting!
Thanks, still trying to figure out how to get my 2000+ followers on Reddit and 3000+ Twitter followers to sign up, so hoping that number continues to increase.
That is great! Congrats!
Congratulations!!
Yeah!! Must celebrate the lil wins!
Way to go!
More surprising, I’m not related to over half of them!
Just want to say that it's really exciting to see this community grow, stay positive, and supportive! Keep up the great work, everyone & happy writing!
Hear hear!
Yes!
Hi Michael - feeling the same. Substack is my new favorite space.
How to Get More Subscribers: this seems to be a common question! The Sample has been a really good resource for me. The Sample matches readers to newsletters, based on their interests. Each day The Sample sends out sample newsletters. If a reader likes a newsletter, they can subscribe with 1 click. It was started by 2 brothers who are trying hard to help authors and readers connect. It's free for both authors and readers. Enter your newsletter url. I've probably gotten about 60 subscribers recently, if that gives some perspective. Here's a link: https://bit.ly/1thesample to copy/paste in your browser or you can go to thesample.ai. I'd love to hear if others are also using this free service.
I like the Sample, too. I've gotten about a dozen subscribers from them in about 3 weeks. Seems like mileage varies based on what you write, but it's worth a shot and I suspect that as the Sample grows, it'll be able to do a better job of matching readers to newsletters.
Yes, I think you're right, Michael.
I've joined The Sample but so far haven't seen much activity. I'll give it more time, but my numbers are really disappointing overall.
Yes, The Sample is proving really great for me too! A nice steady drip of new subscribers - I'm going to say thanks to them by using their paid services at some point soon. Definitely worth signing up for, to see what happens.
(One thing though: they've had an issue with one-click subscribes for Substack, so they're currently requiring you import subscribes manually - but it's super easy and takes me about 60 seconds on my phone, so it's no bind at all in exchange for a new subscriber or two. Definitely still a huge win.)
I've been using it but gotten almost no engagement off it
Me too. Not only no engagement, not even a date. :(
Good one!
:)
I've gotten only two free sign ups so far, but two is better than zero, I figure. Especially if it's free.
Hey Asha,
Yes, 2 is better than 0.
And now you have 3, just subscribed
The power of from 0 to 1 is underrated
Thank you! Welcome!
:-( I didn't want to click the heart because it's not a happy thing!
Thanks for letting us know about The Sample, Heather. Just signed up!
I hope it helps you!
Thanks for the tip, Heather! I'll give it a try.
Thanks! I just submitted my newsletter.
I have gotten 14 or so total, it is alright.
I just submitted my newsletter to the Sample a few days ago! Good to hear.
Just wanted to introduce myself to everyone. I'm fairly new to Substack. This is my second week here. I like it a whole lot more than WordPress. I like Substack so much that I have been learning as much as I can about it. I subscribed to their YouTube channel. I hope that I get chosen for Substack Go. It would be great to meet and support other writers.
Hi Jimmy! Thanks for the kind words. If you're looking to meet and support other writers, you're at the right place. :)
Hi Jimmy, and welcome! I remember when I was "2 weeks old"....back in mid-August! You're hopping on just in time, and I hope we get to meet on SubGo! I feel well-supported in my weakest area...the tech side of doing what we do. When I wrote about the Houston Astros on all-sports blog site, The Runner Sports, for 5 years (2015-2020), we not only used WordPress, but my editor did all the "mechanical" things that, now, WE have to do (choose a lead photo, maximize for SEO, etc).
I'm proud to brag that for over our final year (we shut down 3/20..something about a pandemic, and sports shutting down!), with an 85-member staff, I was the site's monthly page view getter, AND ALL WITHOUT BEING ON ANY SOCIAL MEDIA!!! I had gotten what you kids these days call "traction," and even had the players (and broadcasters) reading me on a regular basis...I know, 'cause they'd tell me!
Now, with FB & Twitter at my disposal, I'm getting the musicians and industry insiders getting a hold of me, thanking me, and DM-ing me their willingness to answer questions, which has added extra value to just-written articles, or provided opportunities for future article interviews!
Read my reply to Chris Hicks above for more tips, including biz cards, but also, as you gather subscribers (free or otherwise), treat them like royalty! Each one I get, I send a special welcome "article" to their inbox, and I keep them abreast, exclusively, about the musicians and industry folk that contact me (a couple of them have subscribed, too!), and give exclusive hints to future articles, as well as preview snippets a day or two before full-article publishing!
Good luck, Jimmy, and hope to see you on SubGo!---Brad
Love the new magazine layout, definitely a visually appealing landing page.
Also excited for Substack Go, I applied yesterday and am hoping to meet some new writers through the program.
Hoping to see more new features soon, like the option to deliver audio to paid subscribers only in the same post that goes out to all subscribers.
Agreed! The new magazine layout is 🔥🔥🔥
Glad you like the magazine layout!
One hack for the last thing:
1. Use our "New episode" podcast feature to upload audio — you have to set up a podcast, but displays as an audio player above a normal post.
2. Then, put your writing in the body as usual, and place a paywall from the "More" menu at the very bottom of the post with nothing below it.
3. Make sure your post goes to paid subscribers, but "Send a free preview email" is checked.
That will paywall the audio at the top, but ensure everyone can get the rest of the post in their inbox and on the web.
Ecstatic to hear this! Alerting my friends, Jasmine!
Here's an example of that from my publication: https://reboothq.substack.com/p/fast-food-education
Great essay, by the by.
Thank you!! Will pass the note to Bianca :)
I agree. I now have format envy because Substack needs a format that serves the needs of the serialized novel.
Is there any hope for a substack referral system in due time? That would make life so much easier and save a lot of money compared to existing systems, so I bet it is a great added value to substack
We've heard this from a lot of writers. I know there's a team exploring it, let me see what else our team knows.
I keep asking for this as well!
I've seen some enthusiastic replies from Substack staffers in the past, so I'm optimistic it might be in the works...
Hello all. New to everything here - to Substack, to seeking publication, to finding a writing group ( applied to Go! ). I write short stories and personal essays. Never published but get some nice comments on my work once in awhile. I'm at https://dorothyshrager.substack.com/. Very glad to have found this talented and generous writing community. Auspicious start to 2022 dare I say?
Hey, all. Just checking in. Did a 50% off annual subscriptions deal last week for one day in honor of my 50th birthday and the first anniversary of my newsletter. Got 7 new paid subscribers! Which is a lot for me in one day. Otherwise, I'm struggling to get back in the groove of creating new pieces since the New Year. I didn't take a break, per se, during December, but I did allow my newsletters to be more brief. Now I have to get back into the thick of it, and regaining momentum is hard. Anyone else struggling with this?
Like a bunch of folks I did a retrospective post at the very end of last year, highlighting the three most trafficked posts and also my three favorites from the last year. It was more gratifying than I thought it would be. Reading back over my old stuff I found myself thinking, Oh, hey! This is really good! Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out: https://ashasanaker.substack.com/p/thats-a-wrap
Congrats, Asha - 7 new subs is awesome!
Thank you!
Congrats on your success and a great idea! And Happy Belated Birthday, Asha!
Thank you!
December is always a difficult month for me. You're not alone. I did my first "guest post" to my newsletter - highlighting someone else's writing and that was really well received so I've decided to do more of it - as long as the piece resonates with me and stays on my topic (home). It also gives me a bit of a breather. Won't do more than one a month, I think, but it's also a great way to cross pollinate and work with other great writers.
and congrats on a successful birthday sale! That's great!
Yes, struggling to start a Substack. So here I am. Good for you for getting back into longer writing. I had to take the entire first week of January to restart. With the covid surge, etc, I think it was a hard time for many.
When I saw the new Magazine layout, I immediately got format envy and want to know:
When will you offer a serialized novel format?
Most writers are splitting their chapters into several weekly segments, which results in several icons on the home page for each chapter. A serialized novel format would let readers jump to a page for each chapter, which would contain all of the articles that comprise that chapter and let readers easily either 1) jump to the next chapter, or 2) return to the home page.
I thought about using the current "Sections" feature, which creates a tab on the home page for each section. But those tabs are just plain text. I need to have the current homepage icon and text block become a jump to a page that contains all segments of each chapter.
Another problem with the tabs as the top is that as I go into "seasons" over the long-term I need to use those tabs for each season.
So, how about a dedicated serialized novel format? Is that coming soon?
This is a cool idea! We'll give some thought as to how we could support this format better. Thank you for sharing such a detailed concept :)
Please feel free to contact me for input and ideas and beta testing. A long time ago I used to develop Web sites.
You can visit renazonce.substack.com to see how I've posted a serialized novel within the current restraints.
I am writing a serialized novel on Substack, and would also love to see a dedicated format. Thanks for bringing this up.
That's what I'm here for today. I posted a book by adding chapters from back to front so they would appear in sequence, but you can't do that for a serialized novel.
Would love to have the option to flip the date so most recent post appears below last post.
Exactly! The current system is built for newsletters. My literary agent writes a lot of short stories on Substack and he instantly switched to the new Magazine layout. It is excellent for his content.
So now we need something that serves all the serialized novels. PLEASE!
That would be a great development!
I agree with this. I finished a serial novel for my Substack community last year, and I would have LOVED a layout for that.
Agreed, it would be great to have these options.
In the meantime, I'd like to invite you to join Fictionistas, if you haven't already. We're trying to build a community for fiction writers, as well as share our best practices and put all of our ideas and suggestions in one place. We have a Substack and are trying to do monthly-ish Zoom calls. https://fictionistas.substack.com
Yes, this would be *so* useful!
The worst part about the current format for a novel is that Chapter 1 is at the bottom.
In addition to having each home page icon jump to all of the articles that comprise one chapter, we could organize those icons in proper chapter order, rather than having them show up in the order they are posted.
If you want to see how I've implemented a novel with the current restraints:
renazonce.substack.com
Where do you find different layouts?
To check out the different options, like the magazine layout, go to your dashboard and select Settings > Edit theme > Layout > Magazine.
I have a question/suggestion for the new magazine layout. I LOVE the new layout. However, I would love to have more intuitive control about which posts get highlighted there. I know how to pin them to the top, and I know they rotate around based on what order you pin them in. And then they have a certain order if nothing is pinned and the four most recent posts end up there. But I would love to be able to say - I want this post in the top left. I want this post in the bottom left. I want this post in the center. I want this post at the bottom. When I try to make the posts fall where I want them based on the order I pin them, somehow I always get them messed up, and the final order isn't what I want. If we could control specifically which spot each pinned post goes to, that would be so helpful.
Hi Karen! Thank you for the feedback, we've heard something similar from others, and we'll pass it along to our product team.
Yes, me too. All of that.
I genuinely love the new magazine layout; it makes my site much more appealing on the web and let's me have a welcome post front and center while new content is still given high priority. I really appreciate it.
Also, here's a though that I'm not sure I've thought of before... perhaps a word count? 🤔
Word count for the draft/edit mode would be helpful. I think a "read length" for the reader would be helpful too, based on the average 200-250 word/minute read speed. So if you are an average reader, it will take 5 min, 10 min, 3 min, or whatever, to read this.
Glad to hear that this is something you might find useful, Karen! I'll relay this to our product team.
This is what I use. https://niram.org/read/
Great tool, Melanie. Thanks somuch!
Bookmarked. Thanks!
This is a great idea!
Yes, this too:-)
may help: https://pau1.substack.com/p/stackhacks-word-counter-for-all
This is what I use!
Nice, thanks!
I shared your recommendation last week with the team! Will do so again.
Would love word count and a spell check!
I second both, especially spell check!
Word count is a good shout. I usually copy and paste drafts into Word to check, which is...not a particularly elegant fix, haha.
I find this a bit quicker than word: https://pau1.substack.com/p/stackhacks-word-counter-for-all
I draft mine in Word so I know the word count, and I also use an external site to calculate approximate reading speed, since I think that this is something helpful to tell the reader before they open an email
Yes, I use Gdocs to write and count.
I've joined Substack Go, but I'm disappointed in the lack of categories. No creative non-fiction, for example. And no Writing! There are dozens of newsletters on writing (ncluding mine, Writer Everlasting) and I would love to make connections with some of them.
You have 'politics' but not 'advocacy'. That's another important topic for me. Thanks.
Hi Romona! Thanks for the feedback.
This round, we included the categories based on what we currently feature on our homepage. https://substack.com/
We asked the follow up question, "If applicable, what additional category would you tag your publication?" to try to get smarter about how writers want to categorize their writing. We'll be paying close attention to that as we pair squads.
Yes, I saw that when I signed up and indicated my preferences (writing and advocacy). Glad to hear they'll be taken into consideration!
I find the categories quite limiting too. I write about writing and creativity and there is nothing for this. I picked Culture but that's not really that exact. I didn't pick Fiction because I'm not writing fiction, though I would like to attract fiction writers
I agree. I write about nature, but the closest category is climate change. Words matter and I get that there can't be endless categories, but it feels restrictive.
I'm hoping this conversation will change all that! There has to be a limit on categories but the way it is now is too limited, too confusing.
I'm in this camp: writing/music/creativity
Sounds good, but how do you mean? They're not categories that I've seen at Substack Go.
Advocacy is a good suggestion! I have Politics and Culture
Checked, but I have not checked to see if my posts show up—I tried once or twice but it did not seem to be in alphabetical order by newsletter title, and there was too much there to check.
Those are the two I've chosen, too, but 'culture' isn't well enough defined. I don't really know what it means in this context.
Agree! I focus on spirituality (not faith) and wellness (not health)....
I focus on how people navigate life's bumps, using them as a pivot into a more conscious and meaningful life. We should connect
And I think we've met. I know I spoke with someone about Cancer Road Trip BC (before covid) - were you connected with Participant at all? I can't remember where. I'm also still in the middle of a massive life transition so looking forward to reading your substack. Some of my posts might be relevant to your newsletter.
let's! i'll subscribe to yours (hope you'll do same) and you can reach me at wholehealth505 at gmail dot com if you want to connect directly.
There's also no "outdoors" category, or really anything close to it. More categories will be nice
I agree. There's no "environment" category either
But there's a specific category for climate, which is baffling that they'd have the super scoped in category, but not the broad ones...
Good feedback, thanks Cole!
Yes - I write about climate change issues sometimes, but also other environmental issues (although I admit I find very few environmental issues don't relate to climate change in some way)
Adding another voice to request more categories on Substack in general. I write about personal growth. The closest I could get to that is ‘Health’. It’s related but it’s not the same.
Morning everyone! I actually just wrapped up a podcast interview with a fellow substack writer -- extremely excited to release it. If anyone else writes or likes talking about the outdoors, and you'd like to come on as a guest as well - please reach out to me at colenobleclimbs@gmail.com!
Oh, would love to hear it. When are you releasing it?
It's coming out on Sunday morning, I expect. I interviewed a fellow outdoor writer who shares stories about moving to a cabin in the middle of nowhere
I LOVE Substack. 150 subs in 3 days and I’m making my second post on Saturday. This is equally as fun as discovering TikTok in 2019. Thank you for this platform! H
Woah! How did you get the word out about your Substack?
I have a pre-existing following on several other platforms.
That. Is. Amazing. I would love to know your secret!
Same!!
Same
I've just subscribed. While I don't have CFS I am prone to fatigue. Took me nearly four months to get through the fatigue after having covid.
Love your first post, An Alphabet of Gratitude. "Make new friends, but keep the old." Enjoy and welcome!
I’m excited about Substack Go! Hoping to connect with other food bloggers to learn, share ideas, and support each other. Thanks for this new program, Substack!
Check out Jolene's Time Travel Kitchen. She bakes from a 19927 kitchen in Chicago. Her newsletter is a refreshing read with terrific recipes from days gone by.
My posts feature a single recipe that I illustrate along with a brief background story. I signed up for your newsletter.
Proud to be a new member of this community. Shout out to Substack for making it so easy to get started. We regularly share the freshest streaming recs in case you'd like some for this long weekend! https://culturepop.substack.com/ Look forward to learning from y'all.
Welcome!
Welcome to Substack! Happy to have you here :-)
Thank you, Zoe! Appreciate you and the team. :)
The Fictionistas (fiction writers on Substack) are on board for Substack Go! https://fictionistas.substack.com/p/join-us-for-substack-go
Love to hear it!
I didn't know about this newsletter! But I just subscribed!
I've been in a number of writer groups over the years. Always fun!
So many exciting new things--thank you!
The new Fellowship sounds like an amazing offer--for "emerging" writers. I wonder if--down the line--there might be something "like" for experienced writers who are busting it to make this happen... those of us who are on Substack to re-create their working life? I cannot consider myself to be "emerging" but at age 57 I do feel very much to be "starting over." My newsletter is my primary income source now after years of underpaid contract teaching. But I am still some years away from being able to do the pension thing. I think there are quite a number of people in similar position here--people who are committed to this, willing to put in the hours and energy, who already are. Just a thought...
Hi Alison. Nice to 'see' you again. I'm 55 and feel the same as you. Definitely emerging into a new world
I am thoroughly enjoying being in my 50s! But the constant struggle to make ends meet as a writer is just tough at times. At least now, I'm only responsible for myself :)
Alison - I appreciate you thinking of this! We tend to use phrases like "emerging writers" for those who are new - or growing their list of readers - on Substack specifically. I hope that helps!!
Well, the Fellowship is something Roxane Gay is doing, so her program, her definitions. But Substack Go is open to everyone!
I'm hoping to use my Substack as an adjunct to my main website. I hope to get people together to explore some of the issues that come out of my podcast BumpIntheRoad.us. I'm wondering if I should just republish some of my material here as well...
I'm still writing on Medium--though nowhere near what I used to. I'm trying to have very different material here, so it has its own value--I think that's key, even as I use different platforms to drive in certain ways... So I use Medium to bring people over here, with different material. The few pieces I've used in both, I add heavily (and personalize) to the Substack posts. Ultimately, if it all causes readers to go out and buy my books, great. But here, I love working with my writing-readers, and want for it to be its own thing.
Yes, I'm looking at this audience as distinct from my other networks
Good idea!
Hi! I’m helping writers grow their publications on Social Media with my project https://newslettertosocials.com . Add your newsletter, and the site will generate ready-to-post social media content based on your newsletter issues. My goal is to save writers time, while also making their newsletter content available on all social media platforms. I’m trying to make the dream of focusing on writing while growing a ton a possibility. Would love to hear some feedback!
Wow! I will check it out. Thanks.
Looks cool, Krager. Thank you for sharing!
Good afternoon everyone! I'm excited about entering the SubStack world! I posted my first newsletter Sunday, and plan to every week thereafter. I am curious about a few tipcs & tricks to help me. Overall I felt the process to write, post and share super easy to navigate (which is a plus!). Wondering the following:
1) How to embed video clips (whether through you tube, or on file)?
2) How to post a twitter thread that I may want to use?
3) Any other stylist or "cool" features that people may have to help create an engaging read?
Hi All! I write FIRES and Socially Awkward. Socially awkward (https://sociallyawkward.substack.com) is about everything but I am currently reading a short story a day. I am looking to collaborate with other newsletter writers who want to read one of the short stories and write about it, or choose their own short story and write about it. Especially interested in those of you who write about writing or literature, of course.
Hi Stacy!
If anyone needs it, we have a substack hype pod on Twitter. Follow me @youtopianJ and I will add you to it, could get you some new eyes and subscribers.
yoooo
Awesome :) followed.
Hi friends, quick question from new writers like us who are ramping up. We've noticed if we mention the newsletter (in person or via text/social/email) people are very enthusiastic, but then forget to sign up (even when we send the link that directly opens the subscribe modal). Any tips on closing the deal?
Also, any tips on regularly encouraging people to invite a friend or two without being too annoying about it? Thank you for your insights!
Congrats on your new publication! This could be a helpful resource for growing your list: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-4
Love this, Sachin. Appreciate you sharing! Def took a look and we'll make sure we've got all those tips in place. :)
One thing you can do is print old-school business cards, so if it comes up in conversation you can hand the person a card and say, here's my Substack if you want to subscribe.
Of course, both in person and online, you can lead the horses to water, but you can't make them mash the button. 🤣
Good idea. Thanks, Jackie!
Hey Substack team!
What are the best ways to grow my newsletter and engage with other creators on this platform? Commenting on articles seems intuitive, but most of the newsletters I'm subscribed to, only allow comments from paid subscribers. Is there a way I can find more people that aren't big names or just starting out, and likely wouldn't require paid subscriptions for comments/engagement?
I'd honestly start right here. There are a ton of great Substack writers represented in this thread. There's also the Substack Writers Unite Discord https://discord.com/invite/q9S4feaDVz
This is a good point. I must say, I practically cry when I am blocked from making a comment when I am not a paying subscriber! Although for the big names, I guess it provides some protection against haters...or whatever.
I agree.
You should check out substack go. It seems like a good way to connect with other writers.
Hi Simon! Thank you for joining our office hour thread--we're so happy to have you here :-) Here are some helpful resources for growing your newsletter: https://substack.com/resources#growing-your-list
https://on.substack.com/p/grow-3
With regards to your questions about finding more people that aren't big names: you might find interesting writers in our What to Read series. We aim to feature undiscovered writers who are going deep into a clear topic and exemplify best practices, like posting regularly and engaging with readers. You can check our recent What to Reads here: https://on.substack.com/s/stories
Like many of you I applied to Substack Go. I was wondering if anyone has any tips on improving my application? Thanks in advance :)
Great question Filiz! We have made a promise to welcome 500 writers across categories and stages to this first round of Go. We are going to prioritize new writers. After that, we will fill the seats on a lottery system. We had a great volume of interest so far and are going to do our best to serve as many writers as possible.
Does New Writers mean you cannot have started a Substack newsletter yet?
Writers are required to have a Substack publication. We are looking to invite writers getting started or restarted on the platform.
I took it to mean novices. I'll check back for an answer.
I didn't realize Substack Go was for new writers only. What is the logic behind that? Wouldn't it be better to include a cross-section of new and seasoned writers so everyone benefits? What will new writers gain from being sequestered together, away from writers with experiences to share?
You're right! That would make for a rich group to have people in different stages and if we can accommodate the volume of writers that applies, we will intend to pair people in that fashion.
We know that it can be overwhelming for writers just getting started about Substack so that's why we set out to help those writers first with Substack Go.
I think I understand. Thanks for responding, Katie!
Great question! Unless some new writers have certain things figured out and everyone just has certain strengths and weaknesses that mix well together.
Did you see my post elsewhere in this comment thread? It's on a really important issue that Substack Grow didn't dedicate a session to (unless I missed it, lol!): how to turn views into free signups.
Our team saw your question and is going to dig into the data to better understand
Hey community! A lot of great updates in the new year! I applied for Substack Go, and it sounds like a promising way to meet other writers.
My question: how have other writers used Instagram to promote work? What style of posts seem to be the most engaging? I have a small audience (4k) and got a lot of signups from it initially. I'm trying different posts types that refer back to my newsletter stories, and always looking to experiment with new ideas. Thanks!
Hey! Posting on Instagram (in feed and on my stories) definitely helped me get subscribers with my launch. I feel like I might be missing out by not being on Twitter - do you use that too?
Now that all Instagrammers can post links in Stories, I think that's a useful outlet. But, honestly, I haven't had a huge amount of success with Insta...
Yes, stories work best with a link. @youtopianjourney so you can see how I roll
I'm really struggling to grow faster. One recent article had over 10,000 views but only around 20-30 new signups. That's despite getting a lot of positive feedback and good reader interaction.
Do other people see similar rates of subscriptions? Because at this rate it will take me a long long time to hit enough readers for me to consider going paid.
Any advice on boosting subscription rates? Are there any ways people have found to convert more readers to subscribers?
Hi Alastair. Try dropping a "Subscribe with caption" button about a third of the way down in your post. Using a button plus some call-to-action text in the middle of the post converts much better than a link at the end of the post. How to do it: when editing your post, in the editing ribbon at the top, go to More > Buttons > Subscribe with caption
I would make sure you audit these two posts for tactics as well - how to set up your publication (https://on.substack.com/p/grow-3) and how to grow your free subscriber list (https://on.substack.com/p/grow-4)
Don't look at it as ONLY 20-30 new subscribers. Instead, celebrate them and keep doing what you're doing.
I agree. I'm new here, but 1) YouTopian Journey is 100% correct -- you have a beautiful substack and 2) while the conversion rate (viewer to subscriber) is low, you don't know how many come back. It would be nice if we could put some content behind some sort of wall so that only subscribers (free subscribers) could see it.
You aren't the first person to ask for that. I've been asking for the ability to mark content for subscribers only (free or paid, but subscription required), and they have reasons for not allowing that. To me, would be nice if the writer could choose rather than having Substack make that choice for us.
One way around it is to either delete content in your post so it doesn't show up on the web archive or delete entire posts from the web archive. In my case, I sent out a Zoom link to subscribers but because I didn't want that accessible by just anyone on the web, I removed it from the web archive and encouraged those who saw it later to contact me directly for the info. It's not ideal but it achieves the same thing.
well, i just subscribed! And 20-30 subscribers is huge - celebrate! and keep writing!
I haven't seen a lot of statistics on this, but I think that this is actually a pretty good rate. But I agree with Michael Estrin, a button partway through and even one up the top (you could do what I do and add it to the web version after the email has gone out, since people who receive your emails are already subscribers, unless the email was forwarded to them).
You may want to add a subscribe button midway through the post. You have a lot of links (a good thing!) and content that's on the longer side (also, a good thing, IMO), but you can't assume that everyone makes it all the way to the end to subscribe.
Hi Alastair. That article with 10,000 views...are those views still going up, bit by bit? And on other big-traffic articles? Are you monitoring them day by day, week by week? If they're still rising, those people are still coming in to read the Web version - so you could go and edit those Web versions and try to make them a bit more "if you're reading this, please sign up, folks!"...
And I'd say one way of doing that is to just spend a paragraph or two at the start of a few newsletters explaining what you just said to us all here. Be transparent and a bit vulnerable - saying that you'd love to get more people to sign up, but it's just not happening yet, and are you, dear reader, up for doing it, because it'd mean the world? That kind of thing.
It's really hard and a bit squirmy for us to let our guards down and ask like that (which is why signup buttons are so reassuring) but when you really just use a paragraph or two at the top of a newsletter to step out and ask them 'face to face', it really pays off.
Your substack looks dope! That is the true nature of growing it. You need to constantly market, hustle, share, speak, and do everything possible to promote and get subs.
Is there a possibility to translate button text to other languages? And have you considered adding other more "global" payment methods other than credit card. I live, and have most of my audience, outside the US, so trying to go to a paid model is not something viable, since most of my readers don't have an international credit or debit card
Hi Alexis! Neither of these things are available now, but we are aware of these gaps and we hope to close them!
After looking at a comment below about how to gain subscribers, it seems like it would be nice to have a Table of Contents. I know there's the Readers and Writers links, and the suggestion boxes on the right, but that is limited real estate.
What about providing a List format that shows ALL authors under a subject that we choose with our one line description?
That's what I struggle with, I want to quickly see what people write about and have the ability to check out writers in a methodical manner. Perhaps different colors for different authors the longer they are here, one color for those on for 1-2 months, 2-6 months, over 6 months, etc? Or just alphabetical.
Something I've always wondered is why substack choses to list some publications as "written for x number of months" versus "hundreds of subscribers" in the description.
Good question... I just assumed the authors put that description in...???
Hello and happy new year! I've got a quick question -- what are some sure(ish) fire ways folks are turning engagement with their posts into actual subscriptions? I get a fair amount of interaction with my writing in terms of open rate, private feedback, etc. -- but only convert about 7-8 new subscribers per each new article. I promote across all my socials, have embraced the twitter thread for sharing new posts, and am even doing a couple Pinterest ads. Any advice would be welcome. This is actually in the face of me passing the three-digit mark last night (whoop whoop!), just eager to grow more. Thanks as always.
If you are getting 7-8 subscribers per article, you are doing a great job!
What Jackie said! That's solid.
And Twitter threads do work. I've been converting a few of my (free list) newsletters into Twitter threads and it's been working well for me. The biggest went viral in November and led to 700 free list signups in a week: https://twitter.com/Mikeachim/status/1466763517487370246 I doubt I'll ever get that lucky again 😄 but most threads get me a handful of subscribers - and threads seem to have a tendency to bounce around for a long time in a way individual tweets comparatively rarely do...
I heartily second this -- that's amazing.
Agreed, great job! What's the Twitter tread you mentioned?
Thank you both for the encouragement! I recently interviewed a favoriate comedian of mine, the thread can be found here (albeit it's a baby one, still getting the hang of it :)) https://twitter.com/EllynBriggs/status/1481422954013601803
oh I see! Using a twitter thread as a long(er) form way to share the contents of an article. I think that's a really smart way to go about it, and to put your content in front of new people. Thanks for the suggestion!
Happy New Year to you! And congratulations on passing the three-digit mark! I'm including some resources for your here that could be helpful: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-3 and https://substack.com/resources#growing-your-list
thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hey everyone,
I'm trying to find out how to convert views into free signups.
I made a post about this and Nishant Jain has left some interesting comments, as have a couple other writers: https://join.substack.com/p/how-do-you-turn-views-into-signups.
Feel free to comment on the post; I'd hugely appreciate any thoughts that anyone has! :)
Sincerely,
AVW
The most important thing you can do is to include a subscription button in every post. It may feel counterintuitive since it's a newsletter you're sending to subscribers, but it makes it a lot easier for people who found your articles elsewhere (plus it may not be obvious to many of these others that they CAN subscribe!)
Thanks! Feel free to jump in and comment! :))
Helpful, Andrew. Thanks for sharing!
No problem! Feel free to jump in and comment! :)
Gosh I'm new here and feeling earnest AND vulnerably stupid. Anyone else know the feeling? My brand new newsletter is https://christinewolf.substack.com, and I'm wondering if (and WHY) I'd want or need to create a custom domain. My website is www.christinewolf.com. What's the obvious benefit I'm missing about creating a custom Substack domain? Thanks, all.
I intentionally chose NOT to create a custom domain because I want people to know I have a Substack. I did register the domain associated with my Substack (e.g. I write storycauldron.substack.com and I own storycauldron.com) so no one else can register it, but I redirect the domain to my Substack. I think there's value in being seen as part of this community. (I also have a website at my own name, and have a link to my Substack as my newsletter).
That's my strategy as well.
My renazonce.substack.com is mapped to www.renazonce.com
I don't have any advice about a custom domain (I don't have one myself) but do want to say: we're all here in the same boat, putting our hearts and energy into something we're creating from scratch, figuring it out as we go along. You're not stupid -- you're brave to show up and try, and to admit how you're feeling. Welcome. Keep going.
A couple of writers have their Substack as their main site, like David Farrier. But since you already have a separate site, you wouldn't want to do that, I assume
I wrote a few reasons about having your own domain here: https://pau1.substack.com/p/more-seo-tricks-to-help-your-substack#:~:text=Deplatformed
I'll try to answer any questions in this thread, as others have this question.
Hey all fellow SubStackers. Do you wonder what happens when you hit the length limit on your newsletter? This: https://pau1.substack.com/p/stackhacks-too-long-for-email-message
Does the same logic hold if your post is relatively short of words but big on image files? Or, put another way, is there a limit to the number of images and GIFs I can use? I've gotten the warning a few times, but then removed a couple of images and the warning went away.
It's not based on length but on data, so yes. If you have a ton of huge image files you'll hit the limit earlier.
I like to push the limit 😂
Yeah, images affect this as well. I haven't noticed this happening with any of your newsletters though.
I got the warning when I was drafting, but I cut a few GIFs. Honestly, those GIFs didn't really advance the story, so while I realize this is a technical constraint, it wasn't a bad editorial experience because it forced me to kill one of my darlings. I love my GIFs, as you know 😎
Hi Michael...It doesn't matter. It is the actual file length, so whatever combo will count toward length penalty.
Thanks for testing this, Paul!
Does anyone know what the size limit is for the Web versions of all our newsletters? I'm wondering, as I just started building a "Table of Contents" post and putting links to all my previously published stuff in it. It'll never go out as a newsletter, it's just for anyone landing on the Web version - but I wonder if there's a point where it's too big to publish? (if not, I intend to turn mine into an absolute monster of a thing...)
Is there a limit to how many Medium articles we can import? Looks like only 6-7 of my 70+ articles came through. And, will they appear on my general feed, or can I keep them tucked away in a separate folder? Thanks!
Following to find out, too.
What is the best way to transition to a paid subscription plan for readers? I have just started my newsletter on Substack and have been thinking that I will keep it free for the first few months to garner readership and then transition into paid subsriptions.
I just went ahead and did it. Writing and publishing are how I make a living. I publish every 3 days. Right now all posts are free, but starting in February one out of three will be paid only. I have 5 paid subscribers now, 8 weeks in. The one caveat-- I have a good sized social media following and have been writing there for years. Enough people knew what they were getting for it to work right away.
Brava, Annabel! Sounds like you have a great system going.
I think it's a unique call to each newsletter. I knew I wanted to have at least a year under my belt before going paid because *I* needed to figure out how to produce a newsletter I thought was worth a subscription. I ended up going paid 13.5 months in. Could I have done it sooner? Yes. Could I have waited longer? Yes. It was almost entirely a gut feel for me.
Hi Sarah, I followed a very similar trajectory. Did you go back and edit any of the older free posts and turn them into paids? I've been wondering how this would go over.
Nope. I've thought about it. But I consider my going-paid date as before-and-after -- before, everything was free and will remain free. After, a different strategy.
In terms of how it would go over, I'm not sure anyone would even notice. Are current free subs going back to the archives often? New free subs wouldn't know it had once been free.
Haven't transitioned myself, but I'm thinking one route might be to have posts that are mostly free with an extra couple of paragraphs behind a paywall – a Director's Commentary, if you will. That way, people can get most content for free but they get a little something extra for supporting.
But I'm still not sure which route I'll take!
From what I've found, you can't have a portion of a post be behind the paywall and still have the post go out to all subscribers. If there is a paywall, it is default a paid post and will only go out to paid subscribers by email. At least that's my understanding. Now that they have the new paywall feature, though, I would love to be able to send posts with a paywall to all subscribers!
I think there is a way because 1) as a free sub on others' newsletters, there are often emails I receive where I can only read so far and 2) I've seen the feature somewhere (you can even customize the text for the separation bar "paid subscribers only below this point, you freeloader" -- something like that. 😉
I would be interested to know how this works! It's something I've tried to do before and couldn't figure out how to get the paywalled post to go out to all subscribers. Any one have any steps/advice for doing this?
The only way to do this, I believe, is to send to all subscribers with a paywall divider that will then allow paid subs to read on. If you send a paid post, it goes to paid subs. If you send a free post, you can put a portion behind a paywall for paid subs. Those are the two options.
I found in the options that you can send a paywalled preview to free subscribers, but it is still marked as a paid post, not a free post. For me, I would have 95% of the content be free, with some downloadable materials/links for paid subscribers at the bottom. So to me, that's a free post. But it would show up as a paid post for subscribers and on my home page based on the way you have to have the settings. I don't really like the idea of making it look like all posts are paid posts. I think that would be discouraging for potential new readers.
Can't you just click on send to everyone in settings when you publish the post? It should go out to all subscribers. Unless I'm doing something wrong?
You can't do that with a paywall. If you want it to go out to all subscribers, a warning pops up that it will remove the paywall.
Yes, that would be a great feature!
Ooh, I definitely need to look into that before I try it...Thanks!
That's a great thought!
I've just recently added paid subscriptions but no paywall. I know some think that's counterintuitive, but I'm looking for support more than exclusivity. I'll see how it goes. Nothing lost.
I'm planning on doing this too. Part of my motivation is the public service aspect of my writing, and I don't want to paywall that kind of content. I know Katelyn Jetelina follows that model (admittedly she has a huge and well-deserved following) and I pay for her Substack just because I've personally found it very useful and felt that she deserved the support.
I pay for a few, too, because they're worth it. There are others I feel bad about subscribing for free but I just can't pay to subscribe to them all. So I understand if I don't get many paying subscribers. Still, the option is there.
I did it from the start. I don't promote it and push the free right now, but it's for anyone who would like to support my work just because they want to support my work. I've gotten a couple of subscribers that way. They don't get any special posts yet or anything. I didn't want to have to stress over it down the road so just put it up. I don't see the harm in doing that.
Maybe next month for me, depends. That will be a year of content.
I am curious about this too. I have had my newsletter for 3 months now and still am not sure when to go paid, etc.
We have a lot of great resources on this page for you - https://substack.com/going-paid-guide. I would take a look at this guide in addition to what fellow writers recommend! https://on.substack.com/p/grow-6
I think that it really depends on your newsletter, how well your readers know you, what you can keep up consistently etc. In my case, I'm looking to add a paid option to my Substack after 18 months of writing. That's largely because I've got a relatively small readership (although with great open rates) but also because my previous job was one where they wouldn't have been keen on side hustles.
It's worth looking at a range of other Substacks and seeing what they do, but you'll find no consistency. Some offer paid from the start, others after a relatively short time, others stay free for a long time. I think that it's worth noting that readers probably want to know that you are consistent before they are willing to pay - if they know you and your writing from elsewhere then they will be confident in your consistency sooner than if you are starting from scratch with your substack
Hey y'all!
Just posted a new piece I'm really excited about:
https://americauthentic.substack.com/p/walkin-in-memphis-not-west-virginia
Excited to join Substack Go too, applying shortly...
Peace!
Wonderful to hear that you've applied!
Sorry I missed this ons today but I was in a very important meeting. I hope I will make the next one next week God's willing.
Thank you Substack Team for providing this resource! Very, very cool.
Here's a question: how much do you all think aesthetics/branding plays a role in your publication's success? Some of the newsletters I like best have 'in-house' artists who provide the publication with a unified and professional look. I've been playing around with this myself—I'd love to hear what works for you.
Totally agree! If you need help designing any graphic design elements (like a logo, banners, social graphics, etc.) Canva is an awesome, affordable tool (with free and paid versions) https://www.canva.com/
I think great branding can really make a first impression on readers. We try to make this easy with the theme options, but things like the logo or consistent image aesthetic can also help.
If you haven't seen it, we published a great resource on how to improve your publication branding here: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-3
Thanks, that's helpful. I'd never heard of the noun project before. Very interesting!
I think it's a huge part of the equation - the logo, the tag line, the images and overall look are so important. (And honestly, I think this is what's holding me back). So if you have the ability/resources to get professional artwork done, it's well worth the effort.
Thank you Substack team, for continuing to evolve and improve!!
I have one giant frustration at the moment. It's completely outside your control, but perhaps you have some insight.
Many of my friends have asked how they can show their support and spread the word about my newsletter. So we planned just before my January newsletter went out for them to all post about it on Facebook, IG, and a few of them posted on Twitter. They were all people with huge followings and active FB accounts, but it was clear that Facebook algorithms blocked the post's view--there were maybe 2 or 3 likes per post. It seems that FB was able to identify the posts as some type of promotion and is now making it impossible to gain traction in that way.
FB apparently deprioritizes posts with links in them. So the best workaround is to create a post (ideally with an image) and then share the link in the comments. I know, this is STUPID and frustrating but it's FB so it's also par for the course.
Thanks, Jackie. Such a wasted effort, but good to know for the future.
Heaven forbid we direct people away from FB because you know they will never ever go back! 🙄
I've heard that if you link to Substack, FB tends to block the distribution since it is a competing site? Or something like that. I don't understand it all. But it is a problem.
That appears to be the case! Grrr
The thing that I find frustrating is the inconsistency. I can post from my Substack the exact same way, and one post will get 100+ view and then next will get 3. What's the difference? Nothing. At least not in the way I posted it.
Hi Rachel, yes, the Facebook algorithm doesn't love links from Substack. One workaround we've seen in the past is to link to your Substack in the first comment of your FB post.
Yikes - I did not know this about Facebook. Thanks for the tip-off. Eeeee, that platform *shakes head*....
Thank you, Kelsa!
Another work around is to put your URL on your cover photo or your profile picture. Of course it is not a clickable link but it will remain there and the FB engine won't pick it up as a link. (Well, because it isn't a link!) But it gets your URL out there.
My implementation is at https://www.facebook.com/wagner.ronald.l
Those who want to support you can then refer to your FB page rather than your Substack URL.
I really like the "View Profile" feature on the subscriber pages--but I don't understand why some pages have that tab and some don't. On the pages where the tab does appear, it's often the case that the reader hasn't put anything on their profile. So I realize that some profiles will be "empty." But what does it mean if there is no profile tab?
I believe users have to actively set up a profile with Substack before something shows up there.
Actually--I didn't realize that was an optional step. I'd like to understand more about the process, so will do a little research. Thanks!
Wondering if there's a template feature for posts so we can save time? Would be great not to have to rekey my signature and links at the bottom for every post.
I'd love a template too, but I do exactly what Mark does: I have a draft called TEMPLATE and just copy-paste for every new issue.
this is a brilliant idea. I'm going to use this for podcasts
Not at this time. I have requested this repeatedly. Right now I save a draft as a template and copy and paste the contents into a new newsletter. But a true template would be great.
In the words of Lt. Columbo, "just one more question..."
Is Substack Go for clueless newbies like me? I'm a little worried it will be like school and no one will want to pick me for their study group...
OK. One more. I want to email people and put on FB that they should sign up to read me (follow me? friend me?) on Substack. How do I do that?
OK. OK. Just one more. Is Substack free for writers?
Maybe I should have skipped the Lt. Columbo reference. Peter Falk played him in a tv show in the, gulp 60s
hahahhaha. I'm right there with you, Tad. I know the reference well!
I got tired of not understanding the Ted Lasso references so decided to watch. Its good!
Ted Lasso is great! Plus he often refers back to other, older stuff and I love that too.
For your FB post, I think it's as easy as pasting in the substack address and it will provide a photo and link just as if you were pasting in an article or youtube video.
As for Substack being free... not sure what you mean. All of us are writers - lol!
Thank you Jan! I'm sure I will get better at this but at least right now it feels counter-intuitive. I think someone said something about a thousand mile journey starting with a single step. Guess I just need to take it!
And, a thousand-word article begins with a single word! As the young Brick said once (having just taken up writing) in "The Middle" sitcom, "Writers hate writing, but love having written!" And, Martin Mull once uttered, "Some people have a way with words; others, not have way."
Nice to see you here, Tad, and along with thanking you for the the Columbo reference, I wanna thank you for the relatable (to me, anyway) school-like "will someone actually pick ME for their study group" giggle!! Cheers!---Brad
Lao Tzu, I think. Learning is always on a curve! I'm still figuring it out as well.
Thanks for the replies and suggestions Jackie and everyone else who’s reading. Please do read me at https://poojakanth.substack.com/
It’s almost mid night here, goodnight!
Just want to give a shout out and thanks to Michael who writes Holy Writ https://holywrit.substack.com/about for introducing me to our customized email addresses during the last office hours. Love this feature! I hadn't realized that the name of our newsletter is also an email address where folks can write us. Thank you, Substack!
Hey! That's very nice of you Jan. Thanks! :)