Have questions about publishing, growing, or going paid on Substack?
The Substack team, and your fellow writers, are here to help!
We’re gathering the writer community and members of the Substack team together in this discussion thread to answer writer questions for an hour.
Drop your questions in the thread by leaving a comment, and we’ll do our best to share knowledge and tips. Our team will be answering questions and sharing insights with you in the thread today from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. PST / 1 p.m.–2 p.m. EST. We encourage writers to stick around after the hour and continue the conversation together.
Some updates and reminders from the Substack team:
Activity alerts on the web. A new activity page has been added to the web version of Substack, allowing writers and readers to track their activity in one dedicated space—including new likes, comments, and replies. As with the Substack app, writers and readers can access the activity page via the account dropdown at the upper-right corner of the Substack site. Readers will still receive emails for new activity and can toggle whether to receive alerts in the “Notifications” section of settings.
We hope to see on the last stops of the Substack (virtual) category tour. This is a meeting place for writers to connect directly over Zoom, and as a showcase for the wide variety of writing happening on Substack within a given category. Join us: https://on.substack.com/p/category-tour
Thank you for coming everyone, and especially to the regulars who are *so* knowledgeable about Substack, and inspire us with their generosity helping other writers each and every week <3
Thank you! I've missed the last two meetings due to last-minute details on my latest novel, Geronimo's Laptop. Maybe my mind is foggy because I've had a heck of a time with the tech-details of my Substack site, but it's getting better!
➡️ A question for @Substack, would it be possible to add more categories or tagging for the different "sections" or "newsletters"?
In my case, I have 6 "sections" which are pretty different from each other. One is focused on humor, one is movie lists, one is an animated comic strip, etc. But I only have three tags to describe ALL of them under the main publication, "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies".
Could we have three tags to describe each "section" in a publication? 🙏
Yes! I think I found my tribe on Hacker News! The people who responded to my post I feel really understood what I'm trying to do with "moviewise." In the comments (164!), they delved into philosophy and history, the meaning of life, and the best ways to approach life that can be gleamed from great movies like "Kung Fu Panda". It was wonderful!
I just posted a link, that's all. But I think writing about something that people love is the secret. When I write about lesser known films the response is not as high as when I write about a well known film with a fan base. For Hacker News—although I think it's true for any audience—readers appreciate something in depth that was carefully written and is meaningful, that is, worth their time and has something they can learn.
Thanks for responding. I’ve presented at pop-culture conferences on popular movies in the past linking them or rather analyzing them from a mythic perspective. But I haven’t done that in a while. I’ll check out hacker news in the meantime.
Wow, that's amazing! I'd love to do a short presentation at a pop-culture conference on the wisdom found in movies. But unfortunately, my PhD is from the school of hard knocks. 😉
Substack, YOU ROCK. Just received an email to be featured on Substack Discover, but the best part is that they want me to submit other substack writers to be featured. Reply in the comments so I can help you get on their radar.
Congrats, Shaun! Excited to see you on the front of the Substack page. I would definitely love to be featured, but also just happy to see you get more eyes on your work. You've been huge in bringing so many of us together in our Twitter hype pod.
Congratulations! And thank you for thinking about us all. I run a F! Simulacrum feed about the the way our perception of the world changes and how it projects on fashion and art and how culture responds back and shape the society. I keep it as a dairy with standalone articles for particular trends. Would be happy to know your opinion.
Fantastic news, congrats. I wouldn't mind a mention if poss. I write about life, literature and leadership, though not necessarily all at the same time!
But somehow I suppose this is all for naught. I think they hate me. I wrote a few things that probably offended feminists and we all know what the debased, illegitimate left cannot stomach ANY criticism of the grand and haughty spoiled gilded ladies of Cambridge, San Fran, the upper west side, etc.
Hey friends! I know deliverability is a common topic around here so I wanted to share this Q&A with deliverability expert (who knew that was a thing?!) Yanna-Torry Aspraki.
I simply can't imagine the point of buying email addresses and can honestly say the thought never occurred to me until I read that newsletter. I love that we don't have to worry about any kind of maintenance issue like she discusses.
Yes, that was a great breakdown, agreed. If your goal is engagement, buying followers can really backfire on you (especially with all the tools for spotting unengaged or even fake followers that are available for free these days). A list with people on it who really, really care, no matter how small it may feel in numbers, is worth more than gold in this newslettering lark...
The app is working great. I really like the fact I get alerts so I know when the latest editions of newsletters are posted! Thanks for all the hard work so far
I've been writing a free newsletter for a year or so, and considering offering a paid option but keeping all the content free and accessible to all subscribers, no matter whether they're free or paid. Curious to hear about other folks' experiences with this strategy, as I know it's much more typical to launch subscriber only content when going paid. (I have about 200 free subscribers, so still quite small at the moment.)
Hi Kate...I started in August, and have kind of given up on the paid option. It's there, fine, but I'd, frankly, rather have my articles just be read, somehow! My goal in writing in the first place, was to "document" my rare, behind-the-scenes travels in '70s-era rock'n'pop'n'punk circles.
I'd like to think it's pay-worthy, but my idealism has been replaced by a heavy sigh, and the resignation that it, apparently just may not happen (beyond a puny one or two monthly subs).
With all that said, I started a Patreon this week, and am in the process of transferring a small handful of my older posts there. Maybe I can shake some bushes there for subs. I'll "punch up" that presence there with what would be shorter posts of my shorter personal encounters with rock artists (just like on 'Stack, only they're longer) that likely wouldn't make the "normal" length I (and my 'Stack subs) are accustomed to.
I've also signed up with ko-fi, as well! Just experimenting with "the game"! We'll see how it goes! Good luck!
I just read your Sex Pistols article - it's great!! Brought back great memories!! I only ever saw Johnny Lydon but still have my Never Mind the Bullocks vinyl. You might not be finding the right audience - maybe find diehard music fans who go to conventions, read music mags (I don't even know what's around any more, sorry to say) - but I totally think you have an audience for this, especially with folks who were around during those times. You just need to find them - don't think they'll find you here on substack.
ps - maybe send a link to your substack to people still working in indie record stores - maybe they'll spread word. maybe create a 'zine flyer and email to them so they can print out and put by the register. Go old school! I used to publish a 'zine on The Who and worked in the music industry for 10 years, so can relate to what you're doing.
Hi Kate! I started my newsletter six months ago using the model you’re considering. I have about 850 subscribers now, and although all my content is free, 62 of those subscribers are paying. I’ve had people subscribe for free and then start paying bc they like the newsletter so much and want to support it. And I like keeping everything free bc what I want more than anything is readers enjoying my stories. I think it’s a great way to go.
That's great, Anne! How did you grow to 850 subscribers? I currently have 250, with 41 paying. I'm on FB, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. And once a month I feature a guest post from another Substack writer. Don't know what else to do to grow my base. All suggestions are welcome!!
Hi Jan! Wow‚ 41 out of 250. That sounds great to me! I'm doing what you're doing on social media. Plus a lot of what I do has a NYC focus so I am getting active on the NYC subreddit, commenting and posting what I hope are useful items from all over the internet in addition occasionally posting my newsletter. And when I do post my newsletter on Reddit, I create a special, stripped down edition that only includes what the subreddit would be interested in. Before I did that, the mods always took it down. Also, a lot of my subscribers came early on when a fellow Substacker with a big following asked me to write a guest post and he encouraged his readers to read to my newsletter. That just fell into my lap. It was so kind of him! I hope someday to have my own big following and help others the same way.
I'm doing that, Kate, making paid subscriptions optional. I only have 100 subscribers, and only two paid annuals, but I prefer to make it optional rather than to pick and choose who gets to read what. That feels awkward and exclusionary to me.
Everyone has to decide for themselves how valuable their work is, and for some, offering private services is probably fine. But not for me.
Wow, Ramona! My numbers and philosophy are almost identical to yours! That reassures me, coming as it does from a respected and smart veteran 'Stacker! I address this more fully in another reply on this thread! Thanks, Ramona!😉
Agree 💯. I just started “the micro mashup” in January and my goal this quarter was to publish regularly. Haven’t quite hit the 100 subscriber mark yet but I’m having fun with my weekly 100-word microbursts (can you sense a theme lol). Still free but may soon offer a charity option if readers want to donate. It’s not about the money for me. It’s about the joy of creating.
I am doing that. I started with a paywall for most content, but it wasn't working and I didn't like locking content away with only a handful of people reading it. I checked with my 10 paid subscribers (out of 445 total) and they all said they subscribed to support me, not to get anything extra or locked away content. So I eventually removed the paywall.
I think it depends a lot on your newsletter. I think overall (with exceptions), creative writing gets more "patron" subscribers and non-fiction gets more subscribers paying for information.
I think there's something to the creative vs the more informational, which is definitely what we are, and probably why our paying subscribers have grown steadily over time.
Amazing, because we should all hate you for going to such wonderful places, ha! If there is anyone here who has not seen Brent and Michael Are Going Places, check it out. I keep using the gold standard term to describe their travel newsletter, but I've yet to come up with a better term. Check it out for yourselves!
Amazing, because we should all hate you for going to such wonderful places, ha! If there is anyone here who has not seen Brent and Michael Are Going Places, check it out. I keep using the gold standard term to describe their travel newsletter, but I've yet to come up with a better term. Check it out for yourselves!
That might be the case. But I have over 18,000 free subscribers on WordPress and I'm thinking they are all bored office workers whose boss takes long lunches...
This is interesting because I think that is the same for people who pay for me. It’s more that they want to support my work than they are looking for anything extra.
There are a fair number of writers who barely paywall anything - for example, Anne Helen Peterson only paywalls her "recommended reads" at the bottom of her long essays and Heather Cox Richardson only paywalls her community threads. https://annehelen.substack.com/, https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/.
Hi Kate! A common strategy we see for writers starting out with paid subscribers is keeping the newsletter content free but shifting comments to 'paid only'. This way, the main product is still accessible but there's also incentive for free readers to upgrade their subscription.
It seems to work incredibly well for the really big players—those who come to Substack with a large audience like Robert Reich and Michael Moore. But then again, it also has worked incredibly well for H.C. Richardson, who I truly love!
I understand this idea well. After years of teaching yoga, I came to realize that the saying 'paying is part of the therapy' is true, despite my resistance to it. I think the idea is that if we pay we have some skin in the game and feel more involved and a part of something.
Whether or not you go paid is up to you, as it what value you provide. The value can be the work itself or you can offer subscriber-only threads, posts, or maybe post the experimental stuff. Some people just want to support the good work you’re doing. You have to let them.
If you don’t want to go paid, maybe consider posting a PayPal link for one-time commitments.
I know a few Substacks who do that -- like Oldster -- but it seems to me that is more of a Patreon model. You're simply hoping people support you because they want to support you. That's a perfectly fine and valid choice but I personally that makes it harder to get paying subscribers.
Totally fair point. It's like saying, "If you value this work and the time that goes into it, consider paying" but there's little clear/added benefit for folks which is why I'm on the fence about it!
I have a pretty small list (200ish) and send out about 2 newsletters a week. For the paid newsletter, I still provide some of it for free, just not all of it.
People typically have conversion rates of 5-10%, so with 200 free subscribers maybe 10-20 will pay. The more niche the content, the more you should charge - at least if you dominate the niche globally.
I think you'll grow slower after going paid. Because paid posts don't lead to as many new Substack visitors as free ones do. But that's just my guess.
I know for me, I'm planning to start grad school in the fall, and I guess I was thinking about asking subscribers to help me continue to produce this newsletter while also balancing paying for school. Not sure how successful that would be, just a thought!
I have zero marketing knowledge so from me this means next to nothing. I think mentioning your starting grad school, I'd name the subject area, is a great idea to elicit support. I think people would be likely to want to contribute knowing you'll be studying and also putting out a newsletter. That deserves encouragement. Sounds like a good idea to me, but, hey, I know nothing, so others surely could better advise you. Good luck!
From speaking with my subscribers I know that many email systems are still sending newsletters from substack directly to the spam box. I wish there was a better way to make sure my newsletter gets delivered. This happens with many new subscribers who never get their first edition until I send them a reminder to check their spam box.
Hi Matt! One of these reasons we launched the Substack app was to be give writers the ability to be less reliant on email (and the potential spam filters that come with it). Would highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already.
I am about to start my most ambitious project of the year: a 30-day drawing challenge around the city. It will be shared as daily posts, featuring the art itself and also some words. There will be a weekly podcast with my observations of city life, and many video posts.
I am expecting a surge of new, free readers over the course of the month. But I would love to have a powerful, dynamic image on the Substack main-page to motivate free readers towards the paid subscription. Maybe something like a progress bar towards a goal of my choice - (5000 readers, $500/month)? I am able to do this on BuyMeACoffee, for example.
We've heard this request for center-justified text before! I think one of our founders has historically been against center text for aesthetic reasons, but let's see if I can get to the bottom of this...
And please consider the spacing thing, too. I'd love to be able to create more white space between my paragraphs/buttons, etc., b ut it always defaults to just one double space, I believe. Thanks!
Hi Bailey - If this would matter at all to the founders, I just want to be able to center one section that I use as an intro each week, not the entire newsletter.
Would definitely want this. Not just center-justified, though. Just the option to control justification overall. And not just text either. Let's not forget images :o
Ahhh. The Activity alerts are really great - and there was me thinking "oh dear, I'm so stupid I've missed these the whole time I've been using Substack." My ego is very relieved to learn it's a new feature...
Hi all, I was wondering if there was any news on adding a polling feature in Substack. I'd love to ask weekly questions to learn more about my readers. (I write A Cup of Ambition, a weekly newsletter for working moms and would love more info on the age of their kids, topics they'd like to see my cover, etc.). Thanks!
After reading Jessica DeFino's Grow interview I updated my About page and plan on following more of her recommendations soon. IMO one of the most helpful interviews in the series!
I asked about templates when I started writing on Substack over a year ago. So I was thrilled when I saw the Templates beta in my Dashboard. Then disappointed when it turned out to be just a basic email template with no settings. I am hoping this will eventually turn into a full-featured draft template, with all the usual settings, that we can assign to sections. And that we will be able to create multiple templates (one for each section.)
I have been using drafts as templates and copy and pasting the contents into new drafts, but real draft templates will be great! Here's me hoping! 🤓
Thanks for listening Substack. Keep up the good work!
One of the reasons I started a newsletter is because I deleted my social media altogether and have zero interest in returning. Substack has a friendly format and approach and has been vocal about supporting free speech and giving creators control back, which social media has no interest in doing. The next step in this journey would be for Substack to build out a more robust set of search and promotional tools. Generating an automated sitemap.xml and submitting it to search engines would be an example. We need to look past a world that involves social media and come up with a better means to engage the masses. I'm wondering if Substack has anything on the horizon to that end?
Hi! I work on SEO (and some other things) here. Long story short, we do have a ton of SEO work going on behind the scenes, but it's not exposed to all substacks immediately so that spammers can't host spam / advertisements on substack and benefit from it. Sitemaps are one of the features that are behind this set of criteria, as Brian noted below. I see your account is relatively new, but as you keep growing these features will automatically kick in.
Unfortunately we don't make this criteria public so it can't be gamed/abused, but rest assured that you're on the right track for these to unlock soon.
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply Ben, and for explaining that. It makes total sense, and seems like a good strategy. I have noticed that my Substack was picked up by Google, and I think it's because I linked from my primary website, which does have a sitemap.xml and gets indexed. Looking forward to more writing!
Anytime! Not having a sitemap will not prevent you from being picked up or anything like that, it simply makes it so that Google won't discover the pages from a sitemap and instead has to "crawl" for them. They still can (and do) find your Substack and "click" links / explore your pages. Linking from your personal site is definitely a good way to get picked up and boost the SEO reputation of your substack.
You can actually already get a site map, its at YOURURL.substack.com/sitemap.xml. Though Substack has made it harder to submit this directly to places like Google since they’ve removed the option to verify your site in Search Console.
I do not believe this is available to everyone, or only to people that meet certain criteria. Unfortunately, I don't know what that criteria would be, but I think it's an example of one of a larger set of promotional tools that could be very handy.
I've noticed more of our traffic is coming through Google, which is interesting. Also, one of our newsletters got picked up by a big website in Croatia, which was fine. (The newsletter was about a neighborhood in Croatia.)
FYI, the new Substack app is displaying the content of our web archive rather than our emails, in case anyone needs to know that. Yesterday I sent out an email reminding people about our Fictionistas Zoom call tomorrow and, as always, I deleted the Zoom info from the web to cut down on potential Zoom bombs, only to discover that means the info also doesn't display for anyone who reads Substacks via the app rather than email.
Personally, I would prefer it pull the content of the emails for this and other reasons, but either way, I think it's important people know how it works.
Unfortunately the app doesn't show the email headers and footers. So those features are effectively redundant. It will show the latest version of what's on the web, as you've just discovered.
Has anyone who has gone paid have any experience they can share on collecting sales tax on their subscriptions? Other sites like Patreon handle this for you, but since we’re getting paid directly by subscribers and not through a centralized Substack billing system, it seems we would be responsible for figuring out if we need to collect sales tax, register to collect it in various localities, and take care of filing and paying the taxes.
Does Substack have any guidance on this? The only tax information I can find is on paying income tax, which is great help, but this seems like a big missing piece of the puzzle.
Most states have a chamber of commerce that provides this information. More often than not service based industries are not taxed. However, you should easily be able to find this for your state or consult a tax professional.
Hi Adam, We don't add any sales tax, but depending on your state/country you may need to bake that into their subscription price or account for it at the end of the year. This stripe resource might help: https://support.stripe.com/questions/1099-k-forms-issued-by-stripe
What is subject to sales tax, how to pay it, and the amount to collect, is going to vary by jurisdiction. Substacks may not be subject to sales tax in all states. Each writer should check with their state's sales tax authority for further guidance.
Just wanted to let you all know that Chevanne from The Flare and I hosted our second Substack Talk - on Clubhouse this time - about using twitter on substack and imposter syndrome with coach Samantha Demers. You can find it here if you're interested - https://bit.ly/3uqlMRY
(Sorry if Chevanne already posted - I didn't see anything...)
One suggestion that I read for getting our publications up and running is connecting with other likeminded writers and setting up opportunities to cross promote and interview each other on our own platforms.
Any idea how I can connect or find these people who would be actually willing to do this - like tomorrow? It's a great idea, and I want to turn it into action. Simply liking others' articles or commenting is not really bringing this into fruition though. There is an added step that I feel I'm missing, somehow.
Hi Salma. I've been doing a bit of cross promotion with similar substacks. I'm careful who I choose because I don't want to let just anybody loose on my subscribers. You can email any newsletter by taking the newsletter name @substack.com. You're in the right place to find people. I try and attend office hours every week because it is a great way to connect. Just have a scroll through the thread an click on any newsletter names that look interesting.
Yes, you can do that. You could ask for a guest post or if their publication is similar to yours, then suggest an article swap. Or do a post here every week. When asking, always think about how can you help them.
I've been active in the recent Substack Go! program the head 'Stackers began last month! Since then, a small group of like-writing folks have kept up bi-monthly Zooms. This has fostered a couple relationships from which trading info insight to each others' occasional posts has happened, as well as an interview!
And, as someone else said on this thread, perusing the Thursday Office Hours allows you to meet people. It helps if their 'Stack title/name isn't too obtuse or mystifying!
I love writing my stuff on Substack, but I think I've maxed out on my word-of-mouth reach and using social media gives me migraines. What else can I be doing to attract subscribers?
You don't have to promote on FB and Twitter. There are other places depending on what you're writing. I've had a lot of luck on Reddit for my history pieces, plus there's Hacker News, online forums, etc. You could also look at approaching similar newsletters and blogs about writing guest posts or asking if they would consider featuring yours. And then there are podcasts and TikTok and YouTube and other things.
Reddit is hit-or-miss. Many subreddits deplore us 'Stackers, and will instantly delete a post! But, I still do it, because of the occasional "hit"! I've engaged other 'Stackers with the interview/inter-post content adds, and it's been fun and successful!
As for YouTube, I've changed my ID name from my name to "Front Row and Backstage on Substack"! I'm subtle that way!
I've been using a biz card to pass out to strangers, and hang on bulletin boards at Panera and Starbucks! My card is the photo you see to the left, with a brief one-line description, and of course, my 'Stack web address! I love chatting about my '70s rock'n'punk adventures, anyway, and hopefully, my enthusiasm encourages new friends to "check me out"!
I've even signed it in one corner (in gold or silver Sharpie), 'cause I'm just that pretentious, plus it just looks like a pic that should be signed. But, inasmuch as of the 4 lads pictured (the Ramones and a 22-year-old moi), I'm the only one still living, I thought I'd make it that much more of a collector's item (Ramones fans....where else can they see or find this shot of their boys)? Hope that helps!
Far and away on Facebook. I'd already belonged to a number of groups that were travel-related -- which is what we write about -- and I've been successfully able to steadily promote our content there without being spammy. I stick to the 90% rule -- 90% of what I post isn't about our newsletter, so that when I do post about it, people take it seriously. I've also recently started two Facebook groups of my own and am using the same techniques there. I'm also putting more time into Twitter.
It's been suggested in Office Hours to try cross promotions within Substack. How do we find ALL writers in a category and/or ALL who have entered a given tag? What we see now are the top 25 and (to take "Politics" as an example) they all have "thousands" of subscribers and even "tens of thousands". All nice people I'm sure, but they're not going to give us the time of day.
Hi Stephen, we only show the top 25 paid publications in each category, but if you click "See all" at the bottom it will take you to the Discover page. Once there, you can click "All" next to "Top paid", and you'll get an infinitely scrolling list of publications in that category.
I know this isn't ideal, but we're hoping to make discovery better in the near future.
I started featuring Guest Posts on my substack once a month. Shout out to https://katemcdermott.substack.com/ and https://crimeandpunishment.substack.com/ for partnering with me. If you have a post that might fall under the topic of home, let me know. I'd love to work with more writers and grow our bases!
Your newsletter has a great blend of the profound topics tied together by the concept of "home," so well done right off the bat.
I'm curious - what do you look for in a guest post? I don't know if I'd be quite right for yours, but I'd be interested in hosting my own in the future.
Thanks, Kevin! I appreciate that. So far I’ve picked posts that I’ve read from other substacks and then reached out to the author. If I can relate to it then I think my subscribers will too. But I mention it here because obviously I can’t read everyone’s newsletters so if you ever write something that you think touches on the topic of home in a unique way, please reach out to me. I guess basically I’m just trying to give my readers another voice and perspective other than mine
By the way I just checked out your site and you might be interested in the next guest post coming up. It’s from Holy Wr*t. A great newsletter you might wanna check out
Oh nice! I've heard of Holy Wr*t from other writers, as well as seeing the guy behind it pop up here and there in these community threads. I'll definitely watch for his work in Finding Home.
Hello! Substack baby here, just started this week. I have no idea what I'm doing, but am having lots of fun. Question: I'd love to connect with a specific publication here that publishes stuff similar to mine. Is it cool or obnoxious to reach out and toot my horn? Currently laboring in obscurity, but early days! I've yelled to my tiny Twitter crowd and my larger Medium crowd, but would love to meet some similar substackers. Thanks!
It is absolutely okay to reach out! The worst thing that will happen is that they won't reply. Also if you didn't know, you can contact any Substack by emailing substackname@substack.com.
I say blow your own horn! How else are folks going to know you're here? Have you joined the Substack Discord? Lots of helpful folks and interesting discussions on there.
Published my first podcast newsletter yesterday!! I have a lot to learn but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The topic, ironically, was "On Struggle and Progress". If you check it out, pro tips welcome!
Also in my second week of People's Research, a creative class for writers with Marlee Grace of the Monday Monday newsletter, and really enjoying being with my fellow "tornado people"
On an office hours last month I saw someone posting about The Sample.
The Sample is a website that collates newsletters and sends them out to its subscribers based on their interests. They then give a one-click mechanism for the reader to subscribe to your newsletter if they like it.
When you submit your newsletter, The Sample give you an affiliate link so that the more people you send their way, the more they will show your latest newsletter to their reader base.
I submitted Gentle Creative and did nothing. Within the first week I got 5 new subscribers. Then I subscribed myself and promoted it to my Substack Go group. So far I have received 16 new subscribers for very little effort.
Cali, that's awesome. My experience with The Sample hasn't been as successful. From what I've heard during various Office Hours, for some people it really works, and others, not so much. I wonder why...
At a certain point you stop getting many organic forwards and you have to either start paying or step up your cross-promotion in order to get any subscribers. Both of those avenues can be highly successful, though, if the content is the right fit. I find it really waxes and wanes, I think because the list has a decent amount of churn on it and there are always new people coming in with different tastes.
I was sceptical, especially when it says that you have to promote it to get referrals but so far they have come easily. And that motivates me to promote it!
I’ve had decent luck (both getting subscribers and as a reader). I also like that the guy behind the project is constantly tweaking things to make it better.
I hate to admit that I don't know how to use the Sample affiliate link. Where do you put it? Sample brought me some new subscribers when I first signed up and I would like to pay it forward but I can't figure out how!
They will have sent you an affiliate link. Just include it in a post like I have here and share it with other Substack folk. Next week I'm also going to share it with my subscribers as it is an easy way for them to help me grow.
Is there a way, in the app, to turn off emails for newsletters individually? I'd like to receive my own, to make sure everything looks good in the email format, but read everything else on the app.
Primarily through Twitter, for me. I talked to Substack about it here: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-7 But I have an unscientific theory about social media: maybe everything works, if you enjoy using it enough. I love Twitter (or at least, I love a part of it) and it makes me willing to show up and do a lot of things that don't work, on the way to finding something that really does. I know folk doing well via FB and Instagram and etc etc. because they stuck at them for similar reasons. So - what platforms do you actually enjoy using? I reckon the answer to that question will tell you how much stamina you'll have in using it...
For sure! I do all my own art for my newsletters, so Instagram has actually worked well as a way to share images plus a link to the substack post. Way overdue for instagram but glad they finally added that!
I'm relatively new to Instagram, and I haven't figured out the Stories option yet. Could you tell me how they work and how to create them? (simplified version is fine) The one thing I've read about stories is that they don't stick around permanently. Do you find value in posting the same content as a regular post and a story so that it sticks around longer? Or maybe as a story first and then as a post once the story time expires? I'd love to have an option to have a link that the reader can actually click on.
You can create Stories in the same "+" used for adding a regular post. From there, you can upload an image and have the option to add a URL directly (that's the key point of Stories, since regular posts don't do that). The posts do last longer, but they don't drive traffic to your newsletter as easily.
Thanks for Karen's question and your answer. I've always wanted to put a link on my Instagram posts, but didn't think you could. I've just done so now!
I think I've maybe figured out my problem for this. I usually post from my desktop, and you can only add posts from a desktop. I don't get the stories option unless I use my phone app. And I don't usually have the content available through my phone. I'll have to see if there's an easy workaround.
I really appreciated this idea from Caroline Chambers (https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-1?s=w), a food writer who has successfully brought her Instagram followers over to Substack. She used the “question box” on Instagram stories to manually capture readers:
Before I hit 10k Instagram followers and got the “swipe up” option, I would leave a “question box” on my Instagram stories and let people write their email, which I would manually add to my newsletter list. It was laborious, but totally worth it.
We have quite a few stories of writers who have built successful publications with limited or no pre-existing audience, though having people who already love your work can help.
I'm on Twitter, Instagram, FB, LinkedIn and I can't seem to grow my base on any of these platforms - it's so weird. Not sure why. How do folks get 1,000+ followers on Instagram? Have folks paid for assistance?
Elle and I know each other. We approach the game from different angles. My Substack is ranked just above hers in the fiction department. She's into serialization and community involvement. I post a new story every day and try to build community from within.
I would like a logo for my newsletter, so I am looking for recommendations for brand developers or graphic designers. I can make one on Canva, but I’m looking for a bit more. Thanks!
Hi Bex. I have used Vistaprint a couple of times - they have a community of freelance designers, reasonably priced, who are great at taking a sketch and making an excellent image.
I've been writing my articles since January and I've had some growth, but I feel like I've hit the wall of people from my network and personal life who are going to sign up. I'm now trying to find new ways to reach audiences, and wanted to see if anyone had suggestions on the best ways to reach people? My newsletter focuses on the intersection of gender, media and identity (what I have my master's in) - I'm finding it hard to promote on Twitter and would love to find a way to perhaps use TikTok but not sure how to translate the content to the video format. Any suggestions welcome! Thanks all in advance :)
why not look at masters programs around the world in this area, like the degree you got. reach out to the departments to promote, see if they have any related groups on campus. you need to find other people like you. good luck! oh - and if you have any alumni services, promote yourself there.
hey Anna, gotta admit I almost rolled past you but then I saw what your newsletter is about. Very cool. Have you thought about changing your name to something that better reflects this? I'll check out your 'stack (years ago I did work for GLAAD) but I gotta be honest, and please, I say this with kindness and respect, your current name just doesn't seem fitting or worthy of the topic.
Thanks, Jan! I'm pretty attached to the name, as my academic work focuses on gender, power and journalism and the name was a term given to women journalists in the 20th century who were deemed "too emotional" to write well. I'm not sure it's absolutely critical for someone to know the meaning of the title, I subscribe to lots of newsletters that have more vague, but still catchy titles!
btw, I just read your "About" and understand the reason for the title. Also a cool graphic. I'm just thinking about how you drive folks to your site when they dont know the reason for the title...
I'm wondering if anyone here has any growth tips they'd like to share. I'm trying to build my Brace Yourself newsletter, but it's quite a specific niche. We discuss what’s coming, how to adapt to economic instability, food shortages, societal upheaval, governmental indifference & anything else life throws at you. Increased self-sufficiency is our goal, through the lends of growing one's own food. Like I said...niche. But I'd love to hear suggestions how I can grow or improve!
I don't think you're as niche as you might think. Do some googling on preppers (doomsday preppers) and reach out to places they read, watch, listen. There are hundreds of thousands of them, if not more!....
Hi Carolyn! There's some great resources here https://on.substack.com/p/grow-4 that are useful. I think this is a good starting point! Let me know if you have more specific questions
I would like to start using Substack to build a following and also to publish some writing-book...however i worry that once I start I will be under pressure to post content regularly....so I wonder if I can begin without actually publishing until I get my writing happening in a reliable fashion? and then say go and start feeding some work to publish.
I would suggest starting out with free subscriptions. That way you owe nothing to your readers and can experiment all you want without feeling as if you have a paying job you can't leave.
There are many Substack writers, me included, who don't write on a regular schedule. I try to post at least once a week but if I don't it's not the end of the world. My readers are okay with that. We've talked about it.
Treat your newsletter subscribers as close friends, because that's what they are. They've chosen to open their doors to you, and that's a huge gift, but you be you. That's what they really want.
This seems like a chicken and egg kind of question. Honestly, I have found that the "pressure" to publish has made me a whole lot more accountable to myself and I keep showing up week after week because I have hundreds of people who in theory want to read what I'm writing. I have a novel I'm serializing for paid subscribers to my Story Cauldron Substack, and although that is "finished" I'm revising as I go, and it is forcing me to keep making progress. And on my Unseen St Louis Substack I'm writing articles that may turn into a book once I've written enough of them. If I wasn't publishing these articles on Substack I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be writing them at all.
So I guess what I'm saying is, go for it. Create your Substack and start writing. The worst thing that could happen is that it doesn't work out for you, but there's also a good chance that this is the motivation you've needed to start a regular writing habit.
I'm using my Substack in much the same way -- as a means of scaffolding larger projects. I do think that finding the balance of writing for the newsletter and for other projects is the trick. It's easy to overcommit. So far, my once-a-week posts on Substack are working out.
thank you Jackie....mostly my hesitancy is that i would like to get real familiar with using the system so that I wont get tripped up when I try to do a real live post. and I need to decide on setup choices, mission and topic category. Keith
I set up my newsletter with the “invitation only” mode checked, which basically meant it wasn’t public until I was ready to make it so. That way I could experiment with the design and test emails before going fully live. Maybe that would be an option while you familiarize yourself with all the features?
How do readers get access to new articles published by new writers on Substack? Should there not be a menu for all the new/latest articles published in a chronologically order? Likewise, should there not be a menu for articles available to all without any subscription? Something is amiss at Substack. I cannot even find my own article on Substack without a login. LOL.
We make sure new writers' publications are real and up and running before we index them in search. If you're publishing to a small set of readers actively, you should see yourself show up in search!
When I search my article by words in the title or anywhere in the body, it does not show up on Substack! How is a new writer supposed to attract readers if their articles are not indexed by words in their title or elsewhere in the body?!! New writers cannot become active writers unless their articles are read. It is a chicken and egg problem. How can one lay more eggs if nobody wants the ones already laid?!
It's worth experimenting and thinking about WHO is your audience. When might they have down time? When might your writing reach them at a time they need it most?
"The most trite piece of advice for growing your audience is to publish on the same day every week, at the same time, to build anticipation and trust. From my experience, it isn’t necessary for an email newsletter. I’ve experimented a lot: sending emails every Tuesday or every Thursday, morning vs. afternoon, weekends vs. weekdays—and my open rate is high and steady no matter when I post.
I think the silently-agreed-upon “Tuesday morning newsletter” can backfire. I subscribe to so many newsletters, and so many of them send their posts on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 8 or 9 a.m. sharp. I end up reading fewer of these pieces, if only because a bunch of them pile up, whereas if I get something in the middle of a Wednesday or late afternoon on a Friday, it’s like … Oooh, a little treat. Let me take a break from working and read something."
It’s highly dependent on your list, TBH. If you care a lot about optimizing it, you can test a few different times to see how it affects open rates. Otherwise, I would suggest publishing on the day and time that works best for your writing schedule.
Yeah I do similar. 5pm to tell the UK crowd it's time to stop work, 9am for west coast readers sitting down to get started. I occasionally do longer-form paid-exclusive stuff that I send out at 10am UK time on a Saturday to give people the whole weekend to read at the time of their choosing.
Whatever you go with, stick to it. There's definitely value in a consistent cadence.
Which could be the best strategy to build a paywall? I mean, I began my newsletter last week and I already hace 300 subs, but my main content, the value it has, is to be free. Is better to offer podcast or deep articles to paid subs?
It's tricky to urge people to invest in building a community, because of course you need to get a certain critical mass before that has value. But community is core to the value proposition of my newsletter - many people subscribe because they want to have commenting privileges so they can be part of the conversation and feel like part of something. I have a Book Club section, subscriber-only, which gets little in the way of views but which is a beloved part of the project for my most engaged readers. Again, you need to build a mailing list of a certain size before this works as a real enticement. But if you allow comments now, I would be sure to engage with them actively yourself. You could also make commenting privileges free while you grow the newsletter and then take them paid when you feel you have a big enough community. And, yes, you do have to find a way to make some subscriber-only content. But I've found that subscribers care less about everything being paid and much more about you demonstrating that you're finding ways to provide value for them.
In my case, I do 75% free, 25% paid. I’ve been surprised and delighted to see that a few people simply want to support the work I’m doing as opposed to getting “more” for their money.
My biggest controversial point is that my audience si Spanish, a culture entirely different to USA, for example. So I am not sure about the support they could give me because of just free content.
"If you’re a publisher of a paid newsletter, then, your goal should be to give as many people as possible the chance to fall in love with your voice and worldview. Those who do come to love your work will happily pay to get more of that good thing in their lives."
If you're not sure - test it! You might be pleasantly surprised. If you don't get paid subscribers just by saying "I'd really love your support" and explaining what you're building to make them really care about it...then you can resort to bribery. :)
Or, signing up with ko-fi, and dropping a link to your account in an occasional post for a "cup o' coffee," and occasionally get a 2- or 3-buck "tip" here and there. I just did that this week, and experimenting with it!
300 in a week is terrific! Is that an audience you've brought over from elsewhere, or built from scratch?
Regarding what to offer paid subscribers: it's worth considering that some of them might not actually want "more" - they just want to support you and see your work exist in the world. I'm not saying it's ever a bad idea to offer extra stuff behind a paywall (I certainly do it), but it's also easy to fall into a trap of thinking "oh no, now I HAVE to offer 100% / 200% more work than before just to hold onto these new paid subscribers." That's often a recipe for burnout. You can set a different expectation and not ask too much of yourself and your readers' attention spans.
(In my case, I try to go with an 80/20 rule: 80% free, an extra 20% paywalled. Seems to be working okay so far.)
TBH, there are 270 subs since last Monday, so it’s been almost two weeks 😂
Seems legit... So always focus on feee, but offering some privileges to wrap me around my paid subscribers and give them a bit of exclusivity in some way?
I see free as my most important work, because it's the stuff that will travel the farthest into the Internet and get read by the most people, so it had *better* be good. The paid stuff is more like a chat with friends or insider access - or the "stories behind the stories". It's intimate and a bit less crafted and a bit more rambling. But also, I'll be sharing chapters of a book I'm writing, and access to a writing course, so that's a bit of "useful" exclusivity as well.
What is "Hacker News." I have heard people refer to it as a tool or a medium which can boost one's readership. Perhaps I am unduly fearful, but the title is enough to make me squeamish.
`I appreciate your swift response. However, it's a big let down as I had been given the impression it could boost my readership. Given the site's subject matter, I don't think it would do any good for me as none of my verbal output has anything to do with either computer science or entrepreneurship. A neanderthal commie like me finds both of those things revolting.
I put all of my posts behind a paywall. Someone signed up for a free subscription. How is that possible? I don't want any free subscriptions. I want people to pay for my hard work.
Anyone can subscribe. They just won't be able to read anything.
Are you actually trying to build a readership, or is your Substack invite-only? I ask because if you're trying to grow your newsletter, it can be very difficult to get people to pay if they can't read any of your work.
This one is for all of us storytellers! "A business without a clear story resembles a car without an engine. No matter how much you kick, scream, or turn its crankshaft over, it won’t go anywhere. It’s no more than a dead vehicle sitting (or a dead company walking, for that matter).
Like near all things in life, I find business simple, but not easy.
It consists of two foundational pillars: spreadsheets and storytelling."
They do provide the ability via the podcast post. But that forced the player to the top of the page rather than providing a player embedded at a spot in the post.
My reason (one of them) is to show a progression of a song.. 1st mp3 might be a rough chord progression recorded on my phone. 2nd mp3 could be a snippet of same song after some lyrics were added. 3rd mp3 could be the final song or ???
And I want to include written commentary before and after those.
Just curious what you are thinking of using it for?
I had a post that needed one of the lines sung. That’s the way it’s best read. I would have had to record the whole post, then send only to paid subscribers.
I moved my paid subscription, Stripe account, to this one as I am mostly unconcerned with paid subscriptions for The Arrogant Sage newsletter. I'll revisit in the future and create another Stripe account... which brings me to my question.
Substack - any chance of making it possible to connect you Stripe account to more than one newsletter?
Oh wow, I didn't realize this was an issue! I just tried connecting Stripe to my second Substack and you're right - it can't be done! I got the message:
"Can't connect the same Stripe account to different publications"
@Substack folks, is there a way to fix this? I might want to go paid in the near future on my second Substack and this is obviously a major blocker.
Thank you for coming to Office Hours! Our team is signing off for today and we will be back next week.
In the meantime, our resources are here for you.
https://substack.com/resources
https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us
We hope to see on the last stops of the Substack (virtual) category tour. This is a meeting place for writers to connect directly over Zoom, and as a showcase for the wide variety of writing happening on Substack within a given category. Join us: https://on.substack.com/p/category-tour
See you soon,
The Substack Team
Katie + Bailey + Jasmine + Kelsa + Seth + Jack + Wyatt + Seth + Thoomas + Helen + Kyle
Thank you for coming everyone, and especially to the regulars who are *so* knowledgeable about Substack, and inspire us with their generosity helping other writers each and every week <3
Thank you! I've missed the last two meetings due to last-minute details on my latest novel, Geronimo's Laptop. Maybe my mind is foggy because I've had a heck of a time with the tech-details of my Substack site, but it's getting better!
Starting my substack is the best thing I’ve ever done! I would encourage anyone to do it and follow their passion 👍🏻
Just published my first Substack article today! Pressing Beyond.
Welcome to Substack!
Thank you, Katie!
Cue the 5th Dimension: "Up, Up, and Awaaaaaayyyyyy"!! Go get 'em, Linda!
Thank you, Brad! Exciting....
Welcome and best wishes! I missed today's thread, darn it, but always great info here!
Thank you, Lloyd!
Welcome to Substack! And congrats.
Thank you, Bailey!
Congrats! Welcome.
Thank you Chevanne!
Right on!
Thank you!
Congrats!
Just subscribed. Looks timely and helpful! Mine focuses on a mental health helper where I live-our city run ski area.
I will have to subscribe. Ski area? Where?
Thank you!
looks like you are also doing a podcast. I have one on another platform. curious about your experience with substack's.
What’s your podcast?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/active-voice-writers-respond/id1477728620
Very cool.....
Congrats, Linda!
Thank you, Sarah!
Congrats to you!
Thank you Joan!
Just subscribed, Linda. I'm looking forward to reading more.
Thank you Ramona!
Congrats and Good Luck!
Thank you Paul!
just subscribed. Looks interesting!
Well done. Join the club
Thank you Cali!
Congratulations!
Thank you, Carolyn!
I did it! I finally got a post go viral (for me)! 13k visitors and a 50% increase in subscribers from Hacker News. 🤗 This is the post that did it:
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-wisdom-in-kung-fu-panda
Now the pressure is on!
I also added a Comic to my newsletter:
https://moviewise.substack.com/s/good-times
➡️ A question for @Substack, would it be possible to add more categories or tagging for the different "sections" or "newsletters"?
In my case, I have 6 "sections" which are pretty different from each other. One is focused on humor, one is movie lists, one is an animated comic strip, etc. But I only have three tags to describe ALL of them under the main publication, "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies".
Could we have three tags to describe each "section" in a publication? 🙏
Wow awesome work! We need to do so much work on categories. Thank you for this recommendation, I'll share it with the team.
That would be wonderful Bailey! Thank you!!
You just inspired me to share one of my posts to Hacker News. Let's see what happens!
Yes! I think I found my tribe on Hacker News! The people who responded to my post I feel really understood what I'm trying to do with "moviewise." In the comments (164!), they delved into philosophy and history, the meaning of life, and the best ways to approach life that can be gleamed from great movies like "Kung Fu Panda". It was wonderful!
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30778692
There is nothing better than finding your tribe! So happy for you!
Absolutely! Thank you! I feel heard. I feel understood and appreciated. And loved. I feel loved 😍‼️
So great! Congratulations!
Agreed! Sharing to Hacker has been on my list for awhile.
Congratulations! And I agree about the categories or tags! Three for an entire newsletter can be so limiting…
This post deserved to go viral it was fantastic (like many of your other posts)! Looking forward to seeing the comics 🙌
newsletter looks great; have just subscribed
That's very kind of you! Thank you so much Terry!!
well done!
Awesome!
That's FANTASTIC!! What did you do that made it go viral? Anything in particular or just good luck?
I just posted a link, that's all. But I think writing about something that people love is the secret. When I write about lesser known films the response is not as high as when I write about a well known film with a fan base. For Hacker News—although I think it's true for any audience—readers appreciate something in depth that was carefully written and is meaningful, that is, worth their time and has something they can learn.
Thanks for responding. I’ve presented at pop-culture conferences on popular movies in the past linking them or rather analyzing them from a mythic perspective. But I haven’t done that in a while. I’ll check out hacker news in the meantime.
Wow, that's amazing! I'd love to do a short presentation at a pop-culture conference on the wisdom found in movies. But unfortunately, my PhD is from the school of hard knocks. 😉
Nicely done!
Dope
Wow! Congrats!
Substack, YOU ROCK. Just received an email to be featured on Substack Discover, but the best part is that they want me to submit other substack writers to be featured. Reply in the comments so I can help you get on their radar.
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! You are tireless in supporting other writers on Substack, and it is exhilarating to see you achievements acknowledged!
Thank you! Trying to be like you!
Nah-nah, I am trying to be TIRELESS like you!
well said!
Congrats, Shaun! Excited to see you on the front of the Substack page. I would definitely love to be featured, but also just happy to see you get more eyes on your work. You've been huge in bringing so many of us together in our Twitter hype pod.
My pleasure, thank you.
That's fantastic! I write/podcast about how to engage compassion in our work and creations without glossing over the realistic difficulties.
Awesome news. With your visuals, I can’t see how you COULDN’T be featured!
I’d love to be recommended too!
Thank you, on it!
Crime and Punishment has been picking up steam lately—love it if you'd give it a shout-out!
Congrats! Just subscribed to your substack to learn and improve.
Thanks so much!
Congratulations! I would love to be discovered on Discover, but I'm always happy to see that my friends have managed to get there!
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. I got you.
💕
Congrats! That's awesome!
Also.... <raising my hand>
Congratulations! And thank you for thinking about us all. I run a F! Simulacrum feed about the the way our perception of the world changes and how it projects on fashion and art and how culture responds back and shape the society. I keep it as a dairy with standalone articles for particular trends. Would be happy to know your opinion.
I will check it out! Thank you!
Fantastic news, congrats. I wouldn't mind a mention if poss. I write about life, literature and leadership, though not necessarily all at the same time!
That sounds great. Congrats to you. I would be interested in appearing. Let me know how I might reciprocate.
What would you like from me.. Yeah, of course I want to be on their radar
Recent stuff (Impassioned videos of me reading my stuff)
https://davidgottfried.substack.com/p/its-only-rock-n-roll-but-i-like-it?s=w
and
https://davidgottfried.substack.com/p/bobby-kennedy-the-ukraine-and-cuba?s=w
But somehow I suppose this is all for naught. I think they hate me. I wrote a few things that probably offended feminists and we all know what the debased, illegitimate left cannot stomach ANY criticism of the grand and haughty spoiled gilded ladies of Cambridge, San Fran, the upper west side, etc.
please help promote me sir!
Insidertraders.substack.com
Would love to build my substack! It’s a real passion of mine and I love bringing finance down to normal language and having fun with it!
Congratulations 👏 well done 👏. Would love to be on the radar. I write about my 10 years in Italy.
Thanks for the offer. I would love to be on their radar. I review movies.
Hey friends! I know deliverability is a common topic around here so I wanted to share this Q&A with deliverability expert (who knew that was a thing?!) Yanna-Torry Aspraki.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pySiYQ_5OMsj1U4r5XXLPru0NtiVg2FVaO5INBlNffk/view
In general, I highly recommend Dan Oshinsky's Not A Newsletter.
OMG - Substack should hire Dan. So much great advice and so many resources! Thanks, Elizabeth!
Not A Newsletter is fantastic, agreed. And it's kinda ridiculous that Dan offers it for free...
I simply can't imagine the point of buying email addresses and can honestly say the thought never occurred to me until I read that newsletter. I love that we don't have to worry about any kind of maintenance issue like she discusses.
Yes, that was a great breakdown, agreed. If your goal is engagement, buying followers can really backfire on you (especially with all the tools for spotting unengaged or even fake followers that are available for free these days). A list with people on it who really, really care, no matter how small it may feel in numbers, is worth more than gold in this newslettering lark...
Well said, Mike!
I know! I would pay for it.
Thank you!
The app is working great. I really like the fact I get alerts so I know when the latest editions of newsletters are posted! Thanks for all the hard work so far
Our app team is happy to hear!
Yes! Been loving the app. So convenient and clean.
I've been writing a free newsletter for a year or so, and considering offering a paid option but keeping all the content free and accessible to all subscribers, no matter whether they're free or paid. Curious to hear about other folks' experiences with this strategy, as I know it's much more typical to launch subscriber only content when going paid. (I have about 200 free subscribers, so still quite small at the moment.)
Hi Kate...I started in August, and have kind of given up on the paid option. It's there, fine, but I'd, frankly, rather have my articles just be read, somehow! My goal in writing in the first place, was to "document" my rare, behind-the-scenes travels in '70s-era rock'n'pop'n'punk circles.
I'd like to think it's pay-worthy, but my idealism has been replaced by a heavy sigh, and the resignation that it, apparently just may not happen (beyond a puny one or two monthly subs).
With all that said, I started a Patreon this week, and am in the process of transferring a small handful of my older posts there. Maybe I can shake some bushes there for subs. I'll "punch up" that presence there with what would be shorter posts of my shorter personal encounters with rock artists (just like on 'Stack, only they're longer) that likely wouldn't make the "normal" length I (and my 'Stack subs) are accustomed to.
I've also signed up with ko-fi, as well! Just experimenting with "the game"! We'll see how it goes! Good luck!
I just read your Sex Pistols article - it's great!! Brought back great memories!! I only ever saw Johnny Lydon but still have my Never Mind the Bullocks vinyl. You might not be finding the right audience - maybe find diehard music fans who go to conventions, read music mags (I don't even know what's around any more, sorry to say) - but I totally think you have an audience for this, especially with folks who were around during those times. You just need to find them - don't think they'll find you here on substack.
ps - maybe send a link to your substack to people still working in indie record stores - maybe they'll spread word. maybe create a 'zine flyer and email to them so they can print out and put by the register. Go old school! I used to publish a 'zine on The Who and worked in the music industry for 10 years, so can relate to what you're doing.
Good luck to you, too! The game can be brutal at times.
Hi Kate! I started my newsletter six months ago using the model you’re considering. I have about 850 subscribers now, and although all my content is free, 62 of those subscribers are paying. I’ve had people subscribe for free and then start paying bc they like the newsletter so much and want to support it. And I like keeping everything free bc what I want more than anything is readers enjoying my stories. I think it’s a great way to go.
That's great, Anne! How did you grow to 850 subscribers? I currently have 250, with 41 paying. I'm on FB, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. And once a month I feature a guest post from another Substack writer. Don't know what else to do to grow my base. All suggestions are welcome!!
Hi Jan! Wow‚ 41 out of 250. That sounds great to me! I'm doing what you're doing on social media. Plus a lot of what I do has a NYC focus so I am getting active on the NYC subreddit, commenting and posting what I hope are useful items from all over the internet in addition occasionally posting my newsletter. And when I do post my newsletter on Reddit, I create a special, stripped down edition that only includes what the subreddit would be interested in. Before I did that, the mods always took it down. Also, a lot of my subscribers came early on when a fellow Substacker with a big following asked me to write a guest post and he encouraged his readers to read to my newsletter. That just fell into my lap. It was so kind of him! I hope someday to have my own big following and help others the same way.
I'm doing that, Kate, making paid subscriptions optional. I only have 100 subscribers, and only two paid annuals, but I prefer to make it optional rather than to pick and choose who gets to read what. That feels awkward and exclusionary to me.
Everyone has to decide for themselves how valuable their work is, and for some, offering private services is probably fine. But not for me.
Wow, Ramona! My numbers and philosophy are almost identical to yours! That reassures me, coming as it does from a respected and smart veteran 'Stacker! I address this more fully in another reply on this thread! Thanks, Ramona!😉
Two peas in a pod. That's us! 💕
Agree 💯. I just started “the micro mashup” in January and my goal this quarter was to publish regularly. Haven’t quite hit the 100 subscriber mark yet but I’m having fun with my weekly 100-word microbursts (can you sense a theme lol). Still free but may soon offer a charity option if readers want to donate. It’s not about the money for me. It’s about the joy of creating.
I am doing that. I started with a paywall for most content, but it wasn't working and I didn't like locking content away with only a handful of people reading it. I checked with my 10 paid subscribers (out of 445 total) and they all said they subscribed to support me, not to get anything extra or locked away content. So I eventually removed the paywall.
I think it depends a lot on your newsletter. I think overall (with exceptions), creative writing gets more "patron" subscribers and non-fiction gets more subscribers paying for information.
I think there's something to the creative vs the more informational, which is definitely what we are, and probably why our paying subscribers have grown steadily over time.
Amazing, because we should all hate you for going to such wonderful places, ha! If there is anyone here who has not seen Brent and Michael Are Going Places, check it out. I keep using the gold standard term to describe their travel newsletter, but I've yet to come up with a better term. Check it out for yourselves!
Thank you so much! That's incredibly flattering!
Amazing, because we should all hate you for going to such wonderful places, ha! If there is anyone here who has not seen Brent and Michael Are Going Places, check it out. I keep using the gold standard term to describe their travel newsletter, but I've yet to come up with a better term. Check it out for yourselves!
It seems people are more willing to pay for information than creativity. Perhaps because it can be a business expense. 🤣
That might be the case. But I have over 18,000 free subscribers on WordPress and I'm thinking they are all bored office workers whose boss takes long lunches...
This is interesting because I think that is the same for people who pay for me. It’s more that they want to support my work than they are looking for anything extra.
I think it is more common than thought.
Publications that succeed not paywalling anything tend to be very public-interest oriented, for example Judd Legum (https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-2?s=w).
There are a fair number of writers who barely paywall anything - for example, Anne Helen Peterson only paywalls her "recommended reads" at the bottom of her long essays and Heather Cox Richardson only paywalls her community threads. https://annehelen.substack.com/, https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/.
A final option is to allow readers who can't afford subscriptions to get comped subscriptions (https://haleynahman.substack.com/about does this).
A few more examples to through in that publish via the donation model:
https://otherfeminisms.substack.com/
https://chinai.substack.com/
Thank you! Those are super helpful examples, and writers I respect a lot.
Hi Kate! A common strategy we see for writers starting out with paid subscribers is keeping the newsletter content free but shifting comments to 'paid only'. This way, the main product is still accessible but there's also incentive for free readers to upgrade their subscription.
Does this work well for people?
It seems to work incredibly well for the really big players—those who come to Substack with a large audience like Robert Reich and Michael Moore. But then again, it also has worked incredibly well for H.C. Richardson, who I truly love!
I understand this idea well. After years of teaching yoga, I came to realize that the saying 'paying is part of the therapy' is true, despite my resistance to it. I think the idea is that if we pay we have some skin in the game and feel more involved and a part of something.
Whether or not you go paid is up to you, as it what value you provide. The value can be the work itself or you can offer subscriber-only threads, posts, or maybe post the experimental stuff. Some people just want to support the good work you’re doing. You have to let them.
If you don’t want to go paid, maybe consider posting a PayPal link for one-time commitments.
I know a few Substacks who do that -- like Oldster -- but it seems to me that is more of a Patreon model. You're simply hoping people support you because they want to support you. That's a perfectly fine and valid choice but I personally that makes it harder to get paying subscribers.
Totally fair point. It's like saying, "If you value this work and the time that goes into it, consider paying" but there's little clear/added benefit for folks which is why I'm on the fence about it!
I have a pretty small list (200ish) and send out about 2 newsletters a week. For the paid newsletter, I still provide some of it for free, just not all of it.
People typically have conversion rates of 5-10%, so with 200 free subscribers maybe 10-20 will pay. The more niche the content, the more you should charge - at least if you dominate the niche globally.
I think you'll grow slower after going paid. Because paid posts don't lead to as many new Substack visitors as free ones do. But that's just my guess.
That sounds amazing to me. I started a few weeks ago and have 'only' 8 subscribers -- and one of them is me!
I just started, too, and have 29 and that includes me and my husband!
30 now!
And 9 for you now! Thank you, Terry! Us, newbies facing the great unknown together.
Indeed, Renee! Thank you so much!
I’ve been thinking about doing this as well, but I’m not sure how I’d frame it?
I know for me, I'm planning to start grad school in the fall, and I guess I was thinking about asking subscribers to help me continue to produce this newsletter while also balancing paying for school. Not sure how successful that would be, just a thought!
I have zero marketing knowledge so from me this means next to nothing. I think mentioning your starting grad school, I'd name the subject area, is a great idea to elicit support. I think people would be likely to want to contribute knowing you'll be studying and also putting out a newsletter. That deserves encouragement. Sounds like a good idea to me, but, hey, I know nothing, so others surely could better advise you. Good luck!
Congratulations on Grad school, btw! Nice work!
I'm also curious about if/how this works!
From speaking with my subscribers I know that many email systems are still sending newsletters from substack directly to the spam box. I wish there was a better way to make sure my newsletter gets delivered. This happens with many new subscribers who never get their first edition until I send them a reminder to check their spam box.
Hi Matt! One of these reasons we launched the Substack app was to be give writers the ability to be less reliant on email (and the potential spam filters that come with it). Would highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already.
Agreed.
I am about to start my most ambitious project of the year: a 30-day drawing challenge around the city. It will be shared as daily posts, featuring the art itself and also some words. There will be a weekly podcast with my observations of city life, and many video posts.
I am expecting a surge of new, free readers over the course of the month. But I would love to have a powerful, dynamic image on the Substack main-page to motivate free readers towards the paid subscription. Maybe something like a progress bar towards a goal of my choice - (5000 readers, $500/month)? I am able to do this on BuyMeACoffee, for example.
"30 Days of TinyPeople" announcement for the curious: https://sneakyart.substack.com/p/s27?s=w
Can’t wait to see this project. 🥳
Ooh! Excited to see this Nishant!
Feature requests: Center-justified text and anchor links - thanks!
We've heard this request for center-justified text before! I think one of our founders has historically been against center text for aesthetic reasons, but let's see if I can get to the bottom of this...
And please consider the spacing thing, too. I'd love to be able to create more white space between my paragraphs/buttons, etc., b ut it always defaults to just one double space, I believe. Thanks!
I use the "poetry block" to add a line of space. Here is an example:
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/fifteen-great-movies-each-written
I also use a Mac, and I can add white space by clicking both the "option" key and the spacebar. Look at all my white space here:
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/introducing-its-all-good-times
🤗
Hi Bailey - If this would matter at all to the founders, I just want to be able to center one section that I use as an intro each week, not the entire newsletter.
Yes, here is another request for text centering!
Would definitely want this. Not just center-justified, though. Just the option to control justification overall. And not just text either. Let's not forget images :o
Yes!
Center-justified - yes please
Ahhh. The Activity alerts are really great - and there was me thinking "oh dear, I'm so stupid I've missed these the whole time I've been using Substack." My ego is very relieved to learn it's a new feature...
I've been hoping for something like that too. It's great to see that feature arrive.
Indeed!
Lol. Came here to post the same thing.
Hi all, I was wondering if there was any news on adding a polling feature in Substack. I'd love to ask weekly questions to learn more about my readers. (I write A Cup of Ambition, a weekly newsletter for working moms and would love more info on the age of their kids, topics they'd like to see my cover, etc.). Thanks!
Hi Jessica! This is on our radar, though I can't give you a timeline around when this would go out.
Definitely second this -- polling would be SO useful!
Agreed! Does anyone have suggestions about good polls/questionnaires to use in the meantime?
I have also used Google Forms. It works perfectly fine except yes, people have to click a link and go elsewhere.
Oooh yes! I've done a poll on google forms, but that requires readers to go to another link and takes them out of the substack experience.
After reading Jessica DeFino's Grow interview I updated my About page and plan on following more of her recommendations soon. IMO one of the most helpful interviews in the series!
Great to hear that it was helpful!
Definitely agree! I love hearing about what's going on behind the scenes with writers but the concrete, actionable ideas are pure gold.
The interview gave me solutions to problems I've been having on using Twitter to grow. It reminds me strongly of Mike Sowden's technique.
I asked about templates when I started writing on Substack over a year ago. So I was thrilled when I saw the Templates beta in my Dashboard. Then disappointed when it turned out to be just a basic email template with no settings. I am hoping this will eventually turn into a full-featured draft template, with all the usual settings, that we can assign to sections. And that we will be able to create multiple templates (one for each section.)
I have been using drafts as templates and copy and pasting the contents into new drafts, but real draft templates will be great! Here's me hoping! 🤓
Thanks for listening Substack. Keep up the good work!
I shared this feedback with the team, Mark! We may be working on a solve here...
One of the reasons I started a newsletter is because I deleted my social media altogether and have zero interest in returning. Substack has a friendly format and approach and has been vocal about supporting free speech and giving creators control back, which social media has no interest in doing. The next step in this journey would be for Substack to build out a more robust set of search and promotional tools. Generating an automated sitemap.xml and submitting it to search engines would be an example. We need to look past a world that involves social media and come up with a better means to engage the masses. I'm wondering if Substack has anything on the horizon to that end?
Hi! I work on SEO (and some other things) here. Long story short, we do have a ton of SEO work going on behind the scenes, but it's not exposed to all substacks immediately so that spammers can't host spam / advertisements on substack and benefit from it. Sitemaps are one of the features that are behind this set of criteria, as Brian noted below. I see your account is relatively new, but as you keep growing these features will automatically kick in.
Unfortunately we don't make this criteria public so it can't be gamed/abused, but rest assured that you're on the right track for these to unlock soon.
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply Ben, and for explaining that. It makes total sense, and seems like a good strategy. I have noticed that my Substack was picked up by Google, and I think it's because I linked from my primary website, which does have a sitemap.xml and gets indexed. Looking forward to more writing!
Anytime! Not having a sitemap will not prevent you from being picked up or anything like that, it simply makes it so that Google won't discover the pages from a sitemap and instead has to "crawl" for them. They still can (and do) find your Substack and "click" links / explore your pages. Linking from your personal site is definitely a good way to get picked up and boost the SEO reputation of your substack.
You can actually already get a site map, its at YOURURL.substack.com/sitemap.xml. Though Substack has made it harder to submit this directly to places like Google since they’ve removed the option to verify your site in Search Console.
I do not believe this is available to everyone, or only to people that meet certain criteria. Unfortunately, I don't know what that criteria would be, but I think it's an example of one of a larger set of promotional tools that could be very handy.
perhaps @substack.com will share the criteria?
Hey! I don't think you'll get a notification for it, but I answered a little about this in this comment: https://on.substack.com/p/office-hours-34/comment/5701726?s=w
Fascinating—I assumed it was on every site, but maybe I unlocked something when I paid for the custom domain.
https://zoetic.substack.com/sitemap.xml returns a blank screen?
ive just gone live!
Congratulations!!
I've noticed more of our traffic is coming through Google, which is interesting. Also, one of our newsletters got picked up by a big website in Croatia, which was fine. (The newsletter was about a neighborhood in Croatia.)
Wonderful news! We've had a team working hard to improve our SEO. I'll share this with them.
I noticed that, too, about Google traffic!
That's fantastic!
Hi all and happy Thursday!
FYI, the new Substack app is displaying the content of our web archive rather than our emails, in case anyone needs to know that. Yesterday I sent out an email reminding people about our Fictionistas Zoom call tomorrow and, as always, I deleted the Zoom info from the web to cut down on potential Zoom bombs, only to discover that means the info also doesn't display for anyone who reads Substacks via the app rather than email.
Personally, I would prefer it pull the content of the emails for this and other reasons, but either way, I think it's important people know how it works.
Thank you for this important fact.
Unfortunately the app doesn't show the email headers and footers. So those features are effectively redundant. It will show the latest version of what's on the web, as you've just discovered.
Thanks for sharing that, Jackie! Important information.
Feedback heard! I know we considered both options for this. I'll share your thoughts with the team.
Has anyone who has gone paid have any experience they can share on collecting sales tax on their subscriptions? Other sites like Patreon handle this for you, but since we’re getting paid directly by subscribers and not through a centralized Substack billing system, it seems we would be responsible for figuring out if we need to collect sales tax, register to collect it in various localities, and take care of filing and paying the taxes.
Does Substack have any guidance on this? The only tax information I can find is on paying income tax, which is great help, but this seems like a big missing piece of the puzzle.
Most states have a chamber of commerce that provides this information. More often than not service based industries are not taxed. However, you should easily be able to find this for your state or consult a tax professional.
We have some guidance, including links to more information from stripe, here https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037463492-How-do-I-file-taxes-on-the-money-I-ve-made-on-Substack-
Also a more general "taxes" Q&A for Substack writers is here: https://on.substack.com/p/your-tax-and-finance-questions-answered?s=w
Thanks Bailey! Neither of these resources directly address sales tax, however.
Hi Adam, We don't add any sales tax, but depending on your state/country you may need to bake that into their subscription price or account for it at the end of the year. This stripe resource might help: https://support.stripe.com/questions/1099-k-forms-issued-by-stripe
Does Substack’s Stripe integration support charging for sales tax separately as opposed to baking it into the subscription price?
What is subject to sales tax, how to pay it, and the amount to collect, is going to vary by jurisdiction. Substacks may not be subject to sales tax in all states. Each writer should check with their state's sales tax authority for further guidance.
But it's not just about your state. It is potentially any state or country where your buyer lives.
Good question!
I have been wondering about the tax piece too...
I would like to know this too!
Hopped on late but this is so cool! Started writing on sub stack a couple months ago ♥️
Welcome!
Substack
Just wanted to let you all know that Chevanne from The Flare and I hosted our second Substack Talk - on Clubhouse this time - about using twitter on substack and imposter syndrome with coach Samantha Demers. You can find it here if you're interested - https://bit.ly/3uqlMRY
(Sorry if Chevanne already posted - I didn't see anything...)
Thanks. I'll take a look when Writing Hour is over.
Here! ✋🏾
Thanks for posting.
One suggestion that I read for getting our publications up and running is connecting with other likeminded writers and setting up opportunities to cross promote and interview each other on our own platforms.
Any idea how I can connect or find these people who would be actually willing to do this - like tomorrow? It's a great idea, and I want to turn it into action. Simply liking others' articles or commenting is not really bringing this into fruition though. There is an added step that I feel I'm missing, somehow.
Any advice would be most kind.
Hi Salma. I've been doing a bit of cross promotion with similar substacks. I'm careful who I choose because I don't want to let just anybody loose on my subscribers. You can email any newsletter by taking the newsletter name @substack.com. You're in the right place to find people. I try and attend office hours every week because it is a great way to connect. Just have a scroll through the thread an click on any newsletter names that look interesting.
Thanks Cali! So - You just email those and then ask them if they would feature you? Is that common practice/okay to do?
Yes, you can do that. You could ask for a guest post or if their publication is similar to yours, then suggest an article swap. Or do a post here every week. When asking, always think about how can you help them.
I've been active in the recent Substack Go! program the head 'Stackers began last month! Since then, a small group of like-writing folks have kept up bi-monthly Zooms. This has fostered a couple relationships from which trading info insight to each others' occasional posts has happened, as well as an interview!
And, as someone else said on this thread, perusing the Thursday Office Hours allows you to meet people. It helps if their 'Stack title/name isn't too obtuse or mystifying!
If it’s okay… I’m going to shamelessly plug the next topic of my newsletter 🙃
It’s about what ancient Indian philosophy thought about consciousness and the mind as it relates to psychiatric understating of the ‘mind’
You can find out more ( if you wish!) about me here: https://ancientmadness.substack.com/about
I’m on Twitter as well! You can find me here: https://mobile.twitter.com/AshSharma3_14
Sounds interesting and I like the title of your substack. I'll check it out!
So does yours! Mythology sound 🤯
Dope.
The activities alert is very helpful -- thank you for adding that!
Glad to hear that!
I love writing my stuff on Substack, but I think I've maxed out on my word-of-mouth reach and using social media gives me migraines. What else can I be doing to attract subscribers?
You don't have to promote on FB and Twitter. There are other places depending on what you're writing. I've had a lot of luck on Reddit for my history pieces, plus there's Hacker News, online forums, etc. You could also look at approaching similar newsletters and blogs about writing guest posts or asking if they would consider featuring yours. And then there are podcasts and TikTok and YouTube and other things.
Reddit is hit-or-miss. Many subreddits deplore us 'Stackers, and will instantly delete a post! But, I still do it, because of the occasional "hit"! I've engaged other 'Stackers with the interview/inter-post content adds, and it's been fun and successful!
As for YouTube, I've changed my ID name from my name to "Front Row and Backstage on Substack"! I'm subtle that way!
I agree - Reddit is awful
Well, and I didn't even address the clientele! That's a whole other..........! It's like hanging out at the railroad tracks!
I've been using a biz card to pass out to strangers, and hang on bulletin boards at Panera and Starbucks! My card is the photo you see to the left, with a brief one-line description, and of course, my 'Stack web address! I love chatting about my '70s rock'n'punk adventures, anyway, and hopefully, my enthusiasm encourages new friends to "check me out"!
I've even signed it in one corner (in gold or silver Sharpie), 'cause I'm just that pretentious, plus it just looks like a pic that should be signed. But, inasmuch as of the 4 lads pictured (the Ramones and a 22-year-old moi), I'm the only one still living, I thought I'd make it that much more of a collector's item (Ramones fans....where else can they see or find this shot of their boys)? Hope that helps!
As an old-school guy myself, I've thought about doing to card/sticker thing. I think I'll give that a try!
It's worth reading through this list of tactics - https://on.substack.com/p/grow-4?s=r
Don't forget that if you're writing is great, people will forward your emails too!
What?! You mean, good writing is a thing?!? Who'd-a thunk?😉
Outsource it if you have to, you need to market to grow.
by outsource do you mean, pay to market your Instagram? I've considered that. Do you have a specific group you'd recommend?
I feel your pain about social media but it's been the key to our growth as we close in our 2K subscribers.
Where have you had the most success?
Far and away on Facebook. I'd already belonged to a number of groups that were travel-related -- which is what we write about -- and I've been successfully able to steadily promote our content there without being spammy. I stick to the 90% rule -- 90% of what I post isn't about our newsletter, so that when I do post about it, people take it seriously. I've also recently started two Facebook groups of my own and am using the same techniques there. I'm also putting more time into Twitter.
ah, that's good. I've never heard the 90% rule!
Haha sooo...Tylenol?
It's been suggested in Office Hours to try cross promotions within Substack. How do we find ALL writers in a category and/or ALL who have entered a given tag? What we see now are the top 25 and (to take "Politics" as an example) they all have "thousands" of subscribers and even "tens of thousands". All nice people I'm sure, but they're not going to give us the time of day.
Hi Stephen, we only show the top 25 paid publications in each category, but if you click "See all" at the bottom it will take you to the Discover page. Once there, you can click "All" next to "Top paid", and you'll get an infinitely scrolling list of publications in that category.
I know this isn't ideal, but we're hoping to make discovery better in the near future.
Excellent. Thanks much!
Good question. Hanging around for an answer.
I started featuring Guest Posts on my substack once a month. Shout out to https://katemcdermott.substack.com/ and https://crimeandpunishment.substack.com/ for partnering with me. If you have a post that might fall under the topic of home, let me know. I'd love to work with more writers and grow our bases!
Your newsletter has a great blend of the profound topics tied together by the concept of "home," so well done right off the bat.
I'm curious - what do you look for in a guest post? I don't know if I'd be quite right for yours, but I'd be interested in hosting my own in the future.
Thanks, Kevin! I appreciate that. So far I’ve picked posts that I’ve read from other substacks and then reached out to the author. If I can relate to it then I think my subscribers will too. But I mention it here because obviously I can’t read everyone’s newsletters so if you ever write something that you think touches on the topic of home in a unique way, please reach out to me. I guess basically I’m just trying to give my readers another voice and perspective other than mine
By the way I just checked out your site and you might be interested in the next guest post coming up. It’s from Holy Wr*t. A great newsletter you might wanna check out
Oh nice! I've heard of Holy Wr*t from other writers, as well as seeing the guy behind it pop up here and there in these community threads. I'll definitely watch for his work in Finding Home.
Oooo… this might be up my alley. I’d be willing to do a guest post. I’m at theflare@substack.com
I just subscribed!
Hurray!
Hello! Substack baby here, just started this week. I have no idea what I'm doing, but am having lots of fun. Question: I'd love to connect with a specific publication here that publishes stuff similar to mine. Is it cool or obnoxious to reach out and toot my horn? Currently laboring in obscurity, but early days! I've yelled to my tiny Twitter crowd and my larger Medium crowd, but would love to meet some similar substackers. Thanks!
It is absolutely okay to reach out! The worst thing that will happen is that they won't reply. Also if you didn't know, you can contact any Substack by emailing substackname@substack.com.
Reach out: this community is really supportive.
I say blow your own horn! How else are folks going to know you're here? Have you joined the Substack Discord? Lots of helpful folks and interesting discussions on there.
Link for Discord: https://discord.gg/Yxy9KWWXcr
Love what I’ve read so far. I write personal essays if you’re interested in collaborating.
Published my first podcast newsletter yesterday!! I have a lot to learn but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. The topic, ironically, was "On Struggle and Progress". If you check it out, pro tips welcome!
Also in my second week of People's Research, a creative class for writers with Marlee Grace of the Monday Monday newsletter, and really enjoying being with my fellow "tornado people"
Congrats! How did you find the podcasting experience on Substack? We are trying to do a lot to improve those tools.
On an office hours last month I saw someone posting about The Sample.
The Sample is a website that collates newsletters and sends them out to its subscribers based on their interests. They then give a one-click mechanism for the reader to subscribe to your newsletter if they like it.
When you submit your newsletter, The Sample give you an affiliate link so that the more people you send their way, the more they will show your latest newsletter to their reader base.
I submitted Gentle Creative and did nothing. Within the first week I got 5 new subscribers. Then I subscribed myself and promoted it to my Substack Go group. So far I have received 16 new subscribers for very little effort.
Please check it out with my affiliate link: https://thesample.ai/?ref=c538
You can sign up as a reader and/or at the bottom of the page, you can submit your newsletter.
Cali, that's awesome. My experience with The Sample hasn't been as successful. From what I've heard during various Office Hours, for some people it really works, and others, not so much. I wonder why...
At a certain point you stop getting many organic forwards and you have to either start paying or step up your cross-promotion in order to get any subscribers. Both of those avenues can be highly successful, though, if the content is the right fit. I find it really waxes and wanes, I think because the list has a decent amount of churn on it and there are always new people coming in with different tastes.
I was sceptical, especially when it says that you have to promote it to get referrals but so far they have come easily. And that motivates me to promote it!
I’ve had decent luck (both getting subscribers and as a reader). I also like that the guy behind the project is constantly tweaking things to make it better.
Yes, it's nice that there is a human face behind it all.
Just submitted. Will see what happens.
Good luck.
I hate to admit that I don't know how to use the Sample affiliate link. Where do you put it? Sample brought me some new subscribers when I first signed up and I would like to pay it forward but I can't figure out how!
They will have sent you an affiliate link. Just include it in a post like I have here and share it with other Substack folk. Next week I'm also going to share it with my subscribers as it is an easy way for them to help me grow.
Thanks. I asked because I haven't seen anyone use in their newsletters and I've wondered where else they might use it.
I put the affiliate link in almost all my posts. You can see an example at the bottom of this one, for instance: https://xenin.substack.com/p/baw-004
Hi Ramona—If you scroll to the bottom of one of my letters you can see how I’m using it. I have a small CTA and embed the link.
What's a CTA?
“Call to Action.” When you ask a reader to do something (subscribe, click, etc)
Going live with Tim Lott's Writing Boot Camp at 5pm today! V excited.
Sounds fun, Tim. Good luck!
What time zone?
Is there a way, in the app, to turn off emails for newsletters individually? I'd like to receive my own, to make sure everything looks good in the email format, but read everything else on the app.
You can send a test email. It is in the settings for every draft.
Do most people who have a following on Substack also have a following on other platforms or do users primarily gain their readership through here?
Primarily through Twitter, for me. I talked to Substack about it here: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-7 But I have an unscientific theory about social media: maybe everything works, if you enjoy using it enough. I love Twitter (or at least, I love a part of it) and it makes me willing to show up and do a lot of things that don't work, on the way to finding something that really does. I know folk doing well via FB and Instagram and etc etc. because they stuck at them for similar reasons. So - what platforms do you actually enjoy using? I reckon the answer to that question will tell you how much stamina you'll have in using it...
When you wrote the 14 tweet section mentioned in the grow-series-7 piece, were all 14 tweets compiled concurrently, or by ‘adding a tweet’?
Adding a tweet! I'm definitely not that efficient or organised yet. :)
I've gotten a fair amount of subscribers from Instagram, and it helps that you can now add links to stories even without having 10k followers.
This is news to me, the fact that you could add links now. That's fantastic! Thanks for sharing that.
For sure! I do all my own art for my newsletters, so Instagram has actually worked well as a way to share images plus a link to the substack post. Way overdue for instagram but glad they finally added that!
That makes sense. I've been thinking of including more illustrations in my newsletter as well, and Instagram seems like the logical place to do so.
Also, I read some of your work and I just subscribed! Good stuff.
Really appreciate that! You're my 200th sub :))
Nice! Congrats! I'm glad I was able to get you over that 199. I'm 36 and counting! :)
I'm relatively new to Instagram, and I haven't figured out the Stories option yet. Could you tell me how they work and how to create them? (simplified version is fine) The one thing I've read about stories is that they don't stick around permanently. Do you find value in posting the same content as a regular post and a story so that it sticks around longer? Or maybe as a story first and then as a post once the story time expires? I'd love to have an option to have a link that the reader can actually click on.
You can create Stories in the same "+" used for adding a regular post. From there, you can upload an image and have the option to add a URL directly (that's the key point of Stories, since regular posts don't do that). The posts do last longer, but they don't drive traffic to your newsletter as easily.
Thanks for Karen's question and your answer. I've always wanted to put a link on my Instagram posts, but didn't think you could. I've just done so now!
I think I've maybe figured out my problem for this. I usually post from my desktop, and you can only add posts from a desktop. I don't get the stories option unless I use my phone app. And I don't usually have the content available through my phone. I'll have to see if there's an easy workaround.
I have tried over and over to convert some of our 10K IG followers but have failed miserably. Kudos to you for making it work!
I really appreciated this idea from Caroline Chambers (https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-1?s=w), a food writer who has successfully brought her Instagram followers over to Substack. She used the “question box” on Instagram stories to manually capture readers:
Before I hit 10k Instagram followers and got the “swipe up” option, I would leave a “question box” on my Instagram stories and let people write their email, which I would manually add to my newsletter list. It was laborious, but totally worth it.
We have quite a few stories of writers who have built successful publications with limited or no pre-existing audience, though having people who already love your work can help.
https://on.substack.com/p/how-petition-grew-their-newsletter?s=w
https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-6?s=w
https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-7?s=w
[Including Mike's story!]
Everywhere.
I'm on Twitter, Instagram, FB, LinkedIn and I can't seem to grow my base on any of these platforms - it's so weird. Not sure why. How do folks get 1,000+ followers on Instagram? Have folks paid for assistance?
Same here. I keep thinking there is something big I'm missing when dealing with social media. And it's such a time warp of yuck.
Currently: Medium, Twitter, Substack.
It's necessary. Substack just doesn't seem to have an organic base yet
I started with getting most of my readers from Twitter, but increasingly they're coming from the Substack platform itself
Fiction readers don't really flock to Substack like they do for tech and finance and lifestyle.
Okay. Perhaps look at Elle Griffin's Substack and Discord chat. I would imagine that she might give inspiration to fiction writers
Elle and I know each other. We approach the game from different angles. My Substack is ranked just above hers in the fiction department. She's into serialization and community involvement. I post a new story every day and try to build community from within.
Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, in that order.
I would like a logo for my newsletter, so I am looking for recommendations for brand developers or graphic designers. I can make one on Canva, but I’m looking for a bit more. Thanks!
Hi Bex. I have used Vistaprint a couple of times - they have a community of freelance designers, reasonably priced, who are great at taking a sketch and making an excellent image.
If I may be so bold, I'm a graphic designer and may be able to help you out.
I've been writing my articles since January and I've had some growth, but I feel like I've hit the wall of people from my network and personal life who are going to sign up. I'm now trying to find new ways to reach audiences, and wanted to see if anyone had suggestions on the best ways to reach people? My newsletter focuses on the intersection of gender, media and identity (what I have my master's in) - I'm finding it hard to promote on Twitter and would love to find a way to perhaps use TikTok but not sure how to translate the content to the video format. Any suggestions welcome! Thanks all in advance :)
To my surprise, I've gotten a lot of subscribers from Facebook. Are there perhaps groups there that might focus on what you write about?
Interesting idea, I had forgotten about Facebook a bit because I don't use it much anymore. I'll have a look!
why not look at masters programs around the world in this area, like the degree you got. reach out to the departments to promote, see if they have any related groups on campus. you need to find other people like you. good luck! oh - and if you have any alumni services, promote yourself there.
I just subscribed, Anna. And I love your newsletter name. It's perfect!
I just subscribed to yours, thank you Ramona! Appreciate the support :)
Thank you! Me too.
hey Anna, gotta admit I almost rolled past you but then I saw what your newsletter is about. Very cool. Have you thought about changing your name to something that better reflects this? I'll check out your 'stack (years ago I did work for GLAAD) but I gotta be honest, and please, I say this with kindness and respect, your current name just doesn't seem fitting or worthy of the topic.
Thanks, Jan! I'm pretty attached to the name, as my academic work focuses on gender, power and journalism and the name was a term given to women journalists in the 20th century who were deemed "too emotional" to write well. I'm not sure it's absolutely critical for someone to know the meaning of the title, I subscribe to lots of newsletters that have more vague, but still catchy titles!
btw, I just read your "About" and understand the reason for the title. Also a cool graphic. I'm just thinking about how you drive folks to your site when they dont know the reason for the title...
Thanks, I work as a digital artist in my spare time and did the graphic myself!
How do we kill post. I still show the "Coming soon" announcement from months ago and cannot find how to get rid of it.
Hi Stephen, you can delete the coming soon post by following the steps here: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041480932-How-do-I-delete-a-post-that-I-ve-published-
Thanks, Tex. I needed this.
Great. Thanks!
I was wondering that myself...
so anyone who wants to sign up for no-shit writing advice this is your space
Non fluffy, Tim?
Tell me more!
I'll check it out. (you got me at "no-shit" :)
I'm wondering if anyone here has any growth tips they'd like to share. I'm trying to build my Brace Yourself newsletter, but it's quite a specific niche. We discuss what’s coming, how to adapt to economic instability, food shortages, societal upheaval, governmental indifference & anything else life throws at you. Increased self-sufficiency is our goal, through the lends of growing one's own food. Like I said...niche. But I'd love to hear suggestions how I can grow or improve!
https://braceyourself.substack.com/
I don't think you're as niche as you might think. Do some googling on preppers (doomsday preppers) and reach out to places they read, watch, listen. There are hundreds of thousands of them, if not more!....
Thanks for your suggestion!
Hi Carolyn! There's some great resources here https://on.substack.com/p/grow-4 that are useful. I think this is a good starting point! Let me know if you have more specific questions
Thank you!
I would like to start using Substack to build a following and also to publish some writing-book...however i worry that once I start I will be under pressure to post content regularly....so I wonder if I can begin without actually publishing until I get my writing happening in a reliable fashion? and then say go and start feeding some work to publish.
I would suggest starting out with free subscriptions. That way you owe nothing to your readers and can experiment all you want without feeling as if you have a paying job you can't leave.
There are many Substack writers, me included, who don't write on a regular schedule. I try to post at least once a week but if I don't it's not the end of the world. My readers are okay with that. We've talked about it.
Treat your newsletter subscribers as close friends, because that's what they are. They've chosen to open their doors to you, and that's a huge gift, but you be you. That's what they really want.
thanks Ramona
This seems like a chicken and egg kind of question. Honestly, I have found that the "pressure" to publish has made me a whole lot more accountable to myself and I keep showing up week after week because I have hundreds of people who in theory want to read what I'm writing. I have a novel I'm serializing for paid subscribers to my Story Cauldron Substack, and although that is "finished" I'm revising as I go, and it is forcing me to keep making progress. And on my Unseen St Louis Substack I'm writing articles that may turn into a book once I've written enough of them. If I wasn't publishing these articles on Substack I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be writing them at all.
So I guess what I'm saying is, go for it. Create your Substack and start writing. The worst thing that could happen is that it doesn't work out for you, but there's also a good chance that this is the motivation you've needed to start a regular writing habit.
I'm using my Substack in much the same way -- as a means of scaffolding larger projects. I do think that finding the balance of writing for the newsletter and for other projects is the trick. It's easy to overcommit. So far, my once-a-week posts on Substack are working out.
thank you Jackie....mostly my hesitancy is that i would like to get real familiar with using the system so that I wont get tripped up when I try to do a real live post. and I need to decide on setup choices, mission and topic category. Keith
I set up my newsletter with the “invitation only” mode checked, which basically meant it wasn’t public until I was ready to make it so. That way I could experiment with the design and test emails before going fully live. Maybe that would be an option while you familiarize yourself with all the features?
How do readers get access to new articles published by new writers on Substack? Should there not be a menu for all the new/latest articles published in a chronologically order? Likewise, should there not be a menu for articles available to all without any subscription? Something is amiss at Substack. I cannot even find my own article on Substack without a login. LOL.
We make sure new writers' publications are real and up and running before we index them in search. If you're publishing to a small set of readers actively, you should see yourself show up in search!
When I search my article by words in the title or anywhere in the body, it does not show up on Substack! How is a new writer supposed to attract readers if their articles are not indexed by words in their title or elsewhere in the body?!! New writers cannot become active writers unless their articles are read. It is a chicken and egg problem. How can one lay more eggs if nobody wants the ones already laid?!
Any best practices in regards to day and time to post?
It's worth experimenting and thinking about WHO is your audience. When might they have down time? When might your writing reach them at a time they need it most?
I really liked with Jessica DeFino shared in yesterday's Grow interview: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-8?s=w
"The most trite piece of advice for growing your audience is to publish on the same day every week, at the same time, to build anticipation and trust. From my experience, it isn’t necessary for an email newsletter. I’ve experimented a lot: sending emails every Tuesday or every Thursday, morning vs. afternoon, weekends vs. weekdays—and my open rate is high and steady no matter when I post.
I think the silently-agreed-upon “Tuesday morning newsletter” can backfire. I subscribe to so many newsletters, and so many of them send their posts on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 8 or 9 a.m. sharp. I end up reading fewer of these pieces, if only because a bunch of them pile up, whereas if I get something in the middle of a Wednesday or late afternoon on a Friday, it’s like … Oooh, a little treat. Let me take a break from working and read something."
Been sending at noon EST on Sundays, gives people the whole week to read it.
It’s highly dependent on your list, TBH. If you care a lot about optimizing it, you can test a few different times to see how it affects open rates. Otherwise, I would suggest publishing on the day and time that works best for your writing schedule.
I always send at the same time (7 AM Central). East Coast friends can catch it on their commute, and friends in the UK get it at lunchtime.
Yeah I do similar. 5pm to tell the UK crowd it's time to stop work, 9am for west coast readers sitting down to get started. I occasionally do longer-form paid-exclusive stuff that I send out at 10am UK time on a Saturday to give people the whole weekend to read at the time of their choosing.
Whatever you go with, stick to it. There's definitely value in a consistent cadence.
I seemed to get more reads when I posted in the am.
Which could be the best strategy to build a paywall? I mean, I began my newsletter last week and I already hace 300 subs, but my main content, the value it has, is to be free. Is better to offer podcast or deep articles to paid subs?
It's tricky to urge people to invest in building a community, because of course you need to get a certain critical mass before that has value. But community is core to the value proposition of my newsletter - many people subscribe because they want to have commenting privileges so they can be part of the conversation and feel like part of something. I have a Book Club section, subscriber-only, which gets little in the way of views but which is a beloved part of the project for my most engaged readers. Again, you need to build a mailing list of a certain size before this works as a real enticement. But if you allow comments now, I would be sure to engage with them actively yourself. You could also make commenting privileges free while you grow the newsletter and then take them paid when you feel you have a big enough community. And, yes, you do have to find a way to make some subscriber-only content. But I've found that subscribers care less about everything being paid and much more about you demonstrating that you're finding ways to provide value for them.
100% agree
Thanks! I’ll keep on eye on your work and try to solve content issue.
In my case, I do 75% free, 25% paid. I’ve been surprised and delighted to see that a few people simply want to support the work I’m doing as opposed to getting “more” for their money.
My biggest controversial point is that my audience si Spanish, a culture entirely different to USA, for example. So I am not sure about the support they could give me because of just free content.
Here's why we encourage writers to make their best work free. Of course, you will know your audience better than we will. https://on.substack.com/p/why-free-posts-pay-avoiding-a-tempting?s=w
"If you’re a publisher of a paid newsletter, then, your goal should be to give as many people as possible the chance to fall in love with your voice and worldview. Those who do come to love your work will happily pay to get more of that good thing in their lives."
If you're not sure - test it! You might be pleasantly surprised. If you don't get paid subscribers just by saying "I'd really love your support" and explaining what you're building to make them really care about it...then you can resort to bribery. :)
Or, signing up with ko-fi, and dropping a link to your account in an occasional post for a "cup o' coffee," and occasionally get a 2- or 3-buck "tip" here and there. I just did that this week, and experimenting with it!
I have a Ko-fi account, too, and get some tips through it. Always a pleasant surprise!
Hahaha, love it. So... Thanks, Mike! I will do some research and test something in a few weeks!
300 in a week is terrific! Is that an audience you've brought over from elsewhere, or built from scratch?
Regarding what to offer paid subscribers: it's worth considering that some of them might not actually want "more" - they just want to support you and see your work exist in the world. I'm not saying it's ever a bad idea to offer extra stuff behind a paywall (I certainly do it), but it's also easy to fall into a trap of thinking "oh no, now I HAVE to offer 100% / 200% more work than before just to hold onto these new paid subscribers." That's often a recipe for burnout. You can set a different expectation and not ask too much of yourself and your readers' attention spans.
(In my case, I try to go with an 80/20 rule: 80% free, an extra 20% paywalled. Seems to be working okay so far.)
TBH, there are 270 subs since last Monday, so it’s been almost two weeks 😂
Seems legit... So always focus on feee, but offering some privileges to wrap me around my paid subscribers and give them a bit of exclusivity in some way?
I see free as my most important work, because it's the stuff that will travel the farthest into the Internet and get read by the most people, so it had *better* be good. The paid stuff is more like a chat with friends or insider access - or the "stories behind the stories". It's intimate and a bit less crafted and a bit more rambling. But also, I'll be sharing chapters of a book I'm writing, and access to a writing course, so that's a bit of "useful" exclusivity as well.
Here are some great resources around your paid strategy that may be worth reading: https://substack.com/going-paid-guide, https://on.substack.com/p/grow-5?s=w, https://on.substack.com/p/grow-6?s=w
I missed today's session because I didn't know about it. I just joined substack a week ago and I already have three posts. It's nice to be here .
What is "Hacker News." I have heard people refer to it as a tool or a medium which can boost one's readership. Perhaps I am unduly fearful, but the title is enough to make me squeamish.
Hi David, Hacker News is a social news website focusing on computer science and entrepreneurship.
https://news.ycombinator.com/
`I appreciate your swift response. However, it's a big let down as I had been given the impression it could boost my readership. Given the site's subject matter, I don't think it would do any good for me as none of my verbal output has anything to do with either computer science or entrepreneurship. A neanderthal commie like me finds both of those things revolting.
Is there a Writing category yet?
How has everyone else been finding the new templates feature??
👀
I put all of my posts behind a paywall. Someone signed up for a free subscription. How is that possible? I don't want any free subscriptions. I want people to pay for my hard work.
Anyone can subscribe. They just won't be able to read anything.
Are you actually trying to build a readership, or is your Substack invite-only? I ask because if you're trying to grow your newsletter, it can be very difficult to get people to pay if they can't read any of your work.
Thanks!
This one is for all of us storytellers! "A business without a clear story resembles a car without an engine. No matter how much you kick, scream, or turn its crankshaft over, it won’t go anywhere. It’s no more than a dead vehicle sitting (or a dead company walking, for that matter).
Like near all things in life, I find business simple, but not easy.
It consists of two foundational pillars: spreadsheets and storytelling."
https://www.whitenoise.email/p/storytelling
Another nag: I really REALLY really (really) want the ability to publish multiple MP3 files in a single post. Pretty please with a cherry on top.
Same. I’d like to post an audio clip. Or two.
They do provide the ability via the podcast post. But that forced the player to the top of the page rather than providing a player embedded at a spot in the post.
My reason (one of them) is to show a progression of a song.. 1st mp3 might be a rough chord progression recorded on my phone. 2nd mp3 could be a snippet of same song after some lyrics were added. 3rd mp3 could be the final song or ???
And I want to include written commentary before and after those.
Just curious what you are thinking of using it for?
I had a post that needed one of the lines sung. That’s the way it’s best read. I would have had to record the whole post, then send only to paid subscribers.
I hear you Matthew! You're not alone in wanting this :) Passing your feedback along to our product team.
I started a new Substack: The Google Automator:
https://thegoogleautomator.substack.com/
I moved my paid subscription, Stripe account, to this one as I am mostly unconcerned with paid subscriptions for The Arrogant Sage newsletter. I'll revisit in the future and create another Stripe account... which brings me to my question.
Substack - any chance of making it possible to connect you Stripe account to more than one newsletter?
Thanks.
Oh wow, I didn't realize this was an issue! I just tried connecting Stripe to my second Substack and you're right - it can't be done! I got the message:
"Can't connect the same Stripe account to different publications"
@Substack folks, is there a way to fix this? I might want to go paid in the near future on my second Substack and this is obviously a major blocker.