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. PDT / 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. EDT. We encourage writers to stick around after the hour and continue the conversation together.
Some updates and reminders from the Substack team:
Product news: Earlier this week we shared a rundown of what we’ve released in the past few weeks—from gift referrals to serialization tools and homepage customization. Check out what’s new!
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Motivate your readers to upgrade their subscription: There's more than one way to convert free readers to paying subscribers. The savviest writers and podcasters determine what to offer their free vs. paid subscribers through reflecting on their audience, business model, and value proposition. Learn from them in our latest resource on free vs. paid strategy.
Got questions about Substack or feedback about what’s new? You’re in the right place! Leave a comment in this thread.
Hi! I’m new here (though at first glance it appears I’ve been posting for ages because I imported all my Mailchimp newsletters).
I’m loving SS so far. I feel connected to my audience in a way I haven’t since the age of blogging. I’m continuing to provide writing advice and insights into publishing (what I did via MC) plus I’m now able to experiment with serialized fiction (I’ll be sharing a rejected novel chapter by chapter with my subscribers in the coming weeks.) More info on that project for those interested: https://erinbowman.substack.com/p/introducing-shutdown
Quick question: Is there an easy way to see the number of subscribers within a given section of my newsletter? (I’ve poked around the dashboard a bit and can’t seem to find this stat, but I’m likely missing something.)
You've got a lot of great content for just starting out! Definitely subscribing. I would love to see how serializing your novel on Substack works for you.
Thank you! The bulk of what you see was imported from my Mailchimp newsletter, which was active since 2014, so yes--many years worth of content. But I've only been on SS for about a month! I'm excited about the serialization efforts too. It will definitely be a learning experience :)
Erin, did you import your other newsletter so that new subs would have them? If so I assume your newsletter focus is consistent from the Mailchimp days.
Yes, precisely. I wrote about writing, publishing, and living a creative life over on Mailchimp and I'm still doing the same here on SS. So it made sense to bring over the old content, in part so that new subscribers could have it, but I also really like how SS has an archive and allows for organizing content with sections. I thought even old MC subscribers who still follow me here on SS (I imported my list) might appreciate being able to browse all that old content in an easy fashion.
Good luck growing your list! I've been experiencing really steady, organic growth since moving to SS; my Mailchimp list had been stagnant for ages, so it's so nice!
I've heard a few other writers take this approach. I'd be interested to see how serial fiction performs on here. I'm strictly nonfiction on Substack, but I've got piles of fiction without homes.
Yeees! I'm talking about you. And I do that same with my characters. I always look up name meanings (in my plays and stories). I always think of Charles Dickens (though I don't go soooo far with it) and also the actors who would eventually play the roles... giving them clues.
Nice work -- starting with some momentum already will help you out. Good luck! I'd love to hear how the serialized novel goes. I'd thought about doing that with a fiction project, too, but it's too far afield of my initial concept. Wishing you all success.
Thank you for the well wishes. As for serialization... I'm not sure how it will go. I'm trying to keep expectations low and approach it as a learning experience. We'll see what happens... :)
Welcome Erin! You had me at writing advice and insights. I'm always fascinated by process and behind the scenes. Subscribed and looking forward to reading through your serialization journey as well!
Erin ... I've been pulling my hair out with trying to get Sections to work. There is a way to see section subscribers ... it involves the Filter part of the subscribers section. There is a drop down menu ... look for "Receiving emails for" and fill in the name of the Section. Now if I could figure out how to get subscribers on my Section, I might have more hair.
Oh my goodness thank you!! I will have to fiddle with that filter. I was wondering if the solution was hidden somewhere in those very robust filter dropdowns.
When I imported my Mailchimp audience to SS, I set it up so that they were enrolled in all sections. I have a friend who didn't do that and is now fighting the same battle you are. So far, she's simply reminded readers to check their subscription preferences to ensure they are getting the sections of the newsletter they want, and then linking to the [yourhandle]/substack.com/account page. (I actually prompt my readers to this page often because some people don't want all the content, and I want them to know they can uncheck any of those boxes.)
Good luck ... I'm slowly realizing that I created a lot of confusion for myself and actually need two separate accounts. I'm going to spend a bit more time trying to set up the organization right this time. ;-)
Also ... for anyone else trying this ... I created the sections AFTER I had pulled Mailchimp list into Substack. That created a situation where people were ONLY subscribed to the main newsletter. I think your suggestion is the same thing Substack has told me but it wasn't registering. Thanks for your clarity.
If I'm remembering correctly, there may also be an option to tick a box that says something like "enroll all subscribers in this sections" when you are first building the section in the dashboard.
There are a few options there and they are confusing! I had to create a few test sections and subscribe myself and wife to see exactly how they worked :)
Hi Erin! Oooo I'd love to talk because I had that very same idea as a SS channel--serializing the next novel in my series, that is. How's that going for you? (Following now btw)
Erin - if I may inquire - how did you get the tabs on top? My substack (InjusticeAtWork) came with a couple of preordained tabs. Also, wish I was in NH this week! Foliage.
The foliage is amazing right now. And it's raining today, which is knocking some of it down. I hate when that happens.
As for sections appearing in the top menu... I feel like mine did it automatically when I created new sections. Unless you chose to "hide" them when you created them, I think they should appear on their own. This post might help https://on.substack.com/p/new-sections
Hi Katie, I’m eighty one, and I write about my life as an American married to an engineer whose work took us to various parts of the world. Recently, I write more about Saudi. I arrived in Riyadh in 1976 with a notebook and a camera. Now I share some of what I experienced. Incidentally, I had worked for Revlon in Europe; my plan was to order Revlon into Saudi. It didn’t go as planned. My story is “out there” in screenplay format with an agent. My Substack writing, in part, is written replies to many questions.
I've been writing my newsletter (mostly about female directed films - https://oldfilmsflicker.substack.com) for about 10 months now, but first time participating in office hours
Agreed! It's such a treasure trove of tips and insights and general support. I try to participate live, but even when I don't, I come back later to pore over this thread.
Hey Marya, just subscribed. Looks interesting. I'm a film fan. I live in N. Carolina now buy came from Los Angeles and working in film & TV. I wrote with a female director named Virginia Stone. She was wife of Andrew Stone, famous director during the 1940s and 50s. She directed about 20 of his films but he got the credit because back then female directors were mostly not a thing. I worked on a script with her called "Panda Run" which became "The Great Panda Adventure" prod by Warner Bros.
Welcome Marya! I'm an actor, future filmmaker, and writer who explores real life through fiction (mostly tv/film) on my Substack. Very excited to be introduced to Cool People and (obviously) very interested in your focus on female filmmaking.
Welcome to Office Hours, Marya! You'll find this an invaluable part of your week. All the threads/discussions can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but I promise--you'll get so much out of interacting with other Substackers.
Agreed! Overwhelming! I thought this was a place to get our questions answers by the Substack team but I’ve been coming for 3 weeks with questions and haven’t gotten a single answer from them…? I love the community aspect of Substackers but unclear on where to get tech answers about the platform?
This sounds like a really interesting concept. I've been wanting to write post about stories or novels adapted to screen and it would be fun to learn which of those were 1) initially written by a man and then directed by a woman; 2) those written by women and then directed by women (thinking now of The Lost Daughter), and to explore how the perspective added to the final result. If you have any thoughts on that I'd love to connect sometime. Meanwhile. I will go check out your newsletter.
American Psycho is a great example of a novel from a man that was directed by a woman (with a female co-screenwriter) that turns the whole thing on its head
Hi, I'm new here. I signed up for Substack recently and I want to get started but getting stuck on some things: choosing my newsletter name for one! I am skittish about social media (which my teen daughters find amusing and curious) but I do consider myself a writer and want to share my work and that's why I joined. I plan to write about some controversial material and sometimes I think I should just start and get on with it. I'm hoping this morning's discussion is the prompt I need.
Welcome, faith! I shared it with someone else today but I think it's worth resharing. We talked to Genevieve Roch-Decter yesterday who writes Grit Capital (https://gritcapital.substack.com/). She said this which stood out to me: “It can be quite confusing deciding what you want to start your newsletter about. You can overthink it and that can prevent you from from starting. What I would advise, and this is exactly what I what I did and it sounds selfish but it really isn't, I would write for yourself first. Spend a lot of time thinking, ‘What would I actually read? What would I actually find entertaining and insightful?’ Bet on yourself that there are other people like you out there.”
And for your name, you can always come back and change it.
Great advice, Katie (and Genevieve)! I'll add that I had trouble at first trying to categorize my writing. I write from life experiences that can be all over the place so it doesn't necessary fit in neatly packaged boxes. So I just began.
4+ months later and I'm still honing my "about" page and "welcome" blurb. One thing I've found helpful is collecting what others say about Release and Gather. I keep a running list from shout-out threads or other recommendations, and my readers are helping me describe what my newsletter is about. Sometimes it feels a little like tooting one's own horn, but it helps to know what others value about your work. And you can only know that after you get things out there.
"Holly's is fantastic! There is an art to making something like a trip to the DEQ engrossing for the reader. Holly does it." - Kevin Alexander
"...I want to also mention Holly Rabalais at Release and Gather, I always appreciate her candor and depth she brings to her writing..." - Mark Dykeman
"...delightful and insightful writing about people, life and the challenges that come our way. Poignant, thought-provoking and with lots of laughs." - Rebecca Holden
"I loved Holly's latest post about a weekend trip with her son, who was on leave from residential treatment program. For those of us who parent older teens and young adults, the stakes feel higher than ever. I appreciate her sharing slices of the messier side of life and parenting." - Jen Zug
I was hesitant to start my substack, so I get it. I'm about 6 weeks in and I wish I had started sooner. The substack community has been so supportive. Good luck!
I also was really hesitant to post my work, by my standards, I am a terrible writer. But I finally posted yesterday and it felt great. I think the key is to just go ahead and do it.
Thank you - I wrote my first 2 posts 2 months ago and they're still on my desktop! Inspired to know you've started and are glad you did (but wish it was earlier - oh, is existential guilt a gremlin!).
I had procrastinated for years and then I read "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. I started my Substack the next day. The book helped me see that I didn't need to have all the answers to get started. I have been making adjustments since I began nearly six months ago and have gotten comfortable with my newsletter being a work in progress. Writing consistently has built up my confidence too. I'd say dive in, the details will work themselves out as you progress.
Great book. Love how he calmly lays out the deeply troubling emotional fears that are resistance at its most desperate state to keep the status quo. The closer we get to our destination, the more we keep slip-sliding away... a wonderful lyric.
I second this! Substack is a good place to write about those types of topics. It's your newsletter; you're free to share your insights and opinions. I find that people appreciate when someone else says what they were thinking but were too scared or worried to say themselves.
As for social media...bah. I'm quitting it all and am happy that I'm doing so. There are plenty of other places to find and build community. Forums still exist! And Slack can be great.
Faith, I think you will find that even if you publish some "controversial material," this community is respectful and encouraging. It sounds like you are writing from a place of authenticity, and that resonates with others. Just pick a name and go. Heck, make your first post a poll if you're having trouble deciding. :) Just be you.
I write from life experience--in this season it's having a brother with leukemia and donating stem cells for his transplant as well as navigating the seas of having a young adult son in rehab. Is it for everyone? Certainly not. But I've had plenty reach out and tell me I'm helping them or a post has helped a friend they shared it with.
Write the words with confidence and click Publish!
Thanks so much for your message. I really appreciate it :) I am coming from authenticity (well, I strive for it) and am so close it seems. I am moved by your message and frankly love your name Release and Gather (so good!). And how wonderful and satisfying to have people reach out and be helped by what you are sharing. That is the ultimate in this space, I imagine. I'm reminded that it's time to no longer be bogged down by details and the disabling distraction of worrying about the appeal of what I am sharing.
I've been writing on Substack for just over four months, Theresa. I purposefully did not share to any of my social media accounts but instead reached out directly to a few people I thought would enjoy my posts. I would say that garnered about 15 subscribers. The rest have come from:
1) those friends recommending a post here or there
2) participation in Writer Office Hours discussion
3) reading and commenting on other newsletters, which often leads to discussion where others check out what my newsletter is about
4) recommendations by other Substackers
So overall, those last three have been key for me.
That's good to hear because I'm starting to dedicate time to 2 & 3. It's scary to move away from the "best practices" for marketing and growing a list and try something more community based.
Which is silly, because that's probably a way better use of time than writing threads on the socials.
I am honestly waiting very impatiently for your newsletter. I am actually going to be tweeting about trauma (church trauma) Sunday, my church is having a sermon on that and I will be evaluating the sermon. I can’t wait to see what you write about. I am so excited (can you tell 😂?)
Hi Faith! I think it's great you're using this as a place to exercise your voice and writing passion. Totally understand re socials and think you should do what you're comfy with there. Curious what's keeping you from diving on in?
Thanks for your message! What's holding me back is my subject matter and the integration of identities. In my day life, I am a therapist and I feel a resistance to writing about what I want to: healing from and surviving trauma, of which I have lived experience. I have some insight from the personal and professional. I am trying to break through my wall - and being on substack and hearing everyone's stories and encouragement is helping with that. (BTW I didn't see your message till now as I was working on my page).
Zero worries, thanks for the details! Oh, boy, I feel you Faith. I started as a romance novelist as I was also a high school teacher. So, keeping my daily life and writer life separate were super important!
In re writing about experience, that's exactly my niche here. I'm kind of rawly laying out parts of my life that until now I've kept covered up and neatly tucked away. But I don't think that helps me OR my clients. I want my clients, readers, everyone to hear a voice on a lived experience so they can look at their own journey in a new way, you know?
Very glad to have connected with you as we have much in common! Just followed you, would appreciate your follow back--maybe we can cross collab someday? But get your feet under you in the meantime. Happy to chat more if you fancy it!
Hello! I'm new :) I just launched a substack page called Waves! I write poetic antidotes to systemic issues, essentially writing essays about manifestations of joy, beauty and art in a context of political awareness. I just launched a new collaboration about embodiment a few minutes ago.
I love substack because it's cosy, the community I am creating is for people that intentionally take time to read my stuff. It's so easy to get overwhelmed in this world. I really am so glad also for the very many tips you offer :)
Looks interesting, just subscribed. I can relate to being politically aware while still striving to find beauty in every day, which can often feel almost contradictory!
I'm so glad you relate! The idea is honestly to form a community here, where we are in radical relationship! Connected through joy, beauty and art. It sounds poetic and abstract sometimes, but my very logical side brings me down and my writing is also quite pragmatic. Let me know what you think! Much love!
I am still a newbie here but have been co-publishing on Substack for three issues. I write The Nett Report, an award-winning, bi-weekly newsletter I have been writing for three years that brings stories about the political divide, climate change, the future of work/the economy, and Covid to my readers. It has won awards for writing, and I am excited to share it with new readers on Substack. It also includes a section called the Nett Light-Side that brings fun stories and videos to our readers. I am getting ready to bring my list over from my current publishing platform. I hope you will check it out! https://carlnettleton.substack.com/p/helping-the-world-find-common-ground
Looks interesting, Carl! Now is a great time to be diving into these topics in a measured, thoughtful way. We need more content like that and much, much less of the divisive yelling that goes on in the major social platforms and news outlets.
I’m another sort of spiritual, self-development writer.. sharing my stories of what I’ve learned about myself so far. Would love to connect with other likeminded folks! I’m really enjoying just writing and letting my thoughts flow, I don’t like to edit too much so hopefully my letters make some sort of sense! 😅
This sounds super intriguing. And there’s a load of neuroscience behind what you’re talking about. Would love to possibly write or collaborate on a article together? Or cross post?
Yes! I love the science that has been backing up the spiritual explorations (with meditation etc). It would be cool to collab, I’ve never written an article with someone before ☺️
Awesome. Yeah, basically we just come up with some ideas. We riff together. And if we want we can even write sections together, and then just create paragraphs that bring our eyes ideas together. Or one of us brings an article to the other, and we just add commentary to it that fits within the narrative.
Spirituality is an interesting genre. I just subscribed. I also write in that category. Your healthcare background will bring a unique voice to the table.
Both of your newsletters sound right up my alley, too, and I’d definitely be open to cross-posting. I’m a former pastor, and my newsletter is about mental health, self improvement, etc. I share my personal experiences and what helps me cope.
Hi! I've been posting on Substack for 11 months now—almost my 1 year anniversary! But writing my newsletter on ConvertKit/MailChimp/etc for years. I love Substack and this is my first time tuning in to this Office Hours thing! Thanks for organizing resources for us writers :)
My question is about the new Boost feature. I'm interested in trying it, but am hesitant to turn it on for fear that it will be emailing out to my list without me knowing it? Am I alerted when an email goes out? Or given the option to decline each time? I'd just like a bit more info on it I guess, before I turn it on. Thank you!
Hi Christine, great time of year to have an anniversary! I'm four months in, and I love it. Definitely keep coming to the Office Hours. It's chock full of helpful advice.
As far as the Boost feature goes, great points. I had similar questions about it.
Thank you, Reid! A dashboard for sub-features would be awesome! Thanks for that info and I would definitely feel more comfortable using the feature with those kinds of tools. :)
Such a good question. For me it's all about community. The more I write and post, (and in Juke's case, the more I publish other people's work too) the more interesting people come into my life. Plus, as someone who writes personal essays, the connection with readers has been such a pleasure. I find that writing can feel very isolating as an activity, so bringing my work into this public space gives it room to find friends. It makes my days much richer.
I write personal essays, too. 🙂 What motivates you to write consistently? I'm always putting mine on the back burner because it's not monetized and I'm afraid of dedicating too much time to it. Fearful of running out of runway.
I wish I had a good answer to that. Writing "consistently" has never been my strength. I write in fits and starts, but thankfully the fits come often enough to suit my needs.
One thing that definitely helps is feeling accountable to a publishing schedule. I publish a bunch of different people, which gives me plenty to do on weeks when my own writing is faltering. But I know I can't go very long without including my own work. And I would feel like I was letting my contributors down. So I think that feeling of accountability is huge.
Also, lower your expectations for yourself! Jotting down a bunch of notes definitely qualifies as writing. So does a stray paragraph here and there. When you hear it in your head, write it down. It all adds up.
Oooh, I love this. I used to do that all the time when I wrote fiction as a teen/young 20-something. I'd get bits of dialog or scene in my head and write them out. Thanks for reminding me!
A thousand times this, Tonya. I spent two years working on two different novels during the pandemic, and while I made serious headway, it also did a number on my mental health. The Substack community and my small but growing readership makes me feel like I'm a part of something, creating something, and not just sending digits into the ether.
For me. It’s that writing can actually alter the landscape of human existence. I know that sounds extremely idealistic and probably boring from that perspective. But I do believe that writing can help us change the contours of human behavior and our potential. That is what keeps me writing. :-)
Hey Amey, love the name of your substack. I've found that telling friends and family that I will write once a week has had a positive effect on writing consistently. A "positive" stress in a way. I wrote this in past essay "I believe the beauty of writing is its clarity; it allows you to figure things out. Our brains are a stream of twisting, fluid ideas, and writing allows our thoughts to take shape." Hope this helped and have a great rest of the day!
Welcome, Amey! I'm following through on a seed planted by a joke my sister made. The weekly cadence grounds my writing. I also feel accountable, to myself and my subscribers. That keeps me focused and consistent. What about you??
Great to meet you. I'm trying to do the same thing. I work full time and try to publish once a week. I have a notebook where i jot down ideas for future blogs.
I write because it's the best outlet I have to make an impact, even if it's a small one. I want to entice busy people into thinking more deeply about issues we face, so breaking topics down and considering various perspectives is the value I attempt to offer my readers.
If I couldn't write, I don't know what else I could do to help improve our collective situation. So, I guess I also write to alter the landscape of human existence, as Jordan Bridger mentioned.
Cool. The Wonder Imporium with some missing vowels. It looks like you and I share some of the same interests. My SS is called "Free World Theory." It's futurist stuff. I subscribed and will read your SS.
Substack is a great place to discipline yourself. I set a consistent posting schedule, and that has helped keep me accountable to my writing time. And the more you write, the more you improve. Welcome!
Hi! I just moved my newsletter (which is writing/creativity advice and encouragement, mostly for children's book authors) from Mailchimp last week, and so far I love it. I'm taking the advice from Substack Grow and doing a bit of a launch month, and then will get on a more regular schedule. I'm playing around with what will be behind the paywall, and looking forward to playing with organizing and designing my page. So far I'm impressed by how many more people each post is reaching than before (which makes sense -- it's a lot easier to share and read on Substack than it is from Mailchimp).
I've been procrastinating on Grow...how much time does it take to read through and implement? I know I should do it but keep balking at the time commitment!
I put aside maybe an hour a day to look at it last week. There are six parts to it. It was mostly helpful for figuring out how to set everything up (what's the best one-line description? what should go on my about page? -- that sort of thing). You can click through the lessons really quickly to see if there's anything that might be useful to you.
That's the plan. My Mailchimp strategy was to post an essay once a month. For launch month, I'm posting weekly essays, plus playing around with some of the sorts of posts I'm going to do behind the paywall. I'm still going to do a "big" essay for free every month. I'm still figuring out what's going to be behind the paywall, but I'm thinking one additional essay, a story prompt post, a Q&A post, and a video (I used to do writing pep talks on Instagram stories while walking my dog every morning, and have really pulled back from being on social media so much, so this gives me a chance to do the same thing, less frequently, and not on social media).
I love the name of your substack. Reminds me of an essay I wrote called "remedy for lazy ambition." Just subscribed and looking forward to your essays. All the best!
I’ve been writing on and off for some time but recently started publishing consistently. The recent helpful article on going from free to a paid version caught my eye. It’s something I want to get to but I wonder if anyone would pay at all. I think need to write more so I can offer longer/unique pieces to the paid members.
Hi Rizwan! I don't paywall any of my content and decided to offer the paid subscriber option early on. I think you'll find some people just understand the value of what you're doing and will become paid subscribers to support you.
We can't all support every substack we follow, right? But I've upgraded to paid subscriptions on several and not because I was afraid of missing out on something. I did it because I saw value in what the authors were offering--quality content that enhanced life for me in some way. That's going to look different for everyone, but I think if you show up consistently, write well, and follow your authentic voice, the paid subscribers will come.
Thank you for saying this. I so often get caught in the trap of thinking that I need to use fancy marketing tactics or "best practices" to attract readers. It's exhausting.
I do not have paid subs turned on, so take this for what it's worth, but--if you turn on paid subs without paywalling any of your content, maybe you'll get a couple paid subs without having to do anything! And if you don't get any paid subs, you're still no worse off than before.
Not sure if you saw On Substack's interview with Anne Kadet this week, but she's been successful in getting subscribers to convert to paid as without adding a paywall, essentially as a donation to support her work (like a PBS model).
Yeah I read the article and want to unlock that level of writing. 😀 I think I will focus on the quality of my writing before approaching the pain/f free content question. Thanks!
Don't we all! And fair enough! Only you know what the right next step is for you--which is one of the best and most terrifying things about writing. :)
I started with offering paid content but didn't have enough subscribers to justify the separate content, now, like Holly, I have chosen to see it as a way for people to support me because they value my work and once my numbers increase I will move to new content just for subscribers.
I’m new here! I just started posting a couple of months ago. It’s hard to get the word out since I’m not on any social media platforms. I’m still learning the ins and outs of Substack but I’m enjoying what I’ve seen so far! Does anyone have any advice on growing your Substack page when you can’t share it on social media?
Find your tribe here, connect with others, come to Tuesday Threads, be consistent and patiente ! And write everything you want, you’ll find your voice and your community by sharing!
Just be yourself. I'm not on social media either. I attend the Thursday Office Hours, subscribe to other people, and hit the like button on others. Eventually, you'll get a following.
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here’s a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you: no matter how tired, frustrated, numb, or bored you feel with your writing (and believe me, we all feel that way sometimes!), I'm here to say KEEP GOING. No matter who you are, no matter what you write about, you have a community hoping to form around you. You have someone out there who loves what you do, even if they don't know how to tell you. So write! And keep writing! Share so they can find you! It may take a little time, but I guarantee that the more you share, the more the right people will find you and surround you. Keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP!
Feeling down? Share below so we can lift you up. Feeling good? Who can YOU encourage today? 🌿
That is really the best advice: "Keep Going." You're right, the best way for me to battle those doubts and frustrations is to sit down and write. Every time I start looking too far downstream, when I'm thinking about what the next newsletter should "produce," this all starts to get pretty tedious and hard. I find that feeling very curious and remind myself that I've wanted the chance to write my entire life--so get to it. When I just sit down and write, and when I can manage to write things honestly-ish and authentically, things seem to take care of themselves. When I don't do that I end up railing about not being able to find Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts at the Bodega--or worse...
Completely agree, Randall! I think you've written before about how funny it is that the posts you feel less confident about tend to get the most engagement, and I think it's all about that vulnerability that comes when we push through. People can feel that and resonate! 🌿
PS. It's perfectly understandable to be annoyed when Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts are unavailable. They are a genuine delight. 😌
Every time you write something the first words that pop into my head are "that's exactly right," and there's actually documentary evidence of that. When I write "Thanks for Letting Me Share" at the end and then triumphantly drop the keyboard thinking I've just really nailed it, those are the days I hear crickets. It's the days when I struggle through it and have a hard time figuring out what to say or how to say it and feel pretty blah when I hit the "publish" button that someone says something really lovely and meaningful and I don't really understand how that happened because I thought what I had written was not so great, but figure I should probably do it again tomorrow and see what happens. Plus, it seems to be keeping me sober.
p.s. the more chilling thing is that people these days are unaware brown sugar cinnamon is even a flavor, when it is the Ur Pop-Tart. Sometimes it's hard to have hope about the future.
I need to keep this in mind, thanks. I write odd, somewhat spiritually based street fiction. Actually, I'm never sure what to call it. At any rate, it's not mainstream. I just started on Substack and have committed to publishing once a week. I like this platform because of the direct to email aspect and the fact that I can find other excellent writers to read. Reading the work of others is a form of inspiration for me.
I love using SS for my writing platform. I write daily short-form observational essays focusing on gardening which also include original photography my gardens (you could say my work is multimodal). These essays for the basis for twice monthly newsletter. I am interested in growing my subscription base, which as of right now is completely free. I send a mid-month newsletter focusing flower photography only, and I’d like to get it set up behind a paywall, but am a little intimidated to even try. (Biggest fear: What if no one subscribed to the paid membership?) I do have a small but consistent following on social media and promote my newsletters there, but it hasn’t really generate a lot of new subscriptions. Thanks for your insight!
Thanks for the encouragement! Its easy to feel down because of the numbers when everyone else is doing great but your words are a good reminder to keep going and sharing our ideas. 🙏🏽
Try not to focus on the numbers. Write, read, comment, and just show up. The numbers will climb. 2 or 3 weeks ago I was here at Office Hours lamenting that I'd lost a couple of subscribers and then seemed to be stalled (I think everyone agreed that the first couple of weeks of September were low growth weeks). Just a few weeks later, and I'm up 30% from that time.
How much time do you spend reading and commenting on other newsletters? I'm trying to get a handle on how to incorporate this into my own networking and schedule.
I really don't track how many hours I spend reading and commenting on other newsletters. I quit scrolling on social media earlier this year, so perhaps Substack has filled some of that time (with much more brain-engaging content!). I spend about half an hour in the mornings reading. When I get up from desk during the day to refill my water or throw some clothes in the wash (remote work is bliss!) I might spend some more time checking things out. And then there are evenings that I spend an hour or two (though not often) as I would spend reading a book or magazine.
When I'm short on time and scanning posts that have landed in the inbox, I copy a URL to a note with a comment about what the article is about so that I remember to go back to it. This helps, also, if I'm writing about the same topic and want to incorporate something the other author said.
Sounds like you fit it in where it fits. I think I need to do that! I just quit social media and removed all chat/community apps from my phone to keep me from obsessive checking Slack and Discord. Maybe I could use that reclaimed time on SS some days!
I wrote a post of my social media detox. I'm in recovery, and the more days I have under my belt, the less chance of relapse into that world of ickiness! :)
The numbers are a result of the process. I wrote an article about his exact topic earlier this week. Trust and enjoy the process and the results will come. But don’t chase the results because as you said that’s when it can start getting you down
It took me a few rough starts to get to the point where I’m enjoying the process without the need for the numbers, which do help but I feel like my change in perspective has made the writing enjoyable. Thanks Stephen! 😀
I'm currently working on my weekly issue that goes out on Fridays. And I am HYPED! It's the first time that I am doing a cross-posting collab. I feel so good about it. The joy of having a wonderful poet (I'm all about poetry here on Substack) publishing his art in my newsletter is just so energising. I can recommend it to everybody. And for me, it tastes like more.
Just wanted to share that in the hope it encourages somebody here. Keep going, keep writing, keep shaping your communities!
I completely understand, Theresa. Spinning your wheels can feel so disheartening, but the moment something finally "catches" and moves you forward? It's all worth it. Keep going! 🌿
The way I see it, there are three parts to the process of writing a newsletter:
1) Circling The Writing
2) Writing
3) Editing
"Circling The Writing" is when you're kinda chewing over an idea, and it feels a bit like you're procrastinating. But you're not! (Unless you really are. 😁But I reckon you're probably not.) And - you're doing the dishes, you're tidying a room, you're going for a walk, you're staring out the window with an expression that makes your loved ones think you've fallen asleep with your eyes open. ALL THAT STUFF. And it's important! Without this kind of wandering round and round the writing, looking at it from all angles and letting your brain play with ideas without panicking, you won't know what to write about and you'll just sit there, unable to start.
So here's the thing: if you're just sat there, in 2) - "The Actual Writing" - and absolutely nothing is happening inside and outside, and the cursor on your blank screen is flashing away and the panic is bubbling up... then get up, walk away and retreat to 1)! Go back and Circle The Writing, until the ideas are flowing.
It's not "giving up." It's not "defeat." It's not "being a failure as a writer."
It's just part 1 of the 3-part process of getting this work done.
And sometimes you just have to go back and forth between all three stages, again and again, until the whole thing is working in the way it should. This really happens. To *everyone*. (Including seasoned journalists - who then go away and do some more research, find more people to interview, more facts to dig up, etc.)
Yes--this is definitely my process at least! I feel like I spend the most time in the "circling the writing" stage, when I'm just trying to figure out what to say. It absolutely looks a lot like procrastination. 😂
Me too! SO MUCH. We might need a new name for procrastination that takes all the self-judgement out of it. "Brewing"? ("I'm just off for a walk to brew a newsletter I'm working on...")
I suspect I've just stolen this from something Mason Currey wrote in his amazing Substack about the habits of all the great writers: https://masoncurrey.substack.com/ This is probably what happened here. So - well, go read everything he's ever written. It'll help more than my comment ever could!
It took me YEARS to fully understand the revision process, that 2) The Actual Writing could be 2) Actually Terrible, and it was supposed to be (yes, I know, should have read Anne Lamott earlier), and my job as a writer is to make it better. Now I love the freewheeling stage between steps 2 and 3 where I can see what I've got down and find the one section, one paragraph, one sentence, one word, that IS the thing I want to write, and expand that into something better. (But I also do spend a lot of time in step 1), which for me is often walking my dog.)
Would you be up for discussing that stage at some point? I feel like that could help me out a lot. There are times when I sit down to write and spend over an hour trying to get to the main point...and never get there, lol.
And do you have a particular Anne Lamott book that you'd recommend? I keep hearing her name come up.
Sorry to jump in here, but I highly recommend "Bird by Bird". Every "how to write" book must be taken with a grain of salt, but that one is a classic for a reason! 🌿
Hi! Look at that! You're right over there! *julie squints assuredly into the distance like she's got the mythical eyesight of some magical northwoods creature and can see clear across the state of Maine*
I love the image of "circling the writing." I've started brainstorming when writing, using those circles and lines to connect ideas and thoughts, and it has made a huge difference in writing, giving me areas to jump into, looking at small pieces, maybe a sentence, or a paragraph, instead of trying to tackle an entire piece at once.
This is so true! I have found my writing cycle landing at this similar routine. I sit down and start writing, ending up not liking it then spending time doing other things and mulling over the ideas :P then I would finally sit down and edit.
Appreciate this reminder, Mike. This IS the process and somehow I always forget. Like, I literally just got back from a walk where I was mentally beating myself up being stuck and not moving some ideas forward, but maybe I'm just still circling. Which makes me wonder (would love everyone's thoughts):
What is the line between necessary circling and getting stuck in a loop?
Do you notice there is any particular thing/ action/approach that helps you find your way in to a piece? Or is it different each time?
I'm still learning my process (obviously) while also recognizing that it's not necessarily a linear, exacting thing, but I do notice that I toggle between 1 and 2 quite a few times before I find my entry point or exit point...
I think I'm stuck in a loop when fear enters the equation. If I realize that I'm not writing because I feel anxious or fearful, then I realize I probably already know what I want to say and how, and what's holding me back is getting there emotionally. But if while circling I feel calm or frustrating or curious then I assume it's the productive kind of circling.
Ooof- that's exactly it. Fear. And its sneaky counterparts. I still haven't gotten very good at recognizing all the ways that shows up.
I really like that you included frustration as part of the circling, though. I always think of that so negatively, but I think you're right- it's actually part of the shaping.
I think I'm going to turn this into a little sticky note flow chart for myself!
I'd love more people to answer that question, Tami! It's such a good one...
In my case, it seems like a fickle thing - if I have a process, it's a restless one, where I'm regularly dissatisfied with the exact approach I went with last time (a little voice in my head yelling "LAZY, STOP PHONING IT IN, TRY HARDER") and an inner child that wants to feel excited and a bit terrified by an approach that feels weird enough to be a bit of a risk? So the circling is where I pluck up my courage. Without it, I have no momentum (circling...momentum....hey, it works!) and what I write feels a bit too safe and not healthily creative enough. So, in a way, I never feel like I've circled too much and I'm trapped - but I regularly feel like I haven't held back enough and let my thoughts percolate.*
I also think this is what too much coffee can do to you. So it could be that instead.
Wow. So generous of you to share your thoughts on this here. It's without a doubt an area that writers, here and elsehwere, struggle with. Your encouragement and perspective "It's not giving up" etc. are extremely helpful.
Yes, circling the writing. That's a great way of putting it. I had an idea for a story last night, but just let it "circle" all morning and into the afternoon. Then while I was eating lunch, it began to form. For me, I need to have an opening that sets the tone. Once I find that (which sometimes takes quite a while), I can get started and keep moving.
It's like being in therapy. You may feel that you are going in circles around the idea, memory, or feeling. But perhaps the circles are the concentric rings of a labyrinth... and each pass is bringing you closer and closer to the center.
I’m new here! Im very intimidated to actually post to my Substack. I’ve changed the title about six times and I just feel so inadequate! Is everyone on Substack a professional writer or podcaster? Is this even a platform for complete novices like me?
"Professional" ---> "complete novice that has just done a lot more of what they're enthusiastically novicing than most folk have, and for much longer."
We all start somewhere! Once upon a time I felt just as intimidated at the idea of being a writer. And even after I actually started writing, I sometimes felt like an impostor. Go ahead and put those feelings aside and just start writing and publishing and you know what? You'll be a writer!
And this platform is for everyone. In fact, it's a great way and place to get started.
Don't let the tyranny of experts get you down! Expertise sometimes means over-narrow perspectives anyway. You have something to add to the conversation, so go ahead and add it. Pep talk over :-)
Very true! You just have to start putting your stuff out there. Some may love it and some may hate it, but Substack is a great place to find that audience even if it's a small one. It's also a great place to hone your skills without having to worry about being criticized to death.
Thank you for your encouragement! Yes, total imposter syndrome. Also, I was once a decent writer. Then I began a 20+ year career in Trauma/ED and Critical Care nursing. I'm relearning, which is where the podcast comes in. I do much better with the spoken word😏.
Nope! I am a humble fish biologist by day, have not traditionally published a single thing. It’s a large community here and you will find a lot of people who write for a living and a lot of people who have simply moved their blog here as a fun hobby, and that’s what it should be, fun. A writer is someone who writes and the only way to improve is to do it.
Thanks guys lol I specifically work in aquaculture now as we try to navigate how to feed the worlds population and restore the oceans. It’s nice to have something that’s your own though, and that’s what my WIP is to me. I’m writing a sci fi fantasy novel about the journey of the soul, slowly and steadily, and am beginning to share it here. I wish you luck on your endeavors, I think you will find Substack to be a unique community that can act as a solid springboard for your venture.
I'm not a professional, and while I do have a podcast, I don't update it anymore. I have a total of 50 subscribers after three months.
You know you can start a publication, then if you don't like where it's going start a new one, right? You can have multiple publications. Just keep going until you get it right for you.
Nope. I work for an airline in real life. Very few pros here. Those feelings are something everyone here has wrested with at one point or another. Go ahead and post! What's the worst that could happen?
Oh, and you can always change your Substack's name; I've done it. Topics too, for that matter.
We are all imposters, novices and scared children at our core. The only difference between the ones who are successful and those who aren't: the successful ones just kept doing the damn thing. Just send it R Casey, you will feel better for it, I promise.
Definitely not just for professional writers and podcasters! Mark Dykeman over at How About This? actually changed his Substack name and did a whole post on why. I can't find it at the moment, but the point it--just begin! Put yourself out there, start a consistent posting schedule that is doable, and go!
Hmmm...now my investigative brain wants to find out what 'stack that was. I thought it was pretty cool to say--"hey, this name isn't working for me, so I'm recalibrating."
Even if it wasn’t Mark, I love that someone did this and was able to be open about it! I think there will come a day when I have to change the name of my pub, so it’s encouraging to hear that I won’t be the first and readers won’t necessarily find it weird.
Nah, most Substackers aren't pro writers. What's great about Substack is that we all can write and be part of the platform without any previous qualifications, and if we create content that resonates with others, it can do really well despite our experience or lack thereof. I know lots of people who have never blogged before and aren't professional journalists but have very successful Substacks. So go for it and enjoy the ride!
Don’t give up! You can do it. “Just Do it”. That’s what I said to myself when I procrastinated for months before publishing because nothing seemed right and everyone else here seemed more accomplished than me. I wrote about that in my welcome post. Attaching link here in case if you feel like reading it.
I will be your first subscriber. I promise. If you have something to say that’s important to you and feel that others should read it then just go for it.
Substack is the place to publish what you want to write about. The people who share your viewpoints (or who don't but still appreciate what you say) will come.
I used to be really afraid of putting myself out there, too. Then I launched a podcast and did 55 episodes before retiring it due to time constraints. In that time, I found that I LOVED the medium and was less and less freaked out by the idea of publishing.
Here's a little secret I learned from that and from being a folk musician for a while: When it's your mic, you can't mess up.
Yes. Well. Just start. You'll grow into it. With every new issue you publish, you become less of a novice and more of a pro. Okay, maybe not the latter if you look at me, but you get what I mean. It's what Mike Snowden replies, it's what that Chinese proverb about the 1000 mile journey is about (it begins with the first step) and it's the often-rebuked-but-still-valuable-for-what-it-stands-for 10,000 hour rule is all about.
I think the beauty of substack and writing on the internet is that it does not have to be professional. If your goal is to make a profession of it, that go for it. If your goal is to enjoy a hobby, share some wisdom, go for it.
This is ABSOLUTELY a platform for novices - just like the entire world wide web! Hop on, publish often, make mistakes, and believe that you're 100th newsletter will be a little bit better than your 50th.
My newsletter is small and I’m not a professional writer in any sense. My philosophy when starting out was that finished was better than perfect...start getting your words out there, and everything else you can fix/change/update later if need be! Pressing “publish” on your first post is the hardest part. I know it’s intimidating, but you’ll be surprised by how welcoming and supportive the Substack community is. You can do it!!
I just started writing last month. So far it’s been great. It will take you a bit to find your voice so don’t worry about making everything perfect at first just get your voice out there. Best of luck. Check out some of my articles to get some encouragement
I absolutely will do that. I guess that's where I'm stuck. I always felt that I had to know what my voice is before I started. That is very good advice! thank you!
You are making a great point here. It is so exceptional, yet everybody here behaves like it's normal. That is indeed part of what makes Substack a great place. Applause for the Substack team, and all the members of the substack universe.
I think that products like notebooks, mugs, and clocks are good, but the t-shirts vary in quality. I think the printing could be a lot better for clothing.
I saw the change in quote choices, but had not had time to really play with that feature. Nice example. Is anyone else finding these options to help visually?
I think they fundamentally improve the aesthetic of the article when used appropriately. Also, I see your name a lot around here Holly. Power user! Good to see ya.
Ha! Maybe that's because I've traded my social media addiction for a Substack addiction? There's such great content all over Substack that I read a wide variety of 'stacks. And then I comment a good bit. I like letting writers know when something hits for me.
One difference is that the block quote is left justified and the pull quote is centered. I was going to use the pull quote, but more than one line of centered text is too hard to read, so I went back to the block quote to indicate a source quote.
Right, but if you already use one, why do you need a second type of quote?
As an example, one of the things I did in my longer articles was use quotes from the show I’m highlighting. I used block quote. Is there some benefit to using pull quotes other than the visual?
I tend to read via the audio feature so I don’t put much thought into the visual effects. As long as they can read/listen, does it matter whether it’s left justified or centred?
Block quotes and pull quotes serve two different purposes within the layout.
Block quotes contain an external quote, like when you bring in a quote from source material. They work for either long or short excerpts of text that are NOT your original words but are actual quotations.
Pull quotes set out and highlight a short quote from the body of the post’s text itself. This can be an excerpt of YOUR words OR pulled from the sourced text set in the block quote above.
I've noticed that the Substack folks use the various styles and quote types well in "Substack Reads." In combo with dividers, little interstitial graphics, typeface changes... they just pull it all together in a way that is visually interesting but not cluttered.
Oh I get that. But I used the original quote feature, which I think is block quote. I don’t see why someone would use a pull quote if they already have a block quote.
Same reason why people sometimes eat two desserts.....because they can! I use everything in my power (and in 'Stack's toolbox) to "adorn" my articles, whether it's pix, gifs, pulls, blocks....listen, if I could spray 'em with cologne, I would!
Anything to keep my readers from having to plow thru a forest of an un-paragraphed text!
It has been more than two months now since I started my newsletter and I’m interviewing my 10th artist tomorrow! I’ve got a lot of good feedback and improvements advice since then! I didn’t imagined it would grow like this! I just have one recommendation for the Substack Team, it would be the possibility to create pre-filled buttons directly in the settings of the newsletter (without having to change the text every time)!
Also, yesterday, I made my first thread asking for the small artist people are listening to these days!
If some of you want to share it with me feel free to write here or directly by DM on Instagram for the shy ones :
Greetings, Chris, and welcome! I don't ignore new music/musicians on my 'Stack, although, most of my content is based on my experience in FM rock radio and the record biz in the '70s and '80s. Regardless, you might find some things FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE of interest to you! And, who knows....a collab might be in our future, too! You're welcome behind the velvet rope line anytime!---Brad
Hey Brad, I actually subbed to your newsletter the other day after you posted in the Substack Writers Unite Discord. Your piece was really excellent. I'd love to possibly collaborate on something. Mind if I reach out directly on Discord?
Hey, Benjamin! May fellow 'Stackers know that Benjamin is a pliable fellow, as he and I are working on not only a collab, but a periodic series of sorts (monthly? maybe)!
He's been very open to suggestions as to our direction on this, so mad props to him for that among many other things! Plus, his "Small Ears" is quite unique and a welcome addition to our Music 'Stackers, covering a corner of little-known, current singers, bands, and songwriters few are covering!
I love your newsletter! Just checked out your most recent post and subscribed. I am always searching for new music to listen to, and it's such a treat to find the hidden gems. Looking forward to reading/listening more.
That makes sense; thanks for the feedback. This isn't a perfect workaround, but you can pin up to 4 posts on the top of your magazine layout—so that could also be a good place to manually curate.
I have the magazine layout, but cannot get more than one piece "above the fold". Maybe I don't have enough pieces yet? I just started recently and have only three stories.
I second this. Sometimes the most popular are popular by accident. It might be nice to have a timely “most popular” option. Like, if you have the most popular articles over the last month.
One of the newer Substack features I really like are the "new subscriber" emails that show what other newsletters a reader subscribes to. It got me thinking: Could Substack show me how much audience overlap my newsletter has with others?
For example, let's say Newsletter X has 50 subscribers in common with Newsletter Y. The authors might not know each other, or be recommending each other, but if they saw that in their Stats sections, now they'd have a reason to connect and cross-promote, potentially growing both their readerships.
Awesome, glad you're thinking about this! I'd definitely sign-up for "matchmaking" type emails that say something like, "Adventure Snack has X subscribers in common with Newsletter Y. Want to reach out?"
From the beginning, I adopted the model that offers all my subscribers equal access to my content. So far, I'm happy for the way it's worked for me. I have 700 total subscribers and 52 paid subscribers. It may just be laziness that makes me take this approach. I leave it to the conscience of my readers on whether or not to pay and I don't have to think about figuring out some other approach.
My main challenge these days is questioning whether or not my production model is sustainable. I write weekly personal essays and I'm running out of stories. I have no idea what's going to happen when the stories are all told... What happens if the well runs dry. I have a hard time facing the fact that every artist must go through "fallow" times, but my weekly production mindset has not allowed for that. I ask myself "What would it be like to take a break?" -- I'm scared I could never start again... Just some thoughts. All the best to all of you. I love Substack. Hal
Take a break, tell you readers that you need it and ask them their opinion on that. They subscribed because they want your words so I think that they can understand that you need a break
The problem is the solution! I love that. Seems like trusting your readers in that way and inviting them in is such a nice place to approach this from.
I’m certain that my readers would support and encourage a break. I’m pretty sure it’s me that’s the problem… “Who am I if I’m not producing a weekly Substack?” :)
Hal. I’m new to Substack just since this Sunday and write poetry and draw pics. I too am in my 60s. I am writing a novel for the last few years. I have a boatload of material but I’m not sure what or how much to put out. I have about 20 subscribers so far and have yet to share off of a number of avenues. Any hints on how you engage. You sound like you have loyal readers?
Also as far as your writing. How about asking them. We all have up and downs in life. Y oh probably have remarkable stories about raising family etc. Have a great day.
Hi Hal..........All I can offer is just open your mind and be creative! I exhausted my original goal of my 'Stack about 6 months ago.....sharing my "having met the stars"/backstage articles. Since then, I've created---literally out of my head and out of whole cloth---THREE new recurring lanes: Audio Autopsy, Inside Tracks, and GROW BIGGER EARS, with all three keeping me MORE than busy and quite ahead.
Plus, I'm working with Small Ears writer, Benjamin Kryze on yet another recurringly-themed lane of posts!
Rather than describe them here (he said cagily), I'll let you (and whomever) peruse my site for the titles, which will give you a much better idea of my aim for each than just my ramblings here:
After coming up with the concept and/or title (sometimes one comes before the other, and vice versa), I wanted to make sure it could/would be sustainable...that's key. So, open up your mind....even to a completely different goal and content theme than your previous. You got this, Hal...............now, go get 'em!😁👏
Hi Hal! I'm there with you, same model and same worry. I'm experimenting with an informal editorial calendar that sticks with weekly regularity but switches up the format: essay or two, discussion thread, "meta" writing about writing, perhaps a book review or list of things I'm reading/watching/listening to. This gives me more creative time between essays AND adds variety and interactivity for my readers.
I have this panic constantly! I noticed recently that my fear of running out of stories was preventing me from writing the stories I still have. I also get this very deeply: "my weekly production mindset has not allowed for that. I ask myself "What would it be like to take a break?" -- I'm scared I could never start again..."
Have you ever navigated a fallow time before? Or hit a pause and then been able to return with more ideas and resources? (asking myself these same questions)
There it is. Experienced the same. I'm on the elderly side (67) so I was worried too about forgetfulness. I decided to just start a draft whenever I remembered something that I wish to write about. I'll be working on one draft, and something will pop up that belongs in another piece. I go there and drop a few notes and then get back to the current piece. It gives me a buffer of future material. So far working for me. Taking a break? Is that an option for a writer? I mean, I may not be typing the material, but my mind is always about it. All the best!
I have a solution for you're: running out of ideas.
It's hard to get ideas when you ask "What do I do next?" Instead, INTERPOLATE. Interpolation is internal extension. So, instead of trying to find another idea, go into one of your existing ideas and ask, "What makes this work?" or "What is the precise definition of X?" or "How is X different from Y?"
It's like a number line. You start with 1, 2, 3 but then interpolate so it becomes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 etc. When you go further into concepts they tend to fall apart in many ways and that gives you endless stuff to write about.
Hi Chas. If I had read your reply first, I would have withheld mine. "When you go further into concepts they tend to fall apart in many ways and that gives you endless stuff to write about." In disintegration begins consolidation...and composition. Nice.
Hi Hal, this is a great idea. I'm looking for how to balance paid vs free--so your'e saying you tell your subscribers "pay what I'm worth" basically? :)
Interesting that you offer all your content free but have so many subscribers and so many paid ones. I'm doing something similar -- I make most content free, but I've posted some huge lecture series (some 40 hours long!) and that stuff is for paid subscribers only.
I have a solution for you're: running out of ideas.
It's hard to get ideas when you ask "What do I do next?" Instead, INTERPOLATE. Interpolation is internal extension. So, instead of trying to find another idea, go into one of your existing ideas and ask, "What makes this work?" or "What is the precise definition of X?" or "How is X different from Y?"
It's like a number line. You start with 1, 2, 3 but then interpolate so it becomes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 etc. When you go further into concepts they tend to fall apart in many ways and that gives you endless stuff to write about.
Have you ever done a "brain dump" of all the potential personal essays you could write? That's how I started my newsletter, The Journey Continues. I was reading some of my Dad's nostalgic stories and started remembering all kinds of things from childhood/teen years. Grabbed a notebook, jotted down a few bits from each memory, and wound up with something like 2 pages of prompts.
Thank you Theresa. Yes, I’ve done that and it’s been helpful. I guess I’m coming to the place of realizing how difficult this writing life is. I just love it so much when I find the flow. :)
It's Thursday again. Where are all my fiction friends at in the comments? Make sure you head over and check out https://fictionistas.substack.com. We wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the most amazing, crazy party of fiction writers on the planet.
We can try to answer as a community any questions about how amazing and crazy it gets, and there is a growing catalogue of helpful articles about the world of writing fiction on Substack.
Thanks for the shoutout for Fictionistas! We would love to have all fiction writers (and fiction-adjacent folks like memoir writers, poets, and other creative folks). We have our next Zoom call on Oct 24th, so we'd love to see everyone then!
I am here fiction friend. I started Substack recently and discovered the fictionistas, subscribed. I've been meaning to send an email about getting on the page that shows people's fiction pages, but it keeps slipping my mind. Also, hoping to catch the next zoom call. All the best.
Great! Thank you Brian! I've been feeling that fiction is very underrepresented in the Substacks that get recommended to me, etc. Appreciate what you're doing!
Hello subscribed and glad to connect! Right now I'm writing about life and observations, but I'm a novelist as well and am thinking of serializing my next book on SS. Glad to be in the writer community!
Awesome, we have many other writers who are in a similar situation, and who wanted to connect the same way, who are thinking about, or just toy around with fiction. All levels are welcome 😁
Hey Future Thief. Looks cool. I subscribed and will check your SS out. On first glance, it looks like you have posts that are part of larger works. Some singular posts. Some announcements to the readers. I do that stuff, too -- and have a question:
I've been frustrated with not being able to organize posts on SS better. I'd like to be able to put chapters in order, maybe insert chapters and keep the order, or just organize posts on the home page to have a more attractive layout.
You're illustration style looks really organized and gives a unified look. Do you get frustrated by lack of ability to shuffle posts around?
Then, what you want to do within the settings of your Substack is enable the Previous and Next post links for your section newsletter. That way the reader can navigate in order. What I've seen some writers do is include a link in every post in that section that is basically a "First Post in this Series" page. For the most part, I think authors have found that's enough to satisfy readers and writers. Let me know if you have questions on that.
I’m curious what everyone is doing with their newsletters during the holidays / month of December? It’s usually a pretty dead month and I don’t know if I want to wait to share some of my best posts in January?
Barreling straight through. I have some topics I post/discuss every year during December, but have some ideas for this year to make it more interesting.
Last year I did some year-end pieces and skipped a week or two. If I get my act together I’ll have them ready and front loaded a few weeks in advance. I saw a lull in readership over the holidays last year but I saw a spike on those year end pieces when people came back.
That's interesting to note about them connecting with those pieces in the new year. My inbox can get pretty deep, but maybe people like to save them and come back to them to catch up in January.
I'll keep going with my haphazard publishing schedule just like always. I probably won't write anything just before or on the holidays themselves but otherwise it's business as usual because for me the holidays aren't that overwhelming (no kids, no travel, etc.) Plus I figure there are plenty of people who will appreciate new content hitting their inboxes as the holiday whirlwind spins around them.
I’m planning to continue my twice-weekly publication schedule. I already know my topics, etc and will have them written well before their publication dates. A great feature of Substack is ‘scheduled posting’ - I used it when we went on holiday this summer and was able to not miss a post - even when I was halfway over The Atlantic!
Last year, I wrote some posts about the changing light with the transition to winter, some stuff about Vitamin D storage in the body vs supplementation… I’ll probably cover the same topics again but try to do it better and more clearly!
I just started my newsletter here so I don't want to take December off. It would be like starting a new job and then going on vacation, heh. Hopefully readers will be buying Christmas gift subscriptions for their family and friends!
For the past few years, I've taken a month off between mid-December and mid-January. Those first two weeks in January are helpful to build up my queue of posts.
My first post back in January usually gets a bump in opens, I think because readers are glad to see Adventure Snack back in their inboxes!
You could always frontload some posts as well if you really wanted to, but then you're still on the hook to interact with the community. I like the idea of resting at some point -- I'm pretty sure there was a Substack Grow post about that not too long ago.
I'm currently telling a longer journey story that could very well take me through the end of the year (I publish once weekly) but I might take a December "right turn" to tell some personal Christmas stories. Glad you got me thinking on this.
My weekly newsletter is looking back on daily selfies I took from March 2020 to May 2021. Each current week looks at the concurrent selfies from those dates in 2020. All that is to say, I'll keep on writing straight through. I might, however, make a greater effort to draft and schedule my posts ahead of time than I usually do. And I might consider taking a week or two off from my midweek paid subscriber email as well. But that's all nebulous at this point.
I was just mapping out the rest of the year and was curious about this too. In general, I toggle between feeling really motivated to hit my goals before the year runs out and
remembering that November and December are usually very broken up with other (important) priorities and it's just not a great time to push or expect laser focus. How did you navigate the holiday season in the past?
Last year I published my chapters straight through, and had one essay on Dec 20th that did really well and another on December 5th that did really well. (Actually both were extremely well performing posts). So maybe it isn’t as dead as I thought?
I am a writer and poet who has journaled and written most of my life about my experiences of growing up as an orphan - essentially living all my childhood in "boarding homes". I think there may be value for me and others if I create a Substack about these experiences,
Please do! I love reading memoirs. As long as you're honest with yourself and willing to be vulnerable, it will resonate with people. There is someone (or perhaps many someones) out there who needs to hear your story.
Don - please publish your story. We are foster parents and we really value hearing about people’s experience in care and I know our kids do too. You have such a valuable story to share.
That's so interesting. I write in memoir style too. Not quite the same but finding out my mother was actually my grandmother when I was nine. I write family relationship a lot. I think you should definitely give it a go.
Please pardon me for going a bit off topic but I think this post might be helpful to some. I wrote about my stalled or unfinished projects this week with the hopes that it might help me either put them to rest, permanently, or else motivate me to finally finish some of them. I think the admission might be enough to motivate me to move forward with some. Do you have have unfinished projects that are troubling you? Maybe talking about this will help.
It seems like my life is one big unfinished project. Congrats on 500 subscribers -- that's an accomplishment.
One of the nice things about having talent is you can get an idea, do it quickly, then move on to the next idea and not look back. On the other hand, lots of ideas need to percolate. Lately, I've been looking at it as "building" a story rather than "writing." Scrivener is a pretty good environment for building long form stuff (although the compile and output feature is horrible).
I also try to do not just long form stuff, but short pieces, too. That way I can get continually get things done. I post a lot of short stuff on my SS, called "Free World Theory."
I have so many! Some that haunt me, some that were worthy of being unfinished :-) But I have more and more finished projects, too, and that feels good.
I loved this post Mark! My brain is also feeling really cluttered with ideas in limbo. Did the writing or the publishing of this help- in motivation or release?
Loving the Android app! Or, rather I’m loving that my readers who use Android now have an app. Really helps their reading experience and makes it easier to leave comments and have a conversation. Great work, Substack team!💪👏🙏🏻
Hey everyone, I’ve been enjoying the platform for quite a bit (4 months) and I wanted to see what is the best way to grow my Substack subscriptions outside of following and commenting on other writer’s stuff. I don’t want to shamelessly plug my newsletter on Twitter or Instagram, but I really want to grow this newsletter in a year or two. Thank you
Welcome. For the first time last week, I promoted my substack on Twitter and Reddit. I didn't get any new subscribers, but my post views had a sizable jump.
Diving into social media can be intimidating. My advice is find a good subreddit that aligns with your topics. Reddit users seem to be willing to click through and engage further if you share an interesting post or snippet of your work. Just check the subreddit rules, as some forums prohibit promoting blogs/shops, etc.
This is such a great thought. I was actually thinking about reddit the other day and how I wasn't using it anymore. So thanks for that reminder. I need to find those who are seeking stories of personal experience that are encouraging etc. Need to find that sub-reddit.
Have read some of your comments I’m brand new since Sunday. I write poetry and blend w pics I draw. I’m under the faith and spirituality. How do I go to others sites that write in that genre?
r/selfimprovement is a very healthy and positive place. also check r/selfgrowth (might not be the accurate name). r/motivation is good too though usually a lot of memes/videos and some "grind culture" stuff which I find a little grating.
I wonder if it wouldn't be a fun idea for there to be Office Hours monthly based on different themes. Wellness and Health, one day. Sports, another. International Relations and Politics, another, etc. It would help grow our own communities before reaching out to others?
I wouldn’t want to lose this weekly open discussion with writers across all niches, but I do think adding a monthly one for writers in a specific niche would be awesome! I think it could be done without a Substack staff person having to be present.
I'm so glad to finally make the hours! I have it on my calendar all the time and can never make it. I have been writing my substack since this summer and am focusing on consistency. I only have about 33 subscriptions but they are devoted readers. I'm so grateful for that. It keeps me accountable. I recently read about Anne Kadet and how she keeps her Substack free with no pay wall but asks for donations. I love that. I think that's the route I'll go because of what I write - stories about the spiritual journey and growth. Everyone should be welcome!
I always miss it too! Plus, am I crazy or does the email say it's supposed to start at 1pm Eastern?The one time I manage to show up, I'm somehow an hour later than everybody else...
And I had the same reaction to the Anne Kadet email. I think there are a lot of readers who are willing to pay to support a publication, just in order to keep it going, without having to put everything (or even some things) behind a paywall.
You can get on to the Office Threads as soon as you get the e-mail. The "start time" is really to let you know when the 'Stack tech "suits" show up to help answer Qs.
Hi, I am looking forward to reading your 'stack! I write about faith and spirituality as well. For writers outside of the "hard subjects" like finance, politics, cultural commentary, etc., I think the "Patron" model of things is the way to go. It's hard to ask for $X/month for writings on my inner life - but probably easy to ask for donations or even Ko-fi tips.
I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on how you navigate time and structure within your process? And, does the framework you create to support you ever have the opposite effect (and what do you do then)?
My mind is definitely focused on process right now with my eyes fixed on the bi-weekly publishing goal I set for the rest of the year. Right now, I'm noticing that the timing and publishing structure I set to keep me accountable and focused is actually making me feel rushed and panicky instead to the point where I can't think or focus.
For me, I use both a tight and loose structure to help me along. My free newsletter edition goes out every Sunday but I don't necessarily have a set time I send it out. It's more whenever I feel like/get the inspiration/have time to write it. If I write it ahead of time, I'll schedule the post but often I'll write on Sunday and send then.
For my midweek, paid subscriber edition, I am more loose with the schedule. I don't have many paid subscribers as yet and most, if not all, are people are know in real life and I know I can be flexible with when that edition goes out. I write it sometimes between Tuesday and Thursday (these days, mostly Thursday) and usually write and send on the same day.
I feel like if your publishing structure makes you feel rushed and panicky, it might be worth trying something new or asking further questions of it. What is the goal of the publishing schedule? How do you want the publishing schedule to aid your writing? What are other ways you can set yourself up for success? It's so hard to stay accountable to oneself and forcing a schedule that is not working might make the accountability harder. I find I am so much more productive when I work with myself and my tendencies as opposed to against them.
I love these questions. And, as I think about the answers, you're totally right- somewhere along the way, I stopped working with myself. The goal was never the schedule itself. Thank you for the helpful reframes!
Hi Tami, I was really inspired by a recent post that might help answer this question/give you food for thought: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-20-anne-kadet - it's about Anne's strategy to grow her newsletter. One of the major themes was she keeps a consistent and structured approach to how/when she publishes. It creates and reinforces trust with the reader. I've found that to be true for me as well. Knowing I have a small - but mighty - group of folks who have subscribed to my newsletter, I have told them that I will post every Sunday about xyz. The structure keeps me honest, accountable and focused on delivering that value when I said I would. I think it's really ease to shirk responsibility and put off finishing articles if you don't have a framework. TLDR: structure is essential & the best/most popular newsletters all have their own process & their readers trust them for this
Totally. I also really enjoyed Anne's grow feature and understand how a consistent publishing schedule supports the readers. I'm more curious about what happens when the structure doesn't support the writer- less from a shirking of responsibility place and more from a practical process place...
I love the new media assets and have been using them on IG (https://www.instagram.com/shanewriter/ or search @shanewriter) - they look so much more professional and polished than the screenshots I'd been using before.
The Android app is very nice too - occasionally comments don't load so well, but that seems intermittent rather than persistent to me.
I should have said this in my previous comment, but thank you for reporting the issue! And if you experience it or any other issues after upgrading, please let us know.
Hi there! I was interested in adding new links in my navigation bar as a way to sort/organize posts I've published. But then it seemed like I had to create a new section for the link to work. Then when I got to sections, I had a choice between additional newsletters and additional pages. Could you explain the difference between these two? Newsletters vs. Pages? I think Newsletters is what I want to organize posts, but if I do this, then won't my subscribers have to subscribe to multiple newsletters when they sign up for my posts? Ideally all my posts would appear on the home page, but I would use the navigation bar as categories to group similar posts...
They changed the name from “sections” to “additional newsletters” recently which I find confusing. But additional newsletters are basically sections of your newsletter that you can organize your posts into. A page is just one single page (like a single post).
The terminology isn't great. On my page, "The talks," "War Journals," and "Fiction" are all considered separate newsletters that populate as new columns: https://agowani.substack.com/
I had that question also, and figured out that for me the best option was to add a page in the navigation bar. You can see how that came out at https://www.introvertupthink.com. But your motive might be different from mine...
I want to thank Nikhil Rajagopalan for answering my questions two weeks ago about how to add links to my Substack navigation bar. Following his instructions, I've completed doing one of those - a link for my online courses related to my Substack, Introvert UpThink, and I plan to add one more navigation link to a FAQ page about Introverts.
The result is that these two additional navigation links will facilitate organic traffic and upsells.
Almost too late to the hour, but hello! I write about how social media is changing the way we interact with place. I have had a blog for years, but have decided that I’d like to start afresh and more seriously, and after months of deliberating on name etc have started here on Substack 👋 I’d love to know whether publishing via the (fantastic) app will be available any time soon? And equally keen to read through all these comments and see if I can find fellow writers with similar interests. Best wishes from a rainy east coast of Scotland 🌧️
Hey everyone! I started my fitness nutrition newsletter a few months back. Things are going great. I'm getting good feedback, but I'd really like to get more people interacting. Any tips?
I want this too and would love to hear tips on how to get people to engage in the comments! I usually ask for ideas, insights, or questions based on the topic, but don't really get many takers.
Totally! One of my most loyal readers has asked me to start hosting office hours after I post and I’m still nervous about it. I decided to create a separate section of my newsletter for them so people can unsubscribe without leaving the main publication in case anyone finds them annoying. I’m going to start next week and I feel kind of excited about it but also worried no one will have anything to say. Only one way to find out, tho!
Yeah, I created a little "clubhouse" section--but it's been mostly crickets. But if no one shows up to your AMA, that's no big deal, right? It's embarrassing maybe, but you need to start somewhere.
Yo! First off excited to read ur newsletter I just got back into lifting and wanna be eating right too !!
What's worked for me: asking super specific questions, like a post all about "what's your fav exercise?" or "what is the one thing you hate about the gym" or whatever - things that ppl are emotional about but don't require a ton of time for them to answer.
You could also ask them to just intro themselves, answer a couple quick questions about who they are.
Hello fellow substackers! Have any of you had success posting on Reddit? Any suggestions? I'd love to grow my readership and I've heard this is a good strategy.
I tried promoting in reddit recently and had a decent amount of people click through to my substack. Here are some things from my experience.
Find a subreddit that aligns with your topic. The more specific the subreddit the better.
Engage with the subreddit in more ways than just promoting your work. In the subreddits that are more regular-sized (under 100,000 users) , regular posters and commenters become recognized presences and people will grow comfortable with what you share.
Check the subreddit rules to make sure the subreddit allows posting links or promoting your own work.
Don't just share your work - ask for critique, commentary, or clarity on what you've written. In my experience Redditors can be a helpful tribe and they will check out your work if you give them a good reason to.
Of course! Reddit is not a perfect place - but there are some really great gems among the various subreddits where people are supportive and eager to help each other be creative.
I could be wrong about this, but I thought I read that Andy Weir ("The Martian" author) got help from a subreddit on making his space-themed sci-fi scientifically accurate.
Hi! I just read the same thing this week. I think reaching out to the potential circles that could be interested in your subjects through reddit is definitely a go-to but have no idea how I'd even go about it. Same with IG.
I've tried it a few times - didn't get much traffic. Reddit typically has a lot of rules around creating/posting content (rather than just commenting on an already existing post), so it can be tricky even getting something posted. Having said that, posting your content every possible is a great idea - you never know where your next subscriber is going to come from!
Agree with what everyone's said - the key I think is to really dive into any and all of the subreddits that you think might be a good fit for you and become a genuine part of their community. Most subreddits have strict DO NOT PROMOTE policies, I know cuz I've violated a ton of them hahaha
Another thing certain subreddits love is artist / creators telling their story, like when I made a digital series a few years back I did an AMA (ask me anything) on r/iAMA and it went to the front page of ALL of reddit - it was wild lol.
Go to reddit in your browser or app and start searching for subreddits (aka communities) that interest you. I like r/philosophy, r/religion, r/catholicism, and r/depthpsychology as these are some of the things i also write about on my 'stack. I also like r/watercolor and r/crossstitching.
The larger subreddits (like r/funny) can be hard to get started in as they have millions of users. Go for the smaller communities (under or around 100k).
Hi! Thanks so much for building this amazing platform and to continue to engage with us writers 🙏 I can’t stop recommending it to others!
Probably this has already been asked or suggested, but I find it would be good to allow readers to make single donations to writers, regardless of subscribing. I know some people set that up and then link it in the posts to another platform but it will be super if donations were integrated in Substack as an alternative or complement to paid subscriptions.
Substack has been asked this question, and their response has been that their focus is giving writers a stable income and donations doesn't bring that, so they aren't planning on doing it. Although Substack doesn't endorse it, you can do a "buy me a coffee" of "Ko-fi" button as an option. I've done that and it's worked quite well for me.
Something that came up for me this week is that I have several scheduled drafts that I wanted to double check the publication settings on, and I couldn’t do that without unscheduling them first. Not a big deal but it was kind of frustrating having to unschedule and reschedule every single post just to make sure a box was checked/unchecked.
When you click on a title in the scheduled list, there's a button in the lower right corner of the screen that says Settings. Actually I think it's there, scheduled or not.
For the longest time, I didn't see it and was hitting Continue (at the top of the screen) where you would need to cancel a schedule to go to the settings.
You shouldn't need to unschedule them. You can check the actual post at any time, and if you need to check settings, you should be able to check those as well.
1. I love how discoverability is working on the platform. It’s super encouraging as I grow my lists.
2. Is there a way to upload a file for a giveaway item? Have I missed this or is it not a option? I’ve been redirecting people to download from my Gumroad store so far.
You can drag a pdf from your desktop into your welcome email (or any posts) and it will be embedded there for anyone to read/download. Is that what you mean?
I confess I'm slightly confused by the gift referral program. I know once we opt in, Substack has a schedule to send them out to subscribers. But are we able to do that ourselves, either to our entire list or to folks we select? Thanks!
The gift referral program doesn't seem like a win for me because I don't paywall my content. So it's kind of like--here, I'm gifting you this access that's already free. :)
Piggy-backing on Michael's ask: Will we be able to know, somehow, if any given gift ref sub actually CAME from someone's ref? Like, "on your list from Referral" or similar? Thanks!
I really enjoy these catch ups. Everyone is so supportive.
I’ve been on a bit of a journey with my newsletter and have been really brave this week and posted for the first time about it on LinkedIn. It was scary! But great!
I had been getting a little despondent with very few subscribers so far so hopefully this will help. Your positivity keeps me going.
Will do. I’ve been growing my LinkedIn following for this purpose and that’s been going really well so this was the time to launch the newsletter on there.
I’m writing a newsletter post on my experiences with LinkedIn for next week.
If this was live, guess I missed it. I just started the 633 Newsletter about a guy with a book who is helping prison inmates and their loved ones, written after he had his wrongful sentence vacated by an appeals court. I'm Substack's new biggest fan.
PAID SUBSCRIPTION SECTION - Finally got my business account, Venmo and stripe connected so I'm also working on different subscriber levels. Paid subscribers start at $9 All of them include gifts boxes from really basic cards with small packets of loose leaf tea. Idea being that I can host a virtual tea salon for people who can't always attend these things in real life due to COVID risk. Here's my question: Yes I will need to charge for postage. But how do I price things for overseas mailings. There's a section that I've forgotten how to find on pricing but it's not clearly connected to the monetization feature. Is there a blurb explaining how to price gifts for subscribers?
I too have run into this. While substack doesn't have a fully fleshed out e-com to account for shipping, I tried to make sure the premium level of subscription accounts for shipping cost. That said, foreign postage is crazy expense and the only way to maybe explain this to overseas subscribers is through a direct email and a link to a stripe purchase for the gift which has shipping added, though this is very problematic at best and requires a large amount of trust between the two parties.
I am curious how you see podcasts and voice-overs working together. I currently provide a "read-aloud" for each of my posts. Do you see the voice-over that I can upload directly to the article as a replacement to the podcast episode I would otherwise upload separately? It's only confusing b/c the podcast then becomes a second post. What's your recommendation?
It seems Substack have already made changes here: when you have uploaded a VoiceOver to your post, in the post settings (visible when you are about to publish), you can now switch on "add VoiceOver to podcast feed".
I like that format! I need to see how much flexibility you have in the "episode details" but I could see turning a lot of my audio posts into podcast posts.
I'm curious about this too. I've been integrating more audio into posts, but still haven't taken the leap into a real official podcast, partly because I don't know whether it makes more sense to just create a normal post with an audio embed.
Hey Anthony, love your substack name. I would also like to know which is better. I started today and began doing voice overs for my essays. I wonder which is best? Please comment if any of you have feedback or advice.
Is there any chance the Substack team can also create a feature to do template blocks? I’d love to create ads, highlighted thoughts, etc. from a template that I don’t have to reinvent every time I make a post!
1.Riffs on news (reading widely internationally and across the partisan divide and trying to think about news in a different and more independent way)
2.Riffs on the artistic/intellectual web
3.In-depth book reviews
4.A short story
5.A long-form essay. (This week's is a reported piece on an Afghan-American who endured three months of Taliban captivity.)
It's been a real pleasure to work on this and to get immersed in the Substack community. I feel like I've been waiting for something like Substack to come along since about 2005 (and instead we get a 15-year wasteland of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc). It's really been wonderful to begin exploring everybody's work.
Hello Substackers! I switched my blog posts here recently and am learning and loving the change and community. I share a weekly writing prompt for folks learning to use writing as a tool for healing and wholeness. Some of my readers are exploring writing as a spiritual practice. (You define spiritual and I’ll help with the practice.) Others are writing through grief, which is how I started down this road 20 years ago with a writing group of fellow bereaved mothers. Glad to be here, and thanks for office hours! My question: is there a way to see who unsubscribed if they aren’t paid? I had a reader unsub by mistake.
I can’t answer your question; just wanted to say I love your concept of sharing a weekly writing prompt to help people write through grief or use writing as a spiritual practice. Journaling daily is so helpful to me, as is writing online. One of my articles on Medium is titled something like “Writing Online Is The Best Thing I’ve Done For My Mental Health,” and it’s true!
One of my favorite takeaways from Grow was using custom dividing bars to enhance your newsletter's visual theming. I've been using custom dividers for awhile, but I noticed that Substack's templates insert the default gray ones (for example, in the headers and footers). It'd be awesome if there was a way to upload your custom divider in the backend, so it'd be inserted into your emails in place of the default one.
Hi everyone! I thought I posted this already but can't seem to find it anywhere in the thread. I launched my Substack two months ago and added a paywall in September. I've managed to get over a hundred free subscribers, which is thrilling. I've also managed to get some paid subscribers, many of whom are friends (very kind of them). But I'm wondering how I might reach people I don't actually know. My Substack is called "I Had No Idea This Would Happen," and I write about recovery and being a single mother by choice. It's self help for people who aren't into self help.
I honestly don't know. It's been a very big surprise. Every time I write a new piece, I post about it on Instagram and Facebook with either a selfie or a photo of my new baby and include a link. I'm not even on Facebook that much, which is probably not great, as I should be replying to comments (I think?). This is what seems to have worked so far.
I started my SS about a year ago. I write The Influence, a newsletter about soft power. From Netflix, K-pop and McDonald's to Biden and SCOTUS. Basically, I talk about all those cultural and political things that affect how we see the world and how the world sees us! I am looking to grow my readership and would love some tips! Also, looking for new things to read :)
Nice. I've lived/worked in Nagoya and Tokyo before. Would love to go back without local employment cause I cant do regular work hours there anymore. ugh. they're long.
Amazing! I have family in Nagoya and Tokyo, most of them in Fukuoka though. Definitely best to work for a foreign company in Japan, hours are not as bad. I worked 8 weeks at Point72 Asset Management in Tokyo this summer and it was a great work experience and opportunity.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. I wanted to make my cartoon a happy place, and the background colors seem to me to be reminiscent of cotton candy 🥳
I have a small group that supports each other. We are the Iowa Writers Collaborative, and there are 14 of us, and when one of us does well, we all do well. https://iowawriters.substack.com/
Well, if you're searching through Substacks in a particular topic (for me, it's often immigration or personal finance), the list of results that your query generates includes Substacks that aren't recently active. It would be helpful for those to be pushed further down the results page or somehow allow the user to see activity status without clicking through.
I'd like to search by "tags" or "keywords" that are embedded in each post.
I write a unique newsletter, "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies," that merges self-help and film criticism, which doesn't fit neatly in any one category. Also, I'm additionally publishing a four-panel comic strip in the same newsletter, that is unrelated except in the philosophy of "moviewise."
Thank you Jamil. I do have a question. The Office Hours were scheduled for 10:00a; however, it looks like it was over by that time. I am in Arizona. Where is Substack headquartered. I think I would enjoy office hours - but not if they're over. :-(
Pam----As soon as you get the Thursday e-mail, click the button and start reading/commenting! The start time is simply the time 'Stack tech staff will join the Thread for answering our questions (before we start questioning their answers!)---before then, though, we have the playground to ourselves!
I am a newbie in terms of settling down to write regularly. I do not see a down-side to Substack. I get the feeling that the platform surprises anew even its creators with unforeseen possibilities. Dynamic and interesting. I write as a Jew about Israel and Judaism for non-Jews. Jews are welcome too of course.
How diverse of a publication is best? My blog, at https://alltrades.substack.com/ covers stories about engineering, the environment, economics, and effective altruism, but under those umbrellas, many flavors of post exist. For instance, I've published 4 posts about different types of fungi, including ones in symbiosis with leafcutter ants, ones threatening hikers in the PNW, how the next pandemic might be fungal in nature, and most recently about carnivorous fungi. I love writing, and I've been on a bit of a tear recently in this subject, but I worry that people will be surprised or confused when they read my other posts about engineering, for example. How many areas of focus is too many? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I have a few categories all tying back to risk management in some way, but some are "risk management for regular folks", some are risk management through a professional lens, some focus on how system dynamics applies to risk, some are macro risk-focused (climate, AI, economics), and some are about technology companies or technology education. The common thread is always risk management.
So what's your common thread? If you pinpoint it, you can make sure each article reaches out and connects to that topic in some way.
As a reader I love consistency. I know I'm going to get certain posts on certain days and that creates a habit for the reader and the writer. Advice I hear often is to pick a sustainable pace (e.g., once per week, twice per month, etc.).
How do you work this into your schedule? I'd love to be more consistent, but I'm a freelancer and have to dedicate a lot of time to writing for clients and prospecting for work.
I block time on my calendar the same way I might for going to the gym or one of my kids' soccer games. The time itself might move, but it's always on the calendar.
I also have the advantage(?) of having Friday/Saturday off from my regular job, so I like to do a lot of heavy lifting on that first day after the kids head to school.
Good question. Consistency doesn't seem to do it, by itself. I post something every day without fail but subscribers are still growing slowly. This "Ask Me Anything" forum is a good idea.
I agree that interacting with other SS writers is equally important.
I have committed myself to having one post a week go out on the same day at the same time every week. I often write weeks in advance and schedule them and then I don't have to think about it for a couple of weeks. My regular posts are in my travel content. All of my other posts go out anytime I feel inspired :-)
Who's new here? Reply to this comment and let us know what's on your mind.
We're excited to meet you.
Hi! I’m new here (though at first glance it appears I’ve been posting for ages because I imported all my Mailchimp newsletters).
I’m loving SS so far. I feel connected to my audience in a way I haven’t since the age of blogging. I’m continuing to provide writing advice and insights into publishing (what I did via MC) plus I’m now able to experiment with serialized fiction (I’ll be sharing a rejected novel chapter by chapter with my subscribers in the coming weeks.) More info on that project for those interested: https://erinbowman.substack.com/p/introducing-shutdown
Quick question: Is there an easy way to see the number of subscribers within a given section of my newsletter? (I’ve poked around the dashboard a bit and can’t seem to find this stat, but I’m likely missing something.)
You've got a lot of great content for just starting out! Definitely subscribing. I would love to see how serializing your novel on Substack works for you.
Thank you! The bulk of what you see was imported from my Mailchimp newsletter, which was active since 2014, so yes--many years worth of content. But I've only been on SS for about a month! I'm excited about the serialization efforts too. It will definitely be a learning experience :)
Erin, did you import your other newsletter so that new subs would have them? If so I assume your newsletter focus is consistent from the Mailchimp days.
Yes, precisely. I wrote about writing, publishing, and living a creative life over on Mailchimp and I'm still doing the same here on SS. So it made sense to bring over the old content, in part so that new subscribers could have it, but I also really like how SS has an archive and allows for organizing content with sections. I thought even old MC subscribers who still follow me here on SS (I imported my list) might appreciate being able to browse all that old content in an easy fashion.
Good luck growing your list! I've been experiencing really steady, organic growth since moving to SS; my Mailchimp list had been stagnant for ages, so it's so nice!
I've heard a few other writers take this approach. I'd be interested to see how serial fiction performs on here. I'm strictly nonfiction on Substack, but I've got piles of fiction without homes.
Great layout! How did you get little icons to show up in your header sections? Very cool.
Thank you! They are just emojis! When I titled the sections in the dashboard I simply tacked on an emoji. Example: "Writing & Publishing ✏️"
I didn't even know we could have sections listed like that at the top! Thx, Erin! :)
I honestly didn't even know we could add emoji like that. Thanks!
Excellent! I love how people will maximize an already great thing. Best wishes on your endeavor!
Your bio is hysterical!
Assuming that it's mine you are referring to . . . thanks!
You have quite the name, I'm very name oriented when I choose a character for my stories.
Yeees! I'm talking about you. And I do that same with my characters. I always look up name meanings (in my plays and stories). I always think of Charles Dickens (though I don't go soooo far with it) and also the actors who would eventually play the roles... giving them clues.
subscribing, your posts look very interesting!
I’m a huge fan of Erin’s newsletter and IG account. Erin is EXTREMELY inspiring! Her newsletter always makes me feel “writerly” :D
Thank you!
Hey, you're a good writer. I subscribed.
Okay, Erin, I'm intrigued. I'll check out your SS.
Nice work -- starting with some momentum already will help you out. Good luck! I'd love to hear how the serialized novel goes. I'd thought about doing that with a fiction project, too, but it's too far afield of my initial concept. Wishing you all success.
Thank you for the well wishes. As for serialization... I'm not sure how it will go. I'm trying to keep expectations low and approach it as a learning experience. We'll see what happens... :)
Yeah, I was wondering that too. Keep us posted, Erin!
Erin, I love the tone of your writing. I just subscribed!
Thank you for the sub!
Welcome Erin! You had me at writing advice and insights. I'm always fascinated by process and behind the scenes. Subscribed and looking forward to reading through your serialization journey as well!
Thank you so much, Tami, and welcome! Happy to have you :)
Erin ... I've been pulling my hair out with trying to get Sections to work. There is a way to see section subscribers ... it involves the Filter part of the subscribers section. There is a drop down menu ... look for "Receiving emails for" and fill in the name of the Section. Now if I could figure out how to get subscribers on my Section, I might have more hair.
Oh my goodness thank you!! I will have to fiddle with that filter. I was wondering if the solution was hidden somewhere in those very robust filter dropdowns.
When I imported my Mailchimp audience to SS, I set it up so that they were enrolled in all sections. I have a friend who didn't do that and is now fighting the same battle you are. So far, she's simply reminded readers to check their subscription preferences to ensure they are getting the sections of the newsletter they want, and then linking to the [yourhandle]/substack.com/account page. (I actually prompt my readers to this page often because some people don't want all the content, and I want them to know they can uncheck any of those boxes.)
I am having a lot of these same issues and I super appreciate you asking this question and sharing your sections experience!!!
Good luck ... I'm slowly realizing that I created a lot of confusion for myself and actually need two separate accounts. I'm going to spend a bit more time trying to set up the organization right this time. ;-)
Also ... for anyone else trying this ... I created the sections AFTER I had pulled Mailchimp list into Substack. That created a situation where people were ONLY subscribed to the main newsletter. I think your suggestion is the same thing Substack has told me but it wasn't registering. Thanks for your clarity.
If I'm remembering correctly, there may also be an option to tick a box that says something like "enroll all subscribers in this sections" when you are first building the section in the dashboard.
There are a few options there and they are confusing! I had to create a few test sections and subscribe myself and wife to see exactly how they worked :)
Erin ... thanks for the suggestion ... that sounds doable.!
Oh yes, I love seeing how the sections are organized on Erin's substack! This is great since when you have more than one topic that you write about.
Welcome, Erin! There's a lot of support to be found. I'm not really plugged into the fiction scene, but it is a vibrant, active community. Good luck!
Thank you for the welcome and well wishes, Pablo! I appreciate it.
Welcome to the platform, Erin...its a really positive, supportive community of writers :)
Agreed. The platform is great, but it's the community that really sets it apart.
Thank you! It truly does seem that way based on my experience so far. I'm really happy to be here.
Just subscribed. Looking forward to reading your newsletter.
Hi Erin! Oooo I'd love to talk because I had that very same idea as a SS channel--serializing the next novel in my series, that is. How's that going for you? (Following now btw)
I only just announced it the other day (https://erinbowman.substack.com/p/introducing-shutdown) and won't start rolling out chapters for about another week. I'm letting subscribers vote on the cover at the moment.
I'm hoping it goes smoothly, but I'm mostly looking at the entire thing as a learning experience. Good luck with yours!
That's awesome, thanks!
Awesome! Welcome! I’m currently serializing my ‘fictional memoir’ on my SS so I feel you. This is a great community.
Thank you for the warm welcome! It's inspiring to see so many writers turning to SS and serialization to share their writing.
Absolutely!
Erin - if I may inquire - how did you get the tabs on top? My substack (InjusticeAtWork) came with a couple of preordained tabs. Also, wish I was in NH this week! Foliage.
The foliage is amazing right now. And it's raining today, which is knocking some of it down. I hate when that happens.
As for sections appearing in the top menu... I feel like mine did it automatically when I created new sections. Unless you chose to "hide" them when you created them, I think they should appear on their own. This post might help https://on.substack.com/p/new-sections
Subscribing too! Also considering serializing a novel here and releasing it in a run up to the holidays.
Mine will conclude by early December, which really does feel like good timing. Best of luck with yours, if you decide to take the leap!
Very interesting looking material - I’m always up for new musings about writing. I’ve subscribed!
Subscribed
Hi Katie, I’m eighty one, and I write about my life as an American married to an engineer whose work took us to various parts of the world. Recently, I write more about Saudi. I arrived in Riyadh in 1976 with a notebook and a camera. Now I share some of what I experienced. Incidentally, I had worked for Revlon in Europe; my plan was to order Revlon into Saudi. It didn’t go as planned. My story is “out there” in screenplay format with an agent. My Substack writing, in part, is written replies to many questions.
Welcome Patricia!
Thanks, Katie!
This is 100% up my alley! I'm also in!
Thanks, Samantha!
This looks fascinating. I'm in!
Thanks, Kevin!
What a fascinating journey, Patricia. Welcome!
I look forward to reading your writings.
Thanks, Nanette.
Thanks, Eddie.
I've been writing my newsletter (mostly about female directed films - https://oldfilmsflicker.substack.com) for about 10 months now, but first time participating in office hours
I always read it every week because I learn SO much from other writers
Agreed! It's such a treasure trove of tips and insights and general support. I try to participate live, but even when I don't, I come back later to pore over this thread.
Hey Marya, just subscribed. Looks interesting. I'm a film fan. I live in N. Carolina now buy came from Los Angeles and working in film & TV. I wrote with a female director named Virginia Stone. She was wife of Andrew Stone, famous director during the 1940s and 50s. She directed about 20 of his films but he got the credit because back then female directors were mostly not a thing. I worked on a script with her called "Panda Run" which became "The Great Panda Adventure" prod by Warner Bros.
Virginia Stone is definitely an unsung pioneer
Welcome Marya! I'm an actor, future filmmaker, and writer who explores real life through fiction (mostly tv/film) on my Substack. Very excited to be introduced to Cool People and (obviously) very interested in your focus on female filmmaking.
This sounds amazing. As an actor and comedian and behavioral scientist, I am definitely on board for this newsletter.
I’m actually working on a few scripts, but using French Psychoanalysis has the lens by which to interpret the relationships between the characters.
Thank you Jordan! Welcome aboard. I love how you're combining behavioral science into your script work- so fascinating!
Welcome to Office Hours, Marya! You'll find this an invaluable part of your week. All the threads/discussions can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but I promise--you'll get so much out of interacting with other Substackers.
Agreed! Overwhelming! I thought this was a place to get our questions answers by the Substack team but I’ve been coming for 3 weeks with questions and haven’t gotten a single answer from them…? I love the community aspect of Substackers but unclear on where to get tech answers about the platform?
I've had to report bugs a couple of times, and I've gone through the Support page:
https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/
Thank you Holly!
My pleasure!
This sounds like a really interesting concept. I've been wanting to write post about stories or novels adapted to screen and it would be fun to learn which of those were 1) initially written by a man and then directed by a woman; 2) those written by women and then directed by women (thinking now of The Lost Daughter), and to explore how the perspective added to the final result. If you have any thoughts on that I'd love to connect sometime. Meanwhile. I will go check out your newsletter.
American Psycho is a great example of a novel from a man that was directed by a woman (with a female co-screenwriter) that turns the whole thing on its head
Welcome Marya ! You’ll find that office hour is the best moment to share and connect with everyone
That's a cool niche!
I like this topic! 📽 I write on the seven senses so I always include a visual recommendation (whether a film, book or exhibit).
i'm a big fan of your substack Marya! 🙋🏽♀️🎬
thank you!
Hi, I'm new here. I signed up for Substack recently and I want to get started but getting stuck on some things: choosing my newsletter name for one! I am skittish about social media (which my teen daughters find amusing and curious) but I do consider myself a writer and want to share my work and that's why I joined. I plan to write about some controversial material and sometimes I think I should just start and get on with it. I'm hoping this morning's discussion is the prompt I need.
Welcome, faith! I shared it with someone else today but I think it's worth resharing. We talked to Genevieve Roch-Decter yesterday who writes Grit Capital (https://gritcapital.substack.com/). She said this which stood out to me: “It can be quite confusing deciding what you want to start your newsletter about. You can overthink it and that can prevent you from from starting. What I would advise, and this is exactly what I what I did and it sounds selfish but it really isn't, I would write for yourself first. Spend a lot of time thinking, ‘What would I actually read? What would I actually find entertaining and insightful?’ Bet on yourself that there are other people like you out there.”
And for your name, you can always come back and change it.
Great advice, Katie (and Genevieve)! I'll add that I had trouble at first trying to categorize my writing. I write from life experiences that can be all over the place so it doesn't necessary fit in neatly packaged boxes. So I just began.
4+ months later and I'm still honing my "about" page and "welcome" blurb. One thing I've found helpful is collecting what others say about Release and Gather. I keep a running list from shout-out threads or other recommendations, and my readers are helping me describe what my newsletter is about. Sometimes it feels a little like tooting one's own horn, but it helps to know what others value about your work. And you can only know that after you get things out there.
"Holly's is fantastic! There is an art to making something like a trip to the DEQ engrossing for the reader. Holly does it." - Kevin Alexander
"...I want to also mention Holly Rabalais at Release and Gather, I always appreciate her candor and depth she brings to her writing..." - Mark Dykeman
"...delightful and insightful writing about people, life and the challenges that come our way. Poignant, thought-provoking and with lots of laughs." - Rebecca Holden
"I loved Holly's latest post about a weekend trip with her son, who was on leave from residential treatment program. For those of us who parent older teens and young adults, the stakes feel higher than ever. I appreciate her sharing slices of the messier side of life and parenting." - Jen Zug
I hear ya on changing the "about" and "welcome" pages. I changed mine from when I first started.
Love this advice, Katie. Substack team with another W.
I was hesitant to start my substack, so I get it. I'm about 6 weeks in and I wish I had started sooner. The substack community has been so supportive. Good luck!
I also was really hesitant to post my work, by my standards, I am a terrible writer. But I finally posted yesterday and it felt great. I think the key is to just go ahead and do it.
Congratulations on taking the leap!
Good for you! I've been inspired on here and jumped off to work on my page to set up things for my first post.
I started four months ago, but I feel the same way. I wish I had started sooner. The platform is intuitive, and the community is endlessly generous.
Noted is wonderful!!!
Awe! Thanks, Mark!
Thank you - I wrote my first 2 posts 2 months ago and they're still on my desktop! Inspired to know you've started and are glad you did (but wish it was earlier - oh, is existential guilt a gremlin!).
I had procrastinated for years and then I read "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. I started my Substack the next day. The book helped me see that I didn't need to have all the answers to get started. I have been making adjustments since I began nearly six months ago and have gotten comfortable with my newsletter being a work in progress. Writing consistently has built up my confidence too. I'd say dive in, the details will work themselves out as you progress.
I second this, K.D. Hand-wringing gets us nowhere. Starting and tweaking as you go is the way to go.
Great book. Love how he calmly lays out the deeply troubling emotional fears that are resistance at its most desperate state to keep the status quo. The closer we get to our destination, the more we keep slip-sliding away... a wonderful lyric.
Jump in! The water's warm.
That’s it !
I second this! Substack is a good place to write about those types of topics. It's your newsletter; you're free to share your insights and opinions. I find that people appreciate when someone else says what they were thinking but were too scared or worried to say themselves.
As for social media...bah. I'm quitting it all and am happy that I'm doing so. There are plenty of other places to find and build community. Forums still exist! And Slack can be great.
Don’t mind about the name you can change it later ! Write and share !
Faith, I think you will find that even if you publish some "controversial material," this community is respectful and encouraging. It sounds like you are writing from a place of authenticity, and that resonates with others. Just pick a name and go. Heck, make your first post a poll if you're having trouble deciding. :) Just be you.
I write from life experience--in this season it's having a brother with leukemia and donating stem cells for his transplant as well as navigating the seas of having a young adult son in rehab. Is it for everyone? Certainly not. But I've had plenty reach out and tell me I'm helping them or a post has helped a friend they shared it with.
Write the words with confidence and click Publish!
Hi Holly,
Thanks so much for your message. I really appreciate it :) I am coming from authenticity (well, I strive for it) and am so close it seems. I am moved by your message and frankly love your name Release and Gather (so good!). And how wonderful and satisfying to have people reach out and be helped by what you are sharing. That is the ultimate in this space, I imagine. I'm reminded that it's time to no longer be bogged down by details and the disabling distraction of worrying about the appeal of what I am sharing.
That's fantastic to hear, Holly. How long have you been writing, and how are people finding your newsletter?
I've been writing on Substack for just over four months, Theresa. I purposefully did not share to any of my social media accounts but instead reached out directly to a few people I thought would enjoy my posts. I would say that garnered about 15 subscribers. The rest have come from:
1) those friends recommending a post here or there
2) participation in Writer Office Hours discussion
3) reading and commenting on other newsletters, which often leads to discussion where others check out what my newsletter is about
4) recommendations by other Substackers
So overall, those last three have been key for me.
That's good to hear because I'm starting to dedicate time to 2 & 3. It's scary to move away from the "best practices" for marketing and growing a list and try something more community based.
Which is silly, because that's probably a way better use of time than writing threads on the socials.
I can't remember which writers have mentioned this, but some have done heavy "marketing" on social media with very little ROI.
You forgot to list your writing...
*blushes*
Thanks, Randall, but first people have to discover it. :)
Crack on Faith, you've got nothing to lose!
Thanks! I hope you're right :)
I am honestly waiting very impatiently for your newsletter. I am actually going to be tweeting about trauma (church trauma) Sunday, my church is having a sermon on that and I will be evaluating the sermon. I can’t wait to see what you write about. I am so excited (can you tell 😂?)
Thank you. Feel free to dig through the archives too.
Controversial material will help you find the right audience. And if you just start with your name I am sure the audience you want will find you!
Hi Faith! I think it's great you're using this as a place to exercise your voice and writing passion. Totally understand re socials and think you should do what you're comfy with there. Curious what's keeping you from diving on in?
Hi Skye,
Thanks for your message! What's holding me back is my subject matter and the integration of identities. In my day life, I am a therapist and I feel a resistance to writing about what I want to: healing from and surviving trauma, of which I have lived experience. I have some insight from the personal and professional. I am trying to break through my wall - and being on substack and hearing everyone's stories and encouragement is helping with that. (BTW I didn't see your message till now as I was working on my page).
Zero worries, thanks for the details! Oh, boy, I feel you Faith. I started as a romance novelist as I was also a high school teacher. So, keeping my daily life and writer life separate were super important!
In re writing about experience, that's exactly my niche here. I'm kind of rawly laying out parts of my life that until now I've kept covered up and neatly tucked away. But I don't think that helps me OR my clients. I want my clients, readers, everyone to hear a voice on a lived experience so they can look at their own journey in a new way, you know?
Very glad to have connected with you as we have much in common! Just followed you, would appreciate your follow back--maybe we can cross collab someday? But get your feet under you in the meantime. Happy to chat more if you fancy it!
Hello! I'm new :) I just launched a substack page called Waves! I write poetic antidotes to systemic issues, essentially writing essays about manifestations of joy, beauty and art in a context of political awareness. I just launched a new collaboration about embodiment a few minutes ago.
I love substack because it's cosy, the community I am creating is for people that intentionally take time to read my stuff. It's so easy to get overwhelmed in this world. I really am so glad also for the very many tips you offer :)
https://virginiavigliar.substack.com/
Welcome, Virginia!
Thankyou Katie!
Welcome, Virginia! It sounds like you're taking a positive approach. I'm sure that will pay dividends for you. Good luck!
Welcome! Did you say "cosy"? That's the perfect adjective!
Yes, I do write Cosy Moments but our interests (beauty, art) are very much aligned...
Looks interesting, just subscribed. I can relate to being politically aware while still striving to find beauty in every day, which can often feel almost contradictory!
I'm so glad you relate! The idea is honestly to form a community here, where we are in radical relationship! Connected through joy, beauty and art. It sounds poetic and abstract sometimes, but my very logical side brings me down and my writing is also quite pragmatic. Let me know what you think! Much love!
Sharing this podcast for newbies, Farrah Store who writes on substack and used to be the Editor of Cosmopolitan magazine. I listened to it this morning, and it sums up everything that's great about writing on this platform, and some tips to build your subscribers. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/why-you-need-to-join-substack-with-farrah-store/id1200930280?i=1000568768395
Oh, I'll definitely be checking this out. Thanks for sharing, Victoria!
Victoria ... thanks for sharing this podcast! I think it's great even for not-quite-newbies. I've already found several helpful gems.
I am still a newbie here but have been co-publishing on Substack for three issues. I write The Nett Report, an award-winning, bi-weekly newsletter I have been writing for three years that brings stories about the political divide, climate change, the future of work/the economy, and Covid to my readers. It has won awards for writing, and I am excited to share it with new readers on Substack. It also includes a section called the Nett Light-Side that brings fun stories and videos to our readers. I am getting ready to bring my list over from my current publishing platform. I hope you will check it out! https://carlnettleton.substack.com/p/helping-the-world-find-common-ground
Looks interesting, Carl! Now is a great time to be diving into these topics in a measured, thoughtful way. We need more content like that and much, much less of the divisive yelling that goes on in the major social platforms and news outlets.
Welcome to a whole new world. It's SO GREAT here!
Welcome, Carl!
Hi! I'm new here :) I love Substack so far! Feeling so much support from switching over!
My newsletter is about spirituality, self-development, inspirations, stories, and more.
I recently quit healthcare to pursue my passion for spirituality full-time :)
I’m another sort of spiritual, self-development writer.. sharing my stories of what I’ve learned about myself so far. Would love to connect with other likeminded folks! I’m really enjoying just writing and letting my thoughts flow, I don’t like to edit too much so hopefully my letters make some sort of sense! 😅
Similar passions over here! My newsletter “Seven Senses” is a creative and spiritual exploration of our senses 👁👂🏽👃🏽👄🖐🏽
This sounds super intriguing. And there’s a load of neuroscience behind what you’re talking about. Would love to possibly write or collaborate on a article together? Or cross post?
Yes! I love the science that has been backing up the spiritual explorations (with meditation etc). It would be cool to collab, I’ve never written an article with someone before ☺️
Awesome. Yeah, basically we just come up with some ideas. We riff together. And if we want we can even write sections together, and then just create paragraphs that bring our eyes ideas together. Or one of us brings an article to the other, and we just add commentary to it that fits within the narrative.
But I am down for whatever. :-)
Spirituality is an interesting genre. I just subscribed. I also write in that category. Your healthcare background will bring a unique voice to the table.
Thank you so much!!
Welcome, Angeli! And congratulations on pursing your passion full-time. The community here is great. Good luck!
Thank you so much, Pablo!! That is so great to hear :)
This is right up my alley. Would love to see if there’s any room for crossover writing on each other’s Substacks?
H Angeli and Jordan,
Both of your newsletters sound right up my alley, too, and I’d definitely be open to cross-posting. I’m a former pastor, and my newsletter is about mental health, self improvement, etc. I share my personal experiences and what helps me cope.
I am for this. For sure. Let’s get in touch. Great idea.
Yeah for sure!! I'd be open to that
Just subscribed and hope you’ll check mine out, too. It covers these topics, too.
I subscribed as well, hope you will also subscribe!
Me too! Subscribed to yours :)
Hi! I've been posting on Substack for 11 months now—almost my 1 year anniversary! But writing my newsletter on ConvertKit/MailChimp/etc for years. I love Substack and this is my first time tuning in to this Office Hours thing! Thanks for organizing resources for us writers :)
My question is about the new Boost feature. I'm interested in trying it, but am hesitant to turn it on for fear that it will be emailing out to my list without me knowing it? Am I alerted when an email goes out? Or given the option to decline each time? I'd just like a bit more info on it I guess, before I turn it on. Thank you!
Hi Christine, great time of year to have an anniversary! I'm four months in, and I love it. Definitely keep coming to the Office Hours. It's chock full of helpful advice.
As far as the Boost feature goes, great points. I had similar questions about it.
Thanks, Pablo!
Are you using the Boost feature now? How is it going for you?
Amazing! How has the 11 months been? I am around two months in and having fun!
All the best
It's been great! I love the platform and how focused it is on the writing. And they are always coming out with new helpful tools!
That's one of my favorite aspects of the platform: the Substack team is constantly responding to feedback and making updates.
Thank you, Reid! A dashboard for sub-features would be awesome! Thanks for that info and I would definitely feel more comfortable using the feature with those kinds of tools. :)
It would be great if for every feature introduced there is a "toggle on /off."
Looking to meet fellow writers and understand what keeps them so motivated to write consistently great content on SS!
Welcome Amey!
Such a good question. For me it's all about community. The more I write and post, (and in Juke's case, the more I publish other people's work too) the more interesting people come into my life. Plus, as someone who writes personal essays, the connection with readers has been such a pleasure. I find that writing can feel very isolating as an activity, so bringing my work into this public space gives it room to find friends. It makes my days much richer.
I write personal essays, too. 🙂 What motivates you to write consistently? I'm always putting mine on the back burner because it's not monetized and I'm afraid of dedicating too much time to it. Fearful of running out of runway.
I wish I had a good answer to that. Writing "consistently" has never been my strength. I write in fits and starts, but thankfully the fits come often enough to suit my needs.
One thing that definitely helps is feeling accountable to a publishing schedule. I publish a bunch of different people, which gives me plenty to do on weeks when my own writing is faltering. But I know I can't go very long without including my own work. And I would feel like I was letting my contributors down. So I think that feeling of accountability is huge.
Also, lower your expectations for yourself! Jotting down a bunch of notes definitely qualifies as writing. So does a stray paragraph here and there. When you hear it in your head, write it down. It all adds up.
Oooh, I love this. I used to do that all the time when I wrote fiction as a teen/young 20-something. I'd get bits of dialog or scene in my head and write them out. Thanks for reminding me!
It's the only way I get started on anything! A bunch of little jottings are all it takes to get going.
I love that - writing as a way to attract your people IRL
Yeah writing is a way to connect with like-minded individuals ( and collaborators) :)
A thousand times this, Tonya. I spent two years working on two different novels during the pandemic, and while I made serious headway, it also did a number on my mental health. The Substack community and my small but growing readership makes me feel like I'm a part of something, creating something, and not just sending digits into the ether.
For me. It’s that writing can actually alter the landscape of human existence. I know that sounds extremely idealistic and probably boring from that perspective. But I do believe that writing can help us change the contours of human behavior and our potential. That is what keeps me writing. :-)
THIS IS TRUE. So true it needed all caps.
Agree!
Hey Amey, love the name of your substack. I've found that telling friends and family that I will write once a week has had a positive effect on writing consistently. A "positive" stress in a way. I wrote this in past essay "I believe the beauty of writing is its clarity; it allows you to figure things out. Our brains are a stream of twisting, fluid ideas, and writing allows our thoughts to take shape." Hope this helped and have a great rest of the day!
Absolutely. I started writing fairly recently for similar reasons. Clarity is one of the after-effects of writing.
Welcome, Amey! I'm following through on a seed planted by a joke my sister made. The weekly cadence grounds my writing. I also feel accountable, to myself and my subscribers. That keeps me focused and consistent. What about you??
Great to meet you. I'm trying to do the same thing. I work full time and try to publish once a week. I have a notebook where i jot down ideas for future blogs.
I write because it's the best outlet I have to make an impact, even if it's a small one. I want to entice busy people into thinking more deeply about issues we face, so breaking topics down and considering various perspectives is the value I attempt to offer my readers.
If I couldn't write, I don't know what else I could do to help improve our collective situation. So, I guess I also write to alter the landscape of human existence, as Jordan Bridger mentioned.
Lovely! This encapsulates why I write as well :)
Hi Amey! Lovely to connect ✨
Likewise! I absolutely loved your manifesto. Such a nice way to affirm your commitment to writing what inspires you :)
I’ve been on the site for maybe a month. Loving it. Still getting my feet, but have written 3x a week on human behavior. Thanks for the platform.
Check it out: jordanbridger.Substack.com
I just subscribed and write on similar topics, so maybe we can cross-post.
Most definitely. I am always looking for collaborations. I love to learn from other people as well!
The article on place looks pretty interesting, so I've subscribed to
i mean 'too'
Thank you so much Terry! I appreciate it. Would love your feedback and insights there.
subscribed - this looks intriguing!
Thank you so very much Mark! Hope it’s helpful!
Welcome, Jordan!
Welcome Jordan. I am new here too. Just subscribed to your blog. Love your headlines.
Cool. The Wonder Imporium with some missing vowels. It looks like you and I share some of the same interests. My SS is called "Free World Theory." It's futurist stuff. I subscribed and will read your SS.
As a neuroscience major this is definitely right up my alley. Subscribed!
I'm not new here, but I've been "missing" for an extended time due to back surgery. But I'm back now and eager to make things happen!
Hope you are feeling better. Back pain is terrible.
Welcome back and here's to good health!
I am new and looking to do more writing
Substack is a great place to discipline yourself. I set a consistent posting schedule, and that has helped keep me accountable to my writing time. And the more you write, the more you improve. Welcome!
Welcome Jessie ! You’ll find that Substack is the perfect place to build a publication and building a writing routine
Hi! I just moved my newsletter (which is writing/creativity advice and encouragement, mostly for children's book authors) from Mailchimp last week, and so far I love it. I'm taking the advice from Substack Grow and doing a bit of a launch month, and then will get on a more regular schedule. I'm playing around with what will be behind the paywall, and looking forward to playing with organizing and designing my page. So far I'm impressed by how many more people each post is reaching than before (which makes sense -- it's a lot easier to share and read on Substack than it is from Mailchimp).
Yay, that's awesome Julie!
Hi Julie ! I’m so happy to discover your substack!
And I'm so happy to discover yours!
I've been procrastinating on Grow...how much time does it take to read through and implement? I know I should do it but keep balking at the time commitment!
I put aside maybe an hour a day to look at it last week. There are six parts to it. It was mostly helpful for figuring out how to set everything up (what's the best one-line description? what should go on my about page? -- that sort of thing). You can click through the lessons really quickly to see if there's anything that might be useful to you.
What’s your launch month strategy? Posting more than the cadence you’ll establish later?
That's the plan. My Mailchimp strategy was to post an essay once a month. For launch month, I'm posting weekly essays, plus playing around with some of the sorts of posts I'm going to do behind the paywall. I'm still going to do a "big" essay for free every month. I'm still figuring out what's going to be behind the paywall, but I'm thinking one additional essay, a story prompt post, a Q&A post, and a video (I used to do writing pep talks on Instagram stories while walking my dog every morning, and have really pulled back from being on social media so much, so this gives me a chance to do the same thing, less frequently, and not on social media).
Hey Julie,
I love the name of your substack. Reminds me of an essay I wrote called "remedy for lazy ambition." Just subscribed and looking forward to your essays. All the best!
Lazy Ambition is where I live! (And the constant pursuit of the remedy for it.) Thank you, Henrik!
I’ve been writing on and off for some time but recently started publishing consistently. The recent helpful article on going from free to a paid version caught my eye. It’s something I want to get to but I wonder if anyone would pay at all. I think need to write more so I can offer longer/unique pieces to the paid members.
Hi Rizwan! I don't paywall any of my content and decided to offer the paid subscriber option early on. I think you'll find some people just understand the value of what you're doing and will become paid subscribers to support you.
I still paywall some articles, but more an more I think your model is the right one.
We can't all support every substack we follow, right? But I've upgraded to paid subscriptions on several and not because I was afraid of missing out on something. I did it because I saw value in what the authors were offering--quality content that enhanced life for me in some way. That's going to look different for everyone, but I think if you show up consistently, write well, and follow your authentic voice, the paid subscribers will come.
Thank you for saying this. I so often get caught in the trap of thinking that I need to use fancy marketing tactics or "best practices" to attract readers. It's exhausting.
Great advice.
I do not have paid subs turned on, so take this for what it's worth, but--if you turn on paid subs without paywalling any of your content, maybe you'll get a couple paid subs without having to do anything! And if you don't get any paid subs, you're still no worse off than before.
Not sure if you saw On Substack's interview with Anne Kadet this week, but she's been successful in getting subscribers to convert to paid as without adding a paywall, essentially as a donation to support her work (like a PBS model).
Yeah I read the article and want to unlock that level of writing. 😀 I think I will focus on the quality of my writing before approaching the pain/f free content question. Thanks!
Don't we all! And fair enough! Only you know what the right next step is for you--which is one of the best and most terrifying things about writing. :)
I'm thinking this too. But you put it very well.
Thank you, Fleur! (Also apropos of nothing--you have a beautiful name!)
Aww thanks!
People will pay without paywalling any content. But if you're going to paywall anything, the advice I've always had is to make your best content free.
Great point! It goes against what I would have thought to be true but I see the value in this approach. Thanks!
I started with offering paid content but didn't have enough subscribers to justify the separate content, now, like Holly, I have chosen to see it as a way for people to support me because they value my work and once my numbers increase I will move to new content just for subscribers.
I’m new here! I just started posting a couple of months ago. It’s hard to get the word out since I’m not on any social media platforms. I’m still learning the ins and outs of Substack but I’m enjoying what I’ve seen so far! Does anyone have any advice on growing your Substack page when you can’t share it on social media?
Find your tribe here, connect with others, come to Tuesday Threads, be consistent and patiente ! And write everything you want, you’ll find your voice and your community by sharing!
Can you give me more info on the Tuesday threads?
Sorry I meant Office hour on Thursday
Thanks for the advice :)
Just be yourself. I'm not on social media either. I attend the Thursday Office Hours, subscribe to other people, and hit the like button on others. Eventually, you'll get a following.
Thanks for advice :)
Lots of new writers who joined us today, welcome to all! Great to see the rest jumping in and encouraging fellow writers to get started.
We host this thread each Thursday for writers to connect and help get your questions answered. In the meantime, our resources are here for you.
https://substack.com/resources
See you next week,
Katie, Jasmine, Wyatt, Cain, Kamil, and Jamil
I've tried polls a couple of time and like how it encourages discussion. I find the comments section is more robust on those posts.
I keep meaning to do more polls. They seem like great conversation starters.
Doing my first one tomorrow!
I threw one out there on a post I didn't think was my greatest--and bam! It resonated with the readers.
https://hollyrabalais.substack.com/p/midweek-musings-to-read-or-not-to
I love taking polls and then seeing how my response compares with others'. Maybe I'll add a poll to my newsletter at some point.
I really like polls too. Anything that encourages readers to pitch in works really well
Hi Katie, I've tried the new Android App so far - pretty good so far!
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here’s a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you: no matter how tired, frustrated, numb, or bored you feel with your writing (and believe me, we all feel that way sometimes!), I'm here to say KEEP GOING. No matter who you are, no matter what you write about, you have a community hoping to form around you. You have someone out there who loves what you do, even if they don't know how to tell you. So write! And keep writing! Share so they can find you! It may take a little time, but I guarantee that the more you share, the more the right people will find you and surround you. Keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP!
Feeling down? Share below so we can lift you up. Feeling good? Who can YOU encourage today? 🌿
Thanks! I always go back to this Stephen King quote.
“Life isn’t a support system for art, it’s the other way around”
Love that! Thanks Matt and thanks Stephen
Great quote, Matt! Thank you for sharing it! 🌿
S.E.,
That is really the best advice: "Keep Going." You're right, the best way for me to battle those doubts and frustrations is to sit down and write. Every time I start looking too far downstream, when I'm thinking about what the next newsletter should "produce," this all starts to get pretty tedious and hard. I find that feeling very curious and remind myself that I've wanted the chance to write my entire life--so get to it. When I just sit down and write, and when I can manage to write things honestly-ish and authentically, things seem to take care of themselves. When I don't do that I end up railing about not being able to find Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts at the Bodega--or worse...
Another reason I love being here on Substack,
Randall
Love your daily gratitude. Subscribing!
Completely agree, Randall! I think you've written before about how funny it is that the posts you feel less confident about tend to get the most engagement, and I think it's all about that vulnerability that comes when we push through. People can feel that and resonate! 🌿
PS. It's perfectly understandable to be annoyed when Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts are unavailable. They are a genuine delight. 😌
Every time you write something the first words that pop into my head are "that's exactly right," and there's actually documentary evidence of that. When I write "Thanks for Letting Me Share" at the end and then triumphantly drop the keyboard thinking I've just really nailed it, those are the days I hear crickets. It's the days when I struggle through it and have a hard time figuring out what to say or how to say it and feel pretty blah when I hit the "publish" button that someone says something really lovely and meaningful and I don't really understand how that happened because I thought what I had written was not so great, but figure I should probably do it again tomorrow and see what happens. Plus, it seems to be keeping me sober.
p.s. the more chilling thing is that people these days are unaware brown sugar cinnamon is even a flavor, when it is the Ur Pop-Tart. Sometimes it's hard to have hope about the future.
I need to keep this in mind, thanks. I write odd, somewhat spiritually based street fiction. Actually, I'm never sure what to call it. At any rate, it's not mainstream. I just started on Substack and have committed to publishing once a week. I like this platform because of the direct to email aspect and the fact that I can find other excellent writers to read. Reading the work of others is a form of inspiration for me.
You're in the PERFECT spot, Victor! I'm certain that your not-quite-mainstream audience can't wait to find you. Don't give up! 🌿
I love using SS for my writing platform. I write daily short-form observational essays focusing on gardening which also include original photography my gardens (you could say my work is multimodal). These essays for the basis for twice monthly newsletter. I am interested in growing my subscription base, which as of right now is completely free. I send a mid-month newsletter focusing flower photography only, and I’d like to get it set up behind a paywall, but am a little intimidated to even try. (Biggest fear: What if no one subscribed to the paid membership?) I do have a small but consistent following on social media and promote my newsletters there, but it hasn’t really generate a lot of new subscriptions. Thanks for your insight!
I just subscribed to your newsletter. I love the idea of your blog and look forward to future posts.
Marji… thank you so much. I didn’t realize how much I needed to show up to this space today, so thanks for your support!
Subscribed! I mean my name means flower so it's only fitting! :)
ooh...I like the concept of what you are doing...
That’s helpful feedback! I appreciate it.
Well if no one subscribes for pay (at first) you're no worse off than you were, right?
True. It could give me insight into what is marketable and what isn’t.
That's my thinking. It's all about the trial and error. The tinkering...
Thanks for the encouragement! Its easy to feel down because of the numbers when everyone else is doing great but your words are a good reminder to keep going and sharing our ideas. 🙏🏽
Try not to focus on the numbers. Write, read, comment, and just show up. The numbers will climb. 2 or 3 weeks ago I was here at Office Hours lamenting that I'd lost a couple of subscribers and then seemed to be stalled (I think everyone agreed that the first couple of weeks of September were low growth weeks). Just a few weeks later, and I'm up 30% from that time.
Keep going!
Yeah biggest lesson I have learned in writing and podcasting is consistency is key, I guess in any endeavor. Thanks!
How much time do you spend reading and commenting on other newsletters? I'm trying to get a handle on how to incorporate this into my own networking and schedule.
I really don't track how many hours I spend reading and commenting on other newsletters. I quit scrolling on social media earlier this year, so perhaps Substack has filled some of that time (with much more brain-engaging content!). I spend about half an hour in the mornings reading. When I get up from desk during the day to refill my water or throw some clothes in the wash (remote work is bliss!) I might spend some more time checking things out. And then there are evenings that I spend an hour or two (though not often) as I would spend reading a book or magazine.
When I'm short on time and scanning posts that have landed in the inbox, I copy a URL to a note with a comment about what the article is about so that I remember to go back to it. This helps, also, if I'm writing about the same topic and want to incorporate something the other author said.
Sounds like you fit it in where it fits. I think I need to do that! I just quit social media and removed all chat/community apps from my phone to keep me from obsessive checking Slack and Discord. Maybe I could use that reclaimed time on SS some days!
I wrote a post of my social media detox. I'm in recovery, and the more days I have under my belt, the less chance of relapse into that world of ickiness! :)
https://hollyrabalais.substack.com/p/digital-detox
The numbers are a result of the process. I wrote an article about his exact topic earlier this week. Trust and enjoy the process and the results will come. But don’t chase the results because as you said that’s when it can start getting you down
It took me a few rough starts to get to the point where I’m enjoying the process without the need for the numbers, which do help but I feel like my change in perspective has made the writing enjoyable. Thanks Stephen! 😀
Hey S.E.,
I'm currently working on my weekly issue that goes out on Fridays. And I am HYPED! It's the first time that I am doing a cross-posting collab. I feel so good about it. The joy of having a wonderful poet (I'm all about poetry here on Substack) publishing his art in my newsletter is just so energising. I can recommend it to everybody. And for me, it tastes like more.
Just wanted to share that in the hope it encourages somebody here. Keep going, keep writing, keep shaping your communities!
Arjan, that's so exciting!! Thank you for sharing this awesome news!!
Really needed this. I've always struggled to build an audience and feel like I'm spinning my wheels every time I launch a new venture.
Same same same. In it together!
I completely understand, Theresa. Spinning your wheels can feel so disheartening, but the moment something finally "catches" and moves you forward? It's all worth it. Keep going! 🌿
Thanks for the encouragement!
Your encouraging messages are one of the great things about these Writer Hours chats! Thanks!
That's so sweet of you, Wendi! Always good to see you here! 🌿
Needed to hear this today! Thank you!
I'm so glad, Samantha! Don't give up! 🌿
Right on time! Thank you, as always.
Hi Kevin! Thanks for always showing up! 😌
I can always use this reminder. Thank you for sharing it and spreading a little encouragement!
What a lovely message. Thank you S.E. Reid!
You're so welcome, Tobias! 🌿
Appreciate this so much!! https://angelisivaraman.substack.com
You're so welcome, Angeli! 🌿
motivation!!
Yes!! Don't give up, Amey! 🌿
In the hope that this might help some folk....
The way I see it, there are three parts to the process of writing a newsletter:
1) Circling The Writing
2) Writing
3) Editing
"Circling The Writing" is when you're kinda chewing over an idea, and it feels a bit like you're procrastinating. But you're not! (Unless you really are. 😁But I reckon you're probably not.) And - you're doing the dishes, you're tidying a room, you're going for a walk, you're staring out the window with an expression that makes your loved ones think you've fallen asleep with your eyes open. ALL THAT STUFF. And it's important! Without this kind of wandering round and round the writing, looking at it from all angles and letting your brain play with ideas without panicking, you won't know what to write about and you'll just sit there, unable to start.
So here's the thing: if you're just sat there, in 2) - "The Actual Writing" - and absolutely nothing is happening inside and outside, and the cursor on your blank screen is flashing away and the panic is bubbling up... then get up, walk away and retreat to 1)! Go back and Circle The Writing, until the ideas are flowing.
It's not "giving up." It's not "defeat." It's not "being a failure as a writer."
It's just part 1 of the 3-part process of getting this work done.
And sometimes you just have to go back and forth between all three stages, again and again, until the whole thing is working in the way it should. This really happens. To *everyone*. (Including seasoned journalists - who then go away and do some more research, find more people to interview, more facts to dig up, etc.)
Hope that helps!
Yes--this is definitely my process at least! I feel like I spend the most time in the "circling the writing" stage, when I'm just trying to figure out what to say. It absolutely looks a lot like procrastination. 😂
Me too! SO MUCH. We might need a new name for procrastination that takes all the self-judgement out of it. "Brewing"? ("I'm just off for a walk to brew a newsletter I'm working on...")
I like "percolating," mostly just because it's a fun word!
I see what you did there, though! Tea brews, coffee percolates... #bias 😁
But I like percolate more, too. Sounds professional.
I didn’t even realize that’s what I was doing! 😂
"Coffee Owns My Brain: The Valorie Clark Story" coming to Netflix in 2023.
I've often framed it as "marinating" but I love the idea of "circling the writing."
amen
I suspect I've just stolen this from something Mason Currey wrote in his amazing Substack about the habits of all the great writers: https://masoncurrey.substack.com/ This is probably what happened here. So - well, go read everything he's ever written. It'll help more than my comment ever could!
Thanks for referring him! And for your recommendations on "circling" the writing (no matter where it came from!)
It took me YEARS to fully understand the revision process, that 2) The Actual Writing could be 2) Actually Terrible, and it was supposed to be (yes, I know, should have read Anne Lamott earlier), and my job as a writer is to make it better. Now I love the freewheeling stage between steps 2 and 3 where I can see what I've got down and find the one section, one paragraph, one sentence, one word, that IS the thing I want to write, and expand that into something better. (But I also do spend a lot of time in step 1), which for me is often walking my dog.)
Would you be up for discussing that stage at some point? I feel like that could help me out a lot. There are times when I sit down to write and spend over an hour trying to get to the main point...and never get there, lol.
And do you have a particular Anne Lamott book that you'd recommend? I keep hearing her name come up.
Sorry to jump in here, but I highly recommend "Bird by Bird". Every "how to write" book must be taken with a grain of salt, but that one is a classic for a reason! 🌿
I've heard good things about this one. I'll have to put it on my list.
Waving to you across the border in New Brunswick!
Hi! Look at that! You're right over there! *julie squints assuredly into the distance like she's got the mythical eyesight of some magical northwoods creature and can see clear across the state of Maine*
So. Many. Trees.
I love the image of "circling the writing." I've started brainstorming when writing, using those circles and lines to connect ideas and thoughts, and it has made a huge difference in writing, giving me areas to jump into, looking at small pieces, maybe a sentence, or a paragraph, instead of trying to tackle an entire piece at once.
This is so true! I have found my writing cycle landing at this similar routine. I sit down and start writing, ending up not liking it then spending time doing other things and mulling over the ideas :P then I would finally sit down and edit.
Procrastination: looks like the enemy, might actually be our greatest ally!
Appreciate this reminder, Mike. This IS the process and somehow I always forget. Like, I literally just got back from a walk where I was mentally beating myself up being stuck and not moving some ideas forward, but maybe I'm just still circling. Which makes me wonder (would love everyone's thoughts):
What is the line between necessary circling and getting stuck in a loop?
Do you notice there is any particular thing/ action/approach that helps you find your way in to a piece? Or is it different each time?
I'm still learning my process (obviously) while also recognizing that it's not necessarily a linear, exacting thing, but I do notice that I toggle between 1 and 2 quite a few times before I find my entry point or exit point...
I think I'm stuck in a loop when fear enters the equation. If I realize that I'm not writing because I feel anxious or fearful, then I realize I probably already know what I want to say and how, and what's holding me back is getting there emotionally. But if while circling I feel calm or frustrating or curious then I assume it's the productive kind of circling.
Ooof- that's exactly it. Fear. And its sneaky counterparts. I still haven't gotten very good at recognizing all the ways that shows up.
I really like that you included frustration as part of the circling, though. I always think of that so negatively, but I think you're right- it's actually part of the shaping.
I think I'm going to turn this into a little sticky note flow chart for myself!
It is--it's the feeling of something being on the tip of your tongue! Almost there, but not quite!
I love that! Would love to see it when it's done.
I'd love more people to answer that question, Tami! It's such a good one...
In my case, it seems like a fickle thing - if I have a process, it's a restless one, where I'm regularly dissatisfied with the exact approach I went with last time (a little voice in my head yelling "LAZY, STOP PHONING IT IN, TRY HARDER") and an inner child that wants to feel excited and a bit terrified by an approach that feels weird enough to be a bit of a risk? So the circling is where I pluck up my courage. Without it, I have no momentum (circling...momentum....hey, it works!) and what I write feels a bit too safe and not healthily creative enough. So, in a way, I never feel like I've circled too much and I'm trapped - but I regularly feel like I haven't held back enough and let my thoughts percolate.*
I also think this is what too much coffee can do to you. So it could be that instead.
*copyright Valorie Clark, 2022.
hahaha, I love this.
Yeah, if I have a "process" it's just (metaphorically) banging my head against something.
Wow. So generous of you to share your thoughts on this here. It's without a doubt an area that writers, here and elsehwere, struggle with. Your encouragement and perspective "It's not giving up" etc. are extremely helpful.
Thank you for being kind.
Yes, circling the writing. That's a great way of putting it. I had an idea for a story last night, but just let it "circle" all morning and into the afternoon. Then while I was eating lunch, it began to form. For me, I need to have an opening that sets the tone. Once I find that (which sometimes takes quite a while), I can get started and keep moving.
Love this, especially "Circling the Writing."
It's like being in therapy. You may feel that you are going in circles around the idea, memory, or feeling. But perhaps the circles are the concentric rings of a labyrinth... and each pass is bringing you closer and closer to the center.
Wow. I love this. Thank you!
Also the act of just SITTING MY ASS DOWN to write is a quantum leap of progress some days.
Great advice, Mike! It's a mysterious process. Each of us has our own unique approach.
Excellent advice, Mike. The circling is at least half the battle (and the fun bit tbh)
Right? SO FUN. And yet we beat ourselves up for having that fun! What a muddle it's become.
I’m new here! Im very intimidated to actually post to my Substack. I’ve changed the title about six times and I just feel so inadequate! Is everyone on Substack a professional writer or podcaster? Is this even a platform for complete novices like me?
"Professional" ---> "complete novice that has just done a lot more of what they're enthusiastically novicing than most folk have, and for much longer."
^ and this is why Mike Sowden is Amazing.
You spelled "idiot" wrong there! (But thank you, Holly. *shuffles feet, harrumphs awkwardly*)
Love this phrase. I do martial arts and we have a similar expression: a black belt is just a white belt (beginner) that kept showing up to class.
I knew I'd stolen it from somewhere! 😆 But yes, that's exactly it.
We all start somewhere! Once upon a time I felt just as intimidated at the idea of being a writer. And even after I actually started writing, I sometimes felt like an impostor. Go ahead and put those feelings aside and just start writing and publishing and you know what? You'll be a writer!
And this platform is for everyone. In fact, it's a great way and place to get started.
If you write, you're a writer. Best advice there is.
Makes sense!
Don't let the tyranny of experts get you down! Expertise sometimes means over-narrow perspectives anyway. You have something to add to the conversation, so go ahead and add it. Pep talk over :-)
Pep talk internalized. Thank you!
Very true! You just have to start putting your stuff out there. Some may love it and some may hate it, but Substack is a great place to find that audience even if it's a small one. It's also a great place to hone your skills without having to worry about being criticized to death.
Best of luck!
I have to hone my skills! Thanks so much!
Thank you for your encouragement! Yes, total imposter syndrome. Also, I was once a decent writer. Then I began a 20+ year career in Trauma/ED and Critical Care nursing. I'm relearning, which is where the podcast comes in. I do much better with the spoken word😏.
Nope! I am a humble fish biologist by day, have not traditionally published a single thing. It’s a large community here and you will find a lot of people who write for a living and a lot of people who have simply moved their blog here as a fun hobby, and that’s what it should be, fun. A writer is someone who writes and the only way to improve is to do it.
Thanks guys lol I specifically work in aquaculture now as we try to navigate how to feed the worlds population and restore the oceans. It’s nice to have something that’s your own though, and that’s what my WIP is to me. I’m writing a sci fi fantasy novel about the journey of the soul, slowly and steadily, and am beginning to share it here. I wish you luck on your endeavors, I think you will find Substack to be a unique community that can act as a solid springboard for your venture.
You're right! A fish biologist! That's a pretty niche subject!
Omg a fish biologist?? 🐠 this is music to my Pisces heart 💙
I'm not a professional, and while I do have a podcast, I don't update it anymore. I have a total of 50 subscribers after three months.
You know you can start a publication, then if you don't like where it's going start a new one, right? You can have multiple publications. Just keep going until you get it right for you.
That’s a really good tip! Just try it for size.
Options are good. I love options! Thanks for your advice!
Thanks, jackasetters.com!
Nope. I work for an airline in real life. Very few pros here. Those feelings are something everyone here has wrested with at one point or another. Go ahead and post! What's the worst that could happen?
Oh, and you can always change your Substack's name; I've done it. Topics too, for that matter.
I'm so glad to hear that many of you have changed names and subjects and struggled with the specifics.
It happens more than we might think! Iteration is always good.
That's why I love that I can have different "pages" for my newsletters. I can add to the pages as my interests and purpose grow.
We are all imposters, novices and scared children at our core. The only difference between the ones who are successful and those who aren't: the successful ones just kept doing the damn thing. Just send it R Casey, you will feel better for it, I promise.
Yes yes yes!
Amen to that.
Definitely not just for professional writers and podcasters! Mark Dykeman over at How About This? actually changed his Substack name and did a whole post on why. I can't find it at the moment, but the point it--just begin! Put yourself out there, start a consistent posting schedule that is doable, and go!
Hi Holly, you might be mistaking me for another writer, I haven't changed the name but I've certainly tweaked things over the past few months. :)
Hmmm...now my investigative brain wants to find out what 'stack that was. I thought it was pretty cool to say--"hey, this name isn't working for me, so I'm recalibrating."
Even if it wasn’t Mark, I love that someone did this and was able to be open about it! I think there will come a day when I have to change the name of my pub, so it’s encouraging to hear that I won’t be the first and readers won’t necessarily find it weird.
Just checked out your newsletter, Samantha.
"I just want to bring some authenticity, some introspection, and some genuine delight back to the internet."
I'm in!
:) Thanks for the sub, Holly! I subscribed to yours recently as well and have been loving it.
Exactly! (And fwiw...I still haven't figured out which 'stack that was! So obviously you can change the name and it will be a blip on the radar!)
I changed names to some extent but did so many things at once that I'm not sure which bit worked best. Very unscientific of me, but still.
Nah, most Substackers aren't pro writers. What's great about Substack is that we all can write and be part of the platform without any previous qualifications, and if we create content that resonates with others, it can do really well despite our experience or lack thereof. I know lots of people who have never blogged before and aren't professional journalists but have very successful Substacks. So go for it and enjoy the ride!
Don’t be daunted by the writing bit, just think of it like a conversation!
I love that. Just conversing with the people who are showing up for the conversation.
Been there done that.
Don’t give up! You can do it. “Just Do it”. That’s what I said to myself when I procrastinated for months before publishing because nothing seemed right and everyone else here seemed more accomplished than me. I wrote about that in my welcome post. Attaching link here in case if you feel like reading it.
https://open.substack.com/pub/priyavyas/p/welcome?r=jyvzi&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
I will be your first subscriber. I promise. If you have something to say that’s important to you and feel that others should read it then just go for it.
^ This.
Substack is the place to publish what you want to write about. The people who share your viewpoints (or who don't but still appreciate what you say) will come.
I used to be really afraid of putting myself out there, too. Then I launched a podcast and did 55 episodes before retiring it due to time constraints. In that time, I found that I LOVED the medium and was less and less freaked out by the idea of publishing.
Here's a little secret I learned from that and from being a folk musician for a while: When it's your mic, you can't mess up.
Yes. Well. Just start. You'll grow into it. With every new issue you publish, you become less of a novice and more of a pro. Okay, maybe not the latter if you look at me, but you get what I mean. It's what Mike Snowden replies, it's what that Chinese proverb about the 1000 mile journey is about (it begins with the first step) and it's the often-rebuked-but-still-valuable-for-what-it-stands-for 10,000 hour rule is all about.
Write. Publish. Learn. Have fun. Repeat.
Go for it!
It's true. Thank you!
I think the beauty of substack and writing on the internet is that it does not have to be professional. If your goal is to make a profession of it, that go for it. If your goal is to enjoy a hobby, share some wisdom, go for it.
Right! Perspective is everything. It would be a hobby for sure. Thank you for responding!
This is ABSOLUTELY a platform for novices - just like the entire world wide web! Hop on, publish often, make mistakes, and believe that you're 100th newsletter will be a little bit better than your 50th.
Hopefully! Good to know that this is a welcoming platform for novices! Thank you so much!
My newsletter is small and I’m not a professional writer in any sense. My philosophy when starting out was that finished was better than perfect...start getting your words out there, and everything else you can fix/change/update later if need be! Pressing “publish” on your first post is the hardest part. I know it’s intimidating, but you’ll be surprised by how welcoming and supportive the Substack community is. You can do it!!
Love that. Finished is better than perfect. I'm going to keep that as my mantra when it is time to press publish. Thank you.
:)
I just started writing last month. So far it’s been great. It will take you a bit to find your voice so don’t worry about making everything perfect at first just get your voice out there. Best of luck. Check out some of my articles to get some encouragement
I absolutely will do that. I guess that's where I'm stuck. I always felt that I had to know what my voice is before I started. That is very good advice! thank you!
Joined Substack less than 24 hours ago, so I have no idea what I don't know. Yet. Looking forward to diving in!
Welcome, probably the most non-toxic community I've experienced on the web in the last 5 years. You'll love it.
You are making a great point here. It is so exceptional, yet everybody here behaves like it's normal. That is indeed part of what makes Substack a great place. Applause for the Substack team, and all the members of the substack universe.
Now you can call yourself a “Substacker.” For me, Substack was the best discovery since TikTok. :)
Welcome Candi !
Welcome! No better strategy than to jump in. 🙂
Joining is a great first step. Posting on Office Hours is a great next step! Welcome!
Welcome! Substack is a great place!
Welcome. It’s pretty user friendly so I’m sure you’ll have a great experience.
Just used BOTH pull quotes and block quotes in my latest article on Substack 🤗
They add a lot more visual dynamics to the text.
Thank you! 🥳
When A House Is A Tragic Character⤵️
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/when-a-house-is-a-tragic-character
Cool.
Happy for you.
But HOW did you get the Buy Me A Coffee button to show like that? I clearly did not explore that enough.
It looks good. Unrelated question: How do you like using Redbubble for your merchandise? I was also looking at using Teepublic.
I think that products like notebooks, mugs, and clocks are good, but the t-shirts vary in quality. I think the printing could be a lot better for clothing.
Still haven’t worked out how to do this 🙄 Good to be reminded!
I saw the change in quote choices, but had not had time to really play with that feature. Nice example. Is anyone else finding these options to help visually?
I think they fundamentally improve the aesthetic of the article when used appropriately. Also, I see your name a lot around here Holly. Power user! Good to see ya.
Ha! Maybe that's because I've traded my social media addiction for a Substack addiction? There's such great content all over Substack that I read a wide variety of 'stacks. And then I comment a good bit. I like letting writers know when something hits for me.
What are the benefits for each? I was considering using them but when I searched the difference I didn’t see much value difference.
One difference is that the block quote is left justified and the pull quote is centered. I was going to use the pull quote, but more than one line of centered text is too hard to read, so I went back to the block quote to indicate a source quote.
Right, but if you already use one, why do you need a second type of quote?
As an example, one of the things I did in my longer articles was use quotes from the show I’m highlighting. I used block quote. Is there some benefit to using pull quotes other than the visual?
I tend to read via the audio feature so I don’t put much thought into the visual effects. As long as they can read/listen, does it matter whether it’s left justified or centred?
I like both, but really just use block quotes 'cause I like everything aligned on the left (I know, I know).
Oh, please, Kevin..............I'll pit MY OCD against yours any day!! Just name the time and place (as long as it's neatly-appointed)!😁
Block quotes and pull quotes serve two different purposes within the layout.
Block quotes contain an external quote, like when you bring in a quote from source material. They work for either long or short excerpts of text that are NOT your original words but are actual quotations.
Pull quotes set out and highlight a short quote from the body of the post’s text itself. This can be an excerpt of YOUR words OR pulled from the sourced text set in the block quote above.
Does that make sense?
I've noticed that the Substack folks use the various styles and quote types well in "Substack Reads." In combo with dividers, little interstitial graphics, typeface changes... they just pull it all together in a way that is visually interesting but not cluttered.
I think they help break up the text. I use block quotes for short quotes and pull quotes for longer quotes.
Oh I get that. But I used the original quote feature, which I think is block quote. I don’t see why someone would use a pull quote if they already have a block quote.
Same reason why people sometimes eat two desserts.....because they can! I use everything in my power (and in 'Stack's toolbox) to "adorn" my articles, whether it's pix, gifs, pulls, blocks....listen, if I could spray 'em with cologne, I would!
Anything to keep my readers from having to plow thru a forest of an un-paragraphed text!
Just variety for me. The pull quotes center the text, so for me, it makes the quote look more poetic.
It has been more than two months now since I started my newsletter and I’m interviewing my 10th artist tomorrow! I’ve got a lot of good feedback and improvements advice since then! I didn’t imagined it would grow like this! I just have one recommendation for the Substack Team, it would be the possibility to create pre-filled buttons directly in the settings of the newsletter (without having to change the text every time)!
Also, yesterday, I made my first thread asking for the small artist people are listening to these days!
If some of you want to share it with me feel free to write here or directly by DM on Instagram for the shy ones :
https://smallears.substack.com/p/open-your-ears-share-the-small-artist/comments
I’m actually publishing something similar on my Substack: https://insidemusic.substack.com/
I’m taking original music submissions, writing reviews, creating themed playlists, and sharing educational content for DIY musicians.
I’ve been looking for some newsletters to collaborate with and to cross-promote.
That's so cool. I know so many indie musicians that would love that.
Greetings, Chris, and welcome! I don't ignore new music/musicians on my 'Stack, although, most of my content is based on my experience in FM rock radio and the record biz in the '70s and '80s. Regardless, you might find some things FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE of interest to you! And, who knows....a collab might be in our future, too! You're welcome behind the velvet rope line anytime!---Brad
Hey Brad, I actually subbed to your newsletter the other day after you posted in the Substack Writers Unite Discord. Your piece was really excellent. I'd love to possibly collaborate on something. Mind if I reach out directly on Discord?
I THOUGHT your tiny pic looked familiar! Thanks, Chris! Certainly....holler at me on Discord!
Hey, Benjamin! May fellow 'Stackers know that Benjamin is a pliable fellow, as he and I are working on not only a collab, but a periodic series of sorts (monthly? maybe)!
He's been very open to suggestions as to our direction on this, so mad props to him for that among many other things! Plus, his "Small Ears" is quite unique and a welcome addition to our Music 'Stackers, covering a corner of little-known, current singers, bands, and songwriters few are covering!
Give the Mighty Kryze a shout-out, a look-see, and a Subscribe, as I happily do! https://smallears.substack.com/
Thanks a lot Brad! I can’t wait to show your and my subscribers the thing we have prepared!
I love your newsletter! Just checked out your most recent post and subscribed. I am always searching for new music to listen to, and it's such a treat to find the hidden gems. Looking forward to reading/listening more.
What a cool idea for a substack! Subscribed!
It would be awesome if, in the magazine format, we could invert the sidebar from "most popular articles" to the manually curated links.
Sometimes most popular articles are NOT evergreen...
That makes sense; thanks for the feedback. This isn't a perfect workaround, but you can pin up to 4 posts on the top of your magazine layout—so that could also be a good place to manually curate.
I have the magazine layout, but cannot get more than one piece "above the fold". Maybe I don't have enough pieces yet? I just started recently and have only three stories.
I second this. Sometimes the most popular are popular by accident. It might be nice to have a timely “most popular” option. Like, if you have the most popular articles over the last month.
One of the newer Substack features I really like are the "new subscriber" emails that show what other newsletters a reader subscribes to. It got me thinking: Could Substack show me how much audience overlap my newsletter has with others?
For example, let's say Newsletter X has 50 subscribers in common with Newsletter Y. The authors might not know each other, or be recommending each other, but if they saw that in their Stats sections, now they'd have a reason to connect and cross-promote, potentially growing both their readerships.
+1 on this!!
Awesome, glad you're thinking about this! I'd definitely sign-up for "matchmaking" type emails that say something like, "Adventure Snack has X subscribers in common with Newsletter Y. Want to reach out?"
That kind of feature would be 🔥🔥🔥
From the beginning, I adopted the model that offers all my subscribers equal access to my content. So far, I'm happy for the way it's worked for me. I have 700 total subscribers and 52 paid subscribers. It may just be laziness that makes me take this approach. I leave it to the conscience of my readers on whether or not to pay and I don't have to think about figuring out some other approach.
My main challenge these days is questioning whether or not my production model is sustainable. I write weekly personal essays and I'm running out of stories. I have no idea what's going to happen when the stories are all told... What happens if the well runs dry. I have a hard time facing the fact that every artist must go through "fallow" times, but my weekly production mindset has not allowed for that. I ask myself "What would it be like to take a break?" -- I'm scared I could never start again... Just some thoughts. All the best to all of you. I love Substack. Hal
Take a break, tell you readers that you need it and ask them their opinion on that. They subscribed because they want your words so I think that they can understand that you need a break
The problem is the solution! I love that. Seems like trusting your readers in that way and inviting them in is such a nice place to approach this from.
I’m certain that my readers would support and encourage a break. I’m pretty sure it’s me that’s the problem… “Who am I if I’m not producing a weekly Substack?” :)
Hal. I’m new to Substack just since this Sunday and write poetry and draw pics. I too am in my 60s. I am writing a novel for the last few years. I have a boatload of material but I’m not sure what or how much to put out. I have about 20 subscribers so far and have yet to share off of a number of avenues. Any hints on how you engage. You sound like you have loyal readers?
Also as far as your writing. How about asking them. We all have up and downs in life. Y oh probably have remarkable stories about raising family etc. Have a great day.
that what your ego says but it doesn’t meant that you have to listen :)
Hi Hal..........All I can offer is just open your mind and be creative! I exhausted my original goal of my 'Stack about 6 months ago.....sharing my "having met the stars"/backstage articles. Since then, I've created---literally out of my head and out of whole cloth---THREE new recurring lanes: Audio Autopsy, Inside Tracks, and GROW BIGGER EARS, with all three keeping me MORE than busy and quite ahead.
Plus, I'm working with Small Ears writer, Benjamin Kryze on yet another recurringly-themed lane of posts!
Rather than describe them here (he said cagily), I'll let you (and whomever) peruse my site for the titles, which will give you a much better idea of my aim for each than just my ramblings here:
https://bradkyle.substack.com/
After coming up with the concept and/or title (sometimes one comes before the other, and vice versa), I wanted to make sure it could/would be sustainable...that's key. So, open up your mind....even to a completely different goal and content theme than your previous. You got this, Hal...............now, go get 'em!😁👏
Yes. I’m certain that opening my mind is truly the answer…. Letting go of what I thought this thing was… Thanks Brad! H
Hi Hal! I'm there with you, same model and same worry. I'm experimenting with an informal editorial calendar that sticks with weekly regularity but switches up the format: essay or two, discussion thread, "meta" writing about writing, perhaps a book review or list of things I'm reading/watching/listening to. This gives me more creative time between essays AND adds variety and interactivity for my readers.
I hear you. This is a helpful idea… though I’m still resistant to switching up the good thing that I’ve gotten going. I may need to let go. :)
I have this panic constantly! I noticed recently that my fear of running out of stories was preventing me from writing the stories I still have. I also get this very deeply: "my weekly production mindset has not allowed for that. I ask myself "What would it be like to take a break?" -- I'm scared I could never start again..."
Have you ever navigated a fallow time before? Or hit a pause and then been able to return with more ideas and resources? (asking myself these same questions)
There it is. Experienced the same. I'm on the elderly side (67) so I was worried too about forgetfulness. I decided to just start a draft whenever I remembered something that I wish to write about. I'll be working on one draft, and something will pop up that belongs in another piece. I go there and drop a few notes and then get back to the current piece. It gives me a buffer of future material. So far working for me. Taking a break? Is that an option for a writer? I mean, I may not be typing the material, but my mind is always about it. All the best!
“Is that option for a writer?” I know, right!? This made me laugh out loud. :)
Glad to contribute to your happiness. :)
I just wrote this to Hal Walker. I'm copying you:
I have a solution for you're: running out of ideas.
It's hard to get ideas when you ask "What do I do next?" Instead, INTERPOLATE. Interpolation is internal extension. So, instead of trying to find another idea, go into one of your existing ideas and ask, "What makes this work?" or "What is the precise definition of X?" or "How is X different from Y?"
It's like a number line. You start with 1, 2, 3 but then interpolate so it becomes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 etc. When you go further into concepts they tend to fall apart in many ways and that gives you endless stuff to write about.
Hi Chas. If I had read your reply first, I would have withheld mine. "When you go further into concepts they tend to fall apart in many ways and that gives you endless stuff to write about." In disintegration begins consolidation...and composition. Nice.
Hi Hal, this is a great idea. I'm looking for how to balance paid vs free--so your'e saying you tell your subscribers "pay what I'm worth" basically? :)
Actually, I rarely mention pay. I just keep thanking them for their support and every once in a while, I get a new paid subscriber.
Interesting that you offer all your content free but have so many subscribers and so many paid ones. I'm doing something similar -- I make most content free, but I've posted some huge lecture series (some 40 hours long!) and that stuff is for paid subscribers only.
I have a solution for you're: running out of ideas.
It's hard to get ideas when you ask "What do I do next?" Instead, INTERPOLATE. Interpolation is internal extension. So, instead of trying to find another idea, go into one of your existing ideas and ask, "What makes this work?" or "What is the precise definition of X?" or "How is X different from Y?"
It's like a number line. You start with 1, 2, 3 but then interpolate so it becomes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 etc. When you go further into concepts they tend to fall apart in many ways and that gives you endless stuff to write about.
That’s very interesting. Yes… going deeper. Thanks for the good explanation.
Have you ever done a "brain dump" of all the potential personal essays you could write? That's how I started my newsletter, The Journey Continues. I was reading some of my Dad's nostalgic stories and started remembering all kinds of things from childhood/teen years. Grabbed a notebook, jotted down a few bits from each memory, and wound up with something like 2 pages of prompts.
Thank you Theresa. Yes, I’ve done that and it’s been helpful. I guess I’m coming to the place of realizing how difficult this writing life is. I just love it so much when I find the flow. :)
Me too. But I'm realizing that the flow is the minority and the struggle is the majority.
Which is perfectly fine. It's true that anything worth doing takes effort, and if you want to write well, it takes even more.
Try experimenting with fiction
Yikes!
Maybe ask your subscribers to come up with some ideas?
Love the idea of outsourcing!
It's Thursday again. Where are all my fiction friends at in the comments? Make sure you head over and check out https://fictionistas.substack.com. We wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the most amazing, crazy party of fiction writers on the planet.
We can try to answer as a community any questions about how amazing and crazy it gets, and there is a growing catalogue of helpful articles about the world of writing fiction on Substack.
*Waves Hand Enthusiastically*
Thanks for the shoutout for Fictionistas! We would love to have all fiction writers (and fiction-adjacent folks like memoir writers, poets, and other creative folks). We have our next Zoom call on Oct 24th, so we'd love to see everyone then!
Cool! Do you already have the Zoom link? Or you just send it to subscribers at some point?
Subscribed!
Very cool, welcome to the community!
Fiction writer here 🙋🏼♀️
I saw a few others lurking as well 😁
Fiction writers...........is it true that's all you do......lurk? I read that once.😉
We also plot the demise of the food writers... I've shared too much.
Nice...............................I tried food writing once. Ran out of ink; too hard to refill my carrot.🥕
I am here fiction friend. I started Substack recently and discovered the fictionistas, subscribed. I've been meaning to send an email about getting on the page that shows people's fiction pages, but it keeps slipping my mind. Also, hoping to catch the next zoom call. All the best.
Welcome, Victor!
Thanks Brian. Finding some excellent reads throughout Substack land.
Great! Thank you Brian! I've been feeling that fiction is very underrepresented in the Substacks that get recommended to me, etc. Appreciate what you're doing!
Wonderful! We're glad to have you, and hope you can connect with other fiction writers.
Hello subscribed and glad to connect! Right now I'm writing about life and observations, but I'm a novelist as well and am thinking of serializing my next book on SS. Glad to be in the writer community!
Awesome, we have many other writers who are in a similar situation, and who wanted to connect the same way, who are thinking about, or just toy around with fiction. All levels are welcome 😁
Hey Future Thief. Looks cool. I subscribed and will check your SS out. On first glance, it looks like you have posts that are part of larger works. Some singular posts. Some announcements to the readers. I do that stuff, too -- and have a question:
I've been frustrated with not being able to organize posts on SS better. I'd like to be able to put chapters in order, maybe insert chapters and keep the order, or just organize posts on the home page to have a more attractive layout.
You're illustration style looks really organized and gives a unified look. Do you get frustrated by lack of ability to shuffle posts around?
Hey Chas, thank you for subscribing! One thing I would recommend is reading the following:
https://fictionistas.substack.com/p/using-sections-for-serial-fiction
Then, what you want to do within the settings of your Substack is enable the Previous and Next post links for your section newsletter. That way the reader can navigate in order. What I've seen some writers do is include a link in every post in that section that is basically a "First Post in this Series" page. For the most part, I think authors have found that's enough to satisfy readers and writers. Let me know if you have questions on that.
Oh, cool! I will definitely check that out. Thanks!
I’m curious what everyone is doing with their newsletters during the holidays / month of December? It’s usually a pretty dead month and I don’t know if I want to wait to share some of my best posts in January?
Maybe a good time to zig while everyone zags? Some of my best comedy pieces are holiday-themed, so I'm planning to stay active.
Barreling straight through. I have some topics I post/discuss every year during December, but have some ideas for this year to make it more interesting.
Last year I did some year-end pieces and skipped a week or two. If I get my act together I’ll have them ready and front loaded a few weeks in advance. I saw a lull in readership over the holidays last year but I saw a spike on those year end pieces when people came back.
That's interesting to note about them connecting with those pieces in the new year. My inbox can get pretty deep, but maybe people like to save them and come back to them to catch up in January.
I see this throughout the year too. Some regulars drop off for a few weeks or a month, then catch up when they have time.
I'll keep going with my haphazard publishing schedule just like always. I probably won't write anything just before or on the holidays themselves but otherwise it's business as usual because for me the holidays aren't that overwhelming (no kids, no travel, etc.) Plus I figure there are plenty of people who will appreciate new content hitting their inboxes as the holiday whirlwind spins around them.
Yes, that's true. It is a good time for reading!
I’m planning to continue my twice-weekly publication schedule. I already know my topics, etc and will have them written well before their publication dates. A great feature of Substack is ‘scheduled posting’ - I used it when we went on holiday this summer and was able to not miss a post - even when I was halfway over The Atlantic!
I swear by scheduled posts.
I never swear at them.
Last year, I wrote some posts about the changing light with the transition to winter, some stuff about Vitamin D storage in the body vs supplementation… I’ll probably cover the same topics again but try to do it better and more clearly!
I just started my newsletter here so I don't want to take December off. It would be like starting a new job and then going on vacation, heh. Hopefully readers will be buying Christmas gift subscriptions for their family and friends!
I do year in reviews/top posts for the year.
For the past few years, I've taken a month off between mid-December and mid-January. Those first two weeks in January are helpful to build up my queue of posts.
My first post back in January usually gets a bump in opens, I think because readers are glad to see Adventure Snack back in their inboxes!
That's kind of what I'm thinking. I would love to build up a bit of a backlog and start the year strong!
Hey Elle, I will be taking December off -- only one post to sum up the year. Still writing but will let everyone know it's a time of rest.
Love the idea of summaries and round ups and reflections. Feels very fitting for everyone's frame of mind that time of year.
I’m thinking of doing the same. And anyway I’ll be on vacation for two weeks so it seems like as good a time as any to take a pause!
You could always frontload some posts as well if you really wanted to, but then you're still on the hook to interact with the community. I like the idea of resting at some point -- I'm pretty sure there was a Substack Grow post about that not too long ago.
I'm currently telling a longer journey story that could very well take me through the end of the year (I publish once weekly) but I might take a December "right turn" to tell some personal Christmas stories. Glad you got me thinking on this.
So glad you asked this! I hadn't even thought that far.
My weekly newsletter is looking back on daily selfies I took from March 2020 to May 2021. Each current week looks at the concurrent selfies from those dates in 2020. All that is to say, I'll keep on writing straight through. I might, however, make a greater effort to draft and schedule my posts ahead of time than I usually do. And I might consider taking a week or two off from my midweek paid subscriber email as well. But that's all nebulous at this point.
I was just mapping out the rest of the year and was curious about this too. In general, I toggle between feeling really motivated to hit my goals before the year runs out and
remembering that November and December are usually very broken up with other (important) priorities and it's just not a great time to push or expect laser focus. How did you navigate the holiday season in the past?
Last year I published my chapters straight through, and had one essay on Dec 20th that did really well and another on December 5th that did really well. (Actually both were extremely well performing posts). So maybe it isn’t as dead as I thought?
Maybe everyone is already in holiday/vacation mode and reading more instead of less?!
Good point!
I am a writer and poet who has journaled and written most of my life about my experiences of growing up as an orphan - essentially living all my childhood in "boarding homes". I think there may be value for me and others if I create a Substack about these experiences,
Do it, Don. No need to think. If you write honestly and it's from your lived experience, someone out there will find it super valuable.
I agree!
Please do! I love reading memoirs. As long as you're honest with yourself and willing to be vulnerable, it will resonate with people. There is someone (or perhaps many someones) out there who needs to hear your story.
Don - please publish your story. We are foster parents and we really value hearing about people’s experience in care and I know our kids do too. You have such a valuable story to share.
Tobias said it perfectly! Go on Don & welcome!
That's so interesting. I write in memoir style too. Not quite the same but finding out my mother was actually my grandmother when I was nine. I write family relationship a lot. I think you should definitely give it a go.
Please pardon me for going a bit off topic but I think this post might be helpful to some. I wrote about my stalled or unfinished projects this week with the hopes that it might help me either put them to rest, permanently, or else motivate me to finally finish some of them. I think the admission might be enough to motivate me to move forward with some. Do you have have unfinished projects that are troubling you? Maybe talking about this will help.
https://howaboutthis.substack.com/p/curious-realizer-whats-in-your-creative
P.S. - just short of reaching 500 subscribers!
It seems like my life is one big unfinished project. Congrats on 500 subscribers -- that's an accomplishment.
One of the nice things about having talent is you can get an idea, do it quickly, then move on to the next idea and not look back. On the other hand, lots of ideas need to percolate. Lately, I've been looking at it as "building" a story rather than "writing." Scrivener is a pretty good environment for building long form stuff (although the compile and output feature is horrible).
I also try to do not just long form stuff, but short pieces, too. That way I can get continually get things done. I post a lot of short stuff on my SS, called "Free World Theory."
This reminds me that I meant to comment on your post when I first saw it, but never did. Going to fix that.
I have so many! Some that haunt me, some that were worthy of being unfinished :-) But I have more and more finished projects, too, and that feels good.
I loved this post Mark! My brain is also feeling really cluttered with ideas in limbo. Did the writing or the publishing of this help- in motivation or release?
Definitely some release, we'll see about the motivation!
Lovely! Very nice Mark.
Loving the Android app! Or, rather I’m loving that my readers who use Android now have an app. Really helps their reading experience and makes it easier to leave comments and have a conversation. Great work, Substack team!💪👏🙏🏻
Ditto!!!
Hey everyone, I’ve been enjoying the platform for quite a bit (4 months) and I wanted to see what is the best way to grow my Substack subscriptions outside of following and commenting on other writer’s stuff. I don’t want to shamelessly plug my newsletter on Twitter or Instagram, but I really want to grow this newsletter in a year or two. Thank you
If your newsletter provides value, why wouldn’t you want to share it on social platforms?
Don’t shoot yourself down -- there might be people out there who need your content.
My suggestion is to break your content into shareable pieces and post to LinkedIn and Twitter
Welcome. For the first time last week, I promoted my substack on Twitter and Reddit. I didn't get any new subscribers, but my post views had a sizable jump.
Diving into social media can be intimidating. My advice is find a good subreddit that aligns with your topics. Reddit users seem to be willing to click through and engage further if you share an interesting post or snippet of your work. Just check the subreddit rules, as some forums prohibit promoting blogs/shops, etc.
This is such a great thought. I was actually thinking about reddit the other day and how I wasn't using it anymore. So thanks for that reminder. I need to find those who are seeking stories of personal experience that are encouraging etc. Need to find that sub-reddit.
Have read some of your comments I’m brand new since Sunday. I write poetry and blend w pics I draw. I’m under the faith and spirituality. How do I go to others sites that write in that genre?
You can search Substack by Genre!
r/selfimprovement is a very healthy and positive place. also check r/selfgrowth (might not be the accurate name). r/motivation is good too though usually a lot of memes/videos and some "grind culture" stuff which I find a little grating.
Let me think some more...
Thanks so much Rian. So helpful. I really appreciate that. Going to open that Reddit app next and check those places out.
You got it. Best of luck! I just followed your 'stack as well, so I'll look forward to hearing more about your journey.
If nothing else, the process of finding the right subreddit could give you good material for a substack post.
Amazing! Thank you so much I'm subscribing to see what you do in that wind. :)
I'm pretty sure there's an r/positivity community. Maybe even an r/encouragement
I always think that if you are worried about promoting your stuff too much you probably won’t ever be at risk of actually doing it! Promote away!
Hahaha! Yes! We have to get those negative criticizing voices out of our heads. Or... maybe it's just me...
I wonder if it wouldn't be a fun idea for there to be Office Hours monthly based on different themes. Wellness and Health, one day. Sports, another. International Relations and Politics, another, etc. It would help grow our own communities before reaching out to others?
I wouldn’t want to lose this weekly open discussion with writers across all niches, but I do think adding a monthly one for writers in a specific niche would be awesome! I think it could be done without a Substack staff person having to be present.
Great idea Elizabeth! Would lead to more specific questions and concerns for the respective niches.
And I see you also write about the importance of national unity ;)
oh you read common sense too! :)
Exactly - or would maybe help boost some ideas!
Yes! Unity is quite a pressing issue now. Thank you for liking my post! Love the Common Sense substack; the podcasts are great too!
I'm so glad to finally make the hours! I have it on my calendar all the time and can never make it. I have been writing my substack since this summer and am focusing on consistency. I only have about 33 subscriptions but they are devoted readers. I'm so grateful for that. It keeps me accountable. I recently read about Anne Kadet and how she keeps her Substack free with no pay wall but asks for donations. I love that. I think that's the route I'll go because of what I write - stories about the spiritual journey and growth. Everyone should be welcome!
You just described my exact experience! Thanks for sharing.
I always miss it too! Plus, am I crazy or does the email say it's supposed to start at 1pm Eastern?The one time I manage to show up, I'm somehow an hour later than everybody else...
And I had the same reaction to the Anne Kadet email. I think there are a lot of readers who are willing to pay to support a publication, just in order to keep it going, without having to put everything (or even some things) behind a paywall.
Yes it does say that and I was "late" too! What's up with that? LOL - Yes I'm going to try the donation route and see how that goes.
You can get on to the Office Threads as soon as you get the e-mail. The "start time" is really to let you know when the 'Stack tech "suits" show up to help answer Qs.
Ohhh! Gotcha. Thanks!
Plus, it gives us a couple hours to talk behind their backs before they arrive bearing donuts! (Hi, Katie!)
Haha!
Hi, I am looking forward to reading your 'stack! I write about faith and spirituality as well. For writers outside of the "hard subjects" like finance, politics, cultural commentary, etc., I think the "Patron" model of things is the way to go. It's hard to ask for $X/month for writings on my inner life - but probably easy to ask for donations or even Ko-fi tips.
Thanks for the back up on that. It's so hard to take that next right step sometimes!
I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on how you navigate time and structure within your process? And, does the framework you create to support you ever have the opposite effect (and what do you do then)?
My mind is definitely focused on process right now with my eyes fixed on the bi-weekly publishing goal I set for the rest of the year. Right now, I'm noticing that the timing and publishing structure I set to keep me accountable and focused is actually making me feel rushed and panicky instead to the point where I can't think or focus.
I find it helps to focus me but I do play around with my publishing schedule at times so...
For me, I use both a tight and loose structure to help me along. My free newsletter edition goes out every Sunday but I don't necessarily have a set time I send it out. It's more whenever I feel like/get the inspiration/have time to write it. If I write it ahead of time, I'll schedule the post but often I'll write on Sunday and send then.
For my midweek, paid subscriber edition, I am more loose with the schedule. I don't have many paid subscribers as yet and most, if not all, are people are know in real life and I know I can be flexible with when that edition goes out. I write it sometimes between Tuesday and Thursday (these days, mostly Thursday) and usually write and send on the same day.
I feel like if your publishing structure makes you feel rushed and panicky, it might be worth trying something new or asking further questions of it. What is the goal of the publishing schedule? How do you want the publishing schedule to aid your writing? What are other ways you can set yourself up for success? It's so hard to stay accountable to oneself and forcing a schedule that is not working might make the accountability harder. I find I am so much more productive when I work with myself and my tendencies as opposed to against them.
I love these questions. And, as I think about the answers, you're totally right- somewhere along the way, I stopped working with myself. The goal was never the schedule itself. Thank you for the helpful reframes!
Hi Tami, I was really inspired by a recent post that might help answer this question/give you food for thought: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-20-anne-kadet - it's about Anne's strategy to grow her newsletter. One of the major themes was she keeps a consistent and structured approach to how/when she publishes. It creates and reinforces trust with the reader. I've found that to be true for me as well. Knowing I have a small - but mighty - group of folks who have subscribed to my newsletter, I have told them that I will post every Sunday about xyz. The structure keeps me honest, accountable and focused on delivering that value when I said I would. I think it's really ease to shirk responsibility and put off finishing articles if you don't have a framework. TLDR: structure is essential & the best/most popular newsletters all have their own process & their readers trust them for this
Totally. I also really enjoyed Anne's grow feature and understand how a consistent publishing schedule supports the readers. I'm more curious about what happens when the structure doesn't support the writer- less from a shirking of responsibility place and more from a practical process place...
I love the new media assets and have been using them on IG (https://www.instagram.com/shanewriter/ or search @shanewriter) - they look so much more professional and polished than the screenshots I'd been using before.
The Android app is very nice too - occasionally comments don't load so well, but that seems intermittent rather than persistent to me.
I should have said this in my previous comment, but thank you for reporting the issue! And if you experience it or any other issues after upgrading, please let us know.
Comment issues should be fixed in the update that was released yesterday in the Play Store.
Yes! Using them for both my personal and podcast Substacks have been amazing. And they add a consistency to brand.
Came here to post the same thing. I really like the media assets (and how easy they are for someone like me to use).
I think I've noticed some issues with comments, especially if I'm the first commentator.
I think that's the issue - if there are extant comments, they load easily.
Hi there! I was interested in adding new links in my navigation bar as a way to sort/organize posts I've published. But then it seemed like I had to create a new section for the link to work. Then when I got to sections, I had a choice between additional newsletters and additional pages. Could you explain the difference between these two? Newsletters vs. Pages? I think Newsletters is what I want to organize posts, but if I do this, then won't my subscribers have to subscribe to multiple newsletters when they sign up for my posts? Ideally all my posts would appear on the home page, but I would use the navigation bar as categories to group similar posts...
They changed the name from “sections” to “additional newsletters” recently which I find confusing. But additional newsletters are basically sections of your newsletter that you can organize your posts into. A page is just one single page (like a single post).
Thanks for clarifying! I find the new terminology confusing. Sections makes more sense, to me anyway.
The terminology isn't great. On my page, "The talks," "War Journals," and "Fiction" are all considered separate newsletters that populate as new columns: https://agowani.substack.com/
I had that question also, and figured out that for me the best option was to add a page in the navigation bar. You can see how that came out at https://www.introvertupthink.com. But your motive might be different from mine...
I had considered the route you did also...
I was wondering this as well, but hadn't investigated yet!
I want to thank Nikhil Rajagopalan for answering my questions two weeks ago about how to add links to my Substack navigation bar. Following his instructions, I've completed doing one of those - a link for my online courses related to my Substack, Introvert UpThink, and I plan to add one more navigation link to a FAQ page about Introverts.
The result is that these two additional navigation links will facilitate organic traffic and upsells.
Thanks again, Nikhil!
Oh wow...Marcia, so great to see you here. "Freelance Writing For Magazines and Newspapers" was one of my bibles when I turned pro in the late 80s!
He's a huge asset to this community!
Almost too late to the hour, but hello! I write about how social media is changing the way we interact with place. I have had a blog for years, but have decided that I’d like to start afresh and more seriously, and after months of deliberating on name etc have started here on Substack 👋 I’d love to know whether publishing via the (fantastic) app will be available any time soon? And equally keen to read through all these comments and see if I can find fellow writers with similar interests. Best wishes from a rainy east coast of Scotland 🌧️
Hey Laura, I had the same question! Would love to be able to publish from my phone. Hope the weather is alright in Scotland!
Hi Laura
Had a quick read of your blog. It’s really thoughtful. Love it.
I’m fascinated by the algorithm in these social mode is platforms too. I think it shows us a lot about us too.
I’m currently doing some experiments with LinkedIn which I’m going to write about next week.
Hey everyone! I started my fitness nutrition newsletter a few months back. Things are going great. I'm getting good feedback, but I'd really like to get more people interacting. Any tips?
I want this too and would love to hear tips on how to get people to engage in the comments! I usually ask for ideas, insights, or questions based on the topic, but don't really get many takers.
I do the same. Always end with a question.
I've been wanting to try the thread format or even do a "office hours" style Q&A, but I worry that no one will participate!
Totally! One of my most loyal readers has asked me to start hosting office hours after I post and I’m still nervous about it. I decided to create a separate section of my newsletter for them so people can unsubscribe without leaving the main publication in case anyone finds them annoying. I’m going to start next week and I feel kind of excited about it but also worried no one will have anything to say. Only one way to find out, tho!
That's smart to put it in a separate section. Good luck with the roll out! Hope it goes well for you.
Thank you, Jenn!
Yeah, I created a little "clubhouse" section--but it's been mostly crickets. But if no one shows up to your AMA, that's no big deal, right? It's embarrassing maybe, but you need to start somewhere.
True. I guess you just have to put yourself out there a lot until you find what sticks!
Yo! First off excited to read ur newsletter I just got back into lifting and wanna be eating right too !!
What's worked for me: asking super specific questions, like a post all about "what's your fav exercise?" or "what is the one thing you hate about the gym" or whatever - things that ppl are emotional about but don't require a ton of time for them to answer.
You could also ask them to just intro themselves, answer a couple quick questions about who they are.
Hope this helps!
Great tips. I'll try them. Thanks, Alex!
Hello fellow substackers! Have any of you had success posting on Reddit? Any suggestions? I'd love to grow my readership and I've heard this is a good strategy.
I tried promoting in reddit recently and had a decent amount of people click through to my substack. Here are some things from my experience.
Find a subreddit that aligns with your topic. The more specific the subreddit the better.
Engage with the subreddit in more ways than just promoting your work. In the subreddits that are more regular-sized (under 100,000 users) , regular posters and commenters become recognized presences and people will grow comfortable with what you share.
Check the subreddit rules to make sure the subreddit allows posting links or promoting your own work.
Don't just share your work - ask for critique, commentary, or clarity on what you've written. In my experience Redditors can be a helpful tribe and they will check out your work if you give them a good reason to.
+1 Redditors appreciate and reward those who are active, thoughtful members of their community.
Wow - this advice is amazing! I so appreciate it.
Of course! Reddit is not a perfect place - but there are some really great gems among the various subreddits where people are supportive and eager to help each other be creative.
I could be wrong about this, but I thought I read that Andy Weir ("The Martian" author) got help from a subreddit on making his space-themed sci-fi scientifically accurate.
Yep, finding the right subReddit is key, I've gotten a bit of traffic from there and some useful feedback.
Yes but quality is hit or miss.
Good to know!
Hi! I just read the same thing this week. I think reaching out to the potential circles that could be interested in your subjects through reddit is definitely a go-to but have no idea how I'd even go about it. Same with IG.
Are you referring to the spotlight on Cafe Anne? That's where I got the reddit idea!
I've tried it a few times - didn't get much traffic. Reddit typically has a lot of rules around creating/posting content (rather than just commenting on an already existing post), so it can be tricky even getting something posted. Having said that, posting your content every possible is a great idea - you never know where your next subscriber is going to come from!
Yes, Reddit has always intimidated me. So many rules! Thanks for the encouragement though.
Agree with what everyone's said - the key I think is to really dive into any and all of the subreddits that you think might be a good fit for you and become a genuine part of their community. Most subreddits have strict DO NOT PROMOTE policies, I know cuz I've violated a ton of them hahaha
Another thing certain subreddits love is artist / creators telling their story, like when I made a digital series a few years back I did an AMA (ask me anything) on r/iAMA and it went to the front page of ALL of reddit - it was wild lol.
https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/8h04gv/hi_im_alex_dobrenko_creator_and_star_of_the_new/
But in general I think people love to get behind you if you're honest and share what you're up to...
Clearly I'm a reddit nerd lol, happy to chat with you via email and help you find good subreddits for Noted!
haven't tried this. How do you get started on Reddit? Would love to know.
Go to reddit in your browser or app and start searching for subreddits (aka communities) that interest you. I like r/philosophy, r/religion, r/catholicism, and r/depthpsychology as these are some of the things i also write about on my 'stack. I also like r/watercolor and r/crossstitching.
The larger subreddits (like r/funny) can be hard to get started in as they have millions of users. Go for the smaller communities (under or around 100k).
Hi! Thanks so much for building this amazing platform and to continue to engage with us writers 🙏 I can’t stop recommending it to others!
Probably this has already been asked or suggested, but I find it would be good to allow readers to make single donations to writers, regardless of subscribing. I know some people set that up and then link it in the posts to another platform but it will be super if donations were integrated in Substack as an alternative or complement to paid subscriptions.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!!
Substack has been asked this question, and their response has been that their focus is giving writers a stable income and donations doesn't bring that, so they aren't planning on doing it. Although Substack doesn't endorse it, you can do a "buy me a coffee" of "Ko-fi" button as an option. I've done that and it's worked quite well for me.
I'm going this route. My substack content isn't very "monetizable" imho. But if people want to tip, I'd welcome it.
I second this! Like a tipping system of some sort. I know Twitter has it.
Something that came up for me this week is that I have several scheduled drafts that I wanted to double check the publication settings on, and I couldn’t do that without unscheduling them first. Not a big deal but it was kind of frustrating having to unschedule and reschedule every single post just to make sure a box was checked/unchecked.
I hope maybe this helps.
When you click on a title in the scheduled list, there's a button in the lower right corner of the screen that says Settings. Actually I think it's there, scheduled or not.
For the longest time, I didn't see it and was hitting Continue (at the top of the screen) where you would need to cancel a schedule to go to the settings.
I finally noticed the darn thing lurking low.
That’s extremely helpful Victor! Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me, it’s going to save me a lot of time.
You're welcome, Kerry. All the best!
You shouldn't need to unschedule them. You can check the actual post at any time, and if you need to check settings, you should be able to check those as well.
On my end in order to view the publication settings on a draft, I have to unschedule it.
Hey! Two things for the Substack team!
1. I love how discoverability is working on the platform. It’s super encouraging as I grow my lists.
2. Is there a way to upload a file for a giveaway item? Have I missed this or is it not a option? I’ve been redirecting people to download from my Gumroad store so far.
Thanks!
You can drag a pdf from your desktop into your welcome email (or any posts) and it will be embedded there for anyone to read/download. Is that what you mean?
Yes, PDFs and Excel files are drag-and-drop embeddable! You can also customize the title, description, and thumbnail.
Oo, didn’t know about spreadsheets being embeddable, too. Does that also work with Numbers or CSV files, or would I need to convert to Excel?
I don't know if there's a direct way to upload a file for a giveaway item, but I've seen a lot of people publish links to a Dropbox or Google Drive.
I'd like to know this as well.
I confess I'm slightly confused by the gift referral program. I know once we opt in, Substack has a schedule to send them out to subscribers. But are we able to do that ourselves, either to our entire list or to folks we select? Thanks!
The gift referral program doesn't seem like a win for me because I don't paywall my content. So it's kind of like--here, I'm gifting you this access that's already free. :)
Don't they just pitch the referrals to paid subbies for possible passing along to friends and colleagues? I'll have to go back and read it, but.....
Yes, gift referrals are only sent to paid subs for now.
I should probably go back and do the same....:)
Piggy-backing on Michael's ask: Will we be able to know, somehow, if any given gift ref sub actually CAME from someone's ref? Like, "on your list from Referral" or similar? Thanks!
Hi everyone.
I really enjoy these catch ups. Everyone is so supportive.
I’ve been on a bit of a journey with my newsletter and have been really brave this week and posted for the first time about it on LinkedIn. It was scary! But great!
I had been getting a little despondent with very few subscribers so far so hopefully this will help. Your positivity keeps me going.
Thank you
Yeah, it really is a nice community! Subscribed!
Amazing. Thanks Castalia.
I hope you find interesting.
Let me know how Linkedin worked. I was thinking of doing the same. Does take some guts though! (Also Love the substack name Martin!) Keep it up
Will do. I’ve been growing my LinkedIn following for this purpose and that’s been going really well so this was the time to launch the newsletter on there.
I’m writing a newsletter post on my experiences with LinkedIn for next week.
If this was live, guess I missed it. I just started the 633 Newsletter about a guy with a book who is helping prison inmates and their loved ones, written after he had his wrongful sentence vacated by an appeals court. I'm Substack's new biggest fan.
A truly worthy topic!
PAID SUBSCRIPTION SECTION - Finally got my business account, Venmo and stripe connected so I'm also working on different subscriber levels. Paid subscribers start at $9 All of them include gifts boxes from really basic cards with small packets of loose leaf tea. Idea being that I can host a virtual tea salon for people who can't always attend these things in real life due to COVID risk. Here's my question: Yes I will need to charge for postage. But how do I price things for overseas mailings. There's a section that I've forgotten how to find on pricing but it's not clearly connected to the monetization feature. Is there a blurb explaining how to price gifts for subscribers?
I too have run into this. While substack doesn't have a fully fleshed out e-com to account for shipping, I tried to make sure the premium level of subscription accounts for shipping cost. That said, foreign postage is crazy expense and the only way to maybe explain this to overseas subscribers is through a direct email and a link to a stripe purchase for the gift which has shipping added, though this is very problematic at best and requires a large amount of trust between the two parties.
Good point. Mailings are annual so I could prob add something on a case by case basis but it would be a pain if subscriber numbers got too high
I am curious how you see podcasts and voice-overs working together. I currently provide a "read-aloud" for each of my posts. Do you see the voice-over that I can upload directly to the article as a replacement to the podcast episode I would otherwise upload separately? It's only confusing b/c the podcast then becomes a second post. What's your recommendation?
It seems Substack have already made changes here: when you have uploaded a VoiceOver to your post, in the post settings (visible when you are about to publish), you can now switch on "add VoiceOver to podcast feed".
Take a gander at how my pal JD has been doing it at his substack:
https://lowerblackpain.substack.com/
I like that format! I need to see how much flexibility you have in the "episode details" but I could see turning a lot of my audio posts into podcast posts.
I'm curious about this too. I've been integrating more audio into posts, but still haven't taken the leap into a real official podcast, partly because I don't know whether it makes more sense to just create a normal post with an audio embed.
Hey Anthony, love your substack name. I would also like to know which is better. I started today and began doing voice overs for my essays. I wonder which is best? Please comment if any of you have feedback or advice.
I don't know if you receive a notification when I reply to my own comment... but it seems Substack have provided a solution already, see above.
Thanks for the feedback on the name!
I looooove the new paid features!
Is there any chance the Substack team can also create a feature to do template blocks? I’d love to create ads, highlighted thoughts, etc. from a template that I don’t have to reinvent every time I make a post!
Seconding the request for template blocks! That would be really helpful.
Hi all,
Plugging for my Substack Castalia - https://castaliajournal.substack.com/
Every week includes:
1.Riffs on news (reading widely internationally and across the partisan divide and trying to think about news in a different and more independent way)
2.Riffs on the artistic/intellectual web
3.In-depth book reviews
4.A short story
5.A long-form essay. (This week's is a reported piece on an Afghan-American who endured three months of Taliban captivity.)
It's been a real pleasure to work on this and to get immersed in the Substack community. I feel like I've been waiting for something like Substack to come along since about 2005 (and instead we get a 15-year wasteland of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc). It's really been wonderful to begin exploring everybody's work.
All best,
Sam
Hey Castalia, very interesting. Just subscribed!
Thank you so much! Subscribed as well!
Just subscribed to yours as well!
Dope
Thank you YouTopian! Look forward to reading yours.
Hello Substackers! I switched my blog posts here recently and am learning and loving the change and community. I share a weekly writing prompt for folks learning to use writing as a tool for healing and wholeness. Some of my readers are exploring writing as a spiritual practice. (You define spiritual and I’ll help with the practice.) Others are writing through grief, which is how I started down this road 20 years ago with a writing group of fellow bereaved mothers. Glad to be here, and thanks for office hours! My question: is there a way to see who unsubscribed if they aren’t paid? I had a reader unsub by mistake.
I love it - subscribed! Can’t answer your question tho :(
Thanks Jen. Subscribing to yours too.
I can’t answer your question; just wanted to say I love your concept of sharing a weekly writing prompt to help people write through grief or use writing as a spiritual practice. Journaling daily is so helpful to me, as is writing online. One of my articles on Medium is titled something like “Writing Online Is The Best Thing I’ve Done For My Mental Health,” and it’s true!
Thanks Wendi! I am glad to know about your writing too and look forward to exploring.
One of my favorite takeaways from Grow was using custom dividing bars to enhance your newsletter's visual theming. I've been using custom dividers for awhile, but I noticed that Substack's templates insert the default gray ones (for example, in the headers and footers). It'd be awesome if there was a way to upload your custom divider in the backend, so it'd be inserted into your emails in place of the default one.
Hi everyone! I thought I posted this already but can't seem to find it anywhere in the thread. I launched my Substack two months ago and added a paywall in September. I've managed to get over a hundred free subscribers, which is thrilling. I've also managed to get some paid subscribers, many of whom are friends (very kind of them). But I'm wondering how I might reach people I don't actually know. My Substack is called "I Had No Idea This Would Happen," and I write about recovery and being a single mother by choice. It's self help for people who aren't into self help.
Subscribed. Looks interesting! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for subscribing! I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy it. :)
Thats amazing Kate! If you don't mind me asking, how did you get your first hundred subscribers?
I honestly don't know. It's been a very big surprise. Every time I write a new piece, I post about it on Instagram and Facebook with either a selfie or a photo of my new baby and include a link. I'm not even on Facebook that much, which is probably not great, as I should be replying to comments (I think?). This is what seems to have worked so far.
Hello everyone!
I started my SS about a year ago. I write The Influence, a newsletter about soft power. From Netflix, K-pop and McDonald's to Biden and SCOTUS. Basically, I talk about all those cultural and political things that affect how we see the world and how the world sees us! I am looking to grow my readership and would love some tips! Also, looking for new things to read :)
This is moving fast! Are there any folks in Europe or Asia here? I'm an American in Bucharest, Romania right now.
Hello Stephanie I’m in France, close to Paris
Yes! In Paris :)
Hello from France! How long are you in Bucharest for? What are you doing there?
not physically in Asia but started my Substack in Japan. Writing in both Japanese and English so subscribe if interested!
oh wow, are you from Japan?
Half! spent my summers attending school in Japan growing up.
Nice. I've lived/worked in Nagoya and Tokyo before. Would love to go back without local employment cause I cant do regular work hours there anymore. ugh. they're long.
Amazing! I have family in Nagoya and Tokyo, most of them in Fukuoka though. Definitely best to work for a foreign company in Japan, hours are not as bad. I worked 8 weeks at Point72 Asset Management in Tokyo this summer and it was a great work experience and opportunity.
lovely!
*scans crowd for illustrators* Hi all!
Hi! I recently started a four-panel comic strip 🤗:
https://moviewise.substack.com/s/good-times
LOVE the color palette!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. I wanted to make my cartoon a happy place, and the background colors seem to me to be reminiscent of cotton candy 🥳
Hello 😃
I should have start with « hello, is it me you’re looking for ? » definitely missed my entry 😂
lol! tis! just checked out your newsletter, looks fab!
Thank you Meghan I added your to my tbr ! So happy to meet a fellow illustrator
Hello!
I have a small group that supports each other. We are the Iowa Writers Collaborative, and there are 14 of us, and when one of us does well, we all do well. https://iowawriters.substack.com/
Are you affiliated with THE Iowa’s Writers Workshop?
No, not at all. We are a bunch of people who have a history of writing for newspapers, TV or radio.
I’ve mentioned this in a previous Office Hours, but it would be great to be able to search Substacks by recent activity.
Well, if you're searching through Substacks in a particular topic (for me, it's often immigration or personal finance), the list of results that your query generates includes Substacks that aren't recently active. It would be helpful for those to be pushed further down the results page or somehow allow the user to see activity status without clicking through.
Amen
I'd like to search by "tags" or "keywords" that are embedded in each post.
I write a unique newsletter, "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies," that merges self-help and film criticism, which doesn't fit neatly in any one category. Also, I'm additionally publishing a four-panel comic strip in the same newsletter, that is unrelated except in the philosophy of "moviewise."
https://moviewise.substack.com/archive
https://moviewise.substack.com/s/good-times
I think it would help to reach more readers if the topic of each post were searchable by "tags" or "keywords."
I'm new :-)
Welcome, Pam! Here's two guides on how to get started and how to grow:
https://on.substack.com/p/setting-up-your-substack-for-the
https://on.substack.com/p/grow-4
I'm here if there's anything else you need!
Thank you Jamil. I do have a question. The Office Hours were scheduled for 10:00a; however, it looks like it was over by that time. I am in Arizona. Where is Substack headquartered. I think I would enjoy office hours - but not if they're over. :-(
Pam----As soon as you get the Thursday e-mail, click the button and start reading/commenting! The start time is simply the time 'Stack tech staff will join the Thread for answering our questions (before we start questioning their answers!)---before then, though, we have the playground to ourselves!
So sorry about that! It started at 10am Pacific, so 11am your time. It's still going for another 10 minutes :)
I am a newbie in terms of settling down to write regularly. I do not see a down-side to Substack. I get the feeling that the platform surprises anew even its creators with unforeseen possibilities. Dynamic and interesting. I write as a Jew about Israel and Judaism for non-Jews. Jews are welcome too of course.
How diverse of a publication is best? My blog, at https://alltrades.substack.com/ covers stories about engineering, the environment, economics, and effective altruism, but under those umbrellas, many flavors of post exist. For instance, I've published 4 posts about different types of fungi, including ones in symbiosis with leafcutter ants, ones threatening hikers in the PNW, how the next pandemic might be fungal in nature, and most recently about carnivorous fungi. I love writing, and I've been on a bit of a tear recently in this subject, but I worry that people will be surprised or confused when they read my other posts about engineering, for example. How many areas of focus is too many? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I have a few categories all tying back to risk management in some way, but some are "risk management for regular folks", some are risk management through a professional lens, some focus on how system dynamics applies to risk, some are macro risk-focused (climate, AI, economics), and some are about technology companies or technology education. The common thread is always risk management.
So what's your common thread? If you pinpoint it, you can make sure each article reaches out and connects to that topic in some way.
Signed, a fellow Renaissance thinker :-D
I just started my garden-focused newsletter in August (rootsandvines.substack.com)
It looks lovely! I have a small market garden in Scotland and love reading other people's gardening tales! ❤️
Ah! I will have to follow you! I am rootsandvines.Substack.com
I just subscribed. Looking forward to reading more and seeing more of your gorgeous flower photos.
Oh wow! THANK YOU.
Is consistency the only way to progress on here?; what are some other ideas? @katie
As a reader I love consistency. I know I'm going to get certain posts on certain days and that creates a habit for the reader and the writer. Advice I hear often is to pick a sustainable pace (e.g., once per week, twice per month, etc.).
Consistency helps, but so does interacting with other writers!
True that
Awesome, thank you!! ! Do you mean cross writing on each other’s platforms or subscribing to their content?
That, but also commenting on their Substacks, showing up at places like this, etc.
Great advice,thank you!!
Consistency is huge. You don't have to write everyday, but you should, at a minimum, plan on once every 2 weeks.
How do you work this into your schedule? I'd love to be more consistent, but I'm a freelancer and have to dedicate a lot of time to writing for clients and prospecting for work.
I block time on my calendar the same way I might for going to the gym or one of my kids' soccer games. The time itself might move, but it's always on the calendar.
I also have the advantage(?) of having Friday/Saturday off from my regular job, so I like to do a lot of heavy lifting on that first day after the kids head to school.
Good question. Consistency doesn't seem to do it, by itself. I post something every day without fail but subscribers are still growing slowly. This "Ask Me Anything" forum is a good idea.
I agree that interacting with other SS writers is equally important.
I have committed myself to having one post a week go out on the same day at the same time every week. I often write weeks in advance and schedule them and then I don't have to think about it for a couple of weeks. My regular posts are in my travel content. All of my other posts go out anytime I feel inspired :-)
Consistency is the only way to progress in life :)