1282 Comments

Who's new here? Tell us what we can help with as you get started.

Expand full comment

The Substack team is signing off for today. Thanks for being here and sharing your insights. There will be no Office Hours or Shoutout Thread next Thursday, November 3. We’ll be back on November 10 with Office Hours as usual.

In the meantime, please visit our Resources: https://on.substack.com/s/resources

Thanks for writing on Substack,

Katie, Bailey, Jasmine, Dayne, Nadav, Nicole, Tania, Bilaal and Kevin

Expand full comment

Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here’s a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you: Can you remember when you first decided you wanted to be a writer? When was it? Were you a child, or a young adult, or was it last year or even last week? If you could go back in time and speak with that version of you, what encouragement would you give yourself? What words of affirmation would you say? Share below, because maybe those are the words you or someone here needs most to hear, today!

No matter who you are, no matter when your journey began, make no mistake: YOU are a writer, because you write. And no matter what, KEEP writing! Someone out there is waiting to read your words. Whatever you do, keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP! 🌿

Expand full comment

Just wanted to say thanks to the people of Office Hours last week when I read someone shared they made their Substack public with the option to pay to subscribe (for no additional content, just out of support). I added the paid option this week to my newsletter and didn't tell anyone, just let it roll, and within 30 minutesI had two subscribers who went for the full year and became "Founding subscribers". We often doubt our own abilities until someone reminds us that we can be confident and put ourselves out there. We need reminders that what we put into the world does matter and people believe in you. For me it's less for the $ and more for the accountability to keep writing. Having people who financially support your work encourages you to keep writing. Thanks Office Hours folks for encouraging me to do so!

Expand full comment

Pulling back on my twice-a-week schedule for the next couple of months during the holidays. It was a great decision--this is supposed to be fun, not stressful, and I want to keep it that way!

Expand full comment

I received my very first paid subscriber and I couldn't be more thrilled! I also recently did an interview with Mark Dykeman over at https://howaboutthis.substack.com for Creator Spotlight (posted soon). Be sure you check out his Substack.

I hope you're encouraged this week. Know that it takes time, and consistency is key to building an audience. Find your community and support them. The fiction community is one of the best. Check them out at https://fictionistas.substack.com.

Expand full comment

Happy Thursday, all. Why do I have this feeling that there's going to be a sudden rush of people signing up to Substack during the next week as the Twitter sale to Elon Musk is apparently going to happen after all? People ready for a change?

Expand full comment

Man, podcasts on Substack seem super intuitive!

I write a poetry newsletter, and have been thinking about narrating my poems in an audio format - let me know if that's something you would check out!

Here's a couple of experiments with recording my poems:

https://hellouniverse.substack.com/p/monetize-it

https://hellouniverse.substack.com/p/the-quarrel

Looking forward to the community's feedback and encouragement

Expand full comment

I have a big scary goal I want to name out loud here because, well you know. Then it won't roam around my head and scare me forever. Plus, manifestation and goal-setting and all that.

I'm at 187 free subscribers after two months. I want to grow to 5000 readers and have 250 readers (5%) as paid subscribers. That would financially be a huge help to my family and enable me to write full-time on a number of projects.

I'm so grateful to Substack for all the incredible resources that have helped me see this is possible with consistent work put in over time. I love the Grow series.

Okay, that's all. Excuse me while I throw up from vulnerability and owning the dreams that call us. :)

Expand full comment

I’ve been thinking a bit about embarrassment and people seeing your work and thinking it’s silly. I remind myself and all of you, that you’re DOING something, they’re not. However fanciful your Substack with its photos or essays, you’re the one putting yourself out there. Be proud! You’re doing something that actually scary and risky. Be gentler on yourself. You’re doing fine. 😊

Expand full comment

Hi Everyone. I want to share my celebration with you. This week I got to 750 subscribers. Woo-hoo. I started on Substack in January and bought over an aweber list of 300ish. I get a few unsubscribes every week (which is normal). Most of my new subscribers come from Recommendations. I also make an effort to regularly comment on other Substacks.

My substack is called Gentle Creative and I give gentle, realistic advice about writing with an occasional dollop of tough love. Think of me as your gentle cheerleader. You can read more here: https://gentlecreative.substack.com/about

Expand full comment

I'm sure there are more ways of attracting new readers then just your social media profiles and Substack recommendations (which are great BTW!).

If you haven't tried The Sample yet, I highly recommend it to all. It's basically a servce that sounds out a sample of your NL to hundreds of readers, and some of them might even subscribe! There's both a free and a paid option, I've tried both and helped me get new readers and subscribers. It can also be a good tool to discover new writers in the area you're intrerested in (be it on Substack or other platforms). Here's a link - https://thesample.ai/?ref=850d (full disclosure - this is a referral link, hope that doesn't go against the rules, happy to remove it if it does)

Another example of such a service is htttps://inboxreads.co. Doesn't cost a thing and can help you find new readers who share the same interests.

Any other channels you know of?

Expand full comment

Hi, everyone! A question for the more academic/educational writers out there: any tips for translating academic knowledge into something more accessible and easily digestible for a newsletter?

And a more general question for everyone -- How do you write for a target audience? Do you have an imagined target audience in mind, and write for them? Or do you try to ascertain what your current audience enjoys, and write what you think they'll like? I find myself struggling between the two.

Expand full comment

Hi Everyone! Launching my newsletter Monday. Any feedback?

https://pickmeup.substack.com/

Expand full comment

Welcome to all the new writers! One FAQ from new writers on I see a lot is “how do I grow subscribers?”

The short answer is to post consistently good work. But I think one thing that sometimes gets lost in that conversation is expectations. We all want to grow as fast as we can, but I think it’s important to talk about a realistic pace. I’ve been on Substack for nearly two years. I’ve grown subscriptions quite a bit in that time, but the pace of growth was REALLY slow in the first year, compared to the second year.

Some of the uptick in pace is due to new Substack tools like recommendations. But as great as those tools are, they don’t work without the writer putting out consistent, strong work.

So as you think about how you’re going to grow audience, I urge you to think about setting realistic expectations and practicing patience. Stick with it, and the audiences will come & subscribe!

Hope this helps!

Expand full comment

Thanks for the archive of Office Hours, Substack! I learn so much from these.

Expand full comment

I just hit 210 subscribers this week (up 30 from last week), and I got my first founding subscriber! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

Expand full comment

I never knew I wanted to write until I was in my 40's. My husband's aunt asked me if I would help her write her memoir about living through the holocaust. It wasn't a book, but just her story. I was hooked from that time on, looking for new things to write about. I asked a fellow writer how to get started, and what to write about. He answered, "write about what you know." So I wrote my own memoir! 💟

Expand full comment

Starting to see momentum on organic subscribers after three months of posting twice weekly (which is a lot of work for someone otherwise employed). Do subscribe to larger publications and comment. It absolutely attracts new readers if your comments build on the author's writing. Just don't spam.

Expand full comment

I've started experimenting with super-long (for me) posts. I know the last one was long because Substack flagged up a warning saying "Blimey, this is long" (or words to that effect). Anyway, some people found the first, a round-up of writing reviews, useful, so I might do a few more of them. My latest one is a round-up too, of a slightly different kind. This comment is not just the barefaced self-promotion it looks like: I genuinely think other 'Stackers might find round-up posts useful for their own readers too.

Expand full comment

Talk about encouragement ... I had been publishing my newsletter The Nett Report using my CRM platform for 2.5 years. I co-published the last three issues. This week I brought my list over and only published it on Substack. I took a reader poll and 89% thought the new version was great, with 11% having no preference. Nobody wanted to go back to the previous format. And reader rates remained essentially the same. Yay! https://carlnettleton.substack.com/

Expand full comment

I started serializing my novel on substack a few weeks ago and plan on releasing a chapter a week until it's done. That should take the better part of a year. My question is, do you think I can hold a readers attention for that long this way? Writing quality and story aside, both of which I hope are good.

Expand full comment

Hi all. I'd love to correspond/connect with anyone who has tried advertising for their Substack. Over the last couple weeks, I've run some ads on Facebook as well as some Google ads, and even ran a few on a newsletter ad network (LiveIntent). Not a big spend, but just to test the waters a bit.

So far Facebook has been the most "successful", but that's definitely in quotes...

Expand full comment

This is fairly common knowledge at this point, but consistency is king in this game! Without fail we’ve each got to show up and publish publish publish each week (or whatever your schedule is). This is easy on the days we feel motivated and excited to get writing. My question is: what do people do to keep themselves motivated when they don’t feel like writing?

Expand full comment

Good day all! I quietly published my first post yesterday! Woohoo! As I enter this space I’m looking to explore new ways of finding authentic community, and therefore have not “advertised” my newsletter with my friends or social media followers. I’m curious to see if there is another way. I’d love to hear ideas of ways to cultivate new connections, and if it’s possible to have subscribers on Substack without using your current contacts.

Expand full comment

Hey Substack! Wondering if you can help me understand how the subscriber gold stars work? I thought it was about engagement, but most of my 4-5 star subscribers never engage via comments or likes. How should I be thinking about the stars? 🌟

Expand full comment

I am very curious about what the overall metrics are for Substack. Hamish wrote about the higher end- how many writers gross more than a million dollars. That of course is the upside. potential for all of us theoretically. My questions:

-what is the average number of free subscribers per writer across the platform?

-what is the average number of paid subscribers per writer " "

-what is the average number of founding members per writer/

-how much of all three categories does the 100th best writer have?

I am just trying to get context on my own numbers and what the potential might be.

Thanks!

David Houle https://evolutionshift.substack.com/

Expand full comment

I was in high school when I realized I wanted to be a writer, in some capacity. If I could go back and give myself some advice it would be pretty basic:

1. Practice, practice, practice.

2. Learn, learn, learn.

3. Never give up or sell yourself short.

Expand full comment

I am finding it hard to grow my audience beyond my close circle. Besides social media, what are your suggestions/tips for reaching new audiences/subscribers?

Expand full comment

I started my Substack to divert my time away from the news and on to something constructive.

It’s been amazing. Growing my following slowly but surely. Finding my feet.

I’ve got into a good rhythm publishing each Thursday.

Would love to get some feed back on how i could improve it.

https://neverstoplearning1.substack.com

Expand full comment

I thought I would starting using these wonderfully supportive Office Hours as a forcing function to list topics for my next newsletter. Thanks for letting me think out loud with my community!

Context: My newsletter is about being a human in progress. Yes... it's a broad audience. As such, I'm actively working on finding my people by not watering things down, and maybe even being polarizing.

A) On coming out as an intuitive who offers channeled soul readings

B) Maybe try doing an entirely channeled post for my subscribers as a collective

C) "5 unspoken benefits of divorce and co-parenting"

Expand full comment

Analytics question: Is there a possibility of getting options for per month and per year stats for both newsletter and podcasts? I much prefer Substack to WordPress, but I miss having those analytics to look at growth over time and compared to previous months/years. I don't want to have to do the math ;-)

Expand full comment

Hi everyone, I'm just writing my personal essay for this week - it's about realising in my 30s that I have ADhD. If you'd like to read it tomorrow please hit subscribe :)

Expand full comment

I'd like to start publishing 2x a week, with one exclusively for paying customers. What days do you think would be best? (Ex: Monday & Thursday, Tuesday & Thursday, etc.)

Expand full comment

Who else is loving the media assets feature? Keep up the great work Substack.

Expand full comment

I've recently established a posting schedule for my substack and turned on paid subscriptions as a 'support the author' option. Feels nice to already have most of the writing for November done already, the list of scheduled posts is great to look at, and gives me more time to polish them before posting.

Expand full comment

hi everyone ~~ anyone have any grief- and death awareness-focused Substacks that they read and appreciate?

I'm a longtime culture writer/editor and nowadays a creative coach and grief, death, and funeral care worker and I just hurdled mine out into the world and am looking for folks to trade ideas and stories with!

I describe my newsletter as not-grim but still sincere; it's centered on multimedia interviews and bounces up against music (specifically the playlists we create in our grief) as well as really great creative resources for living with death and grief.

https://grieversball.substack.com/

Expand full comment

Anyone here in the CA Bay Area who might like a portrait of themselves?

My newsletter is about being a human in progress, and I want to do a series of photos of people in their lived-in habitats. If you have a studio/workspace/office/home/writing corner you like to work in and would like a portrait, reach out with a way to contact you :)

Expand full comment

I discovered Substack just last month and decided to start publishing my odd fiction here. I would like subscribers (who doesn't) but my main motivation is to get my (admittedly un-mainstream) work collected in one place for enjoyment now and for whatever future reference.

I've been submitting for years to various magazines, etc. But it's always a long wait and I'm tired of waiting, holding on to pieces so they won't be "previously published." Onward, once a week. In a year, I'll have a pretty good collection.

https://dcreed.substack.com/

Expand full comment

I've posted three pieces in a week. Still learning the ropes. Does anyone out there have experience with multiple posts per week being too much for readers?

Expand full comment

I've been trying to figure out how to get my Substack in front of more people and continue organic growth with readers who want to read my work. Are people here using Pinterest to increase their SEO? I've used Pinterest for my old blog and got away from it because it felt like a lot of work with little payoff BUT some of my biggest past blog posts also are the more pinned on Pinterest. Thoughts? Any other suggestions for growth? I would love to work on cross-promotion but that's always a concern of logistics and what fits each Substack's purpose and mission.

Expand full comment

Hello fellow writers!

I've been doing some writing on what lessons I've learned from distance running that I apply to parenting. But after developing some of my own thoughts I am SO eager to hear from this community!

Are there any running or parenting newsletter writers who would like to weigh in?

I'd love to connect and cross promote each other and hear your input. Here is my shoutout thread on this topic if you'd like to reply there. https://oliviamardwig.substack.com/p/burning-question/comments

THANK YOU!!!

Expand full comment

If anyone writes on tech or business, I just did an interview for Founding in Public Substack. Check it out. https://ianwdj.substack.com/p/guest-episode-reinventing-yourself#details

If you want to get interviewed and talk your Substack, I can make an introduction.

Expand full comment

Yoooo Substack!

Expand full comment

Q: What do you get when you pile seven Quiznos sandwiches on top of each other?

A: You get a substack.

Best of luck everyone, keep writing, don't worry about numbers, and know you are supported!

Expand full comment

Hi Substack team, I do have a question! Is there a simple way that I can see the names of every person who has Liked a post? I have to use a combination of notification emails and comparing that to what's visible on the post itself because it doesn't seem like either way is 100% accurate. Especially when I look at the post it tends to summarize a bunch of names together and I don't know why. Thanks!

Expand full comment

I love to read, but any suggestions on how to "catch UP" on my Substack reading? There are SO many newsletters every day and so LITTLE time! :) How do YOU keep up the pace?

Expand full comment

What happens if you drive a car at the speed of light and then turn the headlights on?

Expand full comment

I really love this platform. I am still getting used to the tools.

One of my subscriber,who uses Yahoo mail, complained that he wasn't allowed to comment on my posts. He also says he is an ardent reader but the post review analytics doesn't include him in it's statistics.

Expand full comment

Suggestion. Wouldn't a search feature make this live forum a lot easier to navigate? I'm new here, so maybe I'm missing it (and if so, perhaps somebody could point it out?). Thanks.

Expand full comment