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 8 - 9 a.m. JST / 3 – 4 p.m. PST / 6 – 7 p.m. EST. Today we are hosting at a later time to accommodate writers in parts of Asia and Australia. The thread will be live all day for you to talk among fellow writers.
Some updates and reminders from the Substack team:
In case you missed it: New and improved tool and features have just rolled out, including in-app posting, mentions, cross-posts, and more.
Grow: As part of our Grow interview series, we always ask writers, what’s been meaningful growth moments for your publications. We’d love to hear what moments stand out on your journey in today’s thread.
Have questions about Substack or feedback about what’s new? You’re in the right place! Leave a comment in this thread.
I was so confused because there were already so many comments that I thought I had gotten the time wrong (I'm new and this is my first office hours!). Thank you so much for putting this on at an Australian friendly time. I literally just thought yesterday that I might contact you as suggest it. Top work!
I’ve just launched Chasing Nature with my first two posts, but have not imported my 3,000 blog subscribers. I plan instead to send them a note about my moving to Substack once I’ve populated Chasing Nature with a few more free posts by Monday. I guess I want people to see more content before I ask them to subscribe (I’m starting out paid). Then I’ll blast social media. Is that a reasonable strategy? Also, besides my recommending other writers, any suggestions for getting found by Substackers who've never heard of me? Thanks!
Hey Bryan, we typically recommend that writers import their mailing list—that way all your audience is in one place. You can continue to send them some free post, or previews of your paid posts.
When launching your Substack, we typically encourage writers to tell everyone all at once—your existing email list, friends, family, and social media.
We've got a launch checklist you can checkout here:
Thanks, Katie. I'll consider that. Even though my blog subscribers are really loyal, I feel a bit odd signing them up for my Substack without asking. It'll also be a bit of a juggling act between my longstanding blog and my new Substack presence. In any event, I'll check out your checklist. Thanks again.
I just joined SS. Did my first post this week. I also felt weird about adding my list to a new platform without asking so I told them about the change in advance and gave them an easy way to tell me if they preferred not to be added. I said something like 'because you already signed up I want to make it easy for you, but your consent is important to me. So if you would rather not be added please let me know by blah blah.' It worked well and I felt good about it.
Bryan, congrats on having 3,000 subscribers. Great job! And welcome to Substack. I haven't been here very long, but the community cannot be beat. And the continuous improvements pushed out by the Substack team make the platform better and better by the month.
Hi fellow Substackers 👋, I reiterate my question since I might have messed up with the time zone.
“How to define my niche”
I have written articles that range from Developing Assertiveness, to Dealing with Rude People, to Being a Workaholic, to How to Do More (and Achieve Less).
I still struggle to have a clear “Welcome message” and niche.
Is there any way to move the Most Popular section on the right down so I could put the blog roll (or whatever it's called) - the sections with my links to things - is there a way to put that at the top right of my homepage? I would much prefer that than most popular. Thanks.
Not today but something you could consider doing, to make the blog roll (homepage links) more prominent is adding them to be sections in the navigation bar. Now you can add links to the top navigation bar that lead readers to pages on and off Substack.
To customize the nav bar: visit “Style” in your settings and “Edit your navigation bar.”
Hey Katie - wasn't sure where else to suggest this, so sorry if it's the wrong place. Is there any chance we can have "law" added as a category? Currently using "politics" as the closest fit, but it isn't really right for most law stacks...
What determines which publications are displayed when a given term is searched (and in what order those publications are displayed)? If I search “erotica” I don’t see my publication listed, although that was one of the tags I set when I created it. And even if I search for my publication by name exactly it doesn’t appear. No hate, just curious 🧐
Hi Everyone! Has anyone worked on SEO optimisation for their blog, or used any resources to help make sure they are getting the right backlinks/keywords in place?
I'm on issue 7 so I'm trying to go more for growth now I know what I'm writing about a little more, but not sure if I should still be more in a creative funk than getting too analytical just yet. Thoughts/insights really welcome!
And I'm really open to feedback from any oenophiles or cooks on how my Substack is forming if you want to reach out: dosage.substack.com
It may sound strange, but after two years of writing on Substack, a couple of big shout outs from bigger pubs, and a “viral” hit that came from one of my stories being picked up in Daily Brew, the most meaningful growth moment was when I took a two-week break. I figured I would lose subscribers if I took a break, or that if I was lucky, I would stay the same. But I actually GREW while I was away from my newsletter, thanks to the recommendations engine. To me, slow and steady growth is the way to go, and it’s incredibly meaningful to know that a network is working *for* me, instead of an algorithm working against me.
I find that my open rate jumps considerably after a break, and the recommendation engine has been a slow and steady driver of subscriptions for me, too.
Agreed. Slow and steady. Provide value and push for quality subscribers who will interact and possibly spread the word within Substack and outside of Substack. The internal growth support in Substack has been wonderful.
I don't really want to engage in any "hacks". The only thing I've done is post a couple of links on twitter - but I'm not artificially shoehorning them in.
I know I'm writing for a niche, I want people who are genuinely interested and who will get value from it to read what I'm writing.
Also, I recently wrote about a moment when I was feeling so terribly alone and I can't tell you how much it meant to me when supportive comments and emails came in.
I hate to say it, but it's true: I became a widow in March and was uneasy about writing out my grief, but they've been the pieces with the most impact. It seems there is a need for honest discussions about grief. They're mainly at https://ramonagrigg.substack.com/ under the section called 'Widow's Walk'. I've crossposted a few at Writer Everlasting, as well.
Yes, I'm realizing that! I'm a private person to the Nth degree, so this was truly stepping outside my comfort zone. But the truth is, it was either write about my journey to and through widowhood or stop writing. Because it was all my brain could process for a while.
That is exactly what I . . when I was able to offer my personal stories, the subscribership went up. Also a couple of stories written through the eyes of my cat, Bailey were well received.
For me, my most meaningful growth moments were when I received some shoutouts from writers that I really respect. I felt honoured that they'd noticed my work and appreciated it enough to share it.
The most meaningful for me was not really a growth in numbers, but one in growth as a writer. I dropped non-fiction, focused entirely on telling one good speculative fiction short story every week, and met a fellow writer (Tom Pendergast), who started providing me editorial feedback. It's amazing how much that all helped.
Last year at this time another writer gave my letter a shoutout. Not an ad, didn’t want anything in return. Just liked what I was doing and thought his readers would too. Turns out they did. It changed everything for me.
I get giddy each time someone mentions something I've written (I'm especially looking at you, T.B.D.!). A couple of weeks ago, I was reading a post by Mike Sowden over at Everything Is Amazing when I got to a section and BOOM! There I was! He'd mentioned a post I'd written in a section where he talked about giving others a hand up when possible--not making Substack interaction transactional. It was a great moment! And the post has some really great advice on writing a newsletter. I'm pretty sure he has about 2,000 times the subscribers I do. :)
I had a lot of growth when I began writing my series "On Being a Stem Cell Donor." One reader wrote: "There are a lot of folks trying to explain the technical side of things to lay audiences. As a bio-scientist myself, I think the non-technical, experiential side of dealing with extreme disease is at least as important." And I think that sums up what I do--authentically write about real life as I experience it.
I left my job for a sabbatical and posted it on LinkedIn and got maybe 15-20 subs from that post. In it, I question a lot of stories we tell ourselves about work:
I agree with this, Tobi--many people appreciate that I write about the difficult things. It sounds like Ramona (comment above...or maybe below now) has hit the same note.
I know we've heard it a million times, but I get subscriptions when I am active with other writers and provide productive comments and feedback. Really engage and that supports the author's readers to engage and some will come to my Substack and subscribe. That's not the only reason I do it though. I enjoy supporting the other writers here and adding to the conversation. Engage!
Well, it needs to be a value comment, thoughtfully developed for the article you are reading. You can't just say, "Yeah, I agree". You need to read and provide feedback that would be valuable to the author AND to their readers. Then yes, sometimes they come check me out and subscribe. Do NOT expect a lot. It's definitely not a great return for your time investment, but hey, every little helps. :-)
Hello David, I agree that it's not a great return on my time investment, but so far that is the only way that people discover my site. And like you say, my comments have to show real engagement, and good writing, to entice someone to explore my site and then hopefully subscribe.
That's ok. I'm happy to comment just to engage with and support the writer. Subs heading my way will be a bonus. But I appreciate you explaning it to me. I'm new and still getting my head around it all.
I am having a second book published by a traditional publisher in a few months and I thought the publisher might see a listing of my Substack as part of the promotional material (including the brief bio that will appear on the back of the book) as some sort of competition that they wouldn't want to include. Instead, they have been very supportive about including the History Killers url in all of the promos. It really demonstrates that readers and writers are truly part of a very inclusive community. I have seen some growth merely in some of the limited promotion the publisher has done so far, as they are including my Substack in virtually everything they release about me and my next book.
That's great. I think publishers are becoming more savvy to all the vehicles available to writers these days and are being less restrictive. Always check with your publisher though to make sure you are not stepping on their toes. My next book will be coming out in February I hope so I'm looking forward to using Substack as part of my marketing arsenal.
Mostly realizing that I should be concentrating on using sections for a personal-branded Substack, rather than multiplying my work by running multiple URLs.
Also, ditching Patreon, mostly because I was wasting a lot of time/effort, and receiving a lot of pressure, in trying to make it grow. I needed to (and well, still am) reframing my work to reach a larger audience, THEN introduce thoughts and process around monetization.
I too use sections, even though one is a cute four-panel comic strip that's totally unrelated to discussing the life lessons found in movies, which is what I mostly write about. I wish Substack allowed tags or categories per post, or at least per section, to help readers find my idiosyncratic content. Anyway, if you'd like so see how I organize my newsletter, here is a link:
That sounds like a much more peaceful way to grow, Matt. Such stress often hacks away at our creativity - i know that's definitely been (and still is to a big extent) that way for me.
A writer I love just subscribed to mine and it means so much. I'm in the middle of writing them a thank you fan girl email. It would feel amazing to have them recommend. Congrats!
My first post was thought-provoking and intellectually controversial. More people than I expected responded, even writing their own posts, and it generated some fun discussion. Most of my subscriptions are still from that post.
I'm still a bit new so nothing too pivotal yet. It may be too soon to say. Growth is steady but engagement seems to be reclining. Having said that, when i posted about my Substack on Twitter, i've had a follow from a very prolific writer i admire. Does that count? :)
That's a very attractive-looking newsletter, Medha, with somewhat similar topics to me. I will take a proper look in the next few days. I wish you a great start!
Thank you so much, Medha. I hope you will enjoy it. I'm expanding it to include audio as well as my own music and creative writing soon, so I'd love to know what you think.
Thanks for joining us today for a late Office Hours! Great to see some new faces, and regulars, in the conversations. Our team is signing off for today.
We’ll be back for Office Hours again next week at the usual time, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. EST.
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here’s a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you... Whenever you feel like the world and its problems are too big, too overwhelming, and too unfixable for you and your writing, just think of it this way: you may not be able to save the whole world, but you genuinely have no idea how many people are moved, supported, inspired, and encouraged by your work. Someone out there needs what only YOU can give! So don't focus on the world and its weight. Invite the curious and wonder-filled into your little corner of it. Just keep going, keep writing to build a unique community of inspired readers! And most importantly: DON'T GIVE UP! 🌿
I sent out my first newsletter this week and it’s not what I envisioned - not quite the right format or focus, the name, the general tone - but I’m proud of myself for ripping off the bandaid. Instead of expecting it to emerge from my skull fully formed, I’m trying to focus more on the practice of production and let the rest come as it will (easier said than done - le sigh) ♥️😩
Congratulations!! I agree with all these great comments and also adding this --
There's such a pressure to know exactly what your newsletter is when you start, but it's okay to discover as you go. Sometimes the best way to find your voice is to write what you love, look back at it, and notice the threads. What's working? What felt good? What did people respond to? For the first 3-4 months I didn't know what I was doing with my newsletter, but I kept writing and it transformed so organically, and now I feel like it has a distinct voice and a great community of engaged readers who get what it is too! So take your time and try to be patient (it's hard) and it will transform and grow!
This is so good to hear, and great advice about noticing the threads. I delayed starting so long because the whole process just seemed overwhelming. I finally DID start, and even though I am very new to it all--and still can't quite figure out what format is best--I will attempt to be patient;)
Yes, Ali, i totally agree with you. It may even take a little longer for some people until they find their voice, and that's ok. Patience, because it truly is a slow-and-steady adventure, but a truly fulfilling one.
Starting is the hardest! You always feel like you're yelling into the void until people begin signing up. One really cool thing you have to look forward to is going back to these old posts and seeing how much you've grown as a writer!
With all due respect, starting is not the hardest. The hardest is being me. I have written in excess of 250 posts, most of which are pregnant with the most profound and provocative ideas, and my audience is pitifully small.
I find solace when I remember Van Gogh. He did not sell single painting while alive. Sometimes, the great mass of people is just too abominably stupid to recognize that which is good.
The immediately preceding comment was a response to someone who said that starting "was the hardest." However, it has been misplaced. My comment should succeed the comment which opined that starting "was the hardest.:"
Unfortunately, most people define consistent as maintaining or adhering to a particular point of view.
In other words, most people find sclerotic, unchanging ideas and sentiments good because they are consistent.
However, I believe that the best thinkers (And to me, all good writers must first be thinkers; if they are devoid of compelling thought, they cutesy, innocuous scribblers) are always REEVALUATING THEIR IDEAS and are decidedly inconsisten.
YES! Precisely what Kevins says. My newsletter started as a collection of stories of humanity during the first weeks of the Covid pandemic, and has slowly but surely morphed into what I actually want it to be: a poetry magazine. It's still evolving. The benefit of starting and letting it evolve, is that you get to see how your readers respond. What works for your and your audience and what doesn't.
Congrats on starting!!! And I really think you’ll get there if you stick to it. I felt like the first month was a little awkward, and I’m only now *beginning* to find my tone etc. Hang in there!
My first blog post here on Substack just a few days was not good. Just because of the title. I rush the title. I didn't think about it deeply. I think title is the most important part of it.
If you need help, I found a great resource for title writing. It's called https://headlines.coschedule.com. Type in the headline you want, and the AI critiques your word choice and shows you where you can make it easier to read, stronger, and more powerful!
This is really interesting. I think my default setting is to view headlines as clickbait and to prefer the simpler titles from my literary work. However, it is possible that headlines -- if they are honest representations of a piece -- are a service to readers. I'm a little loathe to add emotional words to a title just for the sake of more clicks, because that feels manipulative. But if there is an emotional center of the piece that can be foregrounded clearly, that serves a reader well. I suppose I still prefer to think about what has staying power, versus what might be more gimmicky, and this resource has given me some useful things to think about. Longwinded way of saying thanks!
Jut be authentically you, Corinna, and it will all fall into place. And nothing about your newsletter is set in stone - you can always edit, delete, start from scratch. You're the boss of it! :)
That's exactly the right way to do it. You will get better with practice and you will also get to know what your readers enjoy and what you enjoy writing.
This is a great substack on writing that you might find useful.
Yes, I relate. I was in your shoes in October, not sure on name and how all the pieces would fit together. I’m still a work in progress but I think that’s life. Good for you for starting! That’s how we figure out where we are going :)
Great advice (as usual!), S.E. I am constantly reminding myself that it's not about how many subscribers I have, but about who I'm able to help with my words. Who will read my words and say, "Me, too" and know they are not alone? That's what it's all about for me.
Wow--thanks, Kevin! When I write, I try to imagine that I'm sitting at a table having a cup of coffee with an old friend or that I'm penning a letter to someone I've been writing for years. Because readers are just that to me--friends I've not met in person yet.
I do the same. I didn't start out that way, but I finally felt comfortable enough with my reader-subscribers to just make it ''among friends". I love what has happened!
Hmmm...I wish I could give you a magic formula, Joyce, but the truth is--I have no idea. I write from the heart and about real life--the good, the bad, and the ugly. And through the years, people have often told me my writing reads exactly how I speak--it's conversational. Maybe that's it? Opening a conversation that readers feel invited to join?
Love this, Holly! Good to see you as always! The numbers are SO tempting, it's true. We all get caught there. But the right people will always find us. 🌿
I only realized lately that writing is my true strength. I just want to escape everything, sit on my chair, and write my ideas. It calms me down. You know that feeling when you always think. Just introverted things, you know.
I needed this today. I'm still trying to figure out my place here at Substack and whether or not this should be my main writing priority. I feel most comfortable here, and I've made many new friends while watching my subscription list--both paid and unpaid--slowly grow.
I'm told I'm making a difference on both of my newsletters, and I'm really grateful. Should that be enough for now? I know others are concentrating solely on Substack as their outlet, but they're writers with huge followings. That's not me.
Still, I'm happy with where I am and how I'm communicating.
I've recently been thinking about that. Whenever I write about places or events in the UP I do get some great feedback. I'm also considering doing more writing about cabin and boondocks living. People seem to be interested in that, too. Thanks!
Ramona, i truly believe that if we have managed to touch just one person in the entire world and make a difference in their lives for the better, that is a massive achievement. It sounds to me like you have reached many more than one. That's brilliant! Pat yourself on the back and keep going, the world needs you!
Jo, it really is true, isn't it? Just as I'm inspired by so many others who seem to channel my thoughts at just the right moment, it gives me great joy to be able to do it for others. I love when that happens!
Thank you so much for this encouragement. As someone working away in quiet corners with the desire to fix *all* the things (and the fear that I’m always falling short), your words are balm for a weary soul.
This is always nice to hear. I've been posting on my Honeybee Histories newsletter for nearly a year now and have slowly increased my subscribers to 20. I'm extremely thankful to these subscribers but I've been strict with myself not to focus too much on 'thinking' about what they might prefer and instead just focus on the research and writing that I want to put out.
As I always say, you never know who will read the story you write and how it will affect them. Maybe they are struggling with something and read one of your posts and it brightens their day. You might have something in common and can talk with the person. Maybe they can help you. You can make a difference with your writing! Keep going and don't stop, no matter what!
Thanks as always for the encouragement to focus on what really matters, helping our readers (and ourselves) through our words. The other day a member of my church told me how much she appreciated my newsletter about the best experience I’ve ever had (being in the pit at a Bruce Springsteen concert).
I asked readers to think of the best experiences they’ve had and use those happy moments to help them get through the not so happy ones they may be experiencing now, and she told me that helped her a lot.
I rarely look at my stats, I just know I get a few new subscribers most weeks and that others who don’t subscribe also read and benefit from my words. That makes me happy.😁
I really resonate with your comment here! Feeling overwhelmed and insecure about my value were two of the reasons why I delayed starting my newsletter so long!
Hi Jane! I'm so glad you came back to Office Hours; it's good to see you again! You're right: we always have to be discerning about where we put our writing. But what's key is that we never stop sharing it, if we feel we have something to share. The right people (whether it's 1 person or 1,000) will find us.
On a personal note: your newsletter, Deep Yoga, is beautiful, and since you've only been at it for a month I REALLY encourage you to keep pushing. Every Substack writer I know starts slow, including myself. But the rewards for building an intentional community around your work are worth it! Whether Substack is your preferred platform or not, please never stop sharing what you love with the world, okay? 🌿
SE, I appreciate your optimism - "The right people (whether it's 1 person or 1,000) will find us." - but after 2 months, I think I have to be very pro-active, get out there and "join the conversation" at other substack sites with similar topics and therefore with audiences that might explore my site, and especially at high-traffic sites where the sheer numbers work to my advantage.
My biggest question here is one of self-promotion: should I include a link to my relevant article directly in my Comment? Or do I just hope the interested reader will click my site name beside my profile name?
Anne, as you say, I was interested so clicked on your profile, and I was quite surprised that you found so much success with such a relatively narrow focus (life and people of of New York). (Well, maybe not so narrow.) But I have a question: how much of your readership did you "bring with you" from your journalism career? I'm beginning to think that successful sites (in terms of subscribers) often come from people with a pre-established "brand" who already have substantial followers that they bring with them to their substack site, rather than starting from scratch.
Hi Abraham! This probably does not speak well of me, but I had almost no following to bring to Substack from my quite lengthy journalism career.
After I posted my first issue, I emailed the link to about 200 people—friends family and colleagues—and that got me my first 61 subscribers. And things were pretty slow for a long spell after that.
Now, after 14 months on the platform, I'm just a few sign-ups away from 5,000 subscribers. A LOT of it (or maybe most?) is thanks to the support of fellow Substackers.
I think it depends on where you're commenting. If you mean on other substack articles, then I would say leave out the link and people will find you anyway by clicking your profile
Yes, Cole, I mean on other substack sites. And I think you're probably right; sometimes shameless self-promotion is counter-productive. Substack readers know how to click the profile link if they're interested.
Hang in there. I have found that meeting other writers here is invaluable and slowly but surely, my subscriber list increases each month. This is an awesome community.
Thanks Sharon! I just subbed to yours too and in case this matters to you, just as I hit the button to sub, I noticed what might be typo? I think it said 'public conten' instead of 'content' on the free tier.
Thanks for letting me know and thanks for subscribing! I have a travel substack as well which often features my dog on my travel adventures. I noticed you mention dogs on your profile. Please keep in touch if you want to chat at some point on zoom. I have worked with two other writers on Guest Posting and have found it very helpful and fun. https://gallivanter2020s.substack.com/
Hi Substack team! Really appreciate all the new features! Great work! During a recent Fictionistas meeting, one issue that got A LOT of attention was adding some text editing capabilities like the ability to center text, or underline. Are features like that doable? I know fiction writers would be thrilled to see some stuff like that.
I have a 'serialized fiction' section of my newsletter, so sometimes copy within the story is underlined or centered in my word doc (where I draft) and I want to display it in the same manner when I publish to SS. It's also standard practice to put a centered pound sign (#) or asterisk (*) between scenes to denote a scene break. With my most recent serialized project, I created a graphic to denote scene breaks, but I had to upload it every time and that's obviously more work than just hitting return, typing #, and then centering the text.
In traditional SS posts I'd use underlined and centered text less frequently. But centered text would still come in handy for breaking sections of information. (Yes, I know I can put a horizontal rule, but my designer background sometimes just wants more white space for the reader's eye.) Sometimes I also want to underline something for more emphasis. I know this isn't always seen as best practice (re: links, as you point out), but if a line of copy is already bolded and I want to emphasize a single word within it, italics just doesn't stand out the way an underline does.
I would love the ability to center text for those scene breaks you mention. It looks really weird to have the asterisk be left aligned. I've been using an image instead, which helps but makes more work since I have to upload it each time.
I avoid underlining online, though, as it is confusing and looks like a hyperlink. Publishing standard is to make that text italic anyway (the underline was from the days of typewriters that didn't have italics as an option).
I actually had a cowboy poster as part of a post. It was “A Cowboy’s Guide to Life” by Texas Bix Bender. It would have looked great centered, I ended up using a bullet list which to me was not as fun.
There are times when I would rather underline a point than use italics.
That's mainly what I would use it for, as well. I often repost some of my old essays and I have to manually center the title. Not such a big deal, but it seems not offering a centering feature is an oversight.
Hi Michael, I am intrigued about the Fictionistas? I’m currently serialising a series of autofictional novels on Substack and would love to connect with other fiction writers on the platform
Please join us! We will have a recording of Tuesday's Zoom call (which was full of ideas and commentary about new features) on Fictionistas next week, and we just launched a Fictionistas Office Hours feature that we'll do every month as well. Lots of opportunities to meet fellow fiction writers and ask questions!
Hi Rand! You're welcome to join us. We have monthly zoom meetings, and the Fictionistas Substack is full of good articles about serializing. https://fictionistas.substack.com/
Might not be exactly what you're looking for, but if you want to center a specific portion of your text, have you tried using the "pull quote" feature?
Pull quote is nice for some things! But it adds some automatic formatting if I’m remembering correctly, like horizontal rules above and below the quote and maybe italics...? It’s more bells and whistles than I often want/need.
Yeah, I thought that might be an issue. I do think it spruces up posts quite a bit, especially in long-read posts. I recently shared an article that was 8,000+ words and it was nightmarish trying to break it all up.
Love the gallery feature with all my heart and soul. Staying on the fence on chat and the app, because I don't see their impact on conversions yet, and those are necessary for sustainability-- plus Substack's stated mission was to get writers paid. Please, focus on promoting good work as much as or more than the famous and the immediately popular. Long term, that's where Substack's foundation can really pay off. So , so many experienced journalists out there, filling in and fixing our broken media landscape. Experienced academics (no, not just me!) offering education in genuine critical thinking that's missing from schools and, increasingly, under threat in colleges. We're all offering work that's of genuine value, not just opinions, get rich quick schemes, or entertainment, and there is demand.
It's tough to be in this "in between" state of making something ($500--600 month) and stretching to make more, trying to focus on the content, as well as the necessary misery of promo...and too often wondering WHY am I doing this?
To a degree, I'm grateful for the Names that bring in the $$ so the rest of us can piggyback... but I'd so like to be on my own feet :)
The educational-scape is shifting, as Annette notes, and we are a part of that. So much original thought and real research going on here. But also a lot of Medium-type stuff and social media I was hoping to escape.
Some of us are really wanting to make a living from this, and willing to do the work to make that happen. The constant promo is exhausting. It'd be nice to get to the work. In academic life, it's generally broken down to 40% teaching, 40% research, 20% committee work. I'd love to see this as 40% "research"--studying for my area, reading, and my actual writing--so I can share that lived experience, as I am a traditionally published writer; 40% content creating here; and 20% promo. I could live with that. Happily.
This is the first chat I've participated in extensively for a while, in part because deadlines in my freelance jobs have unfortunately collided with these. I'm a writer/photographer for a living, and this is one facet of that, although I'd like for it to be more at some point. Depending on the week, I spend probably the same amount of time you do here, and am more productive at times than others. The key for me is finding balance and consistency. (Isn't that key for us all?)
That's super helpful Anne. Your newsletter is one of my favourites and I was already planning on sending you a lovely email later today - so it's nice to see you here, and 'see' you in your inbox later!
I (more or less) left Medium for a lot of the same reasons. I’m much happier here, but would like to be in the sort of boat you mentioned, spending more time on research and writing more longer form/magazine-style articles.
That's a really good note and captures a lot of how I feel about where Substack is. Really wonderful freedom and variety but not free yet of social media and the 'Medium era.' I think I agree with that that there's a lot of opportunity for the 'educational-scape' within Substack - educational material and collaboration between creators - which wasn't something that I'd necessarily thought about before I joined. Thanks for the note! Yes, it's a bit maddening. So much going on this platform but not so easy to monetize good work.
Agree. I keep seeing a lot of promotion by SS of big names and/or people who start with a large following prior to SS. How about helping the little guys! That’s where the income will come from for SS in the longer term.
Substack does a lot of work to help the little guys. It just takes time and consistency. I came onto substack with absolutely zero following. After almost a year of coming to every single office hours, and publishing weekly, I was featured on substack.
Yeah, I've been wondering about this - what the process is for how Substack chooses who they want to profile? Is there any transparency/process to this system? I've kind of assumed that you need to e-mail Substack Reads a lot to try to get attention. I also assume that Substack has a lot of internal pressure to promote the writers whom they've paid out 'signing bonuses' to. Anybody have bright ideas on this?
Agree 100%. I check all of the boxes you mentioned: Journalist and photographer who works in education. The gallery feature is great. I like the app, but am not sure about the chat yet either.
If I had to guess, I think the chat feature is designed to compete with services like discord. A lot of creators on other platforms have communities on discord. Centering it all under one roof seems convenient.
I have had a hard time getting weekly discussion threads off the ground. A few have taken off, but some flop. I have an audience that likes to be out and about. And I think that having a space where the conversation is continuous may be a better option for them.
I do think that substack's creation of the boost feature will be huge for smaller creators, because it acts like an AI customer retention department. It's not an expense most of us can afford. We shall see!
You make an excellent point. Placing conscious emphasis on the quality of writing is extremely important. Substack has unique potential in this area. The fast-scroll era of social media has trained many people for a minimal attention span. Your work is a great example of a counter-weight to all the noise....
I LOVE the gallery feature. And I agree that they need to highlight mid-level writers growing their pages steadily. Incremental growth is where its at.
Yes, I would love to get some real world feedback from people who have used the chat. I like the idea, but somehow I see a limitation and potential echo-chambers.
Firstly, can I just say a big thank you to everyone in this community. Over the past few months I've tried Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook to promote my Newsletter but nowhere have I experienced the warmth and support that you guys give here.
It really feel like its something special. So thank you for making this a positive place to hang out.
Ive had a tough week with some bad news and this group has been so uplifting. I ended up abandoning my planned post for this week and instead ive posted one about gratitude and appreciating what's around you.
Sorry to hear about your bad news this week. Sending you strenght and love. And a little bit of positive energy and laughter. You need that in sad days.
Other than that, I absolutely agree. This community is wonderful.
Hello my fellow fiction writers! We're a growing base of Substack's audience, and we've built a community that is now 1,100 strong called Fictionistas. We write articles, host zoom calls and are discussing more community programs for fiction writers. Got questions about fiction on Substack? Go check us out and be sure to subscribe:
Great to know about this. I am a fiction writer with a dystopic fantasy novel coming out next summer, Shaken Loose from Hypatia Press. I just moved my blog from Wordpress and will join the group.
Is it appropriate to list my Substack blog on Fictionistas if it covers multiple topics, not just writing? Mine is kind of a catch-all of posts about writing, parenting, and Jewish stuff.
We feature Substacks that are primarily fiction or fiction adjacent (posts about writing, storytelling, poetry, etc.). In other words, if fiction is in the main description somewhere and/or is obvious from a look at the home page, we will add it. If the Substack is largely other content with an occasional fiction piece, we are more than happy to have you join the group but we wouldn't add it to our list of fiction Substacks.
Historical fiction writer here! Fictionistas is a great resource and community for fiction writers on Substack. If you’re not a member, check them out :-)
Yes, there's a lot of great articles by various authors on the Fictionista stack. Something for everybody, likely. I'm a fairly recent newcomer and the group has been very helpful. If you write fiction, check them/us out.
That's awesome, Neal! Congratulations on the novel. We're starting to have some discussions about organizing small groups for writing feedback. So stay tuned for that.
Fictionistas is a really fun community, Neal. I've done two Zoom calls and picked up some great insights/tips. It's also refreshing to put faces and voices with names!
Hey all! Fellow fiction writer here. I write really short fiction across lots of genres. We definitely have a great group of writers here at Fictionistas. I love our little community!
Hi everyone ~~ can anyone tell me if there is something that works like blog tags; a way to categorize posts so that a reader can easily find all the posts on a certain subject.
The way my death awareness 'stack works, I have a handful of content types that cycle thru; so one week I post an interview, the next I might post a recommendation, the next might be an essay.
I'd like readers to be able to easily see all the interview posts, all the recommendation posts, all the essay posts, etc.
Building on this, post-level tags would be amazing if readers could then click on them and see (in order of recency) who else just posted on that tag/topic *right now*. A great way to foster current discussions and comments across a multitude of newsletters!
Maybe within-newsletter categories and cross-Substack topic tags?
Hi Laura, what you want are sections. Each section allows this. Writers are sometimes turned off by the concept that they are technically separate subscriber bases, but your subscribers don't know any different. It also helps with retention. Maybe some users don't want recommendations, but they want your essays. Now they can choose! Each section gets its own tab in your nav.
I love this approach because I offer lots of different content (general author updates v essays on writing/publishing v serialized fiction). Sections allows people opt out of what they don’t want and get what they do. And you get to categorize your content! If you’re interested, you can see how I’ve split up my sections here: erinbowman.substack.com
Thanks for the explanation. I checked out how it looks on your substack, and really like it. Since I am new here, now off to learn how to do sections. It looks so helpful!
It's been a game changer for me in so many ways. I love how it looks in both of my newsletters and has given me a lot of freedom as a writer and creator: sarahstyf.substack.com and litthinkpodcast.substack.com
The one thing I will warn about with sections is that if you neglect one for a while, be prepared for an unsubscribe spike when you send out an edition.
One thing I've been wondering: I started a popup Substack before there was an option for Sections, and I'd like to bring it under the umbrella of my current newsletter. I'd like to know if there's a way to combine the two—or if that feature will appear in the future.
I've asked this at two previous Office Hours and gotten no reply. 😅
If you have a second Substack, I don't think there's any way to bring those posts under your first one without manual cut and paste. There's no import option for content, just subscribers. The good news is that other than your titles, buttons, and image captions, copy/paste should grab everything pretty cleanly.
Good tip. I think I will start doing that. I've been experimenting with different types of posts recently which is now making my home page look a little random. Some organisation like this could really help.
Sections only work within your own newsletter. They do nothing to draw in readers who might be interested in those topics but wouldn't know they existed outside of your own pages.
Under setting set up different Newsletters. If you look at my Substack, I have several different Newsletters and then people and unsubscribe to specific ones if they are not interested in just that category: sarahstyf.substack.com
I think what you're describing are sections within your main newsletter. I know they call them 'newsletters' when you're setting them up, but they're not really newsletters unless they're going out separately to individual subscribers.
I only have one subscriber list. They can just choose to NOT subscribe to one if they aren't interested. Not chaotic at all. This has been one of many of the good things about moving from WordPress to here, TBH
(BTW, I've published a memoir of caregiving/grieving-- https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43975907 --the audio book is up for an award--the narrator is excellent! I will check out yours here--thank you!)
I appreciate the comments from others about other options but it really wouldn’t be the same & glad to know something so straightforward & helpful on both sides is on the way ~~~~~~,
Newbie with a related question. I used to be on Wordpress, where you could have topic hashtags such as #cats or #drought for individual posts to help in theory with SEO. Is this possible on Substack? (Sections are not quite right since these are one-off or occasional topics, not recurring themes.)
Just making sure I understand your question correctly, you want these tags to be internal, correct? Not the categories substack uses on the home page?
Your newsletter has a built-in internal search bar that readers can use to look for stuff. Beyond that, you could take some time to make a kind of glossary on the side of your substack using the "important links" feature in settings. Take a look at the side of my home page, to the left, below recommendations:
You can see there are a few important pieces of content I've elected to highlight. You could create an index or parent page, as Holly suggested below. Then pin that as one of your important links. Perhaps this will accomplish your goal?
That's a great idea, Cole. Instead of a blogroll, you're highlighting your own pieces. Brilliant!
But the way, when I went to your page it showed me as unsubscribed. I KNOW I've subscribed to your page before. Don't know how that could have happened.
I don't think a feature like this is available, but it's a +1 from me. I've actually just started crafting an index of topics where I can list posts that feature those themes. It's far from perfect. Tagging would be better.
Yes, something like hashtags is sorely needed. I write on a variety of topics, including grief, as I'm a new widow, and have no way of promoting any of them successfully on Substack.
I'm in the 'eclectic' category, which suits me, but not being easy to classify is a deterrent. I know there are many more like me, so I'm all in favor of using a tag system to bring us all together.
I have less of a question and more of an observation, for other writers. I've noticed I honestly get more growth participating in the comments sections of the newsletters I read, than by promoting myself through posting on social media. Other people read my comments and then I will often get 1-4 new subscribers.
DAE find that to be a better marker of growth, or do other writers find better growth by using social media, or a combination of tactics? Just curious 🧐
2. Directories. I use The Sample (5 min to setup). They send your newsletter to thousands of users and get you new subscribers (especially in the first 2 weeks). This is my tracking link. If you are so kind to use it, we’ll both get some subscribers —> https://thesample.ai/?ref=3d11
Wow! Those are great resources. I appreciate the collective knowledge of others to help figure out good solutions. I had no idea that directories were a thing (I've been mostly focused on graduating grad school, so a lot of this has been set on the back burner!) When I have a chance this weekend I will sit down to review this more, and add your link to my next post, though that may still take a while to write :)
I have found LinkedIn incredibly useful, and often generates a decent amount of views. I think my problem is knowing where to look or what tools to make use of.
This has been my experience as well. It's a lot of work to engage genuinely with other writers, but I've enjoyed the networking and discovery aspect of it.
Definitely my experience. My efforts to connect with other writers have brought me far more growth than social media, in fact I've almost entirely abandoned social media now, with no slowing of my growth (not that I'm growing fast but I'm growing much faster than I was a year ago).
I find that participating is much more helpful for growth than social media. I used to post on Birdy and probably got approximately zero engagement. I've pretty much abandoned it.
I'm also getting a decent amount of growth from outside of Substack. But from within is definitely a good factor.
Yes, in a way I certainly agree. Engaging with people on Substack (and elsewhere) is a good growth tactic. It's time consuming, but it pays off in the long term. I use recommendations, share posts from others on Twitter (using the hashtag #substackshoutout), comment and have a section in my poetry substack in which I share links to other poets. Both here and elsewhere. For me, my attempts to help others grow, help me grow as well.
I think that the mutual aspect is important. I mostly recommended Substacks smaller than mine, so I felt as if I was giving more than I was asking for. Three have since overtaken mine in size and now recommend me and are bringing me some growth.
1) I am so excited that Chat is now available for Android! I've tried it for both of my newsletters and I can see all of the possibilities, especially as we talk about moving to paid for one of them.
2) I figured out how to stop getting email notifications and just use the App. The app is fantastic and has taken away my need to be on social media for networking purposes. Seriously, I love being able to easily read each of the newsletters that I subscribe to and I have a feeling that I'm going to be able to more easily read them as a result.
3) I'm appreciating the mentions feature and hoping to use that more and also hoping that gives me the traction that I need. Trying to figure out how to get onto more recommendation lists.
4) Finally crossed 200 subscribers, but still working on growing to even more. Also, I've joined Post beta and I think it has a real potential for growing my audience in both places since I got in early. I have high hopes for its potential.
And I'm sure that I'll have questions that I've thought about later in the Office Hours 😊
Hi Sarah! Congrats on reaching 200 subs! I sent my first chat thread today, not sure if this is a feature I like but I'm going to test it out first.
Can I ask you:
1) how did you turn off emails without unsubscribing from a newsletter?? I stopped reading half of the stacks I receive because of inbox overwhelm... 2) What is Post beta?
1) In the app you can change notification settings. That's where I did it. 2) It's one of the many alternatives to Twitter. I love Twitter, but I think that Post has a lot of potential.
Thank you! 1) I thought that turning off notifications was just another way to say unsubscribe 🤔 2) oh I see, Twitter is going through a rough patch, I haven't been using it lately. Good to know we have alternatives 👍
Going to have to try this in the app! I subscribed to a bunch of 'stacks recently with the intention of scrolling through the feed of recent posts and reading what interests me. But it has definitely flooded the ol' inbox. Thanks for the tip. 😎
This isn’t a technical question, but I’m wondering how some of you plan out your newsletters. Do you know what you’re going to write for the next couple of posts, do you have “seasons” or themes you cycle through? How do you maintain a routine? I’m going through a bit of a slump where I stopped writing because I didn’t have any ideas, and now I’d like to get back into a routine with it.
Hi Mana! I keep running notes of topics I want to write about, making notes on my phone or in a notebook when an idea pops in my head. The key for me is writing it down as soon as I have the thought--else it gets lost. Even on weeks I'm not using those topics, I review them and try to flesh them out--mindmapping is great for this. When I'm ready to write on that topic, I keep those notes open as I go.
Hi Mána! I agree with Holly! I write down anything that comes to me. The more ideas I write down, the more come to me. I have essays and also videos and Q&As on my substack. Sometimes something that I think will be an essay turns into a video post, and sometimes an idea doesn't turn into anything at all, but I just keep writing them down. (I organize it in Notion, personally.)
I do plan, write, and schedule posts ahead of time, but that's just me. Honestly also sometimes I'm procrastinating from fiction writing, and that's a whole other planning/writing problem for me. My advice is to keep writing ideas down and see where they lead!
I second this! Also, do you freewrite or journal? There are far more ideas in your head than you realize. I've been reading Jack Hart's book, Wordcraft, and he makes the point that the act of writing can itself generate ideas. I get a lot of mine by brain dumping whatever's going on in my head into a journal.
The first chapter of that book has some other fantastic suggestions, too, like going out into your community, stopping into a shop you've never visited, and having conversations with random people there. Or taking a different route to a familiar place and paying attention to what you see.
Like Holly, I keep a running list of potential topics and drafts. I actually have a content calendar in a google spreadsheet where I've filled in specific post ideas corresponding to calendar events. As new ideas come to me I may find a spot for them in the calendar, or simply keep them in the hopper to be developed. The biggest routine I've developed, however, is to spend a little time every day in my writer mind. Whether it's drafting, editing, or outlining new ideas, I try to enter my writing space at least once a day to keep that muscle toned and stay motivated.
i am the worst for this and will often go, "crap I need to write my newsletter!" on the day it comes out. the thing is for me that regardless of whether i have ideas or not, A NEWSLETTER NEEDS TO BE SENT each week. this normally keeps me on top of things. some weeks i have very uninteresting newsletters and other weeks i come up with something which i really love. i know this isn't the best way!
I've recently started to try and plan my content as i'm a music artist and am also trying to grow an audience on tikok and maintain my fans on instagram. too many pies and not enough fingers it feels sometimes. but i'm hoping that planning these three things together will help me see how maybe things I want to post about on my other social channels will also give me clues as to what i want to write about in my newsletter, and vice versa.
Hi Mana! I'm certainly not one to dole out advice on routine... I struggle with ruts myself. But one thing I have found really useful to climb out of said ruts is a "5 Things" essay prompt that I learned from Summer Brennan. Basically, you write a list of five things, related or unrelated, that are on your mind. Sometimes I'll see a thread emerge between them. Other times, I'll keep going until I've hit 17 things! And things 1-16 will be uninspired, but number 17 will give me the kernel of something I want to follow into an entire piece. I've found it's a good way of digging deep into my writer's mind and discovering things I didn't consciously know were there, without the pressure of sitting before a blank cursor and picking a topic.
Love this! Everyone is so helpful. I do have lots of ideas, I think the main issue for me is fleshing them out and creating them into posts. I will definitely try this 5 things method.
I keep a similar method as Holly for post ideas. I keep my list in Notion but any notes app or notebook will do. I often end up just riffing on an idea that I'm thinking about the day I sit down to write, but I find it incredibly helpful to have a "back up" stable of ideas. I also often include links to essays or other newsletters that sparked the idea in the first place. When I started out, I didn't have a routine, but now I have a consistent bi-weekly posting schedule. I send out letters on Thursday mornings. This helps me focus and commit, even on days/weeks when I feel tapped out (like today!). I am also told it helps readers as they know when to expect a new issue. Hope that helps!
You'd be surprised of what you can turn into a post. It's all about capturing the thought as it happens during they day. I find it hard to do this when I'm preoccupied with juggling a lot, but if your day to day life has a consistent rhythm that's relatively simple, it is easy to let your mind show you what good reflections there are that can be brought out and elaborated on.
It's also easy to assume that a post will not be of interest, or is too obvious to bother writing. When, actually, your particular, personal expertise and point of view is usually more valuable than you realise.
My substack, The Museyroom, is, obviously, about art, so there's always plenty to write about from where I live, in New York City. The challenge has not been what to write, but HOW. I've had to adapt my style to the restrictions and opportunities offered by the format. I now have two types of communication with my readers, one the longish review-essay, several thousand words, extremely time-consuming. The other is the mini-review or equivalent, very brief, Twitter-like, more visuals than text. To connecting the two and clarify my own process I recently wrote an essay arguing that those mini-reviews are in the great tradition of art criticism:
I second Paul's advice about switching up your style. I feel an immediate lightening when I switch to writing something shorter, or in a list format or whatever. Then the return to long-form essaying is a pleasure. It's like anything else--variety is good for the palate!
(Also, Paul, have you checked out the Eggleston exhibit at David Zwirner right now? It's fantastic.)
What many others have said (above and below), but I just keep my mind open for new "lanes." My main goal for my 'Stack (since 8/21) has already been met....mostly sharing my behind the scenes exploits when I was in the '70s/'80s radio and record biz. I created these new lanes to simply give myself more latitude to springboard into more topics.
Ex: About 2-3 months ago, I created 3 new lanes: 1) "Inside Tracks," which explores one song and a handful of cover versions that have been recorded over the years.
2) "Audio Autopsy," where I do a deep-dive into an artist and/or album which I think was great, but it/they got little airplay and no sales.
3) "GROW BIGGER EARS," where I'll pick a topic or word (cars, air travel, etc) and create a playlist with a handful of songs that fit that topic!
Another new one I've started with a fellow 'Stacker, Benjamin Kryze (https://smallears.substack.com/) is called, "Cuts, Both Ways." We share one song apiece, and critique them using our differences as a creative "tool": He's 26, I'm 40 years older; he's in Europe, I'm in the U.S.' He really only knows 21st century music, and I was in the record biz in the '70s...we use those two dichotomies to create a new "lane," which we each publish on our respective 'Stacks! Here's our first (and, so far, only) one: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/cuts-both-ways-1-balcony-weekend
No one, of course, can teach you HOW to be creative....but, seeing how I started, and just expanded my scope of writing, I'm hoping you can translate into what and how you do you!! Good luck.....now, go be creative!!!😉👍
I stumbled on this amazing article on posting online yesterday. This recommends Quora as a great way to publicise your posts and drop in links as answers to questions.
So for example, I have a post about getting out in nature to boost your mental health. I then posted this as an answer to a question about "are there alternatives to medication for helping with mental health?" Already getting a few click throughs after just one day. Worth a try.
I'm interested to hear how this is working for you. Quora strikes me as an overwhelming waste of time for promo, but I could be looking at it the wrong way.
I've been meaning to start answering questions on Quora and your comment here has inspired me to start! I'd already set up my profile months ago but just didn't get on it.
I'd love to hear how anyone has found Quora - posting on Reddit has got a tiny bit of traffic, mainly Facebook groups with my specialist area (wine pairings) that allow occasional self shout outs has been a really good channel to get new hits and subscribers!
I've got probably 40 essay ideas in 'draft' and I'll often grab one based on current themes, conversations, and build them out. I don't have intentional themes, and try to stay adaptable.
Hi Mana! My strategy is to carry a notebook with me all day long, every day, and always write down EVERY idea that pops into my head. Regardless of how stupid it is. Then I transfer them all these ideas into a single file, divided into ideas for longer features and shorter items.
I publish weekly and try to plan a few issues in advance. I review all the ideas Ive come up with, both the stupid and non stupid (I literally have hundreds at this point), and then I listen to my gut and go forward with whatever topics sound like the most FUN to work on.
I second the going-with-your-gut aspect. I do a lot of planning and drafting and jotting of ideas, but in the end I rely a lot on instinct re what actually gets published.
I try to stick with what’s in my “about” page. I use post-it notes when I’m not around an electronic device (I keep the notes in my pocket with a short pencil) (I don’t carry a phone most of the day). I have ongoing old school outlines on my computer that I fill in as I have thoughts.
I've not planned much until recently, but I've started planning out more in advance as I'm keen to gain and convert more subscribers, which requires having an actual plan.
I'm keeping it very loose, but I have newsletter pencilled in on a Google calendar through to March. Easy to shuffle about and add new ones in, so I'm no beholden to it, but it's useful to know what's coming up. Also enables me to prep fancier posts (Eg with video and audio) ahead of time.
I keep a running list of ideas in Excel/Notion and I pluck them off one by one as I feel inspired. I'm taking off this week, but I've already got my topics/stories planned for Dec. 16, 24, 31 and Jan. 6. Having that forecast makes it easier to stay on track. Of course, now I have to write them!
OMG Amran it must feel so great to have things planned out so far in advance. Actually, I'm planned out to early January as well, a record for me—but only because I'm taking off the last two weeks of the year.
The holidays definitely help, since Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve orient my ideas. I don't know if I'll be able to stay consistently ahead by 3-4 weeks, but even 1-2 weeks keeps me from feeling too stressed.
Another benefit of pre-scheduling so far in advance is I can stay evergreen with my ideas, instead of chasing the news du jour.
I went to a publishing school a loooong time ago (we mainly learned about print). One thing I learned and that has stuck with me, was about magazine publishing. It was actually two things. First: if you publish regularly, make it predictable for the readers, so they know what to expect. Simpler put: make a framework that you fill with fresh content every time. For me, the framework for my weekly poetry magazine (substack) is three sections: a fresh poem (by me or a guest), three fun links I call poetics in life and three links to poetry elsewhere. Because I have this structure, I only have to fill in the blanks. And if I have two poems in a week I want to publish, I can fill two newsletter issues, and only have to work on the other sections.
The other thing I learned is use variations on a theme. The example was about a magazine for home makers. Every year it's summer. In summer there will be strawberries. Homemakers like to make delicious dishes for their families. So: every summer a new recipe with strawberries. If you have 10 recipies, that's already 10 years of 1 page filled. There's probably some recurring theme you can use for your substack.
For the rest: play with it and see what works. For you and your audience.
I have a notebook where I write down ideas and notes but more often than not my new posts are things I come up with out of the blue and write while the idea is hot in my brain.
Yeah! I am the first! People, instead of asking new questions, I can help to reply some.
In particular, I am using heavily LinkedIn 🗣👤.
Trying to leverage my +2.5k followers.
And I can also offer some insights these channels which are working for me:
1. Recommendations. I have partnerships with a few authors. The key is to look for complementarities, and present a good case on why a partnership makes sense
2. Substack network. Crucial to keep following authors I like, comment and interact, taking advantage of occasions like these Office Hours. We need to help each others
4. Directories. Try out The Sample, if you have not already (5 min to setup). They send your newsletter to thousands of users and get you new subscribers (especially in the first 2 weeks). This is my tracking link. If you are so kind to use it, we’ll both get some subscribers —> https://thesample.ai/?ref=3d11
Please comment on any of these items. I’ll do my best to reply.
The Sample sent out my work to a handful, but my reports haven't been that favorable since the first post or two. Any thoughts on why? And I second using the Substack network. I have found that interacting with other Substack writers has been HUGE. While my audience isn't growing as fast as I would like, it is growing and those connections have been FAR more meaningful than my ill-fated attempts at using FB groups for writers two years ago.
But might be not enough, unless we get recommended by very big guys.
The Sample sent my email to a significant amount of users (1704 in total, as of now), 95% of which in the first few days.
Now it is slowing down.
If it is like my case, they have simply stopped sending your newsletter, hence less results. In the end, they have a limited number of users, and, also, they want to push you to pay.
They do have a limited user base. My strat for the sample that seemed to work though, was to share my affiliate link in a special email.
Part of my brand is that I have a second-tier newsletter called "Summit Squad." You get access to it by reaching and maintaining a 5 star activity level on my substack. (you can track this in subscribers - > sort by -> activity - >greater than or equal to - > 5 stars.
Basically, once a week or so, I draft a personal email that only gets sent to the people in this category, since I know they're definitely going to open it. These emails wind up with a 90-100% open rate. I give these subscribers a sneak peak at upcoming content, then maybe a photo dump of some wildlife pictures I'm really proud of, but aren't big enough to be their own story.
At the end, I include a button to subscribe to the sample, with a pitch that them signing up is the equivalent of giving me $4 dollars for ad spending. I took this part of the trick from an econ writer called Karlstack.
This is a smart strategy! I hadn't considered segmenting Substack readers that way. Might be a good way to do a bit of a re-engagement campaign for those who haven't opened in a while, too.
Yes but no. There's some disagreement about how much this actually matters, but I care a lot about "sender score." Basically, it seems like through some tech wizardry, the open rate of your last email actually can impact how likely your NEXT email will go to someone's spam folder. Lower open rate = higher chance of spam flags.
Part of the reason I send out sumit squad is because having a 90% open rate email boosts your sender score. So on the back end of things, sumit squad sets the stage for my main newsletter, by telling email providers that people will definitely want to see whatever I send next.
But this works in reverse too. If you send an email to your least active subscribers, you're going to get an awful open rate. Sometimes 0%. This makes you more likely to go to spam.
I only bother pruning my email list of inactive people if my open rate drops into the 30's. When I do, I use a third party service to test the emails so that I don't damage my sender scores. If you're interested in how, you can shoot me an email at colenobleclimbs@gmail.com
Its not super complicated, I just don't want this comment to be a novel lol.
The short answer is yes. If you wanted to, you could easily send your affiliate link to your whole email list.
But one of the things I try to be cognizant of, I'd that having too many calls to action can easily clutter your newsletter. I know that my readers who are most likely to use my referral link are my 5 star subscribers.
I also know it's a better use of my time to encourage my 1-4 star subscribers to take different actions. Things like commenting, liking, or sharing the newsletter.
I try to think of my newsletter as having it's own internal content funnel. When I eventually go paid, I'm guessing my 5 star subscribers are going to make up the bulk of my sign ups. They're also most likely to fully read posts, including more complicated CTAs.
I try to encourage all my lower star subscribers to take actions that will bump up their activity level, and eventually move them into the 5 star group where they will get rewarded for their participation.
My newsletter basically got adopted by a much bigger one and it has been a massive source of growth. I discovered a publication called the Storm Skiing Journal, and started plugging it to my users who like the outdoors, but are interested in more skiing coverage than I do.
Eventually he checked out my newsletter and started recommending it to his users who like skiing, but are interested in more mountaineering coverage than he did.
But I do actually recommend partnering with more, smaller newsletters. The reason is that their growth spikes will become YOUR growth spikes!
Why would it make sense for the author to recommend me? What is my unique perspective? Where am I coming from?
For instance, I write on principles for personal impact, growth and decision making. Combining rational techniques with grounding methods. With a focus on analytical people.
My partners deal with burnout (which is often a consequence of overanalysis and pure rational thinking), bioenergetics analysis (which helps grounding) and the nervous system (which relates to the body mind connection).
Sometimes I ask directly, sometimes I wait for the right moment.
For sure, I need to do my homework first. Know the articles well, comment, interact. Then enter in direct contact, via email or in other ways. Establish a dialogue. And ask when the time is right. Like in judo ;) following the Wu Wei (= the art of not forcing).
I just did it yesterday, and it has worked. And I’m now recommended by an author I love. It’s one of my greatest achievements, regardless of the results it will bring.
Thank you for the tips, Livio. (p.s. i'm going to recommend your newsletter to my husband who struggles with overthinking and analysing. Glad i saw you on here).
I don't want to speak poorly about another product when I don't have context, but there are few indicators I've seen that seem suspicious
1) several people on Reddit recommended the Sample but those people don't have any other reddit posts
2) There's very little info about the team or mission on their website
3) They claim to have generated 147 forwards of my newsletter, but when I look at my Substack stats, there are 0 visits from the Sample. When I send my newsletter out to my OWN subscribers, it doesn't generate nearly this amount of forwards
4) Even if they're talking about the Sample as a whole (re forwards), they only have 10k subscribers, so how is this generating that many forwards?
5) They asked to integrate with my mailchimp, which, while helpful felt invasive.
Thanks! They have generated 1704 forwards for me, 95% of which in the first 10 days or so. I honestly have no reasons to doubt they did. In the end, they have all incentives to generate subscribers, so that then you stick with them and eventually pay.
My Sample results improved greatly when I used their cross-promotion option, each person who signs up using your link gets you more forwards and there seems to be a high subscription rate from those forwards, at least for me!
The LinkedIn analysis is helpful. Unfortunately, all social media platforms want you to stay on their platform, or to advertise (in the case of FB, IG and Twitter). The algorithm is designed to they suppress posts that direct links outside the platform; unless you have others sharing and engaging in it right away, you can forget it.
You probably know this, but one work-around is to have a main post with a photo and no link and then post the actual link in the comments. Its not the most elegant solution, but it seems to confuse the algorithm and prevents the post from getting buried.
Yes absolutely. Nothing I post on social media gets much traction, to be honest. But when I include the link in the comments rather than the main post I at least get a few likes, comments and forwards as opposed to zero. Others I've recommended this to have reported similar results.
I'm not on social. Doing an experiment to see if it's possible to grow an audience in other ways. I don't have a 100% clear strategy on this yet, but it's on my list for yearly planning this month. I'm starting with Substack interaction (reading, commenting, recommending, Office Hours) and have a list of alternatives to work through.
Some ideas: Flyers, business cards w/ a QR code, direct mailing with a QR code, talking it up in person, ads, press releases, guest posting, going on podcasts, collaborations...
All good ones, Livio! Have you tried replying to questions? I've read about that technique over and over, but I avoid it because it seems like a lot of time investment for little or not return.
If you refer to Linkedin, I have been trying different tactics, to then realise I was not feeling very well about doing certain things. One of them was commenting on posts for the sake of it (or, rather, to try to get people to subscribe).
And the reason why it felt off is that I was not being authentic.
It is true that these platforms define the rules of the game.
But we can the decide how to use the.
For me it is crucial to use social networks in a way which feels authentic for the person that I am. And consistent with my values.
I agree with you, but it is frustrating. They can ignore it by sending it out to only a handful of people who see everything you already post the key is getting deeper and they won’t allow that. Still I’m trying
1. Engage repeatedly on Linkedin, with posts, likes and comments
2. Add as friend the people that follow you or like your posts
3. Chat with them and provide some free value
4. And… wait!
The core lesson for me is that it takes time to get people out of LinkedIn and follow you elsewhere. And takes multiple touchpoints to produce tangible results.
LinkedIn can be a very active forum. I'm still digging through all the data to get clear insights as to what works and what doesn't. What appears to be helpful is sheer numbers (get a lot of connections), post frequently (the doom scroll is endless, especially as your numbers go up), and post what you do with your connections (e.g. I appeared on a podcast with its large follower group, then posted it).
Glen, Livo, Maybe what we can do is connect there and keep an eye out (or feel free to tag me) in posts and we can get a conversation started. Martin Pryor has some good insight on 'hacking' the algorithm.
Yes. Also because the bulk of forwards was done with articles which converted poorly, while new articles, with better conversions, are not getting much traffic...
But I have seen that now that I got some cross promotion going on (someone used my like referral link https://thesample.ai/?ref=3d11), also organic traffic raised again.
Should I expect that the organic traffic remain flat otherwise?
Hi Substack team! I'd love to know if there's a way to re-send old newsletters without them appearing as a brand new post. I have grown my audience a lot since I first started sending newsletters and would love for my new subscribers to read older posts. Thanks!
I find my "collection" posts the second Saturday of each month give me a breather (although not this month because...well...'tis the season!). These are monthly posts of what I'm cooking, what I'm reading, and what I'm noticing. Fairly easy stuff, right? But what if you haven't cooked anything since Thanksgiving?!
Hi Florence, I think this is a great opportunity to send a fresh post that highlights and summarizes your favorites. Instead of sending older posts you can send one and include several with a little review of why people should check them out. That post would then be available to newcomers. Just my two cents.
I'm planning to do a year-end roundup in the last week of December, highlighting evergreens and the articles that performed best, so new subscribers can enjoy them, too.
These are all great ideas. Another option is to update your welcome email with links to your older posts as a way for them to get to know your writing right off the bat.
Florence, I've been thinking about this, too. Labeling it an encore appearance or some such should work, plus longtime subscribers seldom remember a particular post, and are generally glad to be reminded, especially when you're happily pointing out that this isn't new material!
Yes, exactly this. I've also been pondering how to do a "starter pack" sequence for new subscribers, where for a few weeks they get reminded of the best material so far. Like a pinned post, but it goes into their Inbox. I think that'd be great for engagement and getting everyone caught up.
Great minds, Mike! I have a lot behind the paywall for reasons, so this is something I've been cosnidering for new free people, PLUS I like calling it a :starter pack" May I nick that?
Many have already answered, but here's my experience. First, open a new post page, then copy and paste the content of the old one onto the new page. Once you've done that, feel free to delete the old one. Update, re-title, etc, and use your best judgment as to whether to label it "Legacy Edition" or something similar.
I've updated and re-posted a few times, and didn't feel the need to include a notice. They were SO early, with so few subbies, there seemed little point. Another thing I've noticed (since I started in Aug '21), are the many changes in my approach and style....so, updating a post gives me an opportunity to make somewhat similar (adding photos, playlists, style of speech, etc) this new, updated article, and make it fit with what has become my style, over time! Have fun!
I've been wondering this myself! I guess one way is to segment your list and then email that segment a copy & pasted version of that old newsletter! It will allow you to not resend that old article to people who got it the first time. And it won't appear anywhere in your public-facing Web version. The big downside: it's not a "Substack newsletter" anymore, it's just an email, and it'll lack all the things that get added (Like buttons, footers and headers etc).
appreciate the replies about sending a round-up post or re-posting/emailing an old post but I'm specifically looking for a way to re-send an old post for the second time
You'd probably have to go in as if doing an update (changing a comma to a semi-colon or something similarly innocuous). Then, click "continue," and operate as if it's a whole new post, either scheduling a release date/time, or publishing now, having it e-mailed to your subbies. I think that'd work. The only thing is that it will still show up "way down" in your Archive, assuming you have it set up as "newest first/at the top." Play with it!
Love that we're able to link and tag other writers now. I know that's something that I and other Substackers have been asking for. Thanks for listening and implementing!
Curious if anyone has any insight into how the most popular posts get ranked on your homepage -- it doesn’t seem to be based on views or likes. Does anyone know?
I've wondered this, too - some posts seem to have been more popular in terms of likes and/or comments than the one that Substack determines to be the most popular one - weird....!
That's what I thought, but there must also be some weight for total views. My question -- what is the weighting for each of views, likes, comments? It would be great if this was more flexible.
Surprisingly nice to read through this thread! I like the feeling of coming across the hardcore who are here week after week, post a lot, and consistently promote their work. It's really a nice energy. A few commonalities I'm noticing:
- The writing seems to take care of the growth. It's slow at first, but as people write consistently good stuff, the free subscribers come.
- There's really a virtuous circle of visiting other people's post/writing comments on those posts and in that way attracting to your own. The nicer you are, the better Substack works for you!
- Everybody struggles to turn their free subscribers paid.
- Everybody struggles to get Substack's spotlighting types to pay attention to them.
- There are some nice new features that help to cross-promote (recommendations, mentions) but that's an area for improvement. I'd be very curious to see if people start trying to 'bundle' Substacks together - creating subscription plans, etc, based on a package of like-minded work.
Yes, that's actually a great idea. I'd love to be part of a bundle with some of the other publications I regularly interact with, or with surprising new ones, and to be surprised. I think that would be a great service to readers, and it will certainly help all writers in the bundle grow and grow an income. Please, Substack team, pay attention to this idea!
Something like that! It's very individualistic now, which I happen to like - but I suspect that the direction Substack evolves in is about 'bundling,' 'cross-promotion,' etc. It's nice to try to fantasize about different modes of collaboration.
Hi all! I have been writing for a year consistently and it has taught me a lot. I have experimented with my writing styles, visuals, and have become a more confident writer overall. It has been WORK, but well worth it! I am planning a refresh in the new year to be more experiential, include more voices, and add more media.
QUESTION: Is there a way to create different color story blocks within a newsletter? It am looking for more visual ways to demarcate different sections of my newsletter.
ASK: What other newsletters have found ways to create a rich experience that goes beyond text, static photos, and videos? Looking for inspiration!
Hi Hillarie! Kudos on all the amazing work and writing. Experimenting is definitely a huge part of the growth process (as I'm learning myself). Recently, I've been experimenting with podcasts, video, voice overs, and different kinds of content. One thing I'm launching next week is a sketchbook... So the day before I launch my full "lecture" and complete sketch of whatever idea/concept I'll be lecturing about, I will launch a "teaser." In order to get the full lecture and original sketch the next day, you'll have to complete an action item, like join my chat or become a paid member (soon). Just an idea for you as to how I've tried to keep things dynamic and interesting :)
I'd love to see examples of Substacks that are laid out in visually interesting ways, too. I made some divider images to break my newsletter into sections, but they're pretty rough.
Hey, everyone. So, I don't know if a lot of people are aware of this but it is possible to actually make a Table of Contents in Substack. This can be very useful, imo, if you write long articles with multiple sections and want to help viewers navigate your posts. I haven't seen any real discussion about this online so I've decided to go and make a guide. (Please note that this might only work for the online version of the article though.)
What do you mean by "might only work for the online version of the article"?
But other than that, yes. It's quite a good function and I think not everyone is aware about it. I don't use it so much as a toc, but just to inform readers there is more (and that they can jump to it).
Hello Substack!! I've really come to look forward to these Thursday gatherings. What a gift to have so many talented and imaginative people in one place, where I can discover new writers and bump into friends.
I have a simple question related to publishing: at times, I've noticed that when I try to edit a post's Subtitle after publication (when the email's already been sent out), Substack won't let me do so -- or at least, it won't change/update the subtitle on my home page. Is this a bug or am I beholden to my typos and word choices forever and ever?
Have you tried going into your 'Publish' page and changing it there? I think I've done that successfully before, but of course any emails sent will always have the old subtitle.
(Hint: in order to get into your 'Publish' or 'Upgrade' page after publishing your post, you'll have to make some slight change to your text. It won't upgrade otherwise.)
've been taking a week off every quarter (i.e. every three months) where I not only don't publish the newsletter, I stay off Substack entirely and even avoid thinking about it. It's very refreshing, and no one seems to mind.
I am planning to take two weeks off at the end of the year so I can truly decompress and refresh.
This is such a good question. I take breaks all the time. Every day! Since getting off of social media, the time I spend writing is much more productive, so I feel like I can justify sitting and reading for an hour or taking a walk or watching something that makes me laugh while I'm eating my lunch. Plus all of that stuff is potentially inspiring something in me, so maybe it counts as working, too.
I do as well but I mean a complete break from writing. Not only do I write for my own Substack, but I freelance as a writer as well on everything from screenplays to online articles. Just wondering how long people unplug for.
I'm curious about this too! On the one hand, I think if you're feeling like you need a break, you should take one. Even if it's for weeks. But on the other hand, I never take much prolonged time off, so I'm not a good person to tell you. Sometimes I am forced into a break (a family trip, say) but it's not the same as intentionally choosing to take a break for two weeks or a month.
Last year I announced a 4 week break in December/ January. I knew that I needed it. This year, I was away overseas for October and I wrote and scheduled a couple of posts for that month before I left, so I only had to write two posts while I was away instead of 4. I'm going to try and do that for January this year as I'm not so desperate for a break this year. So it won't look to my readers if I'm taking a break.
Bernard Hickey of https://thekaka.substack.com/ recently announced he was taking a bit of a break. He's a very intensive poster, posts daily during the week.
After over a year of writing, I announced that I would be taking a first break of two weeks. I viewed it as sort of a "paid vacation." If I decide to take another break within 12 months, I'll announce and pause paid subscriptions.
I've never experienced anything but support from readers/subscribers when I take one -- everyone seems to understand the need for a break, and they all encourage me to take whatever rest I need. I don't think you need to feel beholden to any schedule; just take as needed.
I'm fairly new here, started publishing my fiction in late September, once a week.
Next Tuesday, I have a piece that includes Santa. After that, a couple of weeks off, return in January.
Seems that lots of people are busy with family and friends this time of year, me included. So feels like a natural place to have a little time off. Get refreshed, enjoy a little R&R, etc.
I love the new and improved features that get rolled out - they're so exciting to use and it always feel like Substack is looking for new ways to benefit its app users and writers. I've been on here for a few months now and even though I repost my stories on my socials and encourage discussion, I find it hard to get people to interact and subscribe? Any tips?
I've been trying to increase my engagement with other writers on their posts to increase my own profile visibility and develop a network, but I'm struggling!
Keep staying on top of that. Consistency over the course of years and refusal to give up is your magic sauce! Answer questions on Reddit or quora on your topic and make sure to not be spammy but keep your name same across channels and platforms to have people see you kind of everywhere.
Hi Natalie! In my experience, consistency is key. Most people simply aren't early adopters; they'll see what you're doing and scroll on by. BUT, the more you post, the more they'll see that you're serious and they will engage. It can be tough at first, especially with discussions (the crickets can feel deafening!!) but honestly, keeping a consistent schedule and pushing through the awkward quiet at the start will yield results. Hope this helps! 🌿
I get it. I’ve found the best way is to engage with other writers on SS by responding to comments on response threads. Much more effective than just posting about your own writing.
Thanks for sharing Livio! I've had a look at your workbook and it's incredible! Very detailed. I'll definitely need to set aside time to go through this properly.
Hello fellow writers. I joined today's session a bit late but glad to see so many people back in the comment threads again. I wrote a post this week talking about transformation through curiosity, referencing the classic comic book trope of saying a magic word to receive amazing powers (or achieve your publishing goals, whatever works...) and how it doesn't really happen that way. I wrote this post for me but maybe you'll also find it useful: https://howaboutthis.substack.com/p/curious-realizer-transformation-through
Loved your article and just became a free subscriber. I wrote a similar one called “Life’s sunsets and sunrises” or something like that. It talks about the dark period between life’s endings and new beginnings being longer than a single night, and the endings being not as pretty as a sunset.
Hey all! My Substack is growing based on so many great recommendations here! Thanks to everyone who has shared! Two features that I think have great potential:
1. Cross-posting and mentions. (I'm always looking to help build networks so if you see something in mine, please let me know!)
2. Voice-overs to RSS. I'm finding some of my audience is pressed for reading time, but love my recordings of the essays. (Substack, please connect download data from voice-overs to the podcast information!!)
Hi Michael, I was replying to Michael Woudenberg and his Polymathic Being newsletter. Just checked out your newsletter (which looks interesting) and yeah it is a bit of a stretch between our respective areas of focus. Thanks for the response, nevertheless. I am collaborating with Sharon St Louis who reviews non-fiction works. Do you write about non-fiction in addition to fiction?
Hi Substack community! I just published a very personal newsletter (most of my writing is very personal but this one felt more vulnerable than usual) and I'm grappling a bit with the idea of it just being OUT THERE. I came here from tinyletter, where you had the ability to restrict your letters to only subscribers. I haven't yet turned on paid letters (I'm working up to it). I'm wondering if any of you have struggled a bit with that tension between wanting people to read your work and also cringing at the rawness of being seen and vulnerable on the internet?
I have been grappling with that exact same question. So far, I'm coming down on the side of letting those vulnerable pieces exist publicly. They do well, for one thing. And I think that honesty is my greatest asset as a writer. But I have experienced that same raw feeling afterward; it's odd having a bunch of strangers inside my personal life... You should definitely set your boundaries with care (some parts of your life can just belong to you.) And you can always decide to place the more personal pieces behind a paywall. That creates a more intimate environment for them. But I do think that readers are drawn to vulnerability. An honest voice cuts through like nothing else. (Think about Nora Ephron. She's a great spirit animal for personal writers.)
Just read the post and subscribed. I appreciate the vulnerability you showed. You tapped into something that is felt by many and you're to be applauded for having the courage to do it. Many of my essays are personal, too, and often those are the ones that resonate the most with people. Look forward to reading more.
This is something I've been thinking about as well. Recently, I've published my reflections on taboo topics on work - golden handcuffs, reassessing the stories we tell ourselves about work etc. And I've noticed that these personal, vulnerable essays HIT HOME the most. I've gotten so much love from readers. Someone said I helped them articulate feelings they've felt for years but could not voice. So I've come to see the benefit of writing for those people as far bigger than the cringe of being raw online.
But it's a muscle. Each time I post, I feel a little naked and raw. But I feel I must do it. It gets a little easier with time. I'm working on an extremely vulnerable post for next year that I hope confirms that this is what I must write
I also struggled with that decision and came down on the side of vulnerability and to think in terms of stories rather than articles. That has made a big difference in subscribership and in views.
I think it's someone called Hannah. I was featured last weekend in the Substack Reads newsletter and I'm on Discovery on the app this week and it has driven hundreds of new subs. It has been a real buzz to see, but so far all are free subs, and I'm not sure how many of them are really and truly relevant readers for me. We'll see.
It's on our about page :) We source folks to feature from our shoutout threads on both this and the Reads publication, as well as what we see shared with us by writers on social media. https://read.substack.com/about
Hi there! I was wondering if anybody has suggestions for how to grow your audience when you publish under a pseudonym? This makes it difficult because telling everybody you know IRL about it kind of defeats the purpose.
Hi Leigh! I decided a while ago that all of my writing--professional and personal--would be published under "S.E. Reid" instead of my legal name. This wasn't so much about privacy as it was about professionalism, for me.
Practically, this means that I have a separate email address, social media pages, and "presence" under this name. All of my freelance writing uses this name. The people who know me in real life figured it out pretty quickly and they are careful not to use my first name in comments, etc. My advice is if you lean into it and use it consistently, people will catch on. Hope that helps! 🌿
Try creating a pseudonym on your social media accounts (Reddit, twitter, etc). Reply to other people's posts. Also, reply to posts on substack with the pseudonym.
I’d like to hear how people are using Chat. Is it helping with engagement and/or bumping up your subscriptions? I don’t want to overwhelm my audience, but if it yields results, I’m all ears.
For me, I'm using it purely for fun -- as a way to interact with my readers and strengthen that connection. I don't know if it's leading to conversions from free to paid or not, but I'm just experimenting with it right now. It's great for sharing ideas, photos, links, etc., and getting a sense of who your subscribers are.
Exactly! It's kinda like Twitter in that way. If you have just an article you'd like to share, a photo, or a thought you'd like feedback on, it's a great way to throw it out there and see how readers respond. I'm a fan.
Now that's an application I hadn't considered. I'm feeling adverse to chat because it is so much like social media, but that ability to share in the moment without being a Twitter Thread Boi or worrying about crafting the perfect post for "my audience" is appealing.
I announced a first chat for paid subscribers that took place several days before Thanksgiving where questions could be asked about pies. Participants put up photos, too. As it was paid, there were no conversions, but it was well received by those who came, Micheline.
I'm playing with it and trying to not inundate people with stuff on Chat. I have a feeling that if I can grow my paying audience, there will be specific conversations that I reserve just for those subscribers. I like it so far.
Hi Substack team! Have you thought about giving readers the option to highlight stretches of text in our posts that resonate with them à la Medium? In the last month, some readers have sent me (via DM or replying to the email) sentences from my posts that they loved and I feel this is what they're trying to achieve...
I started on substack on the 22nd November and I’ve been blown away with people subscribing and interacting with me! I need to explore to see if I can collaborate with others.
Hi! Newbie here with just under a month of experience on Substack but really, really loving it so far. Besides emailing friends and posting on all the social channels (I have a small-ish following there), have other writers found genuine ways to promote their newsletter? I've heard people mention a lot of their subscribers come from other writers on the platform, how are you making connections that feel authentic and not just like the old days of blogrolls and "I'll post yours if you post mine?"
Can anyone also share from their experience what they mean by "slow" growth? After launching I had an inital 20 subscribers with just one or two since then in the last few weeks. I can tell more people are "viewing" my posts than are subscribed but somehow they aren't converting to subscribers.
Thanks for your help, I love the supportive community here!
Hi Mariah! I started writing on Substack in June, and all my growth has been via the Substack community itself - I'm not on any other social channels, nor did I sign up friends (because I'm shy...!)
But I don't just post. I read a lot - a LOT - of other people's posts - I've sought out newsletters to subscribe to that I really enjoy, and if I like a post I'll hit 'Like', and very often I'll comment on a post, and sometimes this leads to dialogue between me and that community member, or between me and other commenters on that post. By being an active part of the community and engaging with it you'll find people who are interested in what you have to say, and if they like what you're doing they'll subscribe!
Keep doing what you're doing. You've got subscribers already, and you'll continue to grow!
Yes! I've thought a lot about the kind of reader I want- someone who is engaged, who participates and reciprocates. So I've tried to become that reader! Taking a little bit of extra time and effort to let a writer or artist know I see and appreciate their work- when it genuinely resonates has become a little way I can give back and offer my gratitude.
Thanks for this Rebecca. You helped me to realise that social media kinda trained me to be a lurker rather than an engager/commenter - and that's not what to be here. The space and vibe here is so much more ... not sure how to describe it.. clean? Your comment made me more mindful of this. So cheers to you!
Aside from the recommendation engine, the biggest source of growth for me is just telling people about my Substack in person and signing them up manually.
I have two young kids and I sign EVERY parent I meet up for my Substack with the immediate disclaimer that if they don't like it they can unsubscribe with one click. 95% of them stick with me and love my work. I've also made a game out of it. I've signed up car mechanics, UPS drivers, mailmen, donation solicitors, etc. It really works.
For me, slow and steady growth looks like getting 1-3 new subscriptions for each weekly post. As Mariah said, as a reader I engage with other Substack writers the way I would want them to engage with me. I use Office hours and the comment sections on other posts as a way to network and discover new writers.
I also added my substack link to my email signature, which has been a surprisingly effective tool for gaining new readers.
Hi Mariah, for what it’s worth, I have seen some growth by commenting on Substack with similar content as mine. By “some growth” I mean maybe 3-4 subscribers/month from other Substacks. Not a lot, but it’s something! I’m not sure if anyone else does this, but I actually look through the “likes” on posts I appreciate to find other writers I might like. I’ve found Substacks to subscribe to that way which I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. Not sure if anyone finds my Substack that way but I make sure to keep reading and liking posts just in case. And also because I actually like them!
And btw, saw you are in KCMO, I grew up in KC and my family is moving back there next month :-). Excited to be back in a genuinely great city!
Oh, how exciting! Welcome back! Thanks for the advice. I've discovered a lot of great writing on this platform and truly enjoy getting letters on various topics in my inbox. Best of luck with your move and writing!
Is it the case that Substack promotes paid newsletters more than free ones?
Is this an argument for going paid earlier on in your growth plan?
My plan A was to be FREE for a year or so and then look at possibly doing paid then but if im not going to get the visibility without going paid then that plan might not work. Any thoughts or help appreciated.
Also - any tips on improving my Substack would be very very much appreciated.
Proposal for Paid Subscribers: Subscription Credits.
Problem: The idea of paying $5/month across a bunch of good authors holds people back, especially if they just want to read one or two articles of interest.
Solution: Offer a credit system where $1 = 1 credit. An essay might be 1 credit, a month subscription 3 credits. This means if I have 20 credits, I could have 4 subscriptions and the ability to read 8 other essays and potentially convert to memberships. This would promote more engagement in the Substack network and allow easier exploration of interesting authors while allowing easier monetization for authors.
I'm LOVING the new gallery feature for images - thanks, Substack!
I was sad not to find last week's scheduled shout-out thread, so forgive me for doing a couple of shouts right here and now. I subscribe to some fabulous Stacks and I learn so much from so many people. So a shout out to SUBSTACK for improving my world.
A shout out to Terry Freedman from 'Eclecticism: Reflections on literature and life’! I really enjoy Terry’s writing - his recent examination of what writers are paid for their work was fascinating, particularly his viewpoint on why it’s sometimes okay not to get the going rate. Do check it out! https://terryfreedman.substack.com
Right now my fellow countryman Terry and I are halfway through a six-letter series of correspondence in which we’re exploring some of the manifold things that wind up us British - we’re having great fun with our Substack letters!
A shout out to N. M. Scuri from ‘About Those Commas’! Nancy shares her writing experience and supportive advice in just the kind of newsletter I love to read! An editor, she writes from the heart about both life and writing, and really knows her stuff! https://nancyscuri.substack.com
A shout out to Helen Redfern of ‘The Red Fern’! Helen’s gentle and supportive posts reassure new writers that they’re not alone on their journey, and provide inspiration alongside all sorts of advice - I know I’m in safe hands! She offers regular newsletters, bite-sized courses and podcasts right here on Substack, as well as absolutely delightful videos for writers and readers alike over on YouTube. https://helenredfern.substack.com
Hey writers! Our team is here for the next hour and will be making our way through the comments in the thread.
I was so confused because there were already so many comments that I thought I had gotten the time wrong (I'm new and this is my first office hours!). Thank you so much for putting this on at an Australian friendly time. I literally just thought yesterday that I might contact you as suggest it. Top work!
Welcome to Substack, Medha! Glad the timing worked. Anything we can help with?
I added a new comment and you've already replied! #efficient
Greetings, writers and Substack team,
I’ve just launched Chasing Nature with my first two posts, but have not imported my 3,000 blog subscribers. I plan instead to send them a note about my moving to Substack once I’ve populated Chasing Nature with a few more free posts by Monday. I guess I want people to see more content before I ask them to subscribe (I’m starting out paid). Then I’ll blast social media. Is that a reasonable strategy? Also, besides my recommending other writers, any suggestions for getting found by Substackers who've never heard of me? Thanks!
-- Bryan
Hey Bryan, we typically recommend that writers import their mailing list—that way all your audience is in one place. You can continue to send them some free post, or previews of your paid posts.
When launching your Substack, we typically encourage writers to tell everyone all at once—your existing email list, friends, family, and social media.
We've got a launch checklist you can checkout here:
https://on.substack.com/p/going-paid-checklist
Thanks, Katie. I'll consider that. Even though my blog subscribers are really loyal, I feel a bit odd signing them up for my Substack without asking. It'll also be a bit of a juggling act between my longstanding blog and my new Substack presence. In any event, I'll check out your checklist. Thanks again.
I just joined SS. Did my first post this week. I also felt weird about adding my list to a new platform without asking so I told them about the change in advance and gave them an easy way to tell me if they preferred not to be added. I said something like 'because you already signed up I want to make it easy for you, but your consent is important to me. So if you would rather not be added please let me know by blah blah.' It worked well and I felt good about it.
Bryan, congrats on having 3,000 subscribers. Great job! And welcome to Substack. I haven't been here very long, but the community cannot be beat. And the continuous improvements pushed out by the Substack team make the platform better and better by the month.
🔥🔥
Welcome Bryan. Glad to have you here. Nature is an area of interest for my publication as well. Looking forward to your content.
welcome, Bryan.
Hi fellow Substackers 👋, I reiterate my question since I might have messed up with the time zone.
“How to define my niche”
I have written articles that range from Developing Assertiveness, to Dealing with Rude People, to Being a Workaholic, to How to Do More (and Achieve Less).
I still struggle to have a clear “Welcome message” and niche.
🗣 Any recommendations on “how to”?
You can have a look here: https://livmkk.substack.com/
I truly appreciate it.
Is there any way to move the Most Popular section on the right down so I could put the blog roll (or whatever it's called) - the sections with my links to things - is there a way to put that at the top right of my homepage? I would much prefer that than most popular. Thanks.
Not today but something you could consider doing, to make the blog roll (homepage links) more prominent is adding them to be sections in the navigation bar. Now you can add links to the top navigation bar that lead readers to pages on and off Substack.
To customize the nav bar: visit “Style” in your settings and “Edit your navigation bar.”
Thanks so much! I'll try that for a couple links.
Hey Katie - wasn't sure where else to suggest this, so sorry if it's the wrong place. Is there any chance we can have "law" added as a category? Currently using "politics" as the closest fit, but it isn't really right for most law stacks...
And Personal Development too please!
Hi Katie - would you be able to point me in the direction of how to add a Recommend button a post please? thanks!
Hi Katie - will questions continued to be answered beyond the scheduled time or do I have to wait until next week to answer?
Hi MoChe! The Substack team will be here for the hour. Many of us writers continue to stick around and support each other.
Hi!
I am new to substack, and I write erotica :D
What determines which publications are displayed when a given term is searched (and in what order those publications are displayed)? If I search “erotica” I don’t see my publication listed, although that was one of the tags I set when I created it. And even if I search for my publication by name exactly it doesn’t appear. No hate, just curious 🧐
Thanks for hosting this forum! 🙏
There you are!
Hi Everyone! Has anyone worked on SEO optimisation for their blog, or used any resources to help make sure they are getting the right backlinks/keywords in place?
I'm on issue 7 so I'm trying to go more for growth now I know what I'm writing about a little more, but not sure if I should still be more in a creative funk than getting too analytical just yet. Thoughts/insights really welcome!
And I'm really open to feedback from any oenophiles or cooks on how my Substack is forming if you want to reach out: dosage.substack.com
What’s been a meaningful growth moment for your publication?
It may sound strange, but after two years of writing on Substack, a couple of big shout outs from bigger pubs, and a “viral” hit that came from one of my stories being picked up in Daily Brew, the most meaningful growth moment was when I took a two-week break. I figured I would lose subscribers if I took a break, or that if I was lucky, I would stay the same. But I actually GREW while I was away from my newsletter, thanks to the recommendations engine. To me, slow and steady growth is the way to go, and it’s incredibly meaningful to know that a network is working *for* me, instead of an algorithm working against me.
I find that my open rate jumps considerably after a break, and the recommendation engine has been a slow and steady driver of subscriptions for me, too.
Same thing with open rates for me too. If you’ve established a connection, absence can make the heart grow fonder.
Agreed. Slow and steady. Provide value and push for quality subscribers who will interact and possibly spread the word within Substack and outside of Substack. The internal growth support in Substack has been wonderful.
❤️🔥
I don't really want to engage in any "hacks". The only thing I've done is post a couple of links on twitter - but I'm not artificially shoehorning them in.
I know I'm writing for a niche, I want people who are genuinely interested and who will get value from it to read what I'm writing.
Yep! Engaging with other writers on SS. Slow n steady, like you said.
The offer of a free virtual baking class for new paid and gift subscriptions of one-year is steadily bringing in new paid subscriptions!
Also, I recently wrote about a moment when I was feeling so terribly alone and I can't tell you how much it meant to me when supportive comments and emails came in.
I get this!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥
This is brilliant, Kate, and inspiring - thank you for sharing!
What an intriguing idea, Kate!
I'm hoping that after taking one class, they will sign up for others.
looking forward to hearing more on that tomorrow on our zoom, Kate!
Amie, Do you mean next week at the Food Writer 2nd Tuesday Meetup on 12/13?
Ooops, yes! Not sure why I typed “tomorrow”...my calendar has it right; my fingers do not 🙃 will miss you though
Are you using YouTube still for that? Or Substack video?
Zoom
I hate to say it, but it's true: I became a widow in March and was uneasy about writing out my grief, but they've been the pieces with the most impact. It seems there is a need for honest discussions about grief. They're mainly at https://ramonagrigg.substack.com/ under the section called 'Widow's Walk'. I've crossposted a few at Writer Everlasting, as well.
Those "honest discussions" are so important, Ramona. Thank you from writing from such a vulnerable place. The world needs more of this.
Yes, I'm realizing that! I'm a private person to the Nth degree, so this was truly stepping outside my comfort zone. But the truth is, it was either write about my journey to and through widowhood or stop writing. Because it was all my brain could process for a while.
I'm sorry for your loss Ramona
That's lovely to hear that readers are responding so well to you, Ramona. Honest everything is what our world needs more than ever right now.
I’m going to check out your writing ✍️ Sounds powerful and vulnerable 🙌
That is exactly what I . . when I was able to offer my personal stories, the subscribership went up. Also a couple of stories written through the eyes of my cat, Bailey were well received.
❤️❤️🔥
For me, my most meaningful growth moments were when I received some shoutouts from writers that I really respect. I felt honoured that they'd noticed my work and appreciated it enough to share it.
Yes, Melanie, similar to me. I understand about feeling honoured and appreciated.
That's so important, isn't it? And it's where Substack shines, I think.
Absolutely. Maybe there's a bit of algorithm in there, but the fact that they put writer connection at the heart of promotion is great.
The most meaningful for me was not really a growth in numbers, but one in growth as a writer. I dropped non-fiction, focused entirely on telling one good speculative fiction short story every week, and met a fellow writer (Tom Pendergast), who started providing me editorial feedback. It's amazing how much that all helped.
That is so cool!
Last year at this time another writer gave my letter a shoutout. Not an ad, didn’t want anything in return. Just liked what I was doing and thought his readers would too. Turns out they did. It changed everything for me.
I get giddy each time someone mentions something I've written (I'm especially looking at you, T.B.D.!). A couple of weeks ago, I was reading a post by Mike Sowden over at Everything Is Amazing when I got to a section and BOOM! There I was! He'd mentioned a post I'd written in a section where he talked about giving others a hand up when possible--not making Substack interaction transactional. It was a great moment! And the post has some really great advice on writing a newsletter. I'm pretty sure he has about 2,000 times the subscribers I do. :)
https://everythingisamazing.substack.com/p/dont-start-a-newsletter-and-other
I linked to you because YOU ARE THE BEST, Holly. So there. :) Thanks so much for doing your thing in the way you do.
These little moments can add up to so much.
I had a lot of growth when I began writing my series "On Being a Stem Cell Donor." One reader wrote: "There are a lot of folks trying to explain the technical side of things to lay audiences. As a bio-scientist myself, I think the non-technical, experiential side of dealing with extreme disease is at least as important." And I think that sums up what I do--authentically write about real life as I experience it.
I left my job for a sabbatical and posted it on LinkedIn and got maybe 15-20 subs from that post. In it, I question a lot of stories we tell ourselves about work:
https://www.tobiwrites.com/p/the-stories-we-tell-ourselves-about
I’ve found that being vulnerable is critical for growing my audience
I agree with this, Tobi--many people appreciate that I write about the difficult things. It sounds like Ramona (comment above...or maybe below now) has hit the same note.
I know we've heard it a million times, but I get subscriptions when I am active with other writers and provide productive comments and feedback. Really engage and that supports the author's readers to engage and some will come to my Substack and subscribe. That's not the only reason I do it though. I enjoy supporting the other writers here and adding to the conversation. Engage!
So you just comment with whatever you want to comment as a reader of the post and then people naturally go and check out your publication?
Well, it needs to be a value comment, thoughtfully developed for the article you are reading. You can't just say, "Yeah, I agree". You need to read and provide feedback that would be valuable to the author AND to their readers. Then yes, sometimes they come check me out and subscribe. Do NOT expect a lot. It's definitely not a great return for your time investment, but hey, every little helps. :-)
Hello David, I agree that it's not a great return on my time investment, but so far that is the only way that people discover my site. And like you say, my comments have to show real engagement, and good writing, to entice someone to explore my site and then hopefully subscribe.
That's ok. I'm happy to comment just to engage with and support the writer. Subs heading my way will be a bonus. But I appreciate you explaning it to me. I'm new and still getting my head around it all.
I am having a second book published by a traditional publisher in a few months and I thought the publisher might see a listing of my Substack as part of the promotional material (including the brief bio that will appear on the back of the book) as some sort of competition that they wouldn't want to include. Instead, they have been very supportive about including the History Killers url in all of the promos. It really demonstrates that readers and writers are truly part of a very inclusive community. I have seen some growth merely in some of the limited promotion the publisher has done so far, as they are including my Substack in virtually everything they release about me and my next book.
That's great. I think publishers are becoming more savvy to all the vehicles available to writers these days and are being less restrictive. Always check with your publisher though to make sure you are not stepping on their toes. My next book will be coming out in February I hope so I'm looking forward to using Substack as part of my marketing arsenal.
Mostly realizing that I should be concentrating on using sections for a personal-branded Substack, rather than multiplying my work by running multiple URLs.
Also, ditching Patreon, mostly because I was wasting a lot of time/effort, and receiving a lot of pressure, in trying to make it grow. I needed to (and well, still am) reframing my work to reach a larger audience, THEN introduce thoughts and process around monetization.
Marlee Grace made the transition to Substack from Patreon, their story might be helpful https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-22-marlee-grace
Thank you for recommending, Katie. That is incredible growth!
I too use sections, even though one is a cute four-panel comic strip that's totally unrelated to discussing the life lessons found in movies, which is what I mostly write about. I wish Substack allowed tags or categories per post, or at least per section, to help readers find my idiosyncratic content. Anyway, if you'd like so see how I organize my newsletter, here is a link:
https://moviewise.substack.com
wow that's so interesting, I was considering starting a patreon actually. mind elaborating on why you ditched it?
That sounds like a much more peaceful way to grow, Matt. Such stress often hacks away at our creativity - i know that's definitely been (and still is to a big extent) that way for me.
Thanks for sharing. Which type of pressure with Patreon?
Getting two of my favourite writers to recommend my publication.
The full effects are still to be seen, but I truly believe recommendations are the key for growth!
The core point to get them was to present a case.
Replying to: "Why would it make sense for the author to recommend me? What is my unique perspective? Where am I coming from?"
And then, write a message speaking from the heart!
A writer I love just subscribed to mine and it means so much. I'm in the middle of writing them a thank you fan girl email. It would feel amazing to have them recommend. Congrats!
Wait and see. It might happen ;)
I'm gonna go ahead and assume that one day it will! : )
My first post was thought-provoking and intellectually controversial. More people than I expected responded, even writing their own posts, and it generated some fun discussion. Most of my subscriptions are still from that post.
https://orbistertius.substack.com/p/morality-and-marginal-existence
I'm still a bit new so nothing too pivotal yet. It may be too soon to say. Growth is steady but engagement seems to be reclining. Having said that, when i posted about my Substack on Twitter, i've had a follow from a very prolific writer i admire. Does that count? :)
Totally!
Definitely counts!
I think that counts!
So far starting it :p (only been going a week, so "growth" = baby steps)
I'm only a week in too. Yay for us newbies!
That's a very attractive-looking newsletter, Medha, with somewhat similar topics to me. I will take a proper look in the next few days. I wish you a great start!
Thanks Jo! I just checked out yours and I too have had an ongoing health journey. Just subbed!
Thank you so much, Medha. I hope you will enjoy it. I'm expanding it to include audio as well as my own music and creative writing soon, so I'd love to know what you think.
oohhhhh.... sounds fab!
Thanks for joining us today for a late Office Hours! Great to see some new faces, and regulars, in the conversations. Our team is signing off for today.
We’ll be back for Office Hours again next week at the usual time, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. EST.
See you then,
Katie, Bailey, Hannah, and Alex
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here’s a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you... Whenever you feel like the world and its problems are too big, too overwhelming, and too unfixable for you and your writing, just think of it this way: you may not be able to save the whole world, but you genuinely have no idea how many people are moved, supported, inspired, and encouraged by your work. Someone out there needs what only YOU can give! So don't focus on the world and its weight. Invite the curious and wonder-filled into your little corner of it. Just keep going, keep writing to build a unique community of inspired readers! And most importantly: DON'T GIVE UP! 🌿
I sent out my first newsletter this week and it’s not what I envisioned - not quite the right format or focus, the name, the general tone - but I’m proud of myself for ripping off the bandaid. Instead of expecting it to emerge from my skull fully formed, I’m trying to focus more on the practice of production and let the rest come as it will (easier said than done - le sigh) ♥️😩
Congratulations!! I agree with all these great comments and also adding this --
There's such a pressure to know exactly what your newsletter is when you start, but it's okay to discover as you go. Sometimes the best way to find your voice is to write what you love, look back at it, and notice the threads. What's working? What felt good? What did people respond to? For the first 3-4 months I didn't know what I was doing with my newsletter, but I kept writing and it transformed so organically, and now I feel like it has a distinct voice and a great community of engaged readers who get what it is too! So take your time and try to be patient (it's hard) and it will transform and grow!
Perfect advice, Ali! I often think I'm still "finding my voice" after six months of this, but perhaps it's been there all along.
This is so good to hear, and great advice about noticing the threads. I delayed starting so long because the whole process just seemed overwhelming. I finally DID start, and even though I am very new to it all--and still can't quite figure out what format is best--I will attempt to be patient;)
I think we sometimes need to get it 'wrong' to see that that way doesn't work for us - which then gets us close to what feels 'right' for us.
I like all this train of thought - figuring out our voices and what is unfolding just through the process of doing :)
Yes, Ali, i totally agree with you. It may even take a little longer for some people until they find their voice, and that's ok. Patience, because it truly is a slow-and-steady adventure, but a truly fulfilling one.
Starting is the hardest! You always feel like you're yelling into the void until people begin signing up. One really cool thing you have to look forward to is going back to these old posts and seeing how much you've grown as a writer!
This! When I look at my blog pieces from 7 or 8 years ago... wow. And I'm an English teacher with a masters in English! 😜
With all due respect, starting is not the hardest. The hardest is being me. I have written in excess of 250 posts, most of which are pregnant with the most profound and provocative ideas, and my audience is pitifully small.
I find solace when I remember Van Gogh. He did not sell single painting while alive. Sometimes, the great mass of people is just too abominably stupid to recognize that which is good.
The immediately preceding comment was a response to someone who said that starting "was the hardest." However, it has been misplaced. My comment should succeed the comment which opined that starting "was the hardest.:"
Starting as a writer is hard, but just putting it out there is the first step. The more you write, the better you will get.
Just be consistent, and people will find you.
Unfortunately, most people define consistent as maintaining or adhering to a particular point of view.
In other words, most people find sclerotic, unchanging ideas and sentiments good because they are consistent.
However, I believe that the best thinkers (And to me, all good writers must first be thinkers; if they are devoid of compelling thought, they cutesy, innocuous scribblers) are always REEVALUATING THEIR IDEAS and are decidedly inconsisten.
Starting is the hardest part! You can always iterate.
YES! Precisely what Kevins says. My newsletter started as a collection of stories of humanity during the first weeks of the Covid pandemic, and has slowly but surely morphed into what I actually want it to be: a poetry magazine. It's still evolving. The benefit of starting and letting it evolve, is that you get to see how your readers respond. What works for your and your audience and what doesn't.
Congrats, now keep going & growing.
Congrats on starting!!! And I really think you’ll get there if you stick to it. I felt like the first month was a little awkward, and I’m only now *beginning* to find my tone etc. Hang in there!
♥️
My first blog post here on Substack just a few days was not good. Just because of the title. I rush the title. I didn't think about it deeply. I think title is the most important part of it.
If you need help, I found a great resource for title writing. It's called https://headlines.coschedule.com. Type in the headline you want, and the AI critiques your word choice and shows you where you can make it easier to read, stronger, and more powerful!
Great resource, Cole. Thanks!
This is really interesting. I think my default setting is to view headlines as clickbait and to prefer the simpler titles from my literary work. However, it is possible that headlines -- if they are honest representations of a piece -- are a service to readers. I'm a little loathe to add emotional words to a title just for the sake of more clicks, because that feels manipulative. But if there is an emotional center of the piece that can be foregrounded clearly, that serves a reader well. I suppose I still prefer to think about what has staying power, versus what might be more gimmicky, and this resource has given me some useful things to think about. Longwinded way of saying thanks!
Thanks, Cole. I need headline help, too!
This is great. I'll try it for my next post. thank you
Jut be authentically you, Corinna, and it will all fall into place. And nothing about your newsletter is set in stone - you can always edit, delete, start from scratch. You're the boss of it! :)
That's exactly the right way to do it. You will get better with practice and you will also get to know what your readers enjoy and what you enjoy writing.
This is a great substack on writing that you might find useful.
https://dailywritinghabits.substack.com/archive
This looks a GREAT resource - thanks so much for sharing, Martin!
Hi Corinna,
Yes, I relate. I was in your shoes in October, not sure on name and how all the pieces would fit together. I’m still a work in progress but I think that’s life. Good for you for starting! That’s how we figure out where we are going :)
Congratulations on getting started! Perfect is the enemy of the good etc etc, you can only fix something that you already started creating ☺️
Great advice (as usual!), S.E. I am constantly reminding myself that it's not about how many subscribers I have, but about who I'm able to help with my words. Who will read my words and say, "Me, too" and know they are not alone? That's what it's all about for me.
IMO, relatability (and a booming comment section) are Release & Gather’s superpower.
Wow--thanks, Kevin! When I write, I try to imagine that I'm sitting at a table having a cup of coffee with an old friend or that I'm penning a letter to someone I've been writing for years. Because readers are just that to me--friends I've not met in person yet.
I do the same. I didn't start out that way, but I finally felt comfortable enough with my reader-subscribers to just make it ''among friends". I love what has happened!
Would like to know more about how you create a "booming comment section" ;-)
Hmmm...I wish I could give you a magic formula, Joyce, but the truth is--I have no idea. I write from the heart and about real life--the good, the bad, and the ugly. And through the years, people have often told me my writing reads exactly how I speak--it's conversational. Maybe that's it? Opening a conversation that readers feel invited to join?
Love this, Holly! Good to see you as always! The numbers are SO tempting, it's true. We all get caught there. But the right people will always find us. 🌿
I only realized lately that writing is my true strength. I just want to escape everything, sit on my chair, and write my ideas. It calms me down. You know that feeling when you always think. Just introverted things, you know.
That’s me too! : )
well said!!
I needed this today. I'm still trying to figure out my place here at Substack and whether or not this should be my main writing priority. I feel most comfortable here, and I've made many new friends while watching my subscription list--both paid and unpaid--slowly grow.
I'm told I'm making a difference on both of my newsletters, and I'm really grateful. Should that be enough for now? I know others are concentrating solely on Substack as their outlet, but they're writers with huge followings. That's not me.
Still, I'm happy with where I am and how I'm communicating.
I need to keep that in mind!
FWIW: Not a whole lotta people writing about life in the U.P. on here. That’s a niche you might have all to yourself!
I've recently been thinking about that. Whenever I write about places or events in the UP I do get some great feedback. I'm also considering doing more writing about cabin and boondocks living. People seem to be interested in that, too. Thanks!
The UP as in Northern MI?? I grew up in Detroit...:)
Yes, that very same UP. LOL. (I grew up in Detroit, too.)
Up North, as we like to say. :)
Ramona, i truly believe that if we have managed to touch just one person in the entire world and make a difference in their lives for the better, that is a massive achievement. It sounds to me like you have reached many more than one. That's brilliant! Pat yourself on the back and keep going, the world needs you!
Jo, it really is true, isn't it? Just as I'm inspired by so many others who seem to channel my thoughts at just the right moment, it gives me great joy to be able to do it for others. I love when that happens!
Inspiring words S.E. Reid, as usual.
I'm starting to look forward to your encouragements every office hours ;)
Thanks.
Hey Pat! nice to see you this morning
Thanks ! Right back at you Cole.
Thank you so much for this encouragement. As someone working away in quiet corners with the desire to fix *all* the things (and the fear that I’m always falling short), your words are balm for a weary soul.
It's okay to let some things go, Erin, I promise. That way, the things you CAN hold will heal even faster. 🌿
This is always nice to hear. I've been posting on my Honeybee Histories newsletter for nearly a year now and have slowly increased my subscribers to 20. I'm extremely thankful to these subscribers but I've been strict with myself not to focus too much on 'thinking' about what they might prefer and instead just focus on the research and writing that I want to put out.
I have the same intention. I can't really know what they'd want in each piece, but I CAN know what I love to write.
As I always say, you never know who will read the story you write and how it will affect them. Maybe they are struggling with something and read one of your posts and it brightens their day. You might have something in common and can talk with the person. Maybe they can help you. You can make a difference with your writing! Keep going and don't stop, no matter what!
So true, Matthew, well said.
Thanks as always for the encouragement to focus on what really matters, helping our readers (and ourselves) through our words. The other day a member of my church told me how much she appreciated my newsletter about the best experience I’ve ever had (being in the pit at a Bruce Springsteen concert).
I asked readers to think of the best experiences they’ve had and use those happy moments to help them get through the not so happy ones they may be experiencing now, and she told me that helped her a lot.
I rarely look at my stats, I just know I get a few new subscribers most weeks and that others who don’t subscribe also read and benefit from my words. That makes me happy.😁
Thank you for the encouragement and reminder!
Cheers S. E.!
As always, thank you!!
This is true 🙌🔥
Bless you, Sarah. Thank you for this.
I really resonate with your comment here! Feeling overwhelmed and insecure about my value were two of the reasons why I delayed starting my newsletter so long!
Hi Jane! I'm so glad you came back to Office Hours; it's good to see you again! You're right: we always have to be discerning about where we put our writing. But what's key is that we never stop sharing it, if we feel we have something to share. The right people (whether it's 1 person or 1,000) will find us.
On a personal note: your newsletter, Deep Yoga, is beautiful, and since you've only been at it for a month I REALLY encourage you to keep pushing. Every Substack writer I know starts slow, including myself. But the rewards for building an intentional community around your work are worth it! Whether Substack is your preferred platform or not, please never stop sharing what you love with the world, okay? 🌿
SE, I appreciate your optimism - "The right people (whether it's 1 person or 1,000) will find us." - but after 2 months, I think I have to be very pro-active, get out there and "join the conversation" at other substack sites with similar topics and therefore with audiences that might explore my site, and especially at high-traffic sites where the sheer numbers work to my advantage.
My biggest question here is one of self-promotion: should I include a link to my relevant article directly in my Comment? Or do I just hope the interested reader will click my site name beside my profile name?
Personally I will almost always click on someone's site if I loved their comment to check out more.
Which is precisely why everyone should check out my site.
Anne, as you say, I was interested so clicked on your profile, and I was quite surprised that you found so much success with such a relatively narrow focus (life and people of of New York). (Well, maybe not so narrow.) But I have a question: how much of your readership did you "bring with you" from your journalism career? I'm beginning to think that successful sites (in terms of subscribers) often come from people with a pre-established "brand" who already have substantial followers that they bring with them to their substack site, rather than starting from scratch.
Was this the case for you? Thanks
Hi Abraham! This probably does not speak well of me, but I had almost no following to bring to Substack from my quite lengthy journalism career.
After I posted my first issue, I emailed the link to about 200 people—friends family and colleagues—and that got me my first 61 subscribers. And things were pretty slow for a long spell after that.
Now, after 14 months on the platform, I'm just a few sign-ups away from 5,000 subscribers. A LOT of it (or maybe most?) is thanks to the support of fellow Substackers.
Substack did a "Grow" issue about CAFÉ ANNE a couple months ago which has more of the deets: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-series-20-anne-kadet
I think it depends on where you're commenting. If you mean on other substack articles, then I would say leave out the link and people will find you anyway by clicking your profile
Yes, Cole, I mean on other substack sites. And I think you're probably right; sometimes shameless self-promotion is counter-productive. Substack readers know how to click the profile link if they're interested.
Hang in there. I have found that meeting other writers here is invaluable and slowly but surely, my subscriber list increases each month. This is an awesome community.
Can I ask how you met the other writers? I'd love to connect more personally with a community of writers, or even just a couple of writer besties!
I met other writers right here in office hours. I would be happy to chat. I just subscribed to see how we might find common ground.
Thanks Sharon! I just subbed to yours too and in case this matters to you, just as I hit the button to sub, I noticed what might be typo? I think it said 'public conten' instead of 'content' on the free tier.
Thanks for letting me know and thanks for subscribing! I have a travel substack as well which often features my dog on my travel adventures. I noticed you mention dogs on your profile. Please keep in touch if you want to chat at some point on zoom. I have worked with two other writers on Guest Posting and have found it very helpful and fun. https://gallivanter2020s.substack.com/
It takes time! Stay positive.
Hi Substack team! Really appreciate all the new features! Great work! During a recent Fictionistas meeting, one issue that got A LOT of attention was adding some text editing capabilities like the ability to center text, or underline. Are features like that doable? I know fiction writers would be thrilled to see some stuff like that.
My kingdom for underlined and centered text. 🙏🏻
And while we’re at it, maybe tags would be good for organizing and SEO/discovery!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Mine too!
The Poetry Block under "More" allows for some centering but it is VERY cumbersome.
Especially centered!!!
poetry, quotes, emphasis ... not sure it's "right" but I like the look of centered text ... like everything else: when not over done.
Yes!
I have a 'serialized fiction' section of my newsletter, so sometimes copy within the story is underlined or centered in my word doc (where I draft) and I want to display it in the same manner when I publish to SS. It's also standard practice to put a centered pound sign (#) or asterisk (*) between scenes to denote a scene break. With my most recent serialized project, I created a graphic to denote scene breaks, but I had to upload it every time and that's obviously more work than just hitting return, typing #, and then centering the text.
In traditional SS posts I'd use underlined and centered text less frequently. But centered text would still come in handy for breaking sections of information. (Yes, I know I can put a horizontal rule, but my designer background sometimes just wants more white space for the reader's eye.) Sometimes I also want to underline something for more emphasis. I know this isn't always seen as best practice (re: links, as you point out), but if a line of copy is already bolded and I want to emphasize a single word within it, italics just doesn't stand out the way an underline does.
Sorry that was so long winded! 😂
I would love the ability to center text for those scene breaks you mention. It looks really weird to have the asterisk be left aligned. I've been using an image instead, which helps but makes more work since I have to upload it each time.
I avoid underlining online, though, as it is confusing and looks like a hyperlink. Publishing standard is to make that text italic anyway (the underline was from the days of typewriters that didn't have italics as an option).
Good points, Jackie. Thanks for the explanation!
I actually had a cowboy poster as part of a post. It was “A Cowboy’s Guide to Life” by Texas Bix Bender. It would have looked great centered, I ended up using a bullet list which to me was not as fun.
There are times when I would rather underline a point than use italics.
While we’re at it how about introducing the interabang and the fracture too. Both are long overdue.
I would love the ability to center headlines. Just throwing that out there.
That's mainly what I would use it for, as well. I often repost some of my old essays and I have to manually center the title. Not such a big deal, but it seems not offering a centering feature is an oversight.
Ditto! And drop caps please!
YES!
You fancy!
LOL
Hi Michael, I am intrigued about the Fictionistas? I’m currently serialising a series of autofictional novels on Substack and would love to connect with other fiction writers on the platform
Please join us! We will have a recording of Tuesday's Zoom call (which was full of ideas and commentary about new features) on Fictionistas next week, and we just launched a Fictionistas Office Hours feature that we'll do every month as well. Lots of opportunities to meet fellow fiction writers and ask questions!
Awesome, thanks Jackie. I look forward to listening to the recording and love the idea of Fictionistas Office Hours - see you in there!
Hi Rand! You're welcome to join us. We have monthly zoom meetings, and the Fictionistas Substack is full of good articles about serializing. https://fictionistas.substack.com/
Cheers Michael, I've signed up and look forward to contributing
Awesome & welcome!
Another good one would be image alignment!
Yes!
YES to image alignment! I have an image of my first name signature that I end posts with, and it would look so much better right aligned.
Hi Michael and others! I passed this to our engineers, thank you for suggesting this!
Thank you so much!!
Thank you, Alex!
Might not be exactly what you're looking for, but if you want to center a specific portion of your text, have you tried using the "pull quote" feature?
I have! It's great, but it's not quite the same as centered text.
Pull quote is nice for some things! But it adds some automatic formatting if I’m remembering correctly, like horizontal rules above and below the quote and maybe italics...? It’s more bells and whistles than I often want/need.
Yeah, I thought that might be an issue. I do think it spruces up posts quite a bit, especially in long-read posts. I recently shared an article that was 8,000+ words and it was nightmarish trying to break it all up.
Yes.
I had not thought of that before, but I can definitely give it a try. Thank you for the suggestion!
Centering text would be great. I've been hoping for more editing capabilities since I began my publication.
It feels weird that we have strike thru but not underline
Yes please!
Yes please!
Mine too!!
Love the gallery feature with all my heart and soul. Staying on the fence on chat and the app, because I don't see their impact on conversions yet, and those are necessary for sustainability-- plus Substack's stated mission was to get writers paid. Please, focus on promoting good work as much as or more than the famous and the immediately popular. Long term, that's where Substack's foundation can really pay off. So , so many experienced journalists out there, filling in and fixing our broken media landscape. Experienced academics (no, not just me!) offering education in genuine critical thinking that's missing from schools and, increasingly, under threat in colleges. We're all offering work that's of genuine value, not just opinions, get rich quick schemes, or entertainment, and there is demand.
It's tough to be in this "in between" state of making something ($500--600 month) and stretching to make more, trying to focus on the content, as well as the necessary misery of promo...and too often wondering WHY am I doing this?
To a degree, I'm grateful for the Names that bring in the $$ so the rest of us can piggyback... but I'd so like to be on my own feet :)
The educational-scape is shifting, as Annette notes, and we are a part of that. So much original thought and real research going on here. But also a lot of Medium-type stuff and social media I was hoping to escape.
Some of us are really wanting to make a living from this, and willing to do the work to make that happen. The constant promo is exhausting. It'd be nice to get to the work. In academic life, it's generally broken down to 40% teaching, 40% research, 20% committee work. I'd love to see this as 40% "research"--studying for my area, reading, and my actual writing--so I can share that lived experience, as I am a traditionally published writer; 40% content creating here; and 20% promo. I could live with that. Happily.
How do others see this breakdown?
Hi Alison. This is a fun topic! I actually broke it down and did some time tracking.
I spend about 20 hours a week on my newsletter.
-10-15 hours on the actual content (planning, reporting, editing, photography, layout.)
-Very minimal direct promotion on social media—maybe half an hour per week.
-A few hours reading and commenting on other people's Substacks and general substack networking.
-And then a couple hours responding to readers either their comments on my newsletter or responding to their emails.
The rest is administrative stuff.
Seems like a decent breakdown to me!
This is the first chat I've participated in extensively for a while, in part because deadlines in my freelance jobs have unfortunately collided with these. I'm a writer/photographer for a living, and this is one facet of that, although I'd like for it to be more at some point. Depending on the week, I spend probably the same amount of time you do here, and am more productive at times than others. The key for me is finding balance and consistency. (Isn't that key for us all?)
This is interesting to see, Anne--thank you! Fun to see how it works with someone else's time! Makes sense, yes.
That's super helpful Anne. Your newsletter is one of my favourites and I was already planning on sending you a lovely email later today - so it's nice to see you here, and 'see' you in your inbox later!
I (more or less) left Medium for a lot of the same reasons. I’m much happier here, but would like to be in the sort of boat you mentioned, spending more time on research and writing more longer form/magazine-style articles.
That's a really good note and captures a lot of how I feel about where Substack is. Really wonderful freedom and variety but not free yet of social media and the 'Medium era.' I think I agree with that that there's a lot of opportunity for the 'educational-scape' within Substack - educational material and collaboration between creators - which wasn't something that I'd necessarily thought about before I joined. Thanks for the note! Yes, it's a bit maddening. So much going on this platform but not so easy to monetize good work.
Agree. I keep seeing a lot of promotion by SS of big names and/or people who start with a large following prior to SS. How about helping the little guys! That’s where the income will come from for SS in the longer term.
Substack does a lot of work to help the little guys. It just takes time and consistency. I came onto substack with absolutely zero following. After almost a year of coming to every single office hours, and publishing weekly, I was featured on substack.
Awesome 👏
Good to know, Cole. Thank you.
Substack featured me, so there's hope, Michael. The principle holds, though, and thanks for the thumbs up.
Yeah, I've been wondering about this - what the process is for how Substack chooses who they want to profile? Is there any transparency/process to this system? I've kind of assumed that you need to e-mail Substack Reads a lot to try to get attention. I also assume that Substack has a lot of internal pressure to promote the writers whom they've paid out 'signing bonuses' to. Anybody have bright ideas on this?
Agree 100%. I check all of the boxes you mentioned: Journalist and photographer who works in education. The gallery feature is great. I like the app, but am not sure about the chat yet either.
If I had to guess, I think the chat feature is designed to compete with services like discord. A lot of creators on other platforms have communities on discord. Centering it all under one roof seems convenient.
I’m with you; for now I think a weekly discussion thread covers that (at least for me).
I have had a hard time getting weekly discussion threads off the ground. A few have taken off, but some flop. I have an audience that likes to be out and about. And I think that having a space where the conversation is continuous may be a better option for them.
I do think that substack's creation of the boost feature will be huge for smaller creators, because it acts like an AI customer retention department. It's not an expense most of us can afford. We shall see!
What is the boost feature? Is that a paid feature like on facebook? Like advertising?
You make an excellent point. Placing conscious emphasis on the quality of writing is extremely important. Substack has unique potential in this area. The fast-scroll era of social media has trained many people for a minimal attention span. Your work is a great example of a counter-weight to all the noise....
I love the gallery feature as well and I agree completely with everything else you said here.
Me too! I feel greedy asking for it, but I'd also love it if there was a photo carousel option
100 % yes to this.
I LOVE the gallery feature. And I agree that they need to highlight mid-level writers growing their pages steadily. Incremental growth is where its at.
Yes gallery feature answer to all my prayers!
I'll have to try the gallery feature. I just subscribed to your newsletter and will check out how you've used it—thanks!
Yes, I would love to get some real world feedback from people who have used the chat. I like the idea, but somehow I see a limitation and potential echo-chambers.
Firstly, can I just say a big thank you to everyone in this community. Over the past few months I've tried Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook to promote my Newsletter but nowhere have I experienced the warmth and support that you guys give here.
It really feel like its something special. So thank you for making this a positive place to hang out.
Ive had a tough week with some bad news and this group has been so uplifting. I ended up abandoning my planned post for this week and instead ive posted one about gratitude and appreciating what's around you.
https://neverstoplearning1.substack.com/p/a-wander-through-london-at-christmas
Substack definitely has a particular atmosphere and vibe that can't be replicated in the other social media platforms you mentioned.
The community is great, especially for small and modest newsletters. Hopefully, it will remain that way in the long run.
I heartily agree!
Ditto 🔥🔥🔥
I am having good luck with The Sample. You do have to manually import but it has definitely increased my subscriber list.
Martin thanks for sharing and your gratitude post is lovely.
Read and commented. Lovely post - enjoyed taking that walk with you, and now I want to experience London at Christmas!
Amazing thank you.
Thanks for sharing, Martin!
Sorry to hear about your bad news this week. Sending you strenght and love. And a little bit of positive energy and laughter. You need that in sad days.
Other than that, I absolutely agree. This community is wonderful.
Hello my fellow fiction writers! We're a growing base of Substack's audience, and we've built a community that is now 1,100 strong called Fictionistas. We write articles, host zoom calls and are discussing more community programs for fiction writers. Got questions about fiction on Substack? Go check us out and be sure to subscribe:
https://fictionistas.substack.com
If you're a part of the community drop a like and comment here so others know about about our merry band of fiction misfits!
Have enjoyed and benefited from Fictionistas from the start. Great community of diverse people, and I wish I could attend more of the Zoom chats.
Big wave to all the other writers committing to weekly serials!
🔥🔥
Great to know about this. I am a fiction writer with a dystopic fantasy novel coming out next summer, Shaken Loose from Hypatia Press. I just moved my blog from Wordpress and will join the group.
Is it appropriate to list my Substack blog on Fictionistas if it covers multiple topics, not just writing? Mine is kind of a catch-all of posts about writing, parenting, and Jewish stuff.
Yes! We have several fiction writers that are also writing essays and non-fiction. We would love to have you.
We feature Substacks that are primarily fiction or fiction adjacent (posts about writing, storytelling, poetry, etc.). In other words, if fiction is in the main description somewhere and/or is obvious from a look at the home page, we will add it. If the Substack is largely other content with an occasional fiction piece, we are more than happy to have you join the group but we wouldn't add it to our list of fiction Substacks.
Historical fiction writer here! Fictionistas is a great resource and community for fiction writers on Substack. If you’re not a member, check them out :-)
Yes, there's a lot of great articles by various authors on the Fictionista stack. Something for everybody, likely. I'm a fairly recent newcomer and the group has been very helpful. If you write fiction, check them/us out.
🔥🔥
Sounds cool! Been wondering where all the fiction writers are hiding. Joining up!
We're the best kept secret on Substack! 🥸
Thanks as always for the shoutout, especially since I have managed two weeks in a row to completely forget about Office Hours!
I didn't receive any email notices for one last Thursday, so assumed it was cancelled or not scheduled...to busy to look further!
Just joined. I've only written non-fiction books, but just got a deal on my first novel, so eager for community, feedback, and tips of the trade!
That's awesome, Neal! Congratulations on the novel. We're starting to have some discussions about organizing small groups for writing feedback. So stay tuned for that.
Fictionistas is a really fun community, Neal. I've done two Zoom calls and picked up some great insights/tips. It's also refreshing to put faces and voices with names!
Congrats on the novel deal!
Hey all! Fellow fiction writer here. I write really short fiction across lots of genres. We definitely have a great group of writers here at Fictionistas. I love our little community!
Woot woot: Fictionistas is great!
Amen to this one Brian--this little sub community has been a real bonus for me on Substack.
Hi everyone ~~ can anyone tell me if there is something that works like blog tags; a way to categorize posts so that a reader can easily find all the posts on a certain subject.
The way my death awareness 'stack works, I have a handful of content types that cycle thru; so one week I post an interview, the next I might post a recommendation, the next might be an essay.
I'd like readers to be able to easily see all the interview posts, all the recommendation posts, all the essay posts, etc.
Thanks!
https://grieversball.substack.com/
Building on this, post-level tags would be amazing if readers could then click on them and see (in order of recency) who else just posted on that tag/topic *right now*. A great way to foster current discussions and comments across a multitude of newsletters!
Maybe within-newsletter categories and cross-Substack topic tags?
Second the individual post tags. It would be great for Substacks that don't neatly fit under two categories.
This is a great idea! It could also help create connections between Substack authors and foster new collaborations/recommendations.
Yes!
Hi Laura, what you want are sections. Each section allows this. Writers are sometimes turned off by the concept that they are technically separate subscriber bases, but your subscribers don't know any different. It also helps with retention. Maybe some users don't want recommendations, but they want your essays. Now they can choose! Each section gets its own tab in your nav.
What Brian said! Sections all the way.
I love this approach because I offer lots of different content (general author updates v essays on writing/publishing v serialized fiction). Sections allows people opt out of what they don’t want and get what they do. And you get to categorize your content! If you’re interested, you can see how I’ve split up my sections here: erinbowman.substack.com
Thanks for the explanation. I checked out how it looks on your substack, and really like it. Since I am new here, now off to learn how to do sections. It looks so helpful!
Yeah. This is explained well here: https://on.substack.com/p/a-guide-to-publication-sections
Thanks for this link. I’ve been wanting to do this with my homeschooling series!
Thanks so much! As a complete newbie, I appreciate the guidance :)
It's been a game changer for me in so many ways. I love how it looks in both of my newsletters and has given me a lot of freedom as a writer and creator: sarahstyf.substack.com and litthinkpodcast.substack.com
The one thing I will warn about with sections is that if you neglect one for a while, be prepared for an unsubscribe spike when you send out an edition.
Looks slick, Erin!
One thing I've been wondering: I started a popup Substack before there was an option for Sections, and I'd like to bring it under the umbrella of my current newsletter. I'd like to know if there's a way to combine the two—or if that feature will appear in the future.
I've asked this at two previous Office Hours and gotten no reply. 😅
If you have a second Substack, I don't think there's any way to bring those posts under your first one without manual cut and paste. There's no import option for content, just subscribers. The good news is that other than your titles, buttons, and image captions, copy/paste should grab everything pretty cleanly.
This is a feature I'd love to see...import another Substack as a section.
This is very cool, Erin—thank you!
Thanks for the example! Looks great and it will be a useful model.
Same!
I just send each post as a general email and then organize into 4 sections after they are sent.
Good tip. I think I will start doing that. I've been experimenting with different types of posts recently which is now making my home page look a little random. Some organisation like this could really help.
Sections only work within your own newsletter. They do nothing to draw in readers who might be interested in those topics but wouldn't know they existed outside of your own pages.
Can you expand on this, Ramona? Do you mean there's no additional visibility for Sections?
As I understand it, 'Sections' are like magazine or newspaper sections, there to make your article divisions obvious--like Style or Sports sections.
The newsletter is your magazine while the sections are simply divisions within.
How do you feel this impacts visibility?
All of this.
Under setting set up different Newsletters. If you look at my Substack, I have several different Newsletters and then people and unsubscribe to specific ones if they are not interested in just that category: sarahstyf.substack.com
I think what you're describing are sections within your main newsletter. I know they call them 'newsletters' when you're setting them up, but they're not really newsletters unless they're going out separately to individual subscribers.
It's confusing, I know.
Does it get chaotic with multiple subscriber lists?
I only have one subscriber list. They can just choose to NOT subscribe to one if they aren't interested. Not chaotic at all. This has been one of many of the good things about moving from WordPress to here, TBH
Oh, thanks. I thought I read that subscriber lists are split into multiple ones...
When you have sections, they all show up in your core subscriber list. Certain editions of your newsletter just won't go out to them.
I've created annual indexes to accomplish this. Maybe it's useful to have a look.
https://unschoolforwriters.substack.com/p/index-of-unschool-posts
(BTW, I've published a memoir of caregiving/grieving-- https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43975907 --the audio book is up for an award--the narrator is excellent! I will check out yours here--thank you!)
I like your index post. Very useful.
Congratulations on these honors!
Hi Laura! Post tags are currently in development and testing, stay tuned!
Best news ! TY!
I appreciate the comments from others about other options but it really wouldn’t be the same & glad to know something so straightforward & helpful on both sides is on the way ~~~~~~,
Oh sweet!!! What a nice surprise : ) Thanks, Alex!
YES! Thanks, Alex!
Newbie with a related question. I used to be on Wordpress, where you could have topic hashtags such as #cats or #drought for individual posts to help in theory with SEO. Is this possible on Substack? (Sections are not quite right since these are one-off or occasional topics, not recurring themes.)
Just making sure I understand your question correctly, you want these tags to be internal, correct? Not the categories substack uses on the home page?
Your newsletter has a built-in internal search bar that readers can use to look for stuff. Beyond that, you could take some time to make a kind of glossary on the side of your substack using the "important links" feature in settings. Take a look at the side of my home page, to the left, below recommendations:
https://www.colesclimb.com
You can see there are a few important pieces of content I've elected to highlight. You could create an index or parent page, as Holly suggested below. Then pin that as one of your important links. Perhaps this will accomplish your goal?
That's a great idea, Cole. Instead of a blogroll, you're highlighting your own pieces. Brilliant!
But the way, when I went to your page it showed me as unsubscribed. I KNOW I've subscribed to your page before. Don't know how that could have happened.
Very nice, Cole! I didn't know "important links" was a thing. Going to experiment with that. Thanks!
Thanks for this link. I'm going to check, but I think I've done this and called it "Resources"...
I don't think a feature like this is available, but it's a +1 from me. I've actually just started crafting an index of topics where I can list posts that feature those themes. It's far from perfect. Tagging would be better.
Yes, something like hashtags is sorely needed. I write on a variety of topics, including grief, as I'm a new widow, and have no way of promoting any of them successfully on Substack.
I'm in the 'eclectic' category, which suits me, but not being easy to classify is a deterrent. I know there are many more like me, so I'm all in favor of using a tag system to bring us all together.
Your stack looks interesting: I just subscribed 🙌
I'd love to know this too!! Patreon has a great system for this, and I was looking for something similar to that.
See my comment above.
I have less of a question and more of an observation, for other writers. I've noticed I honestly get more growth participating in the comments sections of the newsletters I read, than by promoting myself through posting on social media. Other people read my comments and then I will often get 1-4 new subscribers.
DAE find that to be a better marker of growth, or do other writers find better growth by using social media, or a combination of tactics? Just curious 🧐
My experience is the same as yours.
Recommendations are the main potential channel, together with interactions within the Substack network.
For the rest:
1. Linkedin. I have analysed 9+ past posts and identified some actionable lesson and templates —> https://livmkk.substack.com/p/9-linkedin-posts-gone-wrong-lessons
2. Directories. I use The Sample (5 min to setup). They send your newsletter to thousands of users and get you new subscribers (especially in the first 2 weeks). This is my tracking link. If you are so kind to use it, we’ll both get some subscribers —> https://thesample.ai/?ref=3d11
Wow! Those are great resources. I appreciate the collective knowledge of others to help figure out good solutions. I had no idea that directories were a thing (I've been mostly focused on graduating grad school, so a lot of this has been set on the back burner!) When I have a chance this weekend I will sit down to review this more, and add your link to my next post, though that may still take a while to write :)
I have found LinkedIn incredibly useful, and often generates a decent amount of views. I think my problem is knowing where to look or what tools to make use of.
Thanks, Rachael. I will reach out on Linkedin!
Hadn't heard of The Sample. Will use your link to check it out Livio. Thank you!
Ha great title on the linkedin article. Looking forward to reading!
I also get a subscriber here and there from The Sample. It's definitely worth signing up.
This has been my experience as well. It's a lot of work to engage genuinely with other writers, but I've enjoyed the networking and discovery aspect of it.
+1
A lot more enjoyable (and a LOT less transactional) than it can be on other platforms.
The transactional nature of so much of our society really gets me; too dehumanizing, and we see others too often as a means to an end sadly.
Definitely my experience. My efforts to connect with other writers have brought me far more growth than social media, in fact I've almost entirely abandoned social media now, with no slowing of my growth (not that I'm growing fast but I'm growing much faster than I was a year ago).
I find that participating is much more helpful for growth than social media. I used to post on Birdy and probably got approximately zero engagement. I've pretty much abandoned it.
I'm also getting a decent amount of growth from outside of Substack. But from within is definitely a good factor.
Yes exactly. Engagement one on one versus posting your promo.
Yes, in a way I certainly agree. Engaging with people on Substack (and elsewhere) is a good growth tactic. It's time consuming, but it pays off in the long term. I use recommendations, share posts from others on Twitter (using the hashtag #substackshoutout), comment and have a section in my poetry substack in which I share links to other poets. Both here and elsewhere. For me, my attempts to help others grow, help me grow as well.
I think that the mutual aspect is important. I mostly recommended Substacks smaller than mine, so I felt as if I was giving more than I was asking for. Three have since overtaken mine in size and now recommend me and are bringing me some growth.
So many items for this week's Office Hours.
1) I am so excited that Chat is now available for Android! I've tried it for both of my newsletters and I can see all of the possibilities, especially as we talk about moving to paid for one of them.
2) I figured out how to stop getting email notifications and just use the App. The app is fantastic and has taken away my need to be on social media for networking purposes. Seriously, I love being able to easily read each of the newsletters that I subscribe to and I have a feeling that I'm going to be able to more easily read them as a result.
3) I'm appreciating the mentions feature and hoping to use that more and also hoping that gives me the traction that I need. Trying to figure out how to get onto more recommendation lists.
4) Finally crossed 200 subscribers, but still working on growing to even more. Also, I've joined Post beta and I think it has a real potential for growing my audience in both places since I got in early. I have high hopes for its potential.
And I'm sure that I'll have questions that I've thought about later in the Office Hours 😊
Hi Sarah! Congrats on reaching 200 subs! I sent my first chat thread today, not sure if this is a feature I like but I'm going to test it out first.
Can I ask you:
1) how did you turn off emails without unsubscribing from a newsletter?? I stopped reading half of the stacks I receive because of inbox overwhelm... 2) What is Post beta?
Thank you 😊
1) In the app you can change notification settings. That's where I did it. 2) It's one of the many alternatives to Twitter. I love Twitter, but I think that Post has a lot of potential.
Thank you! 1) I thought that turning off notifications was just another way to say unsubscribe 🤔 2) oh I see, Twitter is going through a rough patch, I haven't been using it lately. Good to know we have alternatives 👍
Yeah. Social media is so draining. I use linked In and Insta sparingly. And write on SS. That’s it. Easy. Simple.
I just want to use social media for what it was originally intended for: staying connected. But even that is a game of algorithms.
Congrats on 200 subscribers! I recently crossed 100 and it feels great to see slow, but steady growth.
I say this to everyone but the first 100 is legitimately the hardest. Great job!
Going to have to try this in the app! I subscribed to a bunch of 'stacks recently with the intention of scrolling through the feed of recent posts and reading what interests me. But it has definitely flooded the ol' inbox. Thanks for the tip. 😎
It has been life changing for the moment. I read more and argue less and I'm not overwhelmed by my too-full inbox.
I’m looking in the app right now, but I don’t see the option. All I see is an option for push notifications and chat notifications. What am I missing?
This isn’t a technical question, but I’m wondering how some of you plan out your newsletters. Do you know what you’re going to write for the next couple of posts, do you have “seasons” or themes you cycle through? How do you maintain a routine? I’m going through a bit of a slump where I stopped writing because I didn’t have any ideas, and now I’d like to get back into a routine with it.
Hi Mana! I keep running notes of topics I want to write about, making notes on my phone or in a notebook when an idea pops in my head. The key for me is writing it down as soon as I have the thought--else it gets lost. Even on weeks I'm not using those topics, I review them and try to flesh them out--mindmapping is great for this. When I'm ready to write on that topic, I keep those notes open as I go.
mindmapping is great! this sounds similar to Austin Kleon's process, who's one of my favourite people to follow on substack
Also one of my favorite substacks!
oh wow - hadnt realised that Austin Kleon was on substack. Amazing. will check that out
Hi Mána! I agree with Holly! I write down anything that comes to me. The more ideas I write down, the more come to me. I have essays and also videos and Q&As on my substack. Sometimes something that I think will be an essay turns into a video post, and sometimes an idea doesn't turn into anything at all, but I just keep writing them down. (I organize it in Notion, personally.)
I do plan, write, and schedule posts ahead of time, but that's just me. Honestly also sometimes I'm procrastinating from fiction writing, and that's a whole other planning/writing problem for me. My advice is to keep writing ideas down and see where they lead!
Yea, and I personally really love that in Substack you can draft posts very easily and keep them there until you're happy to send.
Thanks Holly!! This is really helpful.
I second this! Also, do you freewrite or journal? There are far more ideas in your head than you realize. I've been reading Jack Hart's book, Wordcraft, and he makes the point that the act of writing can itself generate ideas. I get a lot of mine by brain dumping whatever's going on in my head into a journal.
The first chapter of that book has some other fantastic suggestions, too, like going out into your community, stopping into a shop you've never visited, and having conversations with random people there. Or taking a different route to a familiar place and paying attention to what you see.
And disengaging from tech always helps. 😁
Oooo...thanks for this, Sam! Going to check out Wordcraft.
It is a STELLAR book, Holly! If you can get Hoopla with your library card, the audiobook is on there.
Like Holly, I keep a running list of potential topics and drafts. I actually have a content calendar in a google spreadsheet where I've filled in specific post ideas corresponding to calendar events. As new ideas come to me I may find a spot for them in the calendar, or simply keep them in the hopper to be developed. The biggest routine I've developed, however, is to spend a little time every day in my writer mind. Whether it's drafting, editing, or outlining new ideas, I try to enter my writing space at least once a day to keep that muscle toned and stay motivated.
Love the idea of a calendar and slotting in ideas based on the time of year/events! I may implement this.
"spend a little time every day in my writer mind". I love this! And will try to do so :)
i am the worst for this and will often go, "crap I need to write my newsletter!" on the day it comes out. the thing is for me that regardless of whether i have ideas or not, A NEWSLETTER NEEDS TO BE SENT each week. this normally keeps me on top of things. some weeks i have very uninteresting newsletters and other weeks i come up with something which i really love. i know this isn't the best way!
I've recently started to try and plan my content as i'm a music artist and am also trying to grow an audience on tikok and maintain my fans on instagram. too many pies and not enough fingers it feels sometimes. but i'm hoping that planning these three things together will help me see how maybe things I want to post about on my other social channels will also give me clues as to what i want to write about in my newsletter, and vice versa.
Consistency, I agree, is crucial 🙌
consistency is the best idea generator!
Hi Mana! I'm certainly not one to dole out advice on routine... I struggle with ruts myself. But one thing I have found really useful to climb out of said ruts is a "5 Things" essay prompt that I learned from Summer Brennan. Basically, you write a list of five things, related or unrelated, that are on your mind. Sometimes I'll see a thread emerge between them. Other times, I'll keep going until I've hit 17 things! And things 1-16 will be uninspired, but number 17 will give me the kernel of something I want to follow into an entire piece. I've found it's a good way of digging deep into my writer's mind and discovering things I didn't consciously know were there, without the pressure of sitting before a blank cursor and picking a topic.
Love this! Everyone is so helpful. I do have lots of ideas, I think the main issue for me is fleshing them out and creating them into posts. I will definitely try this 5 things method.
Yay! Yeah, I've definitely found it helps me flesh things out, too, in an unexpected way. Kind of like morning pages.
I keep a similar method as Holly for post ideas. I keep my list in Notion but any notes app or notebook will do. I often end up just riffing on an idea that I'm thinking about the day I sit down to write, but I find it incredibly helpful to have a "back up" stable of ideas. I also often include links to essays or other newsletters that sparked the idea in the first place. When I started out, I didn't have a routine, but now I have a consistent bi-weekly posting schedule. I send out letters on Thursday mornings. This helps me focus and commit, even on days/weeks when I feel tapped out (like today!). I am also told it helps readers as they know when to expect a new issue. Hope that helps!
I agree, Jill--routine is key! I post every Saturday, whether I feel like it or not. Ha! The posting schedule keeps me accountable.
🔥🔥
You'd be surprised of what you can turn into a post. It's all about capturing the thought as it happens during they day. I find it hard to do this when I'm preoccupied with juggling a lot, but if your day to day life has a consistent rhythm that's relatively simple, it is easy to let your mind show you what good reflections there are that can be brought out and elaborated on.
It's also easy to assume that a post will not be of interest, or is too obvious to bother writing. When, actually, your particular, personal expertise and point of view is usually more valuable than you realise.
My substack, The Museyroom, is, obviously, about art, so there's always plenty to write about from where I live, in New York City. The challenge has not been what to write, but HOW. I've had to adapt my style to the restrictions and opportunities offered by the format. I now have two types of communication with my readers, one the longish review-essay, several thousand words, extremely time-consuming. The other is the mini-review or equivalent, very brief, Twitter-like, more visuals than text. To connecting the two and clarify my own process I recently wrote an essay arguing that those mini-reviews are in the great tradition of art criticism:
https://themuseyroom.substack.com/p/characters-count
As Charles Baudelaire, the greatest art critic of them all, put it, the true writer lets nothing go to waste.
Cool. Subscribed.
I second Paul's advice about switching up your style. I feel an immediate lightening when I switch to writing something shorter, or in a list format or whatever. Then the return to long-form essaying is a pleasure. It's like anything else--variety is good for the palate!
(Also, Paul, have you checked out the Eggleston exhibit at David Zwirner right now? It's fantastic.)
Nope. But thanks for the tip!
What many others have said (above and below), but I just keep my mind open for new "lanes." My main goal for my 'Stack (since 8/21) has already been met....mostly sharing my behind the scenes exploits when I was in the '70s/'80s radio and record biz. I created these new lanes to simply give myself more latitude to springboard into more topics.
Ex: About 2-3 months ago, I created 3 new lanes: 1) "Inside Tracks," which explores one song and a handful of cover versions that have been recorded over the years.
2) "Audio Autopsy," where I do a deep-dive into an artist and/or album which I think was great, but it/they got little airplay and no sales.
3) "GROW BIGGER EARS," where I'll pick a topic or word (cars, air travel, etc) and create a playlist with a handful of songs that fit that topic!
Another new one I've started with a fellow 'Stacker, Benjamin Kryze (https://smallears.substack.com/) is called, "Cuts, Both Ways." We share one song apiece, and critique them using our differences as a creative "tool": He's 26, I'm 40 years older; he's in Europe, I'm in the U.S.' He really only knows 21st century music, and I was in the record biz in the '70s...we use those two dichotomies to create a new "lane," which we each publish on our respective 'Stacks! Here's our first (and, so far, only) one: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/cuts-both-ways-1-balcony-weekend
No one, of course, can teach you HOW to be creative....but, seeing how I started, and just expanded my scope of writing, I'm hoping you can translate into what and how you do you!! Good luck.....now, go be creative!!!😉👍
I stumbled on this amazing article on posting online yesterday. This recommends Quora as a great way to publicise your posts and drop in links as answers to questions.
So for example, I have a post about getting out in nature to boost your mental health. I then posted this as an answer to a question about "are there alternatives to medication for helping with mental health?" Already getting a few click throughs after just one day. Worth a try.
https://neverstoplearning1.substack.com/p/mental-health-booster-come-on-a-run
I'm interested to hear how this is working for you. Quora strikes me as an overwhelming waste of time for promo, but I could be looking at it the wrong way.
I've been meaning to start answering questions on Quora and your comment here has inspired me to start! I'd already set up my profile months ago but just didn't get on it.
I may have to check this out. I do a ton of hiking guides and I'm sure I could answer some questions there.
I'd love to hear how anyone has found Quora - posting on Reddit has got a tiny bit of traffic, mainly Facebook groups with my specialist area (wine pairings) that allow occasional self shout outs has been a really good channel to get new hits and subscribers!
I've got probably 40 essay ideas in 'draft' and I'll often grab one based on current themes, conversations, and build them out. I don't have intentional themes, and try to stay adaptable.
https://polymathicbeing.substack.com/
Hi Mana! My strategy is to carry a notebook with me all day long, every day, and always write down EVERY idea that pops into my head. Regardless of how stupid it is. Then I transfer them all these ideas into a single file, divided into ideas for longer features and shorter items.
I publish weekly and try to plan a few issues in advance. I review all the ideas Ive come up with, both the stupid and non stupid (I literally have hundreds at this point), and then I listen to my gut and go forward with whatever topics sound like the most FUN to work on.
Works for me!
I second the going-with-your-gut aspect. I do a lot of planning and drafting and jotting of ideas, but in the end I rely a lot on instinct re what actually gets published.
I always have something to say!
I try to stick with what’s in my “about” page. I use post-it notes when I’m not around an electronic device (I keep the notes in my pocket with a short pencil) (I don’t carry a phone most of the day). I have ongoing old school outlines on my computer that I fill in as I have thoughts.
I've not planned much until recently, but I've started planning out more in advance as I'm keen to gain and convert more subscribers, which requires having an actual plan.
I'm keeping it very loose, but I have newsletter pencilled in on a Google calendar through to March. Easy to shuffle about and add new ones in, so I'm no beholden to it, but it's useful to know what's coming up. Also enables me to prep fancier posts (Eg with video and audio) ahead of time.
I keep a running list of ideas in Excel/Notion and I pluck them off one by one as I feel inspired. I'm taking off this week, but I've already got my topics/stories planned for Dec. 16, 24, 31 and Jan. 6. Having that forecast makes it easier to stay on track. Of course, now I have to write them!
OMG Amran it must feel so great to have things planned out so far in advance. Actually, I'm planned out to early January as well, a record for me—but only because I'm taking off the last two weeks of the year.
The holidays definitely help, since Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve orient my ideas. I don't know if I'll be able to stay consistently ahead by 3-4 weeks, but even 1-2 weeks keeps me from feeling too stressed.
Another benefit of pre-scheduling so far in advance is I can stay evergreen with my ideas, instead of chasing the news du jour.
I went to a publishing school a loooong time ago (we mainly learned about print). One thing I learned and that has stuck with me, was about magazine publishing. It was actually two things. First: if you publish regularly, make it predictable for the readers, so they know what to expect. Simpler put: make a framework that you fill with fresh content every time. For me, the framework for my weekly poetry magazine (substack) is three sections: a fresh poem (by me or a guest), three fun links I call poetics in life and three links to poetry elsewhere. Because I have this structure, I only have to fill in the blanks. And if I have two poems in a week I want to publish, I can fill two newsletter issues, and only have to work on the other sections.
The other thing I learned is use variations on a theme. The example was about a magazine for home makers. Every year it's summer. In summer there will be strawberries. Homemakers like to make delicious dishes for their families. So: every summer a new recipe with strawberries. If you have 10 recipies, that's already 10 years of 1 page filled. There's probably some recurring theme you can use for your substack.
For the rest: play with it and see what works. For you and your audience.
I love this! Thank you for sharing.
I have a notebook where I write down ideas and notes but more often than not my new posts are things I come up with out of the blue and write while the idea is hot in my brain.
Yes! I love when that happens!
Thanks. I know how that works. ;-)
Yeah! I am the first! People, instead of asking new questions, I can help to reply some.
In particular, I am using heavily LinkedIn 🗣👤.
Trying to leverage my +2.5k followers.
And I can also offer some insights these channels which are working for me:
1. Recommendations. I have partnerships with a few authors. The key is to look for complementarities, and present a good case on why a partnership makes sense
2. Substack network. Crucial to keep following authors I like, comment and interact, taking advantage of occasions like these Office Hours. We need to help each others
3. Linkedin. I have analysed 9+ past posts and identified some actionable lesson. And included some templates on how to write a good post. Check it out —> https://livmkk.substack.com/p/9-linkedin-posts-gone-wrong-lessons
4. Directories. Try out The Sample, if you have not already (5 min to setup). They send your newsletter to thousands of users and get you new subscribers (especially in the first 2 weeks). This is my tracking link. If you are so kind to use it, we’ll both get some subscribers —> https://thesample.ai/?ref=3d11
Please comment on any of these items. I’ll do my best to reply.
The Sample sent out my work to a handful, but my reports haven't been that favorable since the first post or two. Any thoughts on why? And I second using the Substack network. I have found that interacting with other Substack writers has been HUGE. While my audience isn't growing as fast as I would like, it is growing and those connections have been FAR more meaningful than my ill-fated attempts at using FB groups for writers two years ago.
I’m my experience it’s a slow but steady pace.
To continue to see returns on the sample, you have to do two things:
1. keep using the promotion link
2. the existing subscribers to the sample have to be interested in your topic.
I feel like I've hit a wall with the second half.
Yeah. Partnerships with other authors is THE WAY.
But might be not enough, unless we get recommended by very big guys.
The Sample sent my email to a significant amount of users (1704 in total, as of now), 95% of which in the first few days.
Now it is slowing down.
If it is like my case, they have simply stopped sending your newsletter, hence less results. In the end, they have a limited number of users, and, also, they want to push you to pay.
Can it be the case?
They do have a limited user base. My strat for the sample that seemed to work though, was to share my affiliate link in a special email.
Part of my brand is that I have a second-tier newsletter called "Summit Squad." You get access to it by reaching and maintaining a 5 star activity level on my substack. (you can track this in subscribers - > sort by -> activity - >greater than or equal to - > 5 stars.
Basically, once a week or so, I draft a personal email that only gets sent to the people in this category, since I know they're definitely going to open it. These emails wind up with a 90-100% open rate. I give these subscribers a sneak peak at upcoming content, then maybe a photo dump of some wildlife pictures I'm really proud of, but aren't big enough to be their own story.
At the end, I include a button to subscribe to the sample, with a pitch that them signing up is the equivalent of giving me $4 dollars for ad spending. I took this part of the trick from an econ writer called Karlstack.
Thanks, Cole ... this is brilliant and is sparking a lot of ideas.
This is a smart strategy! I hadn't considered segmenting Substack readers that way. Might be a good way to do a bit of a re-engagement campaign for those who haven't opened in a while, too.
Yes but no. There's some disagreement about how much this actually matters, but I care a lot about "sender score." Basically, it seems like through some tech wizardry, the open rate of your last email actually can impact how likely your NEXT email will go to someone's spam folder. Lower open rate = higher chance of spam flags.
Part of the reason I send out sumit squad is because having a 90% open rate email boosts your sender score. So on the back end of things, sumit squad sets the stage for my main newsletter, by telling email providers that people will definitely want to see whatever I send next.
But this works in reverse too. If you send an email to your least active subscribers, you're going to get an awful open rate. Sometimes 0%. This makes you more likely to go to spam.
I only bother pruning my email list of inactive people if my open rate drops into the 30's. When I do, I use a third party service to test the emails so that I don't damage my sender scores. If you're interested in how, you can shoot me an email at colenobleclimbs@gmail.com
Its not super complicated, I just don't want this comment to be a novel lol.
Those are brilliant ideas, Cole. I appreciate you sharing them with us.
You're a growth King!
I love this segmentation by activity.
And these 5 star people get your The Sample affiliate link? Did I get it right?
The short answer is yes. If you wanted to, you could easily send your affiliate link to your whole email list.
But one of the things I try to be cognizant of, I'd that having too many calls to action can easily clutter your newsletter. I know that my readers who are most likely to use my referral link are my 5 star subscribers.
I also know it's a better use of my time to encourage my 1-4 star subscribers to take different actions. Things like commenting, liking, or sharing the newsletter.
I try to think of my newsletter as having it's own internal content funnel. When I eventually go paid, I'm guessing my 5 star subscribers are going to make up the bulk of my sign ups. They're also most likely to fully read posts, including more complicated CTAs.
I try to encourage all my lower star subscribers to take actions that will bump up their activity level, and eventually move them into the 5 star group where they will get rewarded for their participation.
That's clear.
So I guess the 5 stars are all Substack writers?
Otherwise I guess they won't need The Sample (assuming I get their affiliate mode right)...
My newsletter basically got adopted by a much bigger one and it has been a massive source of growth. I discovered a publication called the Storm Skiing Journal, and started plugging it to my users who like the outdoors, but are interested in more skiing coverage than I do.
Eventually he checked out my newsletter and started recommending it to his users who like skiing, but are interested in more mountaineering coverage than he did.
But I do actually recommend partnering with more, smaller newsletters. The reason is that their growth spikes will become YOUR growth spikes!
Any tips or recommendations on seeking out and forging partnerships? Beyond the obvious interacting and being generally supportive. :)
The core point is making sure to present a case.
Why would it make sense for the author to recommend me? What is my unique perspective? Where am I coming from?
For instance, I write on principles for personal impact, growth and decision making. Combining rational techniques with grounding methods. With a focus on analytical people.
My partners deal with burnout (which is often a consequence of overanalysis and pure rational thinking), bioenergetics analysis (which helps grounding) and the nervous system (which relates to the body mind connection).
Sometimes I ask directly, sometimes I wait for the right moment.
For sure, I need to do my homework first. Know the articles well, comment, interact. Then enter in direct contact, via email or in other ways. Establish a dialogue. And ask when the time is right. Like in judo ;) following the Wu Wei (= the art of not forcing).
I just did it yesterday, and it has worked. And I’m now recommended by an author I love. It’s one of my greatest achievements, regardless of the results it will bring.
Happy to know other's inputs...
This is really detailed; thanks!
Sounds like any other outreach...😅 Can't get away from it, it seems!
Thank you for the tips, Livio. (p.s. i'm going to recommend your newsletter to my husband who struggles with overthinking and analysing. Glad i saw you on here).
@Cole, how did you "plug it" to your users? Recommendation?
That sounds about right. I think that's the case.
I have on average 0.5% conversion rate.
And the highest performing email is at 0.8%.
But essentially now it is useless. And I am not counting on it at all.
They claim to have sent it out. I don't think that actually happened. I could be wrong but there is something that seems very scammy about the Sample.
Respectfully disagree. I’ve found Jacob (who runs it) to be supportive of writers and transparent.
EDIT: I just checked my inbox. I received your newsletter via The Sample this past Monday.
Not sure. For sure, it messes up with my open rates. The % seem correct, but the total value of opens sounds too high.
The sample sent out our work and claimed they generated several hundred forwards, which was simply untrue. I think I'll probably disconnect from them.
Can you elaborate? I am not sure I got it..
I don't want to speak poorly about another product when I don't have context, but there are few indicators I've seen that seem suspicious
1) several people on Reddit recommended the Sample but those people don't have any other reddit posts
2) There's very little info about the team or mission on their website
3) They claim to have generated 147 forwards of my newsletter, but when I look at my Substack stats, there are 0 visits from the Sample. When I send my newsletter out to my OWN subscribers, it doesn't generate nearly this amount of forwards
4) Even if they're talking about the Sample as a whole (re forwards), they only have 10k subscribers, so how is this generating that many forwards?
5) They asked to integrate with my mailchimp, which, while helpful felt invasive.
Thanks! They have generated 1704 forwards for me, 95% of which in the first 10 days or so. I honestly have no reasons to doubt they did. In the end, they have all incentives to generate subscribers, so that then you stick with them and eventually pay.
How can you see the visits from The Sample on Substack stats? I can clearly see a peak in my visits in the first 10 weeks of The Sample use.
The Sample hasn't helped me at all - maybe it's not for newsletters that focus on writing....
My Sample results improved greatly when I used their cross-promotion option, each person who signs up using your link gets you more forwards and there seems to be a high subscription rate from those forwards, at least for me!
Hmm, my newsletter is in The Sample, but my stats say they haven't received any posts from me. I know I've posted since I signed up!
You have to set up their email address as a subscriber so that they get your posts, did you try that?
It would have come in your sign up instructions, it looks something like this: cbcbfdce@import.thesample.ai
Hmm, for some reason, I don't remember getting something like that. I'll have to go back and look. Thanks!
The LinkedIn analysis is helpful. Unfortunately, all social media platforms want you to stay on their platform, or to advertise (in the case of FB, IG and Twitter). The algorithm is designed to they suppress posts that direct links outside the platform; unless you have others sharing and engaging in it right away, you can forget it.
You probably know this, but one work-around is to have a main post with a photo and no link and then post the actual link in the comments. Its not the most elegant solution, but it seems to confuse the algorithm and prevents the post from getting buried.
I've done the same, and gotten no difference than posts with the link in the body.
Hence, I prefer linking in the body, so that the preview is displayed and there is a bigger clickable area.
Did you instead get clear results that indicates that posting the link in the comment in better?
Yes absolutely. Nothing I post on social media gets much traction, to be honest. But when I include the link in the comments rather than the main post I at least get a few likes, comments and forwards as opposed to zero. Others I've recommended this to have reported similar results.
True. Seems there is an overall trend towards less interactions on social media. At least, this seems to be true on written (external) content.
I've done that before and gotten the same results, but will try it again.
I think it is getting worse and worse, indeed.
Still, I do not think we can avoid using social networks.
Platforms know people will want to direct traffic out, so they can't ignore this use case.
What is your take on that?
I'm not on social. Doing an experiment to see if it's possible to grow an audience in other ways. I don't have a 100% clear strategy on this yet, but it's on my list for yearly planning this month. I'm starting with Substack interaction (reading, commenting, recommending, Office Hours) and have a list of alternatives to work through.
Some ideas: Flyers, business cards w/ a QR code, direct mailing with a QR code, talking it up in person, ads, press releases, guest posting, going on podcasts, collaborations...
Nice. I have summarised these "not social" strategies, while reading some online resources. Maybe you can find them helpful:
1. Help people in your vertical:
Comment on other Substack articles
Reply to people questions (eg on LinkedIn, Quora)
Help out during Substack working hours
2. Leveraging third party audiences:
Get recommended from another publication
Comment on the shoutout thread (first Thursday of every month)
Use cross posting
3. Community building (and reader feedback):
Host discussions on your posts
Chat with subscribers (app required)
Survey your audience (here)
All good ones, Livio! Have you tried replying to questions? I've read about that technique over and over, but I avoid it because it seems like a lot of time investment for little or not return.
Replying to questions where?
If you refer to Linkedin, I have been trying different tactics, to then realise I was not feeling very well about doing certain things. One of them was commenting on posts for the sake of it (or, rather, to try to get people to subscribe).
And the reason why it felt off is that I was not being authentic.
It is true that these platforms define the rules of the game.
But we can the decide how to use the.
For me it is crucial to use social networks in a way which feels authentic for the person that I am. And consistent with my values.
I agree with you, but it is frustrating. They can ignore it by sending it out to only a handful of people who see everything you already post the key is getting deeper and they won’t allow that. Still I’m trying
We need partnerships, guest posts and the like. That's where reach is.
Yes: crucial to interact with other writers on SS.
Day after Linkedin stuff addendum! 😅
This is also something I have found useful:
1. Engage repeatedly on Linkedin, with posts, likes and comments
2. Add as friend the people that follow you or like your posts
3. Chat with them and provide some free value
4. And… wait!
The core lesson for me is that it takes time to get people out of LinkedIn and follow you elsewhere. And takes multiple touchpoints to produce tangible results.
LinkedIn can be a very active forum. I'm still digging through all the data to get clear insights as to what works and what doesn't. What appears to be helpful is sheer numbers (get a lot of connections), post frequently (the doom scroll is endless, especially as your numbers go up), and post what you do with your connections (e.g. I appeared on a podcast with its large follower group, then posted it).
I haven't had much luck on the social media platforms. I've got ~2K followers and my engagements remain low. I'll take a look at your recommendation.
I use the Sample, and it's slow. Inbox.io has resulted in more subscriptions for me.
I do want to leverage X posting and specifically mentions if you're game.
https://polymathicbeing.substack.com/
Yes, my linkedin engagement is going south.
Today I have found this infographic which gives more insights on the platform.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paulzelizer_linkedinbyrichardvanderblom-socialselling-activity-7006399808680734720-t4YH
feel free to add me and I'll work to boost it. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpwoudenberg/
Will do!
Same situation on social media. Engagements are 2 to 4% of total followers. Drives me nuts.
feel free to add me and I'll work to boost it. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpwoudenberg/
Now following you. Thanks!
I'm realizing I haven't been pithy enough with my post or summarizing in the way that I should. That's been one takeaway from today...
We're fighting against an algorithmic arrangement on the socials, I'm sure it doesn't reflect on the quality of your writing at all, Glenn.
Glen, Livo, Maybe what we can do is connect there and keep an eye out (or feel free to tag me) in posts and we can get a conversation started. Martin Pryor has some good insight on 'hacking' the algorithm.
https://neverstoplearning1.substack.com/p/can-the-linkedin-algorithm-be-hacked
Yeah, Martin has good stuff!
Can you check if this inbox link? I guess it is wrong.
This "especially in the first two weeks" comment re: The Sample explains a lot. Thanks for the insight.
Yes. 700 forwards week 1, 800 week 2, 80 week 3 ;)
hah, I should probably try to make that be spread out more...
Hi Jacob, I appreciate being part of the Sample community. I am a bit puzzled how to gain more traction as well.
George
Nice to have you here.
Yes. Also because the bulk of forwards was done with articles which converted poorly, while new articles, with better conversions, are not getting much traffic...
But I have seen that now that I got some cross promotion going on (someone used my like referral link https://thesample.ai/?ref=3d11), also organic traffic raised again.
Should I expect that the organic traffic remain flat otherwise?
I had literally almost the exact same experience. Thanks for confirming.
Hi Substack team! I'd love to know if there's a way to re-send old newsletters without them appearing as a brand new post. I have grown my audience a lot since I first started sending newsletters and would love for my new subscribers to read older posts. Thanks!
You can now "cross-post" your own posts. Just click that button to add a note on top and send an old post out via email to readers.
GENIUS. What a great solution. Thank you, Bailey and the rest of the team!
Well, that's a nifty way to use that feature--thanks!
Wow thanks so much Bailey!
Of course! Glad we have this handy for you.
That's great to know, thanks Bailey!
I feel like I shoulda thought of that!!! Thanks, Bailey!! I've already cross-posted one fellow 'Stacker's post, and am poised to do another's this weekend! Looking at you, Robert! https://listeningsessions.substack.com/p/the-season-of-lou-rawls?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
I'd love to be able to schedule them, but.....baby steps!!!😁
Maybe send a round-up of posts, Florence. Here's an example of how I do this on a quarterly basis:
https://hollyrabalais.substack.com/p/quarterly-round-up-fall-2022
A roundup of posts is a great idea and can be a good way of giving you a breather week to focus more deeply on posts for subsequent weeks maybe?
I find my "collection" posts the second Saturday of each month give me a breather (although not this month because...well...'tis the season!). These are monthly posts of what I'm cooking, what I'm reading, and what I'm noticing. Fairly easy stuff, right? But what if you haven't cooked anything since Thanksgiving?!
I love this idea! Thanks Holly.
Hi Florence, I think this is a great opportunity to send a fresh post that highlights and summarizes your favorites. Instead of sending older posts you can send one and include several with a little review of why people should check them out. That post would then be available to newcomers. Just my two cents.
I'm planning to do a year-end roundup in the last week of December, highlighting evergreens and the articles that performed best, so new subscribers can enjoy them, too.
These are all great ideas. Another option is to update your welcome email with links to your older posts as a way for them to get to know your writing right off the bat.
Florence, I've been thinking about this, too. Labeling it an encore appearance or some such should work, plus longtime subscribers seldom remember a particular post, and are generally glad to be reminded, especially when you're happily pointing out that this isn't new material!
Yes, exactly this. I've also been pondering how to do a "starter pack" sequence for new subscribers, where for a few weeks they get reminded of the best material so far. Like a pinned post, but it goes into their Inbox. I think that'd be great for engagement and getting everyone caught up.
Mike I try listing some representative posts on my About page (I need to update this, actually).
Great minds, Mike! I have a lot behind the paywall for reasons, so this is something I've been cosnidering for new free people, PLUS I like calling it a :starter pack" May I nick that?
I also find that weaving links back to previous essays, in my new essays, also helps connect people to my older content.
https://polymathicbeing.substack.com/
Good strategy, Michael. I try to do this, too.
Many have already answered, but here's my experience. First, open a new post page, then copy and paste the content of the old one onto the new page. Once you've done that, feel free to delete the old one. Update, re-title, etc, and use your best judgment as to whether to label it "Legacy Edition" or something similar.
I've updated and re-posted a few times, and didn't feel the need to include a notice. They were SO early, with so few subbies, there seemed little point. Another thing I've noticed (since I started in Aug '21), are the many changes in my approach and style....so, updating a post gives me an opportunity to make somewhat similar (adding photos, playlists, style of speech, etc) this new, updated article, and make it fit with what has become my style, over time! Have fun!
I've been wondering this myself! I guess one way is to segment your list and then email that segment a copy & pasted version of that old newsletter! It will allow you to not resend that old article to people who got it the first time. And it won't appear anywhere in your public-facing Web version. The big downside: it's not a "Substack newsletter" anymore, it's just an email, and it'll lack all the things that get added (Like buttons, footers and headers etc).
appreciate the replies about sending a round-up post or re-posting/emailing an old post but I'm specifically looking for a way to re-send an old post for the second time
Yes, it would be a great feature, especially tied to a way to segment and filter according to signup date. Seconding a call for this, Substack admin!
So a resend button, as appears on Substack emails, with an option to send to free people only, say? That would work for me.
You'd probably have to go in as if doing an update (changing a comma to a semi-colon or something similarly innocuous). Then, click "continue," and operate as if it's a whole new post, either scheduling a release date/time, or publishing now, having it e-mailed to your subbies. I think that'd work. The only thing is that it will still show up "way down" in your Archive, assuming you have it set up as "newest first/at the top." Play with it!
You can just copy and paste them and retitle them as a classic issue or from the vault or something.
+1 have done this a couple of times, specifically re-purposing content from behind the paywall as a sample to free subs.
Good question!
Love that we're able to link and tag other writers now. I know that's something that I and other Substackers have been asking for. Thanks for listening and implementing!
Would be great to be possible to do it in comments too, wouldn't it?
Agreed.
Curious if anyone has any insight into how the most popular posts get ranked on your homepage -- it doesn’t seem to be based on views or likes. Does anyone know?
I've wondered this, too - some posts seem to have been more popular in terms of likes and/or comments than the one that Substack determines to be the most popular one - weird....!
+1 for this question.
A combo of likes and comments. Likes have more weight.
That's what I thought, but there must also be some weight for total views. My question -- what is the weighting for each of views, likes, comments? It would be great if this was more flexible.
I believe we also account for posts that drive paid subscriptions, as we have seen that that is a very clear signal of quality to the reader.
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it! Any more information about how it determines the rating?
Surprisingly nice to read through this thread! I like the feeling of coming across the hardcore who are here week after week, post a lot, and consistently promote their work. It's really a nice energy. A few commonalities I'm noticing:
- The writing seems to take care of the growth. It's slow at first, but as people write consistently good stuff, the free subscribers come.
- There's really a virtuous circle of visiting other people's post/writing comments on those posts and in that way attracting to your own. The nicer you are, the better Substack works for you!
- Everybody struggles to turn their free subscribers paid.
- Everybody struggles to get Substack's spotlighting types to pay attention to them.
- There are some nice new features that help to cross-promote (recommendations, mentions) but that's an area for improvement. I'd be very curious to see if people start trying to 'bundle' Substacks together - creating subscription plans, etc, based on a package of like-minded work.
Best,
Sam
Yes, that's actually a great idea. I'd love to be part of a bundle with some of the other publications I regularly interact with, or with surprising new ones, and to be surprised. I think that would be a great service to readers, and it will certainly help all writers in the bundle grow and grow an income. Please, Substack team, pay attention to this idea!
🫰
🙌🙌🫰🔥
Love the idea of a bundle. Like a book club where you get multiple books for one price. :)
Something like that! It's very individualistic now, which I happen to like - but I suspect that the direction Substack evolves in is about 'bundling,' 'cross-promotion,' etc. It's nice to try to fantasize about different modes of collaboration.
Beautifully and honestly said. And totally true.
Hi all! I have been writing for a year consistently and it has taught me a lot. I have experimented with my writing styles, visuals, and have become a more confident writer overall. It has been WORK, but well worth it! I am planning a refresh in the new year to be more experiential, include more voices, and add more media.
QUESTION: Is there a way to create different color story blocks within a newsletter? It am looking for more visual ways to demarcate different sections of my newsletter.
ASK: What other newsletters have found ways to create a rich experience that goes beyond text, static photos, and videos? Looking for inspiration!
Hi Hillarie! Kudos on all the amazing work and writing. Experimenting is definitely a huge part of the growth process (as I'm learning myself). Recently, I've been experimenting with podcasts, video, voice overs, and different kinds of content. One thing I'm launching next week is a sketchbook... So the day before I launch my full "lecture" and complete sketch of whatever idea/concept I'll be lecturing about, I will launch a "teaser." In order to get the full lecture and original sketch the next day, you'll have to complete an action item, like join my chat or become a paid member (soon). Just an idea for you as to how I've tried to keep things dynamic and interesting :)
Beautiful! Love this idea for more engagement and to make writing come off the page in a different way. Thanks for sharing :)
I'd love to see examples of Substacks that are laid out in visually interesting ways, too. I made some divider images to break my newsletter into sections, but they're pretty rough.
Some of the comics on Substacks make amazing use of image-led posts https://www.imfineimfine.com/
https://lianafinck.substack.com/
https://youredoinggreat.substack.com/archive
And others make use of a great mix of images, text, video, embeds and more https://goodenoughjob.substack.com/
Hey, everyone. So, I don't know if a lot of people are aware of this but it is possible to actually make a Table of Contents in Substack. This can be very useful, imo, if you write long articles with multiple sections and want to help viewers navigate your posts. I haven't seen any real discussion about this online so I've decided to go and make a guide. (Please note that this might only work for the online version of the article though.)
You can read it here: https://textualvariations.substack.com/p/toc-in-substack
What do you mean by "might only work for the online version of the article"?
But other than that, yes. It's quite a good function and I think not everyone is aware about it. I don't use it so much as a toc, but just to inform readers there is more (and that they can jump to it).
Hello Substack!! I've really come to look forward to these Thursday gatherings. What a gift to have so many talented and imaginative people in one place, where I can discover new writers and bump into friends.
I have a simple question related to publishing: at times, I've noticed that when I try to edit a post's Subtitle after publication (when the email's already been sent out), Substack won't let me do so -- or at least, it won't change/update the subtitle on my home page. Is this a bug or am I beholden to my typos and word choices forever and ever?
Have you tried going into your 'Publish' page and changing it there? I think I've done that successfully before, but of course any emails sent will always have the old subtitle.
(Hint: in order to get into your 'Publish' or 'Upgrade' page after publishing your post, you'll have to make some slight change to your text. It won't upgrade otherwise.)
Oh interesting, I don’t believe I’ve tried this. Will have to give it a shot. Thank you!
I think you're beholden. I have noticed this same issue.
😩
Hrm this sounds like a bug. I'll report it to our team!
hit 100 subscribers and Substack sent me a nice e-mail. Come join the social science fun at Homo Imaginari!
I have gone through their material and written down some strategies that could work well for me:
Help people in your vertical:
Comment on other Substack articles
Reply to people questions (eg on LinkedIn, Quora)
Help out during Substack working hours
Leveraging third party audiences:
Get recommended from another publication
Comment on the shoutout thread (first Thursday of every month)
Use cross posting
Leveraging Linkedin:
Post on Linkedin short knowledge pills
Reply to other people threads
Customise the Linkedin header
Pick one or more ;)
Thanks for the organization!
Congrats, man. That is indeed a nice email to receive!
Congratulations!
Congrats on that milestone.
When is it time to take a break? Been writin for two years straight almost. interested to see how other writers schedule their breaks and how often.
've been taking a week off every quarter (i.e. every three months) where I not only don't publish the newsletter, I stay off Substack entirely and even avoid thinking about it. It's very refreshing, and no one seems to mind.
I am planning to take two weeks off at the end of the year so I can truly decompress and refresh.
This is such a good question. I take breaks all the time. Every day! Since getting off of social media, the time I spend writing is much more productive, so I feel like I can justify sitting and reading for an hour or taking a walk or watching something that makes me laugh while I'm eating my lunch. Plus all of that stuff is potentially inspiring something in me, so maybe it counts as working, too.
Clever lady!
I do as well but I mean a complete break from writing. Not only do I write for my own Substack, but I freelance as a writer as well on everything from screenplays to online articles. Just wondering how long people unplug for.
I'm curious about this too! On the one hand, I think if you're feeling like you need a break, you should take one. Even if it's for weeks. But on the other hand, I never take much prolonged time off, so I'm not a good person to tell you. Sometimes I am forced into a break (a family trip, say) but it's not the same as intentionally choosing to take a break for two weeks or a month.
Last year I announced a 4 week break in December/ January. I knew that I needed it. This year, I was away overseas for October and I wrote and scheduled a couple of posts for that month before I left, so I only had to write two posts while I was away instead of 4. I'm going to try and do that for January this year as I'm not so desperate for a break this year. So it won't look to my readers if I'm taking a break.
Bernard Hickey of https://thekaka.substack.com/ recently announced he was taking a bit of a break. He's a very intensive poster, posts daily during the week.
I find that scheduling posts ahead of time have been most helpful. I want readers to hear from me weekly and scheduling ahead of time makes it easy.
After over a year of writing, I announced that I would be taking a first break of two weeks. I viewed it as sort of a "paid vacation." If I decide to take another break within 12 months, I'll announce and pause paid subscriptions.
Ha. I don't think I would have thought to pause subs. Nice one!
I don't follow a set schedule, but I kind of know when I need one, and send out an announcement (like I did last week, here: https://www.thehalfmarathoner.com/p/a-brief-break-060).
I've never experienced anything but support from readers/subscribers when I take one -- everyone seems to understand the need for a break, and they all encourage me to take whatever rest I need. I don't think you need to feel beholden to any schedule; just take as needed.
You should absolutely take breaks. Everyone deserves a vacation. I'm not sending out anything after Dec. 16 until the new year, for example.
Lenny's newsletter explains his strategy in the about page. Pretty interesting.
https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/about
I'm fairly new here, started publishing my fiction in late September, once a week.
Next Tuesday, I have a piece that includes Santa. After that, a couple of weeks off, return in January.
Seems that lots of people are busy with family and friends this time of year, me included. So feels like a natural place to have a little time off. Get refreshed, enjoy a little R&R, etc.
I love the new and improved features that get rolled out - they're so exciting to use and it always feel like Substack is looking for new ways to benefit its app users and writers. I've been on here for a few months now and even though I repost my stories on my socials and encourage discussion, I find it hard to get people to interact and subscribe? Any tips?
I've been trying to increase my engagement with other writers on their posts to increase my own profile visibility and develop a network, but I'm struggling!
Keep staying on top of that. Consistency over the course of years and refusal to give up is your magic sauce! Answer questions on Reddit or quora on your topic and make sure to not be spammy but keep your name same across channels and platforms to have people see you kind of everywhere.
🔥🙌
Hi Natalie! In my experience, consistency is key. Most people simply aren't early adopters; they'll see what you're doing and scroll on by. BUT, the more you post, the more they'll see that you're serious and they will engage. It can be tough at first, especially with discussions (the crickets can feel deafening!!) but honestly, keeping a consistent schedule and pushing through the awkward quiet at the start will yield results. Hope this helps! 🌿
The crickets are definitely loud and gives me doubts sometimes - Thanks so much for the encouragement, I appreciate it.
Just keep writing regularly, people eventually show up and comment. Send thank you/acknowledgment that you know they are out there.
I get it. I’ve found the best way is to engage with other writers on SS by responding to comments on response threads. Much more effective than just posting about your own writing.
Thank you Michael! I'll keep that in mind ☺️
On interactions, I have a few loyal followers that almost always comment.
They are fellow Substack writers.
So, my recommendation would be to:
1. Get more fellow writers to subscribe, which are truly interested and/or know you personally
2. Post on social media only after you have some interactions, so that people might be incentivised by seeing some interactions
On getting subscribers, I mostly use LinkedIn.
I have collected some of my lessons (and templates) here --> https://livmkk.substack.com/p/9-linkedin-posts-gone-wrong-lessons
Thanks for sharing Livio! I've had a look at your workbook and it's incredible! Very detailed. I'll definitely need to set aside time to go through this properly.
Interacting with other writers on Substack to develop a network is definitely the way to go. Slow and steady wins the race!
Hello fellow writers. I joined today's session a bit late but glad to see so many people back in the comment threads again. I wrote a post this week talking about transformation through curiosity, referencing the classic comic book trope of saying a magic word to receive amazing powers (or achieve your publishing goals, whatever works...) and how it doesn't really happen that way. I wrote this post for me but maybe you'll also find it useful: https://howaboutthis.substack.com/p/curious-realizer-transformation-through
Loved your article and just became a free subscriber. I wrote a similar one called “Life’s sunsets and sunrises” or something like that. It talks about the dark period between life’s endings and new beginnings being longer than a single night, and the endings being not as pretty as a sunset.
Thanks Wendi, I'll have to check out yours too!
Hey all! My Substack is growing based on so many great recommendations here! Thanks to everyone who has shared! Two features that I think have great potential:
1. Cross-posting and mentions. (I'm always looking to help build networks so if you see something in mine, please let me know!)
2. Voice-overs to RSS. I'm finding some of my audience is pressed for reading time, but love my recordings of the essays. (Substack, please connect download data from voice-overs to the podcast information!!)
What have you found helpful?
Michael, just catching up on this Writers Hours thread (I'm usually a few days late :)
I think cross-posting / promotion would work for our two newsletters. I'll send you a follow up email tomorrow from my gmail account.
Best,
George
Sounds good! We seem to be writing very different material...but maybe that’s part of the fun?
Hi Michael, I was replying to Michael Woudenberg and his Polymathic Being newsletter. Just checked out your newsletter (which looks interesting) and yeah it is a bit of a stretch between our respective areas of focus. Thanks for the response, nevertheless. I am collaborating with Sharon St Louis who reviews non-fiction works. Do you write about non-fiction in addition to fiction?
Yes--the AI recordings are great 👍
Hi Substack community! I just published a very personal newsletter (most of my writing is very personal but this one felt more vulnerable than usual) and I'm grappling a bit with the idea of it just being OUT THERE. I came here from tinyletter, where you had the ability to restrict your letters to only subscribers. I haven't yet turned on paid letters (I'm working up to it). I'm wondering if any of you have struggled a bit with that tension between wanting people to read your work and also cringing at the rawness of being seen and vulnerable on the internet?
I have been grappling with that exact same question. So far, I'm coming down on the side of letting those vulnerable pieces exist publicly. They do well, for one thing. And I think that honesty is my greatest asset as a writer. But I have experienced that same raw feeling afterward; it's odd having a bunch of strangers inside my personal life... You should definitely set your boundaries with care (some parts of your life can just belong to you.) And you can always decide to place the more personal pieces behind a paywall. That creates a more intimate environment for them. But I do think that readers are drawn to vulnerability. An honest voice cuts through like nothing else. (Think about Nora Ephron. She's a great spirit animal for personal writers.)
🙌🙌🙌
Just read the post and subscribed. I appreciate the vulnerability you showed. You tapped into something that is felt by many and you're to be applauded for having the courage to do it. Many of my essays are personal, too, and often those are the ones that resonate the most with people. Look forward to reading more.
Thanks so much, Glenn!
This is something I've been thinking about as well. Recently, I've published my reflections on taboo topics on work - golden handcuffs, reassessing the stories we tell ourselves about work etc. And I've noticed that these personal, vulnerable essays HIT HOME the most. I've gotten so much love from readers. Someone said I helped them articulate feelings they've felt for years but could not voice. So I've come to see the benefit of writing for those people as far bigger than the cringe of being raw online.
But it's a muscle. Each time I post, I feel a little naked and raw. But I feel I must do it. It gets a little easier with time. I'm working on an extremely vulnerable post for next year that I hope confirms that this is what I must write
I also struggled with that decision and came down on the side of vulnerability and to think in terms of stories rather than articles. That has made a big difference in subscribership and in views.
Oh yeah. Of course. But go for it! You’ve got me interested now. I’ll check your stack out. I write very raw material as well 🔥🔥
Who chooses the content/writers to feature on Substack reads? (What team member or team)
I think it's someone called Hannah. I was featured last weekend in the Substack Reads newsletter and I'm on Discovery on the app this week and it has driven hundreds of new subs. It has been a real buzz to see, but so far all are free subs, and I'm not sure how many of them are really and truly relevant readers for me. We'll see.
This is superbly helpful VIctoria.
Congrats 🎉 🙌🔥🔥🔥
Thanks Michael, it was a joyful surprise
thank you!
It's on our about page :) We source folks to feature from our shoutout threads on both this and the Reads publication, as well as what we see shared with us by writers on social media. https://read.substack.com/about
yay!
Lovely. Thank you!
I'd like to think the features come from comments on the Shout Out threads, but my fear is our suggestions are not considered.
Also curious!
Hi there! I was wondering if anybody has suggestions for how to grow your audience when you publish under a pseudonym? This makes it difficult because telling everybody you know IRL about it kind of defeats the purpose.
Hi Leigh! I decided a while ago that all of my writing--professional and personal--would be published under "S.E. Reid" instead of my legal name. This wasn't so much about privacy as it was about professionalism, for me.
Practically, this means that I have a separate email address, social media pages, and "presence" under this name. All of my freelance writing uses this name. The people who know me in real life figured it out pretty quickly and they are careful not to use my first name in comments, etc. My advice is if you lean into it and use it consistently, people will catch on. Hope that helps! 🌿
Yes, thank you!
🔥🔥🔥
Try creating a pseudonym on your social media accounts (Reddit, twitter, etc). Reply to other people's posts. Also, reply to posts on substack with the pseudonym.
This post may be worth reading - "How Petition grew their financial newsletter – anonymously
" https://on.substack.com/p/how-petition-grew-their-newsletter
I’d like to hear how people are using Chat. Is it helping with engagement and/or bumping up your subscriptions? I don’t want to overwhelm my audience, but if it yields results, I’m all ears.
For me, I'm using it purely for fun -- as a way to interact with my readers and strengthen that connection. I don't know if it's leading to conversions from free to paid or not, but I'm just experimenting with it right now. It's great for sharing ideas, photos, links, etc., and getting a sense of who your subscribers are.
I like this approach Terrell. Sometimes I just want to post thinking in the moment like social media and not worry about a formal article.
Exactly! It's kinda like Twitter in that way. If you have just an article you'd like to share, a photo, or a thought you'd like feedback on, it's a great way to throw it out there and see how readers respond. I'm a fan.
Now that's an application I hadn't considered. I'm feeling adverse to chat because it is so much like social media, but that ability to share in the moment without being a Twitter Thread Boi or worrying about crafting the perfect post for "my audience" is appealing.
As a reader I've found it mostly annoying so far - with a few exceptions - so I'm not quite sure how to use it myself without *also* being annoying.
I announced a first chat for paid subscribers that took place several days before Thanksgiving where questions could be asked about pies. Participants put up photos, too. As it was paid, there were no conversions, but it was well received by those who came, Micheline.
Thanks, Kate!
Good questions. I have not used chat yet, Micheline, but here are my initial thoughts if I do:
1) Offer it only to paid subscribers if I open that up as my time is my most valuable resource, or
2) Use it to improve engagement and relationships with all subscribers.
Maybe I need to ask my readers and do a poll...
Love the poll function!
Haven’t used it yet. As a writer it kinda scares me 😱
Same here, plus is chat leading to any increase in conversions?
I'm playing with it and trying to not inundate people with stuff on Chat. I have a feeling that if I can grow my paying audience, there will be specific conversations that I reserve just for those subscribers. I like it so far.
Specific conversations for paid subscribers worked for me, Sarah.
This will be an interesting part of this week's office hours... Following...
Hi Substack team! Have you thought about giving readers the option to highlight stretches of text in our posts that resonate with them à la Medium? In the last month, some readers have sent me (via DM or replying to the email) sentences from my posts that they loved and I feel this is what they're trying to achieve...
Oh this sounds super neat!
That would be such a cool feature! to let readers "like" or highlight certain sections
This would be fabulous!
I started on substack on the 22nd November and I’ve been blown away with people subscribing and interacting with me! I need to explore to see if I can collaborate with others.
What’s your newsletter about? Mine’s about mental health and related topics, and I’m always happy to collaborate with others!
Hi Wendi,
Im a neuroscientist who is on a mission to create a better (and kinder) world, one brain at a time! Would love to speak further!
I would love that, too!
Hi! Newbie here with just under a month of experience on Substack but really, really loving it so far. Besides emailing friends and posting on all the social channels (I have a small-ish following there), have other writers found genuine ways to promote their newsletter? I've heard people mention a lot of their subscribers come from other writers on the platform, how are you making connections that feel authentic and not just like the old days of blogrolls and "I'll post yours if you post mine?"
Can anyone also share from their experience what they mean by "slow" growth? After launching I had an inital 20 subscribers with just one or two since then in the last few weeks. I can tell more people are "viewing" my posts than are subscribed but somehow they aren't converting to subscribers.
Thanks for your help, I love the supportive community here!
Hi Mariah! I started writing on Substack in June, and all my growth has been via the Substack community itself - I'm not on any other social channels, nor did I sign up friends (because I'm shy...!)
But I don't just post. I read a lot - a LOT - of other people's posts - I've sought out newsletters to subscribe to that I really enjoy, and if I like a post I'll hit 'Like', and very often I'll comment on a post, and sometimes this leads to dialogue between me and that community member, or between me and other commenters on that post. By being an active part of the community and engaging with it you'll find people who are interested in what you have to say, and if they like what you're doing they'll subscribe!
Keep doing what you're doing. You've got subscribers already, and you'll continue to grow!
😊
Yes! I've thought a lot about the kind of reader I want- someone who is engaged, who participates and reciprocates. So I've tried to become that reader! Taking a little bit of extra time and effort to let a writer or artist know I see and appreciate their work- when it genuinely resonates has become a little way I can give back and offer my gratitude.
That's brilliant - sounds perfect!
Everyone should have Rebecca as one of their readers - it's great!
LOL! Thanks, Mark! Although I often feel the need to apologise for being so garrulous in my comments....! 🤣
It makes you both interesting and memorable!
Yep!
Thanks for this Rebecca. You helped me to realise that social media kinda trained me to be a lurker rather than an engager/commenter - and that's not what to be here. The space and vibe here is so much more ... not sure how to describe it.. clean? Your comment made me more mindful of this. So cheers to you!
I second ALL of this.
Exactly--engaging directly on SS seems to be the key 🔑
Aside from the recommendation engine, the biggest source of growth for me is just telling people about my Substack in person and signing them up manually.
I have two young kids and I sign EVERY parent I meet up for my Substack with the immediate disclaimer that if they don't like it they can unsubscribe with one click. 95% of them stick with me and love my work. I've also made a game out of it. I've signed up car mechanics, UPS drivers, mailmen, donation solicitors, etc. It really works.
The manual signup idea is interesting. My initial reaction to it is negative, but I think I can imagine an approach to it that feels like me.
Ha!!! 🔥🔥🔥❤️
For me, slow and steady growth looks like getting 1-3 new subscriptions for each weekly post. As Mariah said, as a reader I engage with other Substack writers the way I would want them to engage with me. I use Office hours and the comment sections on other posts as a way to network and discover new writers.
I also added my substack link to my email signature, which has been a surprisingly effective tool for gaining new readers.
Nice one! Will try the email signature thing. Cheers.
Hi Mariah, for what it’s worth, I have seen some growth by commenting on Substack with similar content as mine. By “some growth” I mean maybe 3-4 subscribers/month from other Substacks. Not a lot, but it’s something! I’m not sure if anyone else does this, but I actually look through the “likes” on posts I appreciate to find other writers I might like. I’ve found Substacks to subscribe to that way which I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. Not sure if anyone finds my Substack that way but I make sure to keep reading and liking posts just in case. And also because I actually like them!
And btw, saw you are in KCMO, I grew up in KC and my family is moving back there next month :-). Excited to be back in a genuinely great city!
Oh, how exciting! Welcome back! Thanks for the advice. I've discovered a lot of great writing on this platform and truly enjoy getting letters on various topics in my inbox. Best of luck with your move and writing!
Is it the case that Substack promotes paid newsletters more than free ones?
Is this an argument for going paid earlier on in your growth plan?
My plan A was to be FREE for a year or so and then look at possibly doing paid then but if im not going to get the visibility without going paid then that plan might not work. Any thoughts or help appreciated.
Also - any tips on improving my Substack would be very very much appreciated.
https://neverstoplearning1.substack.com/
Thanks
I would also like to know how to get promoted by Substack 😉
Proposal for Paid Subscribers: Subscription Credits.
Problem: The idea of paying $5/month across a bunch of good authors holds people back, especially if they just want to read one or two articles of interest.
Solution: Offer a credit system where $1 = 1 credit. An essay might be 1 credit, a month subscription 3 credits. This means if I have 20 credits, I could have 4 subscriptions and the ability to read 8 other essays and potentially convert to memberships. This would promote more engagement in the Substack network and allow easier exploration of interesting authors while allowing easier monetization for authors.
I'm LOVING the new gallery feature for images - thanks, Substack!
I was sad not to find last week's scheduled shout-out thread, so forgive me for doing a couple of shouts right here and now. I subscribe to some fabulous Stacks and I learn so much from so many people. So a shout out to SUBSTACK for improving my world.
A shout out to Terry Freedman from 'Eclecticism: Reflections on literature and life’! I really enjoy Terry’s writing - his recent examination of what writers are paid for their work was fascinating, particularly his viewpoint on why it’s sometimes okay not to get the going rate. Do check it out! https://terryfreedman.substack.com
Right now my fellow countryman Terry and I are halfway through a six-letter series of correspondence in which we’re exploring some of the manifold things that wind up us British - we’re having great fun with our Substack letters!
A shout out to N. M. Scuri from ‘About Those Commas’! Nancy shares her writing experience and supportive advice in just the kind of newsletter I love to read! An editor, she writes from the heart about both life and writing, and really knows her stuff! https://nancyscuri.substack.com
A shout out to Helen Redfern of ‘The Red Fern’! Helen’s gentle and supportive posts reassure new writers that they’re not alone on their journey, and provide inspiration alongside all sorts of advice - I know I’m in safe hands! She offers regular newsletters, bite-sized courses and podcasts right here on Substack, as well as absolutely delightful videos for writers and readers alike over on YouTube. https://helenredfern.substack.com
I like the idea of of your substack letters. What a fun way to engage, exchange ideas and let others be part of it. Will keep that in mind.
It's really fun, Nicola! Here's what Substack had to say about Substack Letters back in November: https://read.substack.com/p/letters
I've been reading some great correspondence out there!
Uh, thanks for the reference. I am totally new to the platform, but am really liking what I am seeing so far :)