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In case you missed it: Substack Chat now supports reader participation and is available on the web. This makes building a thriving subscriber community easier than ever.
How are you sparking conversation in Chat? We published a guide on how to build a community with your free and paid subscribers in Chat. Share your strategy in today’s thread!
I haven’t used chat yet. To be honest, I was hesitant about chat when it was app-only because only about 5% of my audience reads me on the app. It seemed like a lot of work for a very small audience segment. That said, I’m intrigued by web-based chat. I’ll have to check my dashboard to see if there’s enough audience there to justify the extra work. In the meantime, I’ve built a very lively community in the comments section of my posts by asking questions that are related to the piece.
I tried to build a community on posts, but it felt like people never commented! The chat has seen a little more interaction, and I'm hopeful that the web addition will encourage even more.
Just curious, but do you find that the time you put into Chat is worth it? I see the upside to a conversation (in the comments, or in chat, or somewhere else), but I'm reluctant to invest too much time in something that only serves a very small segment of total readers. By way of example, I might get 60-70 comments on a post, but those comments are very small segment of total readership for me. That said, I put maybe twenty minutes into formulating discussion questions and maybe another hour throughout the week responding to comments. So it's a pretty small investment. But a live chat seems like more of a time commitment. Has that been your experience, or is it something on the order of an hour a week?
I'm curious about this too! When using chat, do you feel like you need to be responding in real time? Or do the channels drive themselves without your engagement?
It seems like low-interaction is a common issue with Substackers. But by pushing all my new Tao Consciousness book readers to Substack (through other websites), for more essays and for community support, I hoping to get around that issue.
I had some of the same hesitation. And I was concerned that even if it were 50/50 that there would be less engagement on the articles themselves. I’m also not sure about yet another place to “engage” -- if you are also sharing on social media for example or sometimes I cross post on Medium. I just thought it might wear me out :) excited to hear about others’ experiences, especially with new feature
I am very active on Medium with 5k+ followers. I started my substack The Grasshopper a year ago to write about the writing lifestyle and to potentially generate some additional dough, though the uptake has been slow. A pitch on my Medium articles has brought in over 700 subs since August 2022, which is amazing. The big takeaway for me is my newsletter is totally different than my writing on Medium where I write about politics, climate, and global events- all time sensitive subjects. My writing here is more personal and more evergreen. It’s a great combination for me.
Martin, I'd love to hear more about how you've brought in so many subs using a pitch on your Medium articles. I have 1.2K followers there and, like you, my newsletter topic is different from many of the topics I write about on Medium and elsewhere. I haven't included a newsletter pitch unless my Medium article is related to my newsletter topic.
I’m taking my shot and asking fellow Substackers like you support a goal to be featured on the platform after 2 years of posting, please support, I love you all!
yes, with the intention of starting on Substack after. I played around there for about 6 months before and published in some of their publications. I still occasionally publish original content there. I make a little money on it...not that much...but I do pick up some subscribers for Substack with my byline. You can pretty easily work between the two, but it's hard to keep up engagement on both in my experience. Now I engage very little there
Yes, absolutely. But it depends what you're doing. I really wanted to have a community feel with my audience and build on my work. On Medium it all feels quite random. This can be a perk, too, in that you can write for a variety of audiences and also publish in their publications. I did and still do occasionally publish in The Writing Cooperative with Justin Cox. Interestingly, he also has a Substack now, which is his voice rather than publishing others' work. So for him (and for me) the two platforms do different things. I'm happy I started there because I wanted to consider what my spin here would be exactly, even though that keeps evolving.
This segment though is probably your most passionate segment. The kind that want to interact, keep in touch, and hang out together. Almost like having your own discord...
Inexplicably, I didn't get an email notification for your quip! Only caught it by scrolling through the comments which I rarely do. So here's what I would have said...
You'd be right but I can now hide behind woke-ism so i'm poking my tongue out at you like a five year old! 😉
Yeah, I tried it when it was only on the app, and let all my subscribers know about it, but not a single reader responded. Only 7% of mine use the app, and I find the Substack app annoying myself and didn't want to have to keep using it, so I deleted it.
Now that chat is an option on the web, though, I might give it a try again. I need to learn more about how to use and promote it first.
sorry to hear that, Wendi. If it helps any, most of my readers didn't take to the chat feature on mobile, either. I'd love for it to take off, as it would be a good way to post short tidbits to our readers instead of via e-mail each time.
My readers are similar, Wendi. They get my newsletter via email and open it. The ones who have used the app (which I love) end up viewing my posts less often! So I'm nervous to direct readers even to the web version of chat. I might try a live chat, though, with paid subscribers.
You can just reply to people directly on email. I don’t think a chat function would be good for me because then it’s just like social media so I’d turn mine off.
Agreed. I have to have a specific use case in mind before I try it. Although someone here mentioned asking subscribers to simply check in, say where they are, what they are doing. That's a nice idea.
Also, I noticed that I didn't get notifications for new chats, not sure if I missed a setting somewhere, but maybe that also means people miss the chats.
I’m taking my shot and asking fellow Substackers like you support a goal to be featured on the platform after 2 years of posting, please support, I love you all!
Thank you so much for adding this feature! I'm doing The Artist's Way with my subscribers in the chat and a lot has been coming up for us. We've been writing a LOT in the chat so having the web version will be so helpful! Especially for some of the older members for whom it's much easier to use computers for typing.
What a great idea regarding the use of "The Artist Way!" I have been facilitating groups, face to face, using that amazing book. It was a book that sparked the beginning of my own creativity many years ago.
I'm not sure what you mean doing the artist's way for chat but I will tell you, the part in the book about the morning pages is how I started my publication called stream unconsciousness. I just start out writing and I don't stop for 4 or 5 pages. Then I go back and revise/edit, but not too much. I want it to be relatable and not filled with all of these high faultin words.
Hi Greg. I am curious about your spiritual quest. I too have been on a long journey in that area for over 50 years. Some would call me nerdy. My passion now is focused more on the psychological, biological, and spiritual components that affect our minds, body, and soul. Today is my first experience being on Substack and reading these posts.
I know you were responding to Greg, but I also share your interest in those topics. I'm a former pastor who no longer believes some of the stuff I used to, but mainly gave up being a pastor when so many Christians decided they'd rather follow Trump than Jesus. I rarely mention religion or spiritual beliefs in my Substack since they can be divisive topics and my Substack is focused on issues related to mental health, but have written a lot about religious and spiritual topics elsewhere. If you're interested in reading some of those articles, see my portfolio at https://bio.link/wendigordon. It also includes a link to my email at the top if you want to chat privately about anything.
(I know I just said this earlier in the thread, but...) I've really enjoyed how you're using chat for The Artist's Way. I think it's the perfect space for everyone to connect over a shared experience. It feels relevant and special and I look forward to hopping in there each week!
It's honestly been really great! The biggest joy of my newsletter so far. Feel free to hop back in at any time. You can pick up at the week we're on, or start where you left off. Reframing it as something you can't fail at has been so helpful -- you can always keep going.
This sounds like such a lovely thing to be part of! I did The Artist's Way during lockdown and really enjoyed it but it was very intense - would have been great to do it with others ans have some people to talk to about it all. 😊
Hey everyone! A question. I'm thinking of launching a chat now that you can do them on the web. But I'm concerned that maybe on a chat will somehow replace or reduce activity in my newsletter's comments section. Any experience or thoughts on that?
I've found it adds to the sense of community. People get to know each other more, and you more, and are even more likely to comment, in my experience. But I've also been using the chat for a very specific purpose -- doing The Artist's Way with my subscribers -- so only a select group are really using the chat.
That seems like a good use of Chat, Ali! My concern is the time commitment and what kind of return I get on my time. But as I understand it, you're using Chat as an extension of lessons you're offering to paid subs, right? Right now, my chat would just sort of be another hang out, which is cool and does build community, but it also takes time, and I'm just not sure if that's time well spent for me.
Jumping in with a thought — Michael I know you mentioned here and above that you are worried about the commitment, and so are others. One of my favorite use cases of Chat is writers writing with their readers (here are some examples:https://on.substack.com/i/108593012/write-with-your-readers). You can ask research questions, gather inspiration, or get ideas for a post.
I wouldn't think of think of Chat as something that you need to devise a grand plan for—it's a place for casual interactions. Things that might not make it into a full post and need a home. Things that you might post on social media but you want to actually reach your subscribers directly.
Thanks Katie! That is interesting, especially the last thing you said about material that I might otherwise post on social. As I use social less and less I've had this odd feeling of what do I do with some extra material? It's not enough to justify a full post, but often times it's connected to what I'm writing that week. So this is good food for thought! Again, really appreciate the insight here, Katie!
Yes, exactly. It's a specific add-on of a service. It's free for everybody but I did ask Artist Way members to pay and about half of them did. If I do it in the future it will likely just be for paying subscribers. Also, Substack in general is very time consuming between writing, responding to comments, office hours, chat, etc., so I'm all about focusing your attention on what you value most!
That's the question I have. I have a small following of 115, and only 4 paid subscribers. I want to go back to paid again. (I had to stop it for a while.) I think I'll have to leave the Chat free until I can gather more followers. That might take another year or two, but like I said earlier, I've got time...
I think that Ali is right. In the beginning, as I'm building up my new Tao Newsletter service, I 'll offer chat to everyone for free. My medium range plan, however, is to make Tao a paid only subscription - while keeping my Spiritual Secrets service free.
Michael. You do you. You're obviously successful the way you have it set up. Doesn't sound like you're missing anything. Each new technical addition isn't necessary for everyone. I always think back to the misogynistic but pertinent comment that men have 2000 words a day. Women use words like toilet paper. Men must protect their virile strength. The more a woman opens to the magic within, the more the magic within can expand into all areas of her life and lift her.
I started a chat yesterday, but really don't know where I want to go with it at the moment. I think it's a question of what you write. I don't write anything special. It's just fiction. It's GOOD fiction, but I think it's going to take time to build an audience. (Luckily for me I've got plenty of that, having just retired.) I've opened myself up for subscribers who are interested to know what my mindset might have been when I was writing a particular story. The only mindset I have when writing is to keep myself interested. My stories tend to jump all over the place: the Mau Mau, the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria, the Two World Wars, fantasy, history. I'm hoping that as I grow my audience, people will want to involve themselves.
I found some Substack chats to be separate discussions entirely so some may choose to chat while others stick to the newsletter. Set out the buffet. People choose different options.
You can also offer it for paid folks only if you’re inclined.
I haven’t started Chat myself but will comment on ones I’ve participated in. Some topics are a wider topic related to what the writer is exploring. Others are life updates or just “hey, introduce yourself” posts.
I don't have experience using chat, but for the reason you mention I've been brainstorming ways to use chat for separate conversations. For instance, I've seen editors use chat as a time-boxed AMA for questions related to writing and editing.
That has been my reticence as well. And also this idea that maybe my subscribers didn't sign up for that to be peddled to them? I know "peddled" is a strong word to use there, but it's accurately describing my worry -- that that's how it would be perceived.
Then again, I do think that several of my subscribers aren't even aware that you can comment on posts (I think they just read them entirely in the email version, and I don't include CTAs for comments). So I do see the announcement/enablement of Chat being something that can help those subscribers of mine engage more with the content.
Hey Anne! My first chat was really lively as people were curious about the new tech. After, it waned quickly. Now, I typically use Chat to make quick announcements or updates that I don't want to include in my regular post. My assumption here is that people will see it even if it doesn't spark a lot of engagement.
Ultimately, I don't think it'd reduce engagement in your normal posts, but you'd likewise probably get engagement from an even smaller subset of readers, who are mostly other Substack writers.
I haven't turned on chat yet, I'm planning to look into it today. I have a similar experience at Michael Estrin below--the comments section has been SO amazing and I'm nervous about whether the chat would be as lively, or whether it would cannibalize the comments section action. I also wonder whether I would feel the need to be responding in real-time, which sounds difficult. But at the same time, the community around my newsletter is really coming together and chat seems like an obvious next step.
I'm really curious to hear from other writers who have turned on chat: Are you able to maintain a lively conversation without spending too much time? Have you found that you need a certain size audience before chat will work well? What has worked well for you?
Looking below, I see that Terrell Johnson (https://www.thehalfmarathoner.com/) provided a tip already! Asking people on chat to send a photo of where they are in the world.
I suppose this may not be an issue if you have a large subscriber base, but one thing to consider is *when* you do chat, as presumably subscribers are spread across the world so you'd only get a certain slice at a time. Comments are good because they're there and remain there and can be added to at any time, but chat still seems like something worth exploring for a different purpose.
I’m taking my shot and asking fellow Substackers like you support a goal to be featured on the platform after 2 years of posting, please support, I love you all!
The two recent Substack articles have convinced me to turn Chat on and to invite readers to start their own conversations there. I was thinking of it initially as a different version of what we were already doing in the Comments section, but I can now see how it serves a different purpose. Thanks for the suggestions! I really appreciate those practical advice columns.
I'm not sure about the chat threads yet...But I have another question for you. Would it be possible to host some of these wonderful "writer office hours" for writers who have similar interests? For example, while I enjoy interacting with writers interested in tech or self-help, --I would love to discuss with other writers interested in education, parenting, and culture, for example... Thank you!
As a side note, there's now a preference for changing the message readers see in the pop-up that appears before they arrive on your newsletter homepage. So if you don't like "No thanks," you can now change it back to "Let me read it first" or whatever else you like. Hurray! Thanks, Substack :-)
Just signed in to Chat for the first time! It looks great, and I'm considering starting some book-club-like chats for interested readers as subscribers grow. Not sure quite how this'll work yet, but I have a positive first impression. Thanks for making this feature available on web, which is how the vast majority of my readers visit Substack!
I know it's going to take time to grow my page, but I put up my first Chat yesterday. I thought if I asked my followers to respond, they'd come. I think the problem is some of my followers are friends and they see me socially. It's hard being a social butterfly...
I love the opportunity to create more conversation and direct connection with readers, but kept getting stuck on the app requirement for chat usage. What a delight to hop on here and find that it's now available on web!
love the idea of the web version, but not sure about letting subscribers start their own threads. Would that involve the need for us to act as moderators? That could be quite time-consuming
I haven't come across that yet. Don't know what I'd do if I did. Not being very PC, I'd just say suck it up and grow a pair. Thankfully, I haven't had to, yet.
Hey Terry, I just made it possible for any subscriber to start a thread in my Chat. I recognize the potential for disaster, but I'm also kind of curious to see what happens. Fingers crossed.
I think it would Terry, if only because it is taking place under your substack. There is the option to allow only paid subscribers to initiate chats--maybe that would filter out most of the problems.
I was thinking the same, Ehud, although I feel bad about the implied wariness of my non-paying subscribers. I'm thinking of reverting to my usual stance with new features, which is to wait and see (a) how others find it and what they're doing with it and (b) whether it solves a problem I didn't know I had. I've already sent out a chat thread message, but I think I might leave it at that for now.
Actually, I'm thinking the Chat platform would be a pretty good way of picking peoples' brains. If you're writing a story and get stuck, you can put the question out to your readers and see what kind of idea they might come up with.
Question, Katie: Any idea if the platform might start allowing writers to pay less than the $50/year and $5/mo threshold? I think it’d be much better for gaining subscribers and more doable for readers. $50/year is equal to a subscription to The New Yorker. I’d love to offer more like $10-$20/year or $2-3/mo.
My attempts at chat were not successful. I may regroup and try again, but time is a problem. I am subscribed to some very interesting Substacks and just keeping up with those and my own writing just about does it for me. I don't know what I would do if I had an active chat life.
I have tried to start a couple of chat threads with my 1300 subscribers and got zero response. Which is weird. Even my friends didn´t respond. Why? Maybe because they haven´t downloaded it. I don´t know. So sticking to emails for the moment.
I had a similar problem. Back in 1997 I found a room that was devoted to Macs and Apple, and we all hung out there in AIM chat. Then AIM kind of ended and we moved to yahoo. It was slow going getting everyone to move to yahoo, but we finally made the migration. It takes time to get people into the habit of doing something new, from new platforms to new ways of interacting.
Do your readers engage in your comments section? I get one or two sometimes but it feels like a fairly passive audience tbh. If I didn´t see consistent open rates of around 35% I would probably have given up already!
Similar experience. Fortunately, I'm writing what I want and need to write about ... so I keep exploring and am grateful for all the growth that comes my way on this journey.
I'm in the same boat. But I like that I can write what I want. I also look at my open rate. Somebody's reading, just not many want to leave comments. Can't figure that part out. I guess that's why I look at the open rate, just to reassure myself someone's out there.
I’m so happy we can chat on the web now! Or, well, mostly happy. It means I no longer have an excuse to procrastinate starting one. I’m still a little nervous I’ll dip my toes into it and no one will respond.
I dove right in not knowing where I was going or what I was going to say. I'm so used to no one responding in my comments--or very few, I should say--that I've gotten used to the sound of crickets.
I was about to post some whiney thing about how I'm hesitant and don't need yet ANOTHER place to chat about things, but instead I just started a chat LMAO. Empiricism for the win!
Hey everyone! 👋 I'm Terrell and I'm one of the original testers of the Chat feature, and one of the things that has worked well for me in sparking engagement and conversation among my readers is asking them to share photos of where they are in the world -- mine is a running-focused newsletter, so sometimes I'll ask "where did you run this weekend" or "where are you right now?" It's been fascinating to see people post from places around the U.S. as well as far away as Italy, Spain, Greece, etc. It's such a cool cool feature.
Definitely! It's been trial-and-error for me too; I've had posts that got lots of engagement and others not so much. I think of it as something light and fun, just for errant thoughts related to my newsletter, articles I think are interesting, or photos I think they might like. It's definitely a lower level of effort than I put into my posts, and that's what I want readers to see it as too -- like a big group chat. No pressure 😃
That’s good to hear. Yeah I’ve been hesitant because some really awesome newsletters I subscribe to with great comment engagement tried it out and sometimes ...crickets...or very little. As a fellow writer, sometimes I jumped in to try to get it going with them, but I don’t know if it was always catching even when the topic was good. Photos are a great idea. Anything else as an example? Thanks a ton
Yes!! :) Good idea. Or songs to add to a playlist? I did some random ones, like for a post about phonecalls in movies and books...the songs, I thought, were both relevant and pretty comical.
I was thinking of that! I started adding a YouTube video of music that I thought was appropriate to my topic and got some good feedback. It was only my 3rd issue. But I like it when authors do that. We learn something about each other with our music.
Great question! One thing that I haven't tried, because my Substack isn't really about news, is starting a conversation about something timely, or just asking questions of your readers. Some writers I've seen will ask questions like, "do you think I should write about this?" and throw out a topic idea, just to gauge where their readers are at. Others share photos of their dogs 😃
I really think the best way to learn is to just jump in and get started -- it's a good idea to promote it in your newsletter for at least a few issues too, I think. Let your readers know that this is a kind of campfire you can gather round, jump in and post -- and be sure to let them know they can start conversations there too. Hope that helps!
I think, and maybe wrong, that early on you should schedule "chatting office hours" where you are devoted to being there. Could be just thirty minutes a day, or an hour once a week. And then as demand grows, you could add more days and times.
Like a lot of this, I think people have to know that you will be delivering content to them on a regular basis. Even if that "basis" is at odd times. For chatting though I think it is unusual because it happens in real time, so it would be a good idea to devote time reliably.
I like the idea of spontaneity of chat, though. But, might make more sense to have a series of rotating times when chats can happen, so that you're catering to as many as possible if subs are spread across the world (though of course, you have to be awake too, I assume. Or can you schedule a chat and not be there?)
Great idea Jimmy! I have tried Chat only once to allow people to discuss a recent post for my Visual Storytelling Newsletter. Didn't get much response. I like your idea of Office Hours that sets the expectation that the host will be there to respond, pretty much like this program we're in now. I think it boils down to framing the time and topic.
That's a great way to do it. Suleika Jaouad, who writes The Isolation Journals (https://theisolationjournals.substack.com) does a once-a-week Friday get-together that always seems to get a great response from her readers.
I also like that it can be asynchronous if you want it to be -- so, readers can jump in and jump out as they like, or reply later to something you posted hours, or days, earlier. It can be whatever you want it to be 😃
Have included mention of chat feature in every post since available. But little engagement. Should I stop adding the invite to my posts? I found out the page shuts down and has to be reloaded as well which meant reader could not access it either
That's a great idea. I didn't know it was possible for a commenter to upload a photo. How does one do that? For example here where I am responding. Is there a way I could attach a photo?
Actually you can't upload photos in comments, but you can in Chat. When you reply to an existing thread in Chat, or start a new one, there's a small photo icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the pop-up window -- click that to add your photo. 😃
I took a quick peek at your Substack and actually think it might be a perfect fit for Chat 😃 Food is such an incredibly roomy topic area for conversation and opinion and ideas.
Well the reason I haven't (and thanks for saying that) is that I've got an idea for a regular get together which I'm launching shortly and think that Chat might be an overload! But I like the idea of chatting just after you've uploaded a post that people will have had time to read
I've always liked the idea of having an announced "Office Hours" (pick your own label) chat session - about once every week or two. I love the way that Substack pre-announces the next Chat session. I'm looking at it as a Bonus reward for paid subscribers.
That's awesome Terrell. How long do you leave the chat open for, or does it always remain open? Is a chat history saved if you do have to switch off from it?
Do your readers share photos in the comment section or chat Terrell? I thought about saying Hi to subs in my posts but thought it might be invasion of their privacy
In Chat -- I don't think that's an option in post comments, at least right now. That's what I like about Chat -- it's opt-in; each reader goes there because they want to 😃
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here's a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you:
When you put them on the scale of your creative life, which one is heavier: criticism, or compliments? I don't know about you, but I can receive ten compliments and feel pretty good, but if someone gives me ONE piece of negative feedback? Oof. Whole week ruined.
But why? Why do we let negativity sit heavier in our souls? I don't have a good answer to that. But what I DO know is that criticism and compliments only weigh as much as their ability to propel you forward. If a compliment keeps you comfy but stagnant, then it's worthless. Similarly, if a piece of criticism helps you improve, then it's more valuable than gold! Don't let the snipes, gripes, and insults about your work get you down. They may feel heavy, but they're hollow on the inside. For every compliment and criticism, ask yourself: is this valuable to me? Is it keeping me moving forward? If the answer is no, then let it go!
Most importantly: keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP! 🌿
This is so true! On a piece that honors my own tastes, I can handle getting fewer reads and less positive feedback. There’s an important lesson in that.
Completely agree with you both. I start by writing for me, not to feed the seemingly insatiable content beast. As long as that remains at the forefront, and I write with honesty and integrity, criticism just becomes another opinion.
Your only competition is you. Nobody does what you do, so nobody else can do it better. Focus on gettting better and better, and let the others do the same.
Yeah, that's what I've found, as well. I'm less interested in how a piece is received and more in whether or not said piece reflects me. If it does, I've done a great job. If not, even if people love it, it won't feel right, because they'd be loving something different from what I meant to create.
I think that the most scary thing for a writer is silence. Not getting any feedback. Not getting any reaction. Encouraging comments are of course always welcomed, as is constructive criticism. Even though by nature we tend to remember the criticism more than the positive feedback, I think that as writers we should know our strengths as well as our weaknesses. Positive feedback should be kept near the heart. It keeps us going. Negative feedback that comes from someone who is not invested in my journey and doesn’t care about my growth… well, everyone is entitled to an opinion. I know my path, I know where I want to go, and I know that I still have a lot to learn. I think that keeping a humble attitude is key. Nobody was born learned.
Yeah, silence is the worst. I've been hearing about "lurkers," people who read your writing consistently and gain value from it but you'll never know because they don't engage. I'm trying to solve this by not being a "lurker" myself. It's so easy to just push the like button, more effort to comment but I think worth it, especially when I know from the other side how valuable it is for the author/content creator.
I’ve been doing that for a over a year before I started my Substack 😳! The writer I lurked subscribed to my newsletter and has been so supportive. I’m a paying subscriber now. But yeah, before I started writing it didn’t occur to me to like or comment. And I have no idea why I didn’t do that before… Now I like everything I read and comment when I have something meaningful to say. But I don’t blame the lurkers. I’m happy that they take time to read what I write. 😁 I was a very engaged lurker, read every single newsletter.
Right now I mainly read the substacks to which I subscribe. But I also love discovering new stuff. The time is limited though. Authors do react back if the interest is genuine and they find my substack relevant. Other times their audience might discover me via the comments. It depends. 😊
It's a tough one. If you're only a reader, I think the value that hitting a Like button can have is perhaps not clear.
As a writer, or at least a new writer, that simple act carries a lot of encouragement and warmth and helps reassure you're contributing something. Perhaps we shouldn't need that, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't help push me along.
Such good points, Claudia. Silence doesn't allow us to gage if our writing is having an impact. I am not concerned about quantity at this point. I do, however, enjoy remarks that show the reader was engaged with the material and created a new understanding , whether it is publicly posted on Comments or in a private message to me. Since I deal with highly sensitive subject matter, I expect not everyone will want to comment in a public forum. I think your point about knowing who you are, where you want to go and being willing to learn are the key elements on this journey as writers.
Exactly, if I wanted silence I would just write for myself 😂 which is really not fun!
Love your point about no wanting quantity. The Substack Leaderboards rank people by the number of followers and frequency of publishing. But I feel like I have to take my time to write an article. First and foremost I want to write something that allows me to learn something about a new topic, or explore a new angle of my secondary world, or create a new short story. There is also so much content everywhere. For now I send a bi-weekly newsletter and I think that it will stay like that for a long time.
And this is what I love about these weekly threads. I get to find new substacks! Yours sounds absolutely my kind of thing, so I shall be taking a look. Thanks for posting here :)
The default reaction of the world is "they don't care." or as a friend of time said "don't even know enough to care." There isn't any animosity to this, it is more OOSOOM, or out of sight, out of mind.
Exactly! As a writer it’s hard to take the ‘I don’t care’. But it’s a lesson in humility and also appreciation for every single person that cares. Nowadays it’s even more complicated. Read a great article recently about how in today’s culture everyone wants to talk but nobody wants to listen.
I couldn't agree with you more, Claudia. But the one word I keep looking for in everybody's discussion on this topic is "constructive." Sure, I appreciate when someone says, "This is great!" But that doesn't help me get better. We need real, constructive feedback from readers to learn what resonates with them. Some of my critics have pointed out huge gaps in my thinking about something I've written. I cherish those people!!
That's the best kind of feedback. Did you get this constructive feedback from regular readers or other writers? I write fiction and it would be great to have a group of writers and give each other constructive criticism on plot, style, worldbulding etc.
One thing I've done that is helpful is keep an ongoing file where I copy and paste in every single compliment I get on my newsletter. It get a super boost now every time I read through it.
Such a good point, Howard. There was a mini-discussion on this last week I believe. As a result, I compiled some comments from readers into my About page with an embedded link for each commenter so people can click and go to their newsletters. I figure they've helped me by giving their thoughts and time to share a comment, I can offer a little cross-promotion to them, as well as show prospective readers what others have thought of my work.
Yes, that's what I was thinking Howard. On another website I have a couple of pages dedicated to testimonials. Not sure if anyone reads them, mind you!
I started my career as a journalist at my small hometown Texas newspaper 40 years ago this May, just nine days after graduating from high school. After writing a story that angered the mayor and a couple of city council members in a nearby small town, a senior reporter looked at thin-skinned me and said, "As long as it's accurate and truthful, remember this: You're writing to please no one. Tell the story as it needs to be told. If you do that, it's likely you'll make someone happy on both sides of any topic. You're also guaranteed to piss someone off on both sides too. That's how you'll know you've done your job."
A good reminder of what's important: is it true? Is it helpful? Does it serve the purpose it was meant to serve?
I also try to ask myself if what I'm writing improves the world in some way, whether that's encouraging people to think about something important, communicating a thing of beauty, or teaching an interesting topic.
And I've found that this advice applies beyond journalism. My mentor advised me recently that he feels I still haven't found my voice. Write about what I want to write about. Write for me. If its honest and valuable it will find readers. I agree with you totally, Glenn. I just wanted our colleagues who are not journalists to consider that your wise words apply to them too.
You got very smart advice. I went into journalism at 25. I don’t know many teens who could take the criticism that comes par for the course in journalism and not wither under criticism.
Is this the comment? Funny enough, I also wrote for the local newspaper when I was a teenager. They started a weekly double page for the youth for me. Once I wrote an article about the high school that I attended. Nobody spoke to me (including teachers) for two months. I was persona non-grata. Another time I wrote about illegal abortion amongst teenage girls and one of the journalist said 'You're lucky that the police doesn't read the youth page'. I stopped writing after that... 😅
1. It's actually psychological, our brains are wired this way--it's the negativity bias. We're always scanning for "threats" as animals, so the criticisms or threats stick with us more than the "wins." It sucks but it's the way we're wired in order to "survive." But here's how I work against that...
2. I love to keep a "love notes" folder in my email inbox as well as a phone album for screenshots. When I get positive feedback about my work, I save it there. It can be really hard to constantly put yourself out there, but your work matters. And if you have your love notes file, then you can always remind yourself of your impact when times are hard :) Highly recommend this practice!
I've had a few people who already know me stop me before I can say anything else and tell me that they love reading my newsletter. They talk about it sincerely and it's made me continue on. I bank them, as you say, in the soppy metaphor of my heart.
"Love notes" is a great concept! I'm in a community were we have a "love" channel in our Slack, and members post screenshots of positive reactions we receive from the people we serve. It's wild to realize how big an impact that something we consider small or routine can have on another person's life.
Which translates well to writing. Even if we don't get many "love notes," chances are there are people who have been touched or inspired by what we write. It's both encouraging and humbling to remember that the words we put into the world have that power.
It's the way our brains are wired, I think. We are five times more likely to remember something negative than something positive, if I recall the neuroscience correctly. Thanks for this!
Yes, my thoughts exactly Mike. I wrote a piece and thought would get backlash for sure but nothing really and another same and no reaction! As writers and esp. online we should expect critical commentary. I think at this stage we should be able to distinguish the good from the trash right? Comments on this end have increased all good and with increase in #s good and bad are all part of the process
also now that I'm thinking about it more - possibly what it's like to grow up with a brother 13 years younger than me (I'm going with my brothers) and the stark difference in our childhoods.
The whole story sounds like it could have a snowball effect. You start with one angle, and then you start exploring more angles. I definitely found that to be true as I started sharing my personal story as well. (on recovery from the strict religious environment I was raised in).
Heck yeah! That's why I don't write about causes that I don't believe in. If I'm going to put my time and energy into it, it's going to be something I stand by firmly and with conviction.
That way the negative comments don't get under my skin. I know I'm doing a good job by my own standards, and that's important to me.
100% with this. I started my newsletter just to share what I've learned in life to my friends and families. And their compliments and feedback have been very beneficial for me in reiterating and improving my craft ❤️
Very good, Kris. The same start up for my writing. I had been writing for my children and wanted a place to archive. Substact seemed a good place. I now have 60 or so subs with a hand full paid. Learning. Want to keep the start up vision.
Or if I've lost a subscriber. I know better - it's not logical. I want readers that truly gain from reading the newsletter and will absolutely keep writing. Yet -there it is - that little tickle of sadness.
turn of the notifications when a subscriber leaves. That prevents it showing up in your inbox as a reminder. leave positive notifications on (like when someone comments)
Kerri paused her publication just after I subscribed. It's the effect I have on a lot of people. I've read a few of her past articles, and the current ones, and they're well worth subscribing to, Mike: lovely and upbeat. It's definitely a great part of the week when an article from Kerry appears. (Kerri, my invoice is in the post)
For the first year of the publication, I shared three things each week that made me smile. In January, I put that part on hold to write about a course I'm taking called "Creating the Impossible," where my impossible project is to get cast in a Broadway musical. I'll return to sharing smiles when the course is over. Thanks for asking! :)
Also, just to say that Kerri is intelligent and erudite. I know this because she subscribes to mine! And likes it! If you're interested, I write at terryfreedman.substack.com, and have a great correspondence going with Rebecca Holden at https://rebeccaholden.substack.com/
Terry and Rebecca time is one of my favorite times of the week! Also, love the Monday posts that I usually get to on Wednesday and appreciate all the more by mid-week. :)
I have to remind myself: there's always someone who's negative. It's no reflection on anything you do as an artist (unless *everyone* is negative, which, yeah, rethink then).
For my most recent song I released, my ratings on a hot-or-not chart ranged from 0 to 100 (average about 82, I think). When I see those zeros, I just tell myself: there's always someone. Carry on.
Roll with the punch. As long as it is not just slinging of crap (which any writer must be able to filter out), all criticism helps you improve, good or bad. Remember, many times negative criticism has a touch of jealousy involved. I am speaking from experience, about negative comments I have made myself on other's substacks!
Definitely appreciate this, S.E. -- In reality, it's harder to do than we might think, because, as others have written below, it's part of how we're wired. We have to keep at it, pretty much always. And, the more negative inputs we've experienced over our lifetime, the more we are at risk of a cumulative negativity bias that tends to outweigh the positive, even when we reach a point of having a lot of light in our life. I recently published a 2-part series on the power of words and explored this very idea in the second part. "Facing the Music" https://elizabethbeggins.substack.com/p/facing-the-music Linked to some helpful resources that flesh out my own ideas for those who want to dig a little deeper.
Thanks so much for calling attention to this from the writer's lens.
Hi substack folks - last week I missed this post by 1 hour and there were already 1000+ comments. It's not really possible to have a voice that way. Any thoughts on how this weekly office hours post could be changed to address that?
I read hundreds of comments and replies on here each Thursday. And reply to a dozen or two. I always find a couple or three new writers to subscribe to, as well, and about half my subscribers have come along via Office Hours directly or indirectly. So I'm glad there are A LOT of writers on here.
Yeah, I thought about that too but it's an awful lot of time filtering things. I'm actively trying to curate the sources of my information intake. But I agree there's something to be said for finding new things. And your point about the new subscribers thing is an important one.
Yep, I agree with Mike (and Kevin and Valorie). It can be overwhelming at first, but it is certainly worth diving into the threads and spend some time here. If not to meet the fabulous Substack team, then to meet the fabulous writers who are eager to share their thoughts here.
I write a poetry magazine. So with poetry and about poetry. Every Friday I share a fresh poem, something poetic and three links to poetry elsewhere. On selected Tuesdays I post about my endeavours as a poet exploring publishing on blockchains. I am also doing some podcast episodes.
Elie Wiesel! He was probably the most well-known person to have survived the Holocaust. A Nobel Laureate. He died in 2016. It would be worth it for you to check him out. A true gem!
This just occurred to me, but maybe Office Hours should be split up between "question time" and "social time". Right now, the mix of writers with specific questions and writers who just want to talk shop is a little dizzying. 🌿
Yes! Some of us mentioned this last time. We might benefit from breaking out the social aspect into its own time, where writers can confine their chatting, networking, and self-promotion while keeping Office Hours strictly for the Q&A stuff. I think that makes a lot of sense and provides us the greatest amount of choice. Everyone wins :-)
At the same time, established writers come in and help newbies, which is one of the beautiful things about office hours. I know there is always a prompt for Office Hours (today is Chat). Maybe that prompt could be announced ahead of time so people could decide if they want to join that conversation or not.
I like newer vs established because the stages of development and what makes sense is different. As a newer writer here that is my perspective. As an established biz owner I can say that in any group spaces, it is helpful to both pay it forward and learn something new. So by breaking it out, you don't bore the veterans and don't give newbies the "not yet a fit" things to try. Allowing new and established writers to play and visit in each other's group (again to pay knowledge forward and learn).
I like the new vs established group idea. There are different challenges at each stage of development and sometimes office hours really seems geared to the folks who are just starting.
That said, it’s always nice when you can answer a question for someone new. I could see myself attending both versions just for the pleasure of being helpful to the new guys.
It's two hours later, but I just want to add that there is a big difference between being a new young writer seeking advice and being new to Substack. I have been writing for over fifty years, but am relatively new to Substack.
Yeah - and they took the collapse function away. This is my last office hours if it's gone forever. There is NO way to wade through all of this - so you're not alone in how you feel.
I hear you, Brad, and so do many others. In fact, this was a recurrent suggestion for last week's Office Hours, if you want to go back and review any of that content. It is tricky to sift through so many comments. That being true, I still find value in skimming and reading what I can in the time I have. I learn something every time.
We always post the office hours thread before the conversation hour to try to make sure everyone gets the chance to get their questions in! If you can show up early, that's a more sure-fire approach to get your question answered.
I echo Brad's sentiment, though. I'm on a tight schedule daily and can't show up early...getting here "on time" to find hundreds of comments already on the thread can be overwhelming, and it often takes a while to find pertinent conversations.
Thanks Bailey! While there are some great points made here about the advantages of diving in to all the comments - many that I agree with - I'm just not sure it's scaling well. Maybe the way reddit pre-posts AMA threads they know are going to be popular would work. Cheers :-)
This. As much as I appreciate the snowball effect of likes and replies my posts get because I post so early, I hate that posts with zero likes--and very insightful questions or comments--get buried because of the weight given to likes by default. A simple change like this would really make a difference. 🌿
Yes, and turn off automatic reloading. I just lost a long reply to someone because it reloaded so much it made the text box I was writing in disappear. :/
There are some clunky workarounds that you can try in each browser, but they affect your browser's behavior across all websites. This is really something Substack needs to take care of on their end.
I see it--but the default is Top. Most people when they come to Office Hours for the first time will see the most-liked comments. If they saw new comments by default, they would be forced to navigate some of those insightful questions or comments before getting to the most liked ones.
Agree there's a lot going on here. One thing I realized is that the thread is open significantly before the official start time. So if you did want to "get in early" try logging on an hour or two beforehand.
Personally, what works for me is to collapse the threads about topics I'm not currently attuned to. That's an easy way to skip over the long conversations which may not be relevant to you at this particular time.
<shamelessPlug>Obligatory reply that I'd love to see you over at https://strong99.substack.com where I'm writing about not just living longer but *thriving* longer, and that I'm excited to have just launched my second newsletter - https://sticksandstones.substack.com - where I'm writing about the impact of worldwide military spending on society. Cheers!</shamelessPlug>
I'm trying to convince Substack to do an office hour devoted to Classifieds. Let's do an experiment, let's use this thread as a classifieds section. I'm sacrificing my notifications for the cause.
If you are looking for collaborations, share this information in a reply to this comment:
-What is your substack? Share a link!
-What is your substack about? Pitch prospective collaborators!
- What kind of collaboration are you looking for? Guest post? Podcast Guest? Letter writing counterpart? Cross-post? Something I can't think of right now? Mention it here.
-Who is your ideal collaboration? someone who is in the same space as you? Something different? Are you looking for someone to enhance an idea you focus on, or introduce a new idea you want to talk about?
If you are open to collaborations, scroll the replies and respond to people if you think you are a match! Coordinate among yourselves how to get the collab going.
I hope this works! Good luck out there! Happy hunting!
My weekly Substack features a week in the life of working moms. Would love to feature some more stories (and link to my contributor’s creative projects etc)
No longer working but have worked as a mom and expect to go back. I am very much in the between. I was a 30 year old mom who worked and then I had a -surprise- 40 year old baby and have stayed home for a few years. Might be an interesting perspective as far as moms who have experienced a little bit of everything!
Oh that would be lovely! This week we featured a mom looking to head back after adoption so all stories are welcome. A Google form is on the Substack main page
Just subscribed, although I am past the stage of being a working mom. But my daughter has a 3 year old and is about to give birth to her 2nd, so I will be sure to pass it on!
Hey! I write Practice Space (sismanandrew.substack.com). It's a newsletter of nonfiction essays, whether memoir (stories about my life and how certain events changed me) or more general nonfiction stories. Some of the topics I cover are heavy (I wrote a piece about the history of animal abuse in Hollywood), while others are funny and whimsical. Come check it out! I'll be eternally grateful for the support. As for collaborations, I'm a big fan of cross-posts and recommendations. I recommend a bunch of stacks I love and it feels really great to help them reach new people.
Hi Andrei, I just subscribed too. I also write personal essays and would love to cross-post and recommend. You can see mine here: accidentalcareergirl@substack.com
- I share my adventures throughout Maine - from hikes to pursue, to farm to table dinners, quirky events and so much more. If you are infatuated already with Vacationland or have dreamed of visiting, it should serve as good fuel.
- I'd love to cross-post with any other substack focused specifically on - or written from - Maine.
Am always on the look out for inspiration and would love to hear from writers who have shared any stories about funny incidents that they have found themselves in. The strangest things can sometimes spark my imagination!
-It's a Catholic lifestyle magazine-ish about how to live as a Catholic in this modern world--the focus is on what I call the "Peasant Life" which is all about knowing our limits and our limitations.
-I'm looking for Guest posts, Cross posts, or letter writing counterparts.
-The ideal collaborator is someone who is Catholic or Christian (or interested in either), who has thoughts about the simplest and most fundamental truths of faith, and is interested in discussing or exploring those ideas in a collaborative setting.
This is a very niche thing, but if anyone is interested let me know!
Kind of odd, but I’m a practicing Catholic & astrologer, which works for me but sometimes more trad Catholics can’t wrap their head around. No worries either way, but would be open to collabing if you were interested.
I write on education and family in a time of upheaval from a Christian perspective. You can take a look at my posts and see if you feel they are a good fit for you. I just recently wrote on "Reclaiming your Stolen Focus - A Lenten fast with a tech twist" https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/reclaiming-your-stolen-focus
I write Oíche Rua (Ee-ha rue-ah - it's Irish). In this publication I explore themes of product design, research & education, and cultural inspiration. My perspective comes from a pottery and textiles point of view, so occasionally there are sheep or clay involved.
I am looking for a cross post with/ to be a podcast guest for someone who enjoys art and culture, understanding complex systems, discussing spiritual influences. I'd love to share a cup of tea and discuss what makes wool beautiful, or the history behind your beloved teapot!
I'm glad you suggested a separate forum for classifieds. Long ago I worked at a ComputerLand franchise where the corp had just set up a forum on Telenet. Many franchisees were exchanging great ideas. I made the mistake of asking my colleagues if any of them had a scarce product they could share with me. The entire network seized upon that idea and the forum became a trading post. My hope is that this Office Hours gets more focused on the craft of writing and the innovative things people are doing to reach a bigger audience.
I share short and sweet weekly reflections to soothe the Sunday Scaries and offer inspiration/encouragement for all creatives.
I'm looking to feature fellow creatives who have traveled to the beat of their own drum- voices who need a little amplification and support with wisdom to share for the rest of us!
My ideal collaboration are with artists/entrepreneurs from all different modalities. The weirder the better. Let's show the world what can happen when we honor our authenticity and unique gifts/talents.
My goal is to create a thriving, creative community where we can eventually do things like offer collaborations, mutual aid, and widen the safety net of love in the world. <3
Fun! I run Unruly Figures, a history podcast. I'm looking for historians to interview. If you're interested in being a guest, shoot me an email at unrulyfigures@substack.com :)
My Substack is Stream Unconsciousness. sabrinalabow.substack.com. I just write and tap into my unconscious. It's an exploration of the human condition. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it but it's my thoughts on all sorts of topics. It's about how we create your own realities with our thoughts and beliefs. We are all spinning on this ball in space going round and round and you look out into the sky and it's infinity and I suppose trying to get my head around it by writing about it and our shared experiences as humans. I'm not very good at the tech stuff but trying to get better!
This is a great idea. I'd love to find some more people interested in right livelihood and alternatives to the money system: https://thelaboringheart.substack.com/
Love love this idea. Collaborations yes Scoot. This classified approach would save time and having all potential collaborators listed to scroll, search, and email fantastic.
Currently I’m working on a collection of short stories and exploring the world of a novel I hope to start when I’m done with the collection.
I also write about climate fiction and its role in educating about climate change. I am looking to collaborate with other people interested in cli-fi. Letter exchange on cli-fi topics such as the future of food, ecological imagination, ecotopia, etc. would be interesting or interviews with cli-fi writers. If you write cli-fi or are interested leave a comment. 😘
I'm Marie Shadows, an EX-WWE employee now turned podcaster, Livestream host, wrestling media journalist/analytist, and writer. I would love to Collab with other wrestling fans and wrestling writers.
The only idea I have is to feature fan stories on my newsletter. I might do the invite to my podcast as a guest to talk about WWE, New Japan Pro Wrestling, MLW, Impact, and not so much AEW as I've fell out of love with AEW. But we'll see. During 2020, I used to do this with my buddies.
My Substack is about my journey in wrestling, my thoughts on all things wrestling and even podcasting drama to set records straight because love to drag the most successful in their field, and more stuff in wrestling.
So this just an introduction for now. We can also use chat. 🤷 Message me if interested.
Please note: I don't easily trust or am quick to be like: yes! Let's book it! I do suggest to talk with me for a bit on a friendly level conversation and interact with me on my posts, in chat, in my discord, or on Twitter. It'll get me comfortable. This is the only thing I ask if you wanted to Collab with me. 🙏
I always wanted to Collab with others but it was always an idea. I think we change that.
I came across a substack that uses a "Tip jar" rather than paid subscription. Readers leave a one-time tip if they enjoyed the articles or want to support the writer with a one-time payment. Has anyone tried this? Any thoughts on adding a 'tip jar' option?
I always put a Ko-fi link for people who don’t like the burden of a subscription and I usually get one or two per article, that’s £5. I think an integrated tip jar in substack would be even better.
ko-fi.com is a platform where you can create a profil and people can send you money via a link “a coffee”. it is like any paypal/venmo link but a bit nicer
Hey Ratika! I'm in the same boat. But $5 isn't actually the minimum for Indian publications. If you turning paid subs on you'll see that the pricing is in INR and more flexible. We do have a different problem though - no way to price in USD for US readers. Oh, also, no way for readers to pay via UPI.
Semi-regularly. Based on the people using it, I don’t think it dissuaded anyone. A common example might be my writing about a specific band, and one of their fans using it after reading the article.
I saw a Substack do this as well and thought it was a nice idea. Less commitment. It was a writer/reader-related pub, so the author put "Buy me a book" and it linked to an outside site where people could do a one-time contribution of $5, $10, or $25.
My husband had Alzheimers Disease. In lieu of paid subscriptions, I plan to add a link to The Alzheimer's Association website and let readers contribute if they choose - either in his name or someone else's name they would like to honor.
I like the concept of "throw me a couple bones if you like what I'm doing," because I totally do that for creators I like. I suppose I'm also a little unsure if my Substack offers enough value at the moment to have a Paid section, so this seems like a nice in-between.
Hey there! Wanted to jump in to share some thoughts around we haven't built tools on Substack for this.
One of the reasons we focus on monthly and yearly subscriptions, at minimum $ amounts, versus one-off payments/tips and ads is that the former creates a stable, even sizable, income for the writer that empowers them to do their best work. Monthly and yearly subscriptions are not reliant on writing "hit posts" and don't incentivize short-term wins. Instead they encourage writers and readers to develop trusting, sustained relationships.
In the future, some form of "tipping" could work on Substack (for example, for readers who are already paying subscribers to give a writer kudos), but this is why we haven't prioritized building a feature like this now and instead have created products like pledges - https://on.substack.com/p/pledges
While I can understand this, I don't see tip options as encouraging writers to attempt "hit" or "viral" posts. Rather, it gives readers (like me) who can't afford to subscribe to every Substack they enjoy a way to show tangible support and bolster others' income.
I keep forgetting to mention my Buy Me a Coffee link! But I have one. I used it in the past before Substack and had a few people give money and wrote praises for my writing and it was the best feeling ever!
Right now I’m in an existential phase of life so I’m always forgetting to mention it. I’m essentially just writing weekly posts as I explore life and figure out what the heck I’m doing with it after losing my mom... so I’ll have to remember to bring up the Buy Me a Coffee page again. I say “buy me a matcha”, haha! And can set it up to be as little as $3 I think.
My tip jar links are in my footer, so it goes out with every email. However, I've considered putting it retroactively at the bottom of posts for those who visit the webpage version. BMAC is also in the sidebar links for me. And yes, you can totally set it up for $3! Put it everywhere, haha.
I had a tip jar via Buy me a coffee + links to Venmo/PayPal/etc before I turned on paid subs. I still have the tip jar link as an option for those who can't commit to a monthly payment.
I think this is a smart idea. I'd love to see an integrated option on Substack for "support this article" or "Like this article? Buy me a (coffee, burrito, taco, salad, etc...)"
Honestly, this is the basic idea of writing NFTs in the Web3 space. There's a lot more to it than that, but at its core, it's a way for people to support and curate articles and other creative works individually rather than being tied to a subscription. And it gives creators more options to receive support.
I've commented about this on previous Office Hours threads, but I'd be happy to give a few dollars as a tip on a post I really liked vs. subscribing to every paid Substack I read. I can't sustain the latter financially, but the former would provide the option of supporting writers I enjoy beyond just clicking "like" or leaving comments.
Thanks for sharing, Valorie. I looked into the option but I didn't like how the company of Buy me a coffee could access any information in the Stripe account. Maybe I'm worried too much but it gave me pause.
I've been recommending something like this for a while too:
Substack establishes a credit system where a member can buy a dollar value each month, which can roll over. A credit can = $1 and can be used in the following ways:
1. They can pay for subscriptions with credits where there might be a reduced cost option (say 3 credits vs. $5)
2. They can pay for individual essays with credits (1 credit / essay)
3. They can send credits to writers for free essays as a 'tip' for good writing.
So this would break down to allow someone to buy 20 credits - $20 each month.
They could use 9 credits on three subscriptions and have 11 credits to buy / tip for other essays. This would allow a micro-monitization vs. the expectation of a fully committed and yet independent subscriptions. It would help build the broader community aspect of a network of authors as well.
It would also solve the challenge of "micro-payments" via credit card. I think that's a bit of a barrier because you get socked a fee for every handful of dollars.
It always feels better when someone pays for the content after they've read it and found it valuable. There are few better ways to express recognition!
I've thought about doing something similar- I've added my Venmo link at the bottom for a "pay what you can" option. We'll see what happens! I'm also interested in trying out registering/selling monthly events on my Substack. They will be free for founding members, but I know a lot of people would probably be more willing to pay $10 for one or two instead of $100 for all twelve.
Does anyone know if there's a way to make the Founding Membership monthly instead of annually? Might get more subscribers that way?
I am waiting for a Substack native feature that does this. I hope it is on their radar. I feel bad for taking money outside the substack native environment, it's the only way they make money too.
Is there any way to organise a Substack writers meet-up in our respective cities? Or at least a resource of where people are grouped so we can do the leg work ourselves of organising? Community is everything and meeting with other writers in our city would be so inspiring and helpful beyond the screen.
👀 We've helped with organizing meetups in the past. I hope we can again one day. If you have ideas, feel free to check this out: https://airtable.com/shr75JiXOl4sPJOl4
Oh no, does this mean there won’t be any “official” meetups on the two coasts this year? I definitely don’t have the square footage to host everyone in NY...
Seconding what Tonya said. I think some writers--like those of us in LA--have planned to meet up again. If you can find people in your city, maybe they already have a meet up schedule.
Great idea! I know there's at least 3 of us in my town, so it'd probably be more of a small dinner than anything else. Still a great way to get know the people on the other side of the screen.
It's possible but hard work. I organised Zoom meetups for writers in Australia/ New Zealand/ Pacific etc timezones, but I had to search the discover tab to find them and then contact them all.
Potentially a fair bit. I had a bit of spare time and it was something I really wanted to do. It's worth noting that as a side effect, I ended up being promoted by a couple of larger substacks than me, it's a worthwhile way of putting your work in front of others without actually promoting. I didn't do it for that reason, but it did have that effect.
Hey all, I’m celebrating a modest yet significant-to-me milestone: I have earned NET $400 as a writer on Substack! 🎉
Income is not not currently my goal but a happy side effect of offering the option to subscribers. All the money from Stripe gets deposited directly into my savings account where I’m holding it for costs related to editing and publishing my book at some point in the near future.
I was feeling pretty low key about this because it doesn’t feel like a lot, but I mentioned it to my friend the other day who has published a dozen books and he made a big deal out of me earning money as a writer. He celebrated it!
So here I am thanking Substack for making a space where nobodys like me can make a buck or two for doing what I love.
Thank you for sharing and congratulations! I've made about $475 (net) since November and I think sometimes it's hard to celebrate these wins! I've been asking myself a lot what makes me a "real" writer when I don't have any formal publications or professional training, degrees, etc. but I think the fact that people are paying to read what I write definitely counts!
Sure it counts Mariah! Did ya start asking for paid subs first or ... cause always wonder if I should have done the same,as the cost is low and I believe it adds value to the work
I started out offering paid subs with no expectation whatsoever that anyone would choose it. I wrote an email to 50+ people I knew personally and about 17 of them subscribed right away...I even got four founding member subscriptions. Honestly, it's all from people I know but that was a really big confidence boost (at the same time humbling) and helped me realize that I have support for what I'm trying to do.
Before the 80s most people who wrote newspapers articles were not trained in journalism. They were called reporters and were often college drop outs or had no college at all. Hemingway for instance and Churchill, one of the highest paid journalists of all time and prolific author, just started writing and writing and writing. Oh and he had staff
Wow, Mary! Thank you so much for offering this perspective. It can feel so intimidating sometimes with all of the gatekeeping in place these days...which is one more reason I love Substack! We have the keys to unlock our own gate. Thanks again, I will hold this reminder close to my heart.
I am interested because I have many subscribers who I know personally and because of that I've felt odd asking for $. I think I've said before, I worry that I'm goin to come across as the crazy Avon lady calling at everyone's door. I would love to double my subscriptions with people who I don't run into at the coffee shop. Do you know your subscribers? I also write personal essays with a humorous edge. And of course I want to say I'm glad your friend celebrated you - that's the best part!
I have so far made paid subscriptions available but I don’t paywall any of my content. The language I use in the subscriber journey is that all my content is free, and a paid subscription is simply your way of supporting my work as a writer. I donny push paid subscriptions at all, so people have self-selected when they sign up.
My first 15 subscribers were friends and family, then about a month later I sent a personal invitation out and got another 15-20 friends subscriptions. But mostly my readers are new-to-me through substack.
My belief is that friends usually want to be supportive, whether it’s by paying, commenting, encouraging, or sharing. If we don’t give them that opportunity, then they can’t participate. But if we give them the opportunity, they can choose it or not. So I give my readers that opportunity.
An ignorant question here. If I send a post out to all of my subscribers and then update it, they don't get separate emails every time I do that, right? I've seen some folks posting comments admitting to typos, but they didn't go back and fix them. I'm obsessive enough that sometimes I'll tweak things even after sending out a new post -- and I definitely go back and fix errors (an embarrassing one was when Autocorrect changed "Noam" Chomsky to "Norm" Chomsky :). But am I spamming my subscribers every time I do that?
Rest assured, Joshua - the email is sent out just the once, unless you choose to resend it. You can go back in and edit a published post whenever you like, and it won’t automatically send the email again.
It doesn't repost, fortunately. I fix typos now and then, more frequently if I've sent something in a bit of a hurry. I do add a footnote if I fix something factual or adjust wording in a way that I feel changes meaning, though. I don't want someone to read the email and then visit the website later and feel cognitive dissonance ("I thought it said something else.....").
I update a lot of my posts too, Joshua. I always have that tiny trepidation, but I'm 99% sure they don't result in another email going out. Glad you asked, and I look forward to a Substack staffer giving us a definitive answer.
Mistakes, weirdly, seem to make my readers like me more - I guess I seem more like a human and less like an industry media machine.
So don't stress the mistakes too much.
On Monday I made a really really bad factual error about a deadly human pathogen in my email and have added an 'Erratum' near the top of the page on the web version so anyone who received the error in their email will see that I have corrected it if they happen to visit the page. (I will also let subscribers know about the error in my next email to them, of course),.
BTW AI writing never has typos so your mistakes prove you are human!
Oh I totally go back and edit things. When I started using Grammarly, I went back through the old posts and was appalled (though in reality it wasn't so bad). I'll only leave a note if it changes the form, fit, or function of the essay. You can't fix the first e-mail, but they don't see any others. (I have one of my other e-mails as a 'subscriber' to check these things too :)
I also make edits! (It doesn’t get sent out) I think people understand we are editing ourselves and it’s easy to make mistakes. :) I also sent something out about 6 weeks early by mistake - oof - I followed it with a whoops email and actually got a lot of engagement out for that! I think people like to see our human side! Also - it’s really nice when other writers write privately to help with an edit. I always appreciate that
Hey Joshua. They don’t, I checked in with my wife a couple of times. I’ve made a habit of tweaking my older posts every once in a while, now that I know for sure I don’t run the risk of being spammy.
Update away Joshua. Updates never duplicate as far as I know. Go to resources and all this is covered. Updating posts by adding content, expanding sub titles esp. and of correcting typos all have increased #s
I was wondering why PayPal is not a payment solution? My readership is mostly European which means that most of them do not own a credit card. They use paypal instead. Currently I let them pay via paypal and comp them but that is quite manual also I guess not really ideal for substack is it? 🤷♀️
Hey there! So I'm a bit new (haven't even started my full Substack yet), so I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on starting? Do I need to have a ton of posts in the archive before I publish? Should I just start the darn thing and see what happens? I think I am in my head about the first newsletter and providing enough to get a subscription from readers. Anyway, any advice would be oh-so welcome and appreciated!
I’m pretty new here too. I have 9 posts out at this time. What I’ve found is just writing and posting are satisfying in themselves, and pretty soon you’ll find yourself on a roll. You won’t worry about what you should be writing about, it will just come to you, and soon your newsletter will have its own voice. And while I think it’s important to have a large back catalogue, so to speak, to create in the reader the idea you’re a legitimate creator, I also think you’ll build that over time, just by putting out your newsletter week to week (or whatever frequency you choose). Pretty soon, a year will have passed, and you’ll have released 52 issues!
Wholly agree. When you write what you like it’s so satisfying and you’re less concerned with the algorithm, the audience. And I think naturally that helps draw the right people to you :)
This is so true! just showing up for your writing at a frequency you are comfortable with, is enough! I've had wonderful transformations within myself with my writing. And now, that is more than enough feedback for me :)
THANK YOU! I love to write so that's why I am so excited about Substack. I really appreciate the feedback, I think I should probably just get started and go dive it :)
My wife and I have an interior design Substack/podcast, which is her area of expertise. She is not quite as willing to “build in public” as I am, so the fact that we can keep our publication on private mode initially was a big selling point for her. The way it works is that only subscribers can see our home page/archive and whenever anyone fills out the subscription form, we get an email notification and approve them. An unforseen benefit is that it feels pretty intimate for the approx 50 people on our subscriber list and a lot of people on the subscriber list are very excited to be taking part in this whole experiment from the beginning.
I would dive in!! I also think the more you write, you’ll fine tune what it is your substack is actually about. I started with a more general idea, but it’s gotten more specific as I’ve progressed.
This is encouraging. I think I get frustrated sometimes by not having a "totally clear and concise" topic my Substack is about. It's more a mission- create a collaborative community and inspire others to nurture their creativity. But some weeks I write personal reflections about grief or how I'm struggling to make a decision, etc. It all ties back into hoping to inspire others but it can feel a little messy at times!
I hope the more I write the more I'll refine the messaging and that in the meantime, people will be drawn to the "spirit" of my Substack without needing to indulge them in a lot of marketing gimmicks.
Yesss Mariah! You got this! One thing that's helped me is the thought that I really want my substack to me a reflection of who I am as a writer/person overall. I think the gimmicks are always tempting but in general, if you honor YOU, you will feel successful. And I think so many people will and could benefit from the community you're creating!
In accepting his recent Oscar, Brendan Fraser talked about how, in his career, it all came so easy... until it didn't. I've also found that it doesn't come as easy to others as it often has to me, so I remember to be grateful. The trick is to identify early when it stops being so easy so you can up your game to compensate. Don't let self-doubt or self-pity drag you down.
My advice: aim to be prepared “enough” but don’t try to be fully prepared when you start publishing. You’ll never feel ready. I had two weeks’ worth of posts prepared when I started. It felt like a huge leap to hit publish, but it all flowed from there.
Also, it doesn’t hurt to publish a few things at the start. I published three pieces on my first day, so that when I directed my friends to the site there was something on there for them to see.
It’s always helpful to have a catalog of work to schedule before launch so the pressure is off. But I say start the damn thing and commit to a sustainable cadence with sustainable extras that works for you. Consistency counts the most for successful substacks. But also, come back here! This is a great place for networking, finding good Substacks or get subscribers.
That was my plan originally but ended up just going for it. My cadence is not as consistent as I’d like it to be- but now after I few weeks of every other week, I’m almost done with a post for this week. I am always pushing myself though and enjoying the process.
Start the darn thing and see what happens 😁 Every article you write should go out as a newsletter from day 1. If you have any people in your circle that might be interested in subscribing, let them know one week in advance, tell them to subscribe and then send the first newsletter. It doesn’t make sense to build an archive. Subscribers like to follow the journey from the beginning. Good luck! What do plan to write?
Treat your substack as a living experiment. I launched with an idea of how I wanted to do it, and I have assessed and reconfigured at least twice in the last year. Be open to change, listen to your audience, and don't be afraid to talk to them about what you want for them and for your publication. Good luck!
A good point. I am currently in the midst of reconfiguring my publication. I started in Oct 2022 and have about 35 posts to date. I feel like I know what I am now offering in a clearer way than when I started which is satisfying in its own way AND is prompting some messaging changes in how I present initially to an audience. Stay tuned!
Before I started, I did have about a month’s work already scheduled and some other notes. That way I didn’t fee time pressure. I tend to have a lot ready beforehand and sometimes do something last minute, pushing the others back. I guess it depends on your topic and how often you plan to post? I wanted to go twice a week from the start. I was playing around on Medium to get ready for it.
But if it’s once a week, maybe just go for it! Start with some short posts. Maybe you only have a few subscribers to start then slowly build. It sounds like you want to get going :) good luck!!
I would recommend joining my Substack, In Which We Journey, where I'm getting together a bunch of people who are also new to Substack so we can learn and go together. I would say, just start! At the very least, I'll be reading your posts.
Hey Sunday! I just subscribed. Welcome to Substack! Maybe you'll find my newsletter interesting too. I write short, personal essays, mostly inspired by my own life, but sometimes about other things that matter to me.
I just saw, I'm so thrilled! I'll definitely be checking out your Substack. I think you are my most experienced subscriber, how would you like to be featured on next Saturday's Subscriber Spotlight?
Personally, I'd have several posts written and ready to go in DRAFTS before I launch. When I launched, I had several in draft mode and then I could publish something every single day. I published every day for about 3 weeks to get the thing going. I find that if you publish every day, you'll build it faster and as you go along, you'll have an archive for folks to read.
Great point- I am definitely in the phase of creating a body of work and not too worried about my rate of growth. My husband made the point that you want potential subscribers to be able to ‘go down the rabbit hole’ of your archive. So making that rabbit hole is definitely my top concern! Slowly but surely.
Start the darn thing Cake 🍰😊 Ya start with a single step with that first post of a single article. My very first article has been generating interest ever since I started a year ago. Featured character that was the inspiration gets a lot fan love. Just do it Cake. That first bite is the best!
Just start the thing! Make a consistent goal (once a week, once every other week) and just do it. Focus on building an audience (and know that it will happen slowly) and don't worry about how people will react to your FIRST newsletter.
The Sample is a quid-pro-quo. Growth is slow unless you help others find it. OR you pay. I tried paid forwards and gained about 20 new subscribes. The benefit here is that these aren't bot accounts. They are people who see and read one of your essays and descide to subscribe.
Otherwise, it's about social media and other activities. It's Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast.
Yeah, you have to plug it in your substack so they gain subscribers if you don't want to pay. Like I said, I started paid forwards and I'm getting new subscribers but they are costing about $5 each. Which is a better return than I had doing paid promotions on Twitter and LinkedIn. I got more views through those last two, but the sample only charges with each honest subscription.
It's published under a pseudonym, out of respect for my professional/industry audience (at The Rotten Apple), who don't give a damn about writing or Substack.
It's https://pubstacksuccess.substack.com/ and in it I share everything I have learned about starting a Substack and growing to 1699 subscribers and $8,600 annual revenue.
I haven't really started. Just wrote something and published it to see what happens. I'm interested in what you did. You have your Writes The Rotten ... and then another separate one for folks starting or thinking of starting a Substack. I'd like to know if you have two separate substacks do the subscribers to one know that you are the author of the other if you don't tell people like you just did in this post? I'd like to have a community substack for where I live and then a separate substack about more personal things that I don't want everyone in my condo to know about.
It's possible to keep Substack newsletters completely separate from each other. My Substack learners newsletter readers know I have a successful food safety Substack, but my food safety readers don't know about my other publication.
To keep them completely separate you can use two different email addresses to create two different Substack accounts. You should also use two different browsers or browser profiles on your device, one for each 'persona', otherwise you will be constantly having to sign in and out of Substack to switch 'personas'.
You're participating in it right now. Nothing has provided better advice for me than some of the brilliance Office Hours participants share here. That's why I keep coming back.
Hey! Well, I’m thinking about a variation on Substack Grow or Substack Go for people who missed the first ones. I hear only great things about them and I’d love to experience that sense of community with other writers, help each other, and give each other a much needed boost. And also the information that those courses provide. I don’t really know what to do in order to get more subscribers consistently. I’m not a big media personality outside of here, but I am a good writer. And I’m not sure what to do to get my work in front of more people.
I write nonfiction essays. Usually, I tell personal stories about my life, often intertwining them with bigger themes. Or I might write essays on entirely different topics, which have caught my attention that week and which I want to explore (for instance, my seventh issue is about animal abuse in Hollywood). Most of all, whatever I write, I do so because I feel the urgency to tell those stories. I only write stories that matter to me.
Hey Substack, is there a way to delete old or abandoned chat threads from the feed? Some folks I subscribe to haven't posted a chat in months (chat's not for everyone and that's a-okay!) but there doesn't seem to be a way to clear those dormant threads. Am I missing something obvious here? Thank you!
Hi there! My partner and I co-write our Substack, The Queerest Year, about queer art, media and creators (and our year *only* intaking queer art, media & voices).
I'm wondering about the categories available for tagging our Substacks... I know this is a topic that comes up a lot and that Substack is hesitant to add more, but I find that the categories are really limiting, especially for Substacks that are relevant to communities/demographics of people.
In other words, currently the category tags are focused on WHAT the newsletter content is about, but what if we had some categories for WHO the newsletter is for, especially now when certain communities (like queer and BIPOC communities) are under increasing social and political attack and we need to feel more connected. I would love for more people from the LGBTQ+ community to more easily be able to find our newsletter. (Yes, I know readers could search the word "queer" or "LGBTQ" but it's not the same.) Would love to hear what people, esp those at Substack, think. Cheers!
Having no audience categories translates into the writing being for all people; and maybe more people will read your posts. Barry Gordy of Motown says in his movie Hittsville that he was against classifying Motown music as black music. He insisted it was American music. Or have your writing in several categories so non LGBTQ+ people don't miss your writing thinking it is not for them. Radio stations in the 60s played Sinatra, then Zepplin. The variety exposed everybody to different things.
Not everything is for all people, and that's okay—especially for people from systemically marginalized communities. We need different things, including communities (and art and culture) BY and FOR us. Our publication knows our audience, which is LGBTQ+ and can include allies who seek our perspectives, and we appreciate how Substack is inclusive and could potentially support us to reach more of our specific audience.
How many people are also doing voice-overs and pushing them to Podcast players? Are you seeing much traction? The one thing I've noticed is that Substack only tracks Podcast episodes for taffic, NOT voiceovers pushed to RSS. This could be a really great addition.
If you are doing recordings, I'd love your feedback on mine as I'm always looking to learn and grow.
I do this! I interviewed my readers and found that they prefer to listen to my posts, and if I don't make the audio myself, it will generate a robot voice that they don't like. I also had a podcast before for many years, so it's great to get more listens for that as well.
Michael, have you heard from your readers on whether they like it and are listening instead of reading? I've thought about doing this for all my existing posts and am wondering whether or not to prioritize it.
Stephanie, making podcasts of back issues is quite time consuming, so it might not be worth your while. But here's a weird observation:
I have been making audio versions for 49 weeks straight and hardly anyone listens to them. BUT they are one of the features that paid subscribers say they value and will pay for (funny!).
So even though people aren't listening, the paid-only audio versions definitely seem to be a good selling point for my publication.
This is interesting, Karen! Thank you for the valuable insight. So maybe I'll record them in the background and then if I ever do a paid section with additional content, I can upload them. It would be fine it it takes a while, since I'm happy producing free weekly essays and don't plan to introduce a paid tier soon.
Hi Michael, I just clicked your link. Have you thought of also adding a Substack native podcast track to that list of podcast players, so casual readers can check out the 'feel' of your podcast straight from their browser before committing to finding you on Spotify/whereever?
My publication has an audio archive where I post links to every issue's audio version so they are easy for my subscribers to find...
Hello! I run the "What I'm Reading" newsletter (https://phillewis.substack.com/), and I'm relatively new to the Substack world. What are some tips for growing your newsletter?
I would recommend joining my Substack, In Which We Journey, where I'm bringing together a bunch of people who are new to Substack, so we can all grow together, support one another and answer each other's ignorant questions without feeling embarrassed. I would also recommend this article: https://karlstack.substack.com/p/26-growth-lessons-from-26-substack A lot of it went over my head, but the main ideas are find your niche, post regularly, and write about what you love.
I run a podcast here! (Unruly Figures) I really like the functionality, though I find it much easier to record somewhere else and upload than to record in Substack. There's not a ton of editing functionality (yet?).
I agree with Valorie, making podcast posts is easy and very intuitive, but, like Valorie I find it better to record elsewhere (I use the free auphonic app on my Android phone, and this cleans up background noise and ensures every audio file has exactly the same loudness - you can also do simple edits in the app).
Thanks, Substack managers, for Writers Office Hours! I've picked up about 40% of my subscribers directly or indirectly from hanging out and chatting here on Office Hours every Thursday. Also find 2 or 3 new Substacks each week that I really like or even love.
I recently suffered a stroke. It has impacted my speech and coordination in my left hand. Subsequently, this has also affected my ability to write and speak (cognition is thankfully unaffected, although I get tired more quickly during the day as my brain tries to heal). I am making improvement through therapies.
If you have suggestions for resources, strategies, and/or tools to accommodate this type of situation, please share.
They have a lot of resources for a variety of abilities. They have tools for everyday life as well as some others in development. Hope this helps and good luck with your recovery.
My friend Hal has a severe chronic illness. He makes music and posts on his Substack once per week, when he has enough energy and does pretty well on it too! https://halwalker.substack.com/. Hope you find his work helpful / inspiring :)
Hi Matt, I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I truly admire your resilience and determination.
Would you mind if I ask: how did you type out the above comment? Using your right hand?
I may have a suggestion for you.
I'm sure you've heard of ChatGPT? Take advantage of it.
Even if you're able to type out just a few lines using your right hand, I suggest you create prompts for the ChatGPT tool.
It's free to use, and it'll write essays and articles for you.
You can then copy-paste that into your newsletter.
Though the content is written by AI, it stems from your thoughts. It is still very original - because it came from your ideas. You can always edit/adjust as you wish later.
If you need any help writing, I'd be more than happy to help you.
Please feel free to reach out to me either through substack or email me: guru@daivi.ca.
You are a great inspiration, Matt! I pray god to bless your soul.
I wish you only the very best in all your pursuits.
Several of my subscribers have mentioned that they would like to have a way to pull back on all the recommendations they are receiving as they feel they are getting overwhelmed with recommendation emails from Substack. I'm not sure if there is a way for them to control how often they receive these emails already...in which case, please let me know...but, if not, they have mentioned that twice a month would be plenty to receive as otherwise they just feel blasted with them.
I need some examples of Substacks for some guidance, either ones you write or read. I am a multipotentialite, meaning I have a lot of different interests, many of them creative endeavors, including writing, photography, music, romance novels, etc. It's a fun life, but also frustrating because I'm not a specialist and can't whittle my Substack down to one catchy, concise thing. (As of now, it's a place where I share published journalism articles, photographs I've taken, stories from my travels, occasional writing tips, and more.)
I'd like to see examples of other Substacks like this to see how they operate for some inspo, please! Do you write one? Do you read one you love? Please share.
Hi there! Writer illustrator here. I always kept my creative writing and illustrating separate (separate social media accounts, separate work hustles) and had no idea how to bring them together. So that's what my substack is about - trying to bring these two parts of my art together. I haven't totally sorted it out, but its a work in progress and I am having fun writing and drawing stories and talking about my professional journey!
I love the term "multipotenialite"! I just subscribed to your Substack. My Substack is also kind of all over the place, so I find it difficult to put in a box. I've settled on the logline of navigating the messy middles... in life, writing, relationships, etc. Feel free to check it out if that sounds interesting. :)
I like this idea of finding a logline or tagline that you can tie everything to but that allows you to cover a fair bit of ground. I've found this works in my experience, too.
As a side note, "navigating the messy middles" is really cool, I'm subscribing!
"moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies" is an eclectic publication with six sections that includes a comic strip, a humor section, and a section for guest writers:
I really didn't want to restrict my writing to one topic, so instead of choosing a defining subject, I instead journaled and created three pillars for myself: Authenticity, Creativity, and Curiosity.
This way I can write about religion, bird watching, the 1847 Potato Famine, or tightrope walking - and it still all has a "home" with me. My priority is to find and establish my voice through these posts. The individual post topics are just vehicles for this journey.
Please fix the commenting interface for office hours. I was just writing a thoughtful reply to someone, and because the page reloads with so many active comments, it ended up reloading a few times and then the comment I was writing just disappeared.
I'm sure I'm not the only one this has happened to.
We're feeling the pain too on staff. Trying to figure out what's going on here - it may just be because this is such a huge thread. Hopefully we can resolve this for all of us!
It's because of the live update that reorders comments. Things suddenly shift. It started happening late last year. Before that one had to manually load new comments.
Also, please consider bringing back the simple and clear "collapse" link that disappeared last week. One can collapse by clicking on the vertical line, but it's not at all intuitive. Several people have mentioned the "collapse" absence today.
It's definitely because it's a huge thread! If Substack could turn off auto-reloading for this page, I think that would go a long way towards improving the experience. Then at least people wouldn't have to deal with the jumpiness as they're reading and replying.
A second huge help would be an "expand all" option at the top of the page. That would let people use Ctrl-F to find the comments they want to revisit.
One last thought is improving the navigation between comments. It *really* helps that the timestamp is a link to a page with just that comment and any replies. But, if you go to that page for a nested comment there's no way to get back to the parent comment. The only link back up the chain is "Return to thread", which brings you back to whole Office Hours page.
I imagine this would only be useful on the very few Substack pages where people actually post 500+ comments, so it's probably a hard thing to prioritize.
I think I will share a post next week that offers people some workarounds for these issues.
One thing I noticed is that my reply always jumps away from me if I've just pressed like. So I always comment before I press like, and now I rarely have this problem. But it is a pretty jumpy page.
The best thing I've found is to click on the timestamp of the post you're replying to. That brings you to a page with just that comment. You can then take as long as you want, there's no jumping around because it's just that one comment on the page. But I don't always remember to do that.
Hello all! My Substack pal Michael Estrin who writes the delightful Situation Normal newsletter put out a great issue recently detailing how he got this first 2,000 subscribers and what he learned. I found it very helpful and you might too!
My Substack, Serialize, is my way of bringing my teaching (I’m a creative writing professor at Northwestern university) to more aspiring writers. The chat could be the equivalent of a writing workshop, but we’ve had trouble finding a central spot to post as a group. I have an AMA page, but I’d love suggestions.
I teach the art of serializing a novel or memoir, which is a way to produce work readers really (really) want to read (and keep reading)—a skill anyone who wants to get an agent or sell a book needs.
Just getting started here on Substack, but I would say adhering to a balanced schedule and not excessively checking the Substack stats or social media.
For me, a big part of it is having dedicated writing time every morning. I get up, feed my pets, have breakfast and the all-important coffee, then I write for 1-1 1/2 hours. Now I'm in the habit, I find it really effective.
I've read that book several times. I agree with you. I appreciate advice on how we can enjoy our personal creative talents as well as create through so many different forms of art and writing.
I take time to get outside, even if it is only for a short time. I love to write, but I also know my body needs to be cared for in a gentle and loving way as well.
Seriously, I do suffer from perfectionism. So I've had to reach an agreement with myself. I'm not going to water down my writing and go for the lowest common denominator approach. But I'm also going to accept that they're not all gonna be winners.
Sometimes they'll just be okay (but at least consistent).
I subscribe to a Substack called Why Aren't I Writing that always has good tips. One thing it said recently was that if you switch between different fonts it will trick your brain into thinking your doing something new and exciting. It really works!
This sounds a lot like the Artist pages from Julia Cameron. Three pages a day, no matter what. I find as a creative person, re-filling my well with inspiration and new experiences is really important. Lately I've been trying to go on "artist dates" once a week for a few hours. Each week I pick a new activity or place to explore. It feels sooooo good!
Yes! I have a whole list of Notes I keep in my phone and then cross off when I do them. A lot of it is trying new food, coffee shops, going to a museum or live music joint, taking a pottery class, visiting a botanical garden, taking a horse lesson, etc. Some of it's simple- wandering around and photographing the street art or going to a used book store. Some ideas are more challenging like taking a horse riding lesson!
I'm actually hoping to share at least one "artist date" per month in my newsletter! I've already shared two for paid subscribers but will likely make it free in the future.
I don't want to sound like a snot, but 200 to 300 words a day sounds like the output demanded of 9 year olds in Bob Dole's corny Kansas. When I was young and healthy, I turned out, on some days, several thousand words a day. When I was 33, and withdrawing from Valium addiction, I wrote 140 pages in about a week.
Avoiding burnout is contingent on a lot more than talent, determination, and energy. It is contingent on having the luck to have a mind that is in tune with the masses around you. If you write like a febrile facist, and you reside in Nazi Germany, you may have luck.
Although people often claim that they want to be intrigued, stimulated and provoked by literature, that's usually bunk. It's like this: People long to read stuff that confirms their prejudices. Anything that is too novel, is too disconcerrting and is rejected by the common worthless herd.
How do I get more interaction with readers on my substack? Right now, I have very few comments on my materials, and I try regularly to comment on others’ work to be a good literary citizen. I feel like I’m missing something!
Ask your readers a question and to please reply. Phrase the question so the answer is something about them. If you give people a chance, they like to talk about themselves.
I found that some of my readers typed their comment and because they had not yet register on Substack, their comment disappeared! I lost a few this way. Did that happen to anyone else?
This is a function of social media saturation. I don't worry about them writing things. Because out of the blue, someone I haven't talked to will be like "OMG I love your essays and I share them and talk about them with my friends"
I'm like.....'wish I knew that a while ago"
But in all reality, many people are gunshy from what I call the 'twitter effect' of flame wars. Commenting on open forums isn't great. I'm debating sending an e-mail and asking my subscribers to respond back personally, to just me, not the group.
Depends on your readers. Some readers, because of where they work or because they don't have a Substack account, might never post a comment or even click the Like button. Other readers might post a lot of comments. I watch the (very high-level, not detailed) percentage-read and page-hitcount statistics and don't worry too much about the comments. I believe both types of readers are equally engaged based on in-person and email feedback.
I agree with this based on previous experiences from my days on LinkedIn. I posted there 4 to 5 times a week for a couple of years and didn't get much visible engagement on the platform. But more than one person either appeared at random intervals to leave a truly thoughtful comment or told me in other conversations (Zoom, email) that they'd been following my posts and enjoyed them. So you do never know who's reading "in the background," so to speak.
Frankly, that's not much different from traditional authors or journalists. They can't know the true number of people who read their books or articles, and feedback is sporadic. That doesn't mean they're not making an impact or building readership--it's just a different dynamic.
I love office hours! Question...I absolutely love writing my newsletter and want to offer my readers the best experience but don't want to inundate them. Is there a 'sweet spot' for how often I should be putting out content?
Since my newsletter is about investing and helping the average investor, there is SO much awesome content to share...and so much is changing day to day. I also give trade ideas and could do this daily but don't want to burden or annoy......lol...
It is possible to post regularly without sending an email every time. Maybe send one email that is a round of links to everything you wrote in the week.
I also think about this a lot! I do two posts a week, typically one paid and one not. Seems a good balance. A lot do the advice is simply to make it regular whatever it is. However I’ve noticed a few of my subscribers have turned off emails. I’ve only had two unsubscribes. I think that maybe letting people know they can do This in case they want to read in the app but not get a bunch of emails is useful. How often do you post?
I started off once a week or even every two weeks due to my time constraints. However, I have been so motivated and truly enjoy it that I've been doing 4x per week. Not long reads and often ideas about where to put some money to work (not advice, just my opinions). So much happening in markets it's hard NOT to post regularly! LOL
Actually, I did take a couple polls this last year....I asked if they prefer video of me discussing or reading. The response was more to video than reading...but I get more opens and engagement with written. So odd! Lol
If you have a high open rate, it could indicate readers want more. Ideally, you could later give people a choice -- daily, biweekly, or weekly newsletter. You could take a poll.
You can't please everyone, so do what makes you comfortable! Your audience will self-segment as they get used to how you work and your publishing schedule.
Though if you want ideas... You could split some of this by paying/free subscribers. Like paying subscribers get daily investing recommendations and free get them three times a week or something.
I've also seen people pretty successfully publish every day but not send an email every day. In that case, you could send one digest/round-up email at the end of the week saying "Here's what else I published that you might have missed."
The sweet spot seems to be roughly 2 posts per week. That said, I subscribe to stacks that post every day and to others that post maybe once a month. Your material sets the pace, really. But I publish twice a week and no one seemed annoyed by that pace.
I think investing content would work well with a mix of posts and using the chat feature. Longer posts for macro trends etc. Chat for daily charts or querying subscribers about their positions.
Hey Eric! I’ve been pondering that myself. Due to other work impinging on my time, I can only put out a newsletter once every two weeks. What people tell me is that it’s consistency that matters more than frequency. Choose a schedule that allows you to put on quality work while sticking to it religiously! As for innundating readers, I think unless you’re posting 2k word essays every day, you shouldn’t worry about that.
Thank you Andrei...and yes, I'm mindful of the length. I tend to make them relatively brief, yet dense with content if that makes sense. I treat it like a work email....if it's too long, people delete it! Lol
I don't know the answer to your question, beside the 'don't send email notification' option when you publish a new post (then it is only published to web).
I just subscribed to yours....I LOVE the topic of leadership. I'm a former broker turned police officer (now a police lieutenant)...and the topic of leadership is such a great one to learn.
Thank you! We share the same passion then. It's quite a progression you've made. I was managing a team of over 45 people in a big software company and loved it so much but I was not prepared properly for the challenge so i wanna help others.
Looking forward to learning from you too. I am sure your challenges as lieutenant are different from mine. 😉
Right! That’s a good approach, I think. I also try to be brief, but my latest two posts turned out much longer than I’d intended. Even so, they were well received. But to balance things out, I plan to publish a few shorter ones for the next few weeks. So I think a little variety is good too.
Hi, I hope everyone is having a good week!! Polls have been a great way for me to engage my readers! And to help me fine tune the newsletter. It would be helpful for me to see which reader voted on what in the backend. And maybe they could run for longer: two weeks? ✨🖤
Hi everyone. I would love to get your take on how important images are for your newsletter and how you find them. When I started my newsletter Onward (which is about life-long learning and personal reinvention) 10 months ago, I mostly went for photos and illustrations from Unsplash, iStock and the like. By now, I've almost completely switched to images I create myself on Canva (I also dabbled in Dall-E 2) to better capture the point I try to make in a post. What are your experiences which imagery?
This is my newsletter, in case you want to check it out ;)
I find photos very effective Annette, and doesn't seem to matter if using upslash or whatever or your own photos. I enjoy selecting them and placing captions under each. I have loaded a bunch of photos with captions on my Instagram page @bestdlines
Hi Annette, I really like the Sun image on your welcome page, and several of the post images visible on your homepage. Your written content looks strong, especially your "About" page. I just subscribed.
Like you, I also use Canva to create images for my posts. I have been having a lot of fun with this. I keep two questions in mind when creating images for my posts:
1. Will this image support my writing? The image doesn't need to directly correspond with the post content. But if it's more distracting than supportive, I'm okay with ditching it for an image-less post, because I know that writing is my primary strength, rather than visuals.
2. How can this image help my brand identity? I have been trying to build a "brand identity" for The Gargoyle. So wherever I can, I incorporate the tan, white, and black motif I've chosen for my Substack. I also make sure that if my header image includes text, that I am using the same Canva font every time.
My hope is to stand out in inboxes and have readers associate my color palette with quality writing! I hope that's helpful. I love exploring Canva (such a powerful tool) and happy to chat more with you about it anytime.
It's a freemium model. So, there's a lot you can do for free. But some of the premium graphics are available only if you have the "Professional" subscription, which is $119.99 per year or $10/month. I use Canva so frequently, that I went for the paid model.
I've heard around 50% is what we're aiming for. Congrats to you on all of your subscribers.. and looks like you are definitely on your way with the open rate!
Hi, team: Are you taking a look at the leaderboards? Honestly, I'm not a fan of ranking Stacks that often talk about very different things in the same list, but now I get the distinct impression that people are self-selecting into categories to which they absolutely don't belong, simply to rank high somewhere. This is pretty much guaranteed to put off readers, who are looking for useful and knowledgeable, rather than weird, esoteric, and irrelevant. I'm concerned that this may put off a huge, broad and untapped audience that Substack is just beginning to reach: We need a universally appealing reputation for Substack with the niche reputation reserved for individual Substack newsletters.
Interesting, I didn't know there were leaderboards.
I'm very interested in hearing more from Substack about how readers (who don't already have Substack author profiles) engage with this site. I am particularly curious about how these readers use the searchbar to find publications. I'm not convinced it's set up in the best way for readers or writers. Although things may have improved since I last spent deep time with it.
My theory is the only people watching the leaderboards are writers and wannbe writers, not readers. I used them to get ideas of what a 'successful' Substack looks like, but other than that....
I grew my substack from 0 to 1,200 readers in 6 months. What growth tips would you recommend to get to that 10,000 subscriber milestone? Are there certain benchmarks that you can share around healthy growth trends. Like if you hit X in Y time you are doing great, average, below average. It would be good to understand that from a push / pull perspective. Thank you!
That's amazing! How did you manage to grow so quickly? I'm working on getting to 30 right now, although my niche (activism, human rights, etc) might require a different path then most...trying to collect some tips.
I really like the post: https://karlstack.substack.com/p/26-growth-lessons-from-26-substack But to be fair, I don't even have 15 subscribers so I'm not exactly the most qualified person to be giving advice, but that is what my Substack is all about: building a community of people new to Substack.
Hi, thanks :) Hmmm, well, this is the very thing I was trying to understand haha. I did not know if this was quickly or not. I think what has really worked for me so far is the following: 1. I have been a Venture Capitalist for a while now and some major funds in LatAm, so I already had a network of founders / investors who knew me and followed me on LinkedIn. 2. I filled a gap in the market, which is VC information in Spanish. This was a huge gap, and it is also a niche audience. 3. I try to make my posts honest, detailed, and fun. VC can be "scary" from the outside, but it is not hard to understand once someone breaks it down for you. That is my mission. I want the tone to be friendly but for all readers to walk away feeling like they learned something every time. I think it is working so far based on the email open rate, but now I want to know how to take it to the next level. Let's see :) Wishing you the best of luck with your Substack!
I'd love to hear about how folks who have a newsletter that's not super specific are growing! My newsletter is more my musings on living under capitalism, creativity, capacity, and wellbeing, so it's not super targeted. I'd love to get more readers and maybe even eventually turn on paid subscriptions. Would love to hear from others who are in the same boat :)
I write personal essays on capitalism, the human condition, aging, oligarchy, ecocide, and many other things. I have 305 subscribers, 39 paid. And continue to grow. I do wish there were a personal essay category. I use philosophy because it is closest. But it is not quite a good fit.
My newsletter name came from not having super specific categories. I think having the freedom of writing whatever interests you is great. In the Grow program, they talked about figuring out the why- "why do readers return to your work" and that helped me figure out some undercurrents in my writing. Specifically that first graphic of "accountability, skill development, etc." https://on.substack.com/p/grow-2
Hi Sara. We are in the same boat. Growth has been slow, so I have no pearls of wisdom there. But I can say that I've felt much more "myself" by creating a Substack that has three "pillars" rather than one guiding theme.
My pillars are Authenticity, Creativity, and Curiosity. I've been pleased with what this framework has allowed me to write and explore, and I know that in time the right readers will find it.
I'm in the same boat! I'm playing around more with sharing the "mission" of my newsletter- to inspire others and create a collaborative community of artists. Hoping this will resonate with the right folks!
But weekly I also vary on topic. This week I'm sending out a newsletter about letting go of the "hustle" mentality with a short poem inspired by a walk in the woods.
All about human rights, intersectional activism and other such things. Capitalism definitely comes up...the next edition I'm putting out is going to be a rant about the minimum wage, hah!
I'm in a similar boat, a slow crawl of early growth that I'd love to build.
Thinking of trying out chat now that subscribers can start topics in it, but I tried doing a basic 'introduce yourself' thread earlier this month and it got no response. So I don't think these features will work for me right now. Around what number of subscribers would you say that features like this do get a response? Seems like starting chat now wouldn't have much purpose.
I've wondered the same thing! It's kind of embarrassing to start chat threads with no response, but I've committed to doing one a week. Sometimes I get a few replies, some weeks none. I'm trying to tell myself that the consistency matters and as I grow folks will start to chime in. But they can't chime in if they don't have the opportunity! Maybe the new feature of letting folks start their own threads will help?
I also send a reminder in my newsletters about chat and link to it there.
This is always my fear on Substack, that each one of my subscribers (all 12 of them), will look at what I've posted and think, "meh" and ignore it. I think you just have to keep posting and writing and it'll be a little pathetic at first, but with persistence people will come.
I'm a PhD Economist currently writing a small substack ( https://nominalnews.substack.com/ ) writing about applying economic research to current issues and issues of interest to people.
One question I have is regarding engagement. Basically, as I started this substack, I would like my readers over time to suggest topics that they may be interested in (Economics is much more broad than people perceive). Do you have an effective way to reach out to the subscriber to ask them to contribute, either via comments or direct message? Should you put a sentence at the beginning of the post that gets emailed? Send out a unique post asking to comment underneath?
I occasionally put a small blurb at the beginning of the post, usually in italics to set it off from the regular text, asking what topics subscribers would like to see covered.
Also, your Substack sounds interesting, I just subscribed and will probably email you about topics I'm interested in :-)
I tried this I compiled a list topics previously presented and asked readers to let me know which topics they preferred/a Bucky Stamp of Approval ... crickets
Another thought: I've seen some writers put "Please email me and let me know who you are and what you're interested in reading about" in their welcome email. I like this, have responded to some of these, and think it's a great idea. I haven't done it yet for mine, but I should!
That might be something for the chat functionality, I think! That way you can discuss and engage with your followers and get suggestions with good detail. That's my plan for the future, anyway.
Hi Substack team. I really love writing on Substack but I find myself in a bit of a chicken and egg situation - when I write, my posts seem to go down well, and I build up my subscribers. But finding the time to write is hard as I need to pay my mortgage. I know that Substack will offer "deals" to certain high profile writers to help them get started and essentially solve this problem - I was wondering if the company would ever offer (lower value) deals to smaller writers, and if there is an application process where applicants can make a business case?
One thing that might be a good approach is to write as often as you can, and see if you accrue a meaningful number of pledges - which helps bridge the risk for writers as they decide to take their publications more seriously/invest more time https://on.substack.com/p/pledges
Long ago, I learned that search engines like Google emphasize only the first three substantive words in a title and longer titles are ignored in searches. Is that still true for Substack articles?
Hello. I'm new to substack, however have an extensive body of work on Medium, Forbes, Psychology and other platforms. I like a "neutral" platform that leaves me in control and I need to better understand why I should switch from Medium (leaving 100 articles behind) over to Substack.
Medium and Substack are totally different and both good in their own ways. I recommend using them in a complimentary way. I am on both platforms and coincidentally wrote a Medium post on this exact topic last week.
Substack gives you way more control than Medium, in terms of who sees your work and how much you earn from it. But Medium is a better way to get new eyes on your work.
If you want to hear about the pros and cons of each, see my article.
Hi everyone, I've been writing on substack for over a year now and want to start a practice of connecting with fellow writers. I've been reading the comments in these office hours and every one is truly helpful! before substack, I wrote off and on on my old wordpress blog but lack of feedback, comments discouraged me a lot. But this time on Substack, I feel I'm more matured now and have gone beyond the feedback/comments/likes and focus only on writing. I've realized now that my writing is like therapy to me and has healed lot of spaces within me. I would love to connect with fellow writers and be a part of this wonderful community! I write "Love, action and miracles" on the topics of inner/personal transformation, spirituality and my epiphanies.
You're in the right place, Namrita -- Office Hours is an easy way to begin a practice of connecting with fellow writers. It helps if you show up regularly, post comments, reply to others, and try to be helpful if and where you can. Soon you'll start recognizing names and newsletters. It's not perfect -- there are a lot of comments today that attest to ways it could be better -- but on the whole it's a positive and supportive place where you can find real help and build real relationships. Good luck!
I am brand new to Substack. I look forward to connecting with others on this fantastic platform. I look forward to connecting with other writers, as well as being able to post my thoughts. Is there anyone is willing to share their knowledge and experiences when they began that will help guide me? I have been writing for years. Now it's time to take my first baby steps along this exciting new journey.
That is exactly what my Substack is about! It's called In Which We Journey and I'm using it to bring together a bunch of writers who are new to Substack so we can all offer one another advice and help each other grow.
I write about spirituality, astrology, & general nonfiction, I have a travel piece coming up. My goal is to work all of these themes into one cohesive newsletter (not switch from topic to topic, but we’ll see). I also write through a very optimistic lens, hence “The Solstice” — trying to find the maximum light in any given situation!
I would be interested in reading, subscribing, and collaborating with anyone sharing any of these interests. So please ping me if you do! 🤩✨❤️💌
I'm looking to find a couple more quality newsletters to read...I write The Tobin Report which is all about money, markets and charts...I'd be interested in others who write about money and investing. I love seeing others perspectives.
I discuss money but from a vantage point that irks most people. People have used many adjectives to describe me. I have never suffered the designation of being boring. And even if you hate it, you can enjoy writing scathing comments about my stuff.
Hi Eric, I write about risk at Risk Musings, including finance risk but also AI risk, climate risk, technology risk. I'm a big fan of systems thinking and system dynamics as underrated tools, so I weave that in sometimes.
This is the link that others have used to join. I'm sorry if it's not working somehow... I don't know the system is supposed to work, but I grabbed it from the "Copy Link" button in the thread.
I had so much fun connecting with many of you yesterday during chat! It truly made me believe collaborative, creative communities ARE possible! 💗
If we haven’t connected yet, I’m interested in doing artist interviews (yes, you’re an artist), starting a community directory to share your work, doing art shares, and more! My goal is to create a place for creative folks of all kinds to come together and thrive…I’d love for you to be part of it!
Monday I’ll be announcing what I’m calling “Creative Contemplation,” a way to deepen your creative practice with others. I’ll be offering ALL subscribers a free journal with affirmations and creative prompts, as well as a time to gather monthly online and share. If this resonates with you, let me know so we can learn and grow together!
I write a weekly substack (https://millennialmaybe.substack.com/) about being a Millennial maybe adult in a genZ world and what it means to date, eat, and survive in it. Lots of Hinge horror stories and love letters to ice cream. If anyone writes about similar themes, or is interested in cross-collaborating, please message me! You can find me on IG (@aggiemaybe)
Who's using Chat? 💬
How are you liking it on the web? Will you be letting your subscribers start their own chat threads?
I haven’t used chat yet. To be honest, I was hesitant about chat when it was app-only because only about 5% of my audience reads me on the app. It seemed like a lot of work for a very small audience segment. That said, I’m intrigued by web-based chat. I’ll have to check my dashboard to see if there’s enough audience there to justify the extra work. In the meantime, I’ve built a very lively community in the comments section of my posts by asking questions that are related to the piece.
I tried to build a community on posts, but it felt like people never commented! The chat has seen a little more interaction, and I'm hopeful that the web addition will encourage even more.
Just curious, but do you find that the time you put into Chat is worth it? I see the upside to a conversation (in the comments, or in chat, or somewhere else), but I'm reluctant to invest too much time in something that only serves a very small segment of total readers. By way of example, I might get 60-70 comments on a post, but those comments are very small segment of total readership for me. That said, I put maybe twenty minutes into formulating discussion questions and maybe another hour throughout the week responding to comments. So it's a pretty small investment. But a live chat seems like more of a time commitment. Has that been your experience, or is it something on the order of an hour a week?
I'm curious about this too! When using chat, do you feel like you need to be responding in real time? Or do the channels drive themselves without your engagement?
It seems like low-interaction is a common issue with Substackers. But by pushing all my new Tao Consciousness book readers to Substack (through other websites), for more essays and for community support, I hoping to get around that issue.
I had some of the same hesitation. And I was concerned that even if it were 50/50 that there would be less engagement on the articles themselves. I’m also not sure about yet another place to “engage” -- if you are also sharing on social media for example or sometimes I cross post on Medium. I just thought it might wear me out :) excited to hear about others’ experiences, especially with new feature
Were you on medium before Substack?
I am very active on Medium with 5k+ followers. I started my substack The Grasshopper a year ago to write about the writing lifestyle and to potentially generate some additional dough, though the uptake has been slow. A pitch on my Medium articles has brought in over 700 subs since August 2022, which is amazing. The big takeaway for me is my newsletter is totally different than my writing on Medium where I write about politics, climate, and global events- all time sensitive subjects. My writing here is more personal and more evergreen. It’s a great combination for me.
Martin, I'd love to hear more about how you've brought in so many subs using a pitch on your Medium articles. I have 1.2K followers there and, like you, my newsletter topic is different from many of the topics I write about on Medium and elsewhere. I haven't included a newsletter pitch unless my Medium article is related to my newsletter topic.
I’m taking my shot and asking fellow Substackers like you support a goal to be featured on the platform after 2 years of posting, please support, I love you all!
https://tumbleweedwords.substack.com/p/its-my-second-birthday-on-substack
yes, with the intention of starting on Substack after. I played around there for about 6 months before and published in some of their publications. I still occasionally publish original content there. I make a little money on it...not that much...but I do pick up some subscribers for Substack with my byline. You can pretty easily work between the two, but it's hard to keep up engagement on both in my experience. Now I engage very little there
So you prefer Substack to Medium?
Yes, absolutely. But it depends what you're doing. I really wanted to have a community feel with my audience and build on my work. On Medium it all feels quite random. This can be a perk, too, in that you can write for a variety of audiences and also publish in their publications. I did and still do occasionally publish in The Writing Cooperative with Justin Cox. Interestingly, he also has a Substack now, which is his voice rather than publishing others' work. So for him (and for me) the two platforms do different things. I'm happy I started there because I wanted to consider what my spin here would be exactly, even though that keeps evolving.
I had the same feeling. Sharing everywhere feels like a lot of work.
It's good to learn what to say no to!
Absolutely. I love saying no. (ha!)
It's tough but it's also the only way to go, I feel, if one wants to be sustainable
This segment though is probably your most passionate segment. The kind that want to interact, keep in touch, and hang out together. Almost like having your own discord...
I have not used it because the mobile nature of not was not convenient for me to use but I may try the web version and see what happens.
I'd use the Chat function but I'd probably just end up talking to myself!
You have to consult an expert, right?
😂
Inexplicably, I didn't get an email notification for your quip! Only caught it by scrolling through the comments which I rarely do. So here's what I would have said...
You'd be right but I can now hide behind woke-ism so i'm poking my tongue out at you like a five year old! 😉
We got caught
Do you want me to read you your rights? 😂
No comment. I'm waiting for my lawyer.
Yeah, I tried it when it was only on the app, and let all my subscribers know about it, but not a single reader responded. Only 7% of mine use the app, and I find the Substack app annoying myself and didn't want to have to keep using it, so I deleted it.
Now that chat is an option on the web, though, I might give it a try again. I need to learn more about how to use and promote it first.
sorry to hear that, Wendi. If it helps any, most of my readers didn't take to the chat feature on mobile, either. I'd love for it to take off, as it would be a good way to post short tidbits to our readers instead of via e-mail each time.
I don't love the app as a reader and just recently started making the time to explore on my computer- it's such a better experience!
My readers are similar, Wendi. They get my newsletter via email and open it. The ones who have used the app (which I love) end up viewing my posts less often! So I'm nervous to direct readers even to the web version of chat. I might try a live chat, though, with paid subscribers.
You can just reply to people directly on email. I don’t think a chat function would be good for me because then it’s just like social media so I’d turn mine off.
Agreed. I have to have a specific use case in mind before I try it. Although someone here mentioned asking subscribers to simply check in, say where they are, what they are doing. That's a nice idea.
Also, I noticed that I didn't get notifications for new chats, not sure if I missed a setting somewhere, but maybe that also means people miss the chats.
Well said Robert :)
I’m taking my shot and asking fellow Substackers like you support a goal to be featured on the platform after 2 years of posting, please support, I love you all!
https://tumbleweedwords.substack.com/p/its-my-second-birthday-on-substack
Maybe there will be "substack chatbots" too.
Thank you so much for adding this feature! I'm doing The Artist's Way with my subscribers in the chat and a lot has been coming up for us. We've been writing a LOT in the chat so having the web version will be so helpful! Especially for some of the older members for whom it's much easier to use computers for typing.
What a great idea regarding the use of "The Artist Way!" I have been facilitating groups, face to face, using that amazing book. It was a book that sparked the beginning of my own creativity many years ago.
I'm not sure what you mean doing the artist's way for chat but I will tell you, the part in the book about the morning pages is how I started my publication called stream unconsciousness. I just start out writing and I don't stop for 4 or 5 pages. Then I go back and revise/edit, but not too much. I want it to be relatable and not filled with all of these high faultin words.
👍👍❤️
LOL. I invented the smartphone in 1979 and built the first working phone at ITT in 1982. BUT, I almost never chat on my smartphone.
Hi Greg. I am curious about your spiritual quest. I too have been on a long journey in that area for over 50 years. Some would call me nerdy. My passion now is focused more on the psychological, biological, and spiritual components that affect our minds, body, and soul. Today is my first experience being on Substack and reading these posts.
I know you were responding to Greg, but I also share your interest in those topics. I'm a former pastor who no longer believes some of the stuff I used to, but mainly gave up being a pastor when so many Christians decided they'd rather follow Trump than Jesus. I rarely mention religion or spiritual beliefs in my Substack since they can be divisive topics and my Substack is focused on issues related to mental health, but have written a lot about religious and spiritual topics elsewhere. If you're interested in reading some of those articles, see my portfolio at https://bio.link/wendigordon. It also includes a link to my email at the top if you want to chat privately about anything.
Hi Brenda. I would be happy to chat with you by email. You can reach me at greg.r.leveille@gmail.com.
That's incredible Greg!
(I know I just said this earlier in the thread, but...) I've really enjoyed how you're using chat for The Artist's Way. I think it's the perfect space for everyone to connect over a shared experience. It feels relevant and special and I look forward to hopping in there each week!
Thank you so much, Tami!
me too!
oh my god what an amazing idea! I love The Artist’s Way and doing it with a little community sounds so motivating and wholesome
Yes! I prefer texting and all text processing on a computer as opposed to a phone.
how is that going, Ali? I haven't kept up this month due to musical commitments.
It's honestly been really great! The biggest joy of my newsletter so far. Feel free to hop back in at any time. You can pick up at the week we're on, or start where you left off. Reframing it as something you can't fail at has been so helpful -- you can always keep going.
i'm so glad to hear that, Ali! Thanks, i certainly will do.
This sounds like such a lovely thing to be part of! I did The Artist's Way during lockdown and really enjoyed it but it was very intense - would have been great to do it with others ans have some people to talk to about it all. 😊
Hey everyone! A question. I'm thinking of launching a chat now that you can do them on the web. But I'm concerned that maybe on a chat will somehow replace or reduce activity in my newsletter's comments section. Any experience or thoughts on that?
I've found it adds to the sense of community. People get to know each other more, and you more, and are even more likely to comment, in my experience. But I've also been using the chat for a very specific purpose -- doing The Artist's Way with my subscribers -- so only a select group are really using the chat.
That seems like a good use of Chat, Ali! My concern is the time commitment and what kind of return I get on my time. But as I understand it, you're using Chat as an extension of lessons you're offering to paid subs, right? Right now, my chat would just sort of be another hang out, which is cool and does build community, but it also takes time, and I'm just not sure if that's time well spent for me.
Jumping in with a thought — Michael I know you mentioned here and above that you are worried about the commitment, and so are others. One of my favorite use cases of Chat is writers writing with their readers (here are some examples:https://on.substack.com/i/108593012/write-with-your-readers). You can ask research questions, gather inspiration, or get ideas for a post.
I wouldn't think of think of Chat as something that you need to devise a grand plan for—it's a place for casual interactions. Things that might not make it into a full post and need a home. Things that you might post on social media but you want to actually reach your subscribers directly.
Thanks Katie! That is interesting, especially the last thing you said about material that I might otherwise post on social. As I use social less and less I've had this odd feeling of what do I do with some extra material? It's not enough to justify a full post, but often times it's connected to what I'm writing that week. So this is good food for thought! Again, really appreciate the insight here, Katie!
Katie, can you forward any visual artist use of chat links??
Yes, exactly. It's a specific add-on of a service. It's free for everybody but I did ask Artist Way members to pay and about half of them did. If I do it in the future it will likely just be for paying subscribers. Also, Substack in general is very time consuming between writing, responding to comments, office hours, chat, etc., so I'm all about focusing your attention on what you value most!
That's the question I have. I have a small following of 115, and only 4 paid subscribers. I want to go back to paid again. (I had to stop it for a while.) I think I'll have to leave the Chat free until I can gather more followers. That might take another year or two, but like I said earlier, I've got time...
I think that Ali is right. In the beginning, as I'm building up my new Tao Newsletter service, I 'll offer chat to everyone for free. My medium range plan, however, is to make Tao a paid only subscription - while keeping my Spiritual Secrets service free.
Michael. You do you. You're obviously successful the way you have it set up. Doesn't sound like you're missing anything. Each new technical addition isn't necessary for everyone. I always think back to the misogynistic but pertinent comment that men have 2000 words a day. Women use words like toilet paper. Men must protect their virile strength. The more a woman opens to the magic within, the more the magic within can expand into all areas of her life and lift her.
Oh yes, Artist's Way seems like a perfect chat use case!
That's really interesting that you are using it that way. I could see it being good for something like that, I'm going to ponder it more.
I started a chat yesterday, but really don't know where I want to go with it at the moment. I think it's a question of what you write. I don't write anything special. It's just fiction. It's GOOD fiction, but I think it's going to take time to build an audience. (Luckily for me I've got plenty of that, having just retired.) I've opened myself up for subscribers who are interested to know what my mindset might have been when I was writing a particular story. The only mindset I have when writing is to keep myself interested. My stories tend to jump all over the place: the Mau Mau, the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria, the Two World Wars, fantasy, history. I'm hoping that as I grow my audience, people will want to involve themselves.
I found some Substack chats to be separate discussions entirely so some may choose to chat while others stick to the newsletter. Set out the buffet. People choose different options.
You can also offer it for paid folks only if you’re inclined.
Now that is what I call a good plug for chat.
Do you tend to put forth a specific topic for a given chat? Or does it just emerge organically from the readers?
I haven’t started Chat myself but will comment on ones I’ve participated in. Some topics are a wider topic related to what the writer is exploring. Others are life updates or just “hey, introduce yourself” posts.
You can choose to allow your readers to initiate chat.
I don't have experience using chat, but for the reason you mention I've been brainstorming ways to use chat for separate conversations. For instance, I've seen editors use chat as a time-boxed AMA for questions related to writing and editing.
OH! That's a great idea: Stating up front that your Chat responses will only happen at certain times.
That has been my reticence as well. And also this idea that maybe my subscribers didn't sign up for that to be peddled to them? I know "peddled" is a strong word to use there, but it's accurately describing my worry -- that that's how it would be perceived.
Then again, I do think that several of my subscribers aren't even aware that you can comment on posts (I think they just read them entirely in the email version, and I don't include CTAs for comments). So I do see the announcement/enablement of Chat being something that can help those subscribers of mine engage more with the content.
good Q !
Hey Anne! My first chat was really lively as people were curious about the new tech. After, it waned quickly. Now, I typically use Chat to make quick announcements or updates that I don't want to include in my regular post. My assumption here is that people will see it even if it doesn't spark a lot of engagement.
Ultimately, I don't think it'd reduce engagement in your normal posts, but you'd likewise probably get engagement from an even smaller subset of readers, who are mostly other Substack writers.
Hi Katie and all! Happy Office Hours!
I haven't turned on chat yet, I'm planning to look into it today. I have a similar experience at Michael Estrin below--the comments section has been SO amazing and I'm nervous about whether the chat would be as lively, or whether it would cannibalize the comments section action. I also wonder whether I would feel the need to be responding in real-time, which sounds difficult. But at the same time, the community around my newsletter is really coming together and chat seems like an obvious next step.
I'm really curious to hear from other writers who have turned on chat: Are you able to maintain a lively conversation without spending too much time? Have you found that you need a certain size audience before chat will work well? What has worked well for you?
Looking below, I see that Terrell Johnson (https://www.thehalfmarathoner.com/) provided a tip already! Asking people on chat to send a photo of where they are in the world.
I thought what Ali shared was really interesting too https://on.substack.com/p/office-hours-71/comment/13671514
I suppose this may not be an issue if you have a large subscriber base, but one thing to consider is *when* you do chat, as presumably subscribers are spread across the world so you'd only get a certain slice at a time. Comments are good because they're there and remain there and can be added to at any time, but chat still seems like something worth exploring for a different purpose.
I’m taking my shot and asking fellow Substackers like you support a goal to be featured on the platform after 2 years of posting, please support, I love you all!
https://tumbleweedwords.substack.com/p/its-my-second-birthday-on-substack
The two recent Substack articles have convinced me to turn Chat on and to invite readers to start their own conversations there. I was thinking of it initially as a different version of what we were already doing in the Comments section, but I can now see how it serves a different purpose. Thanks for the suggestions! I really appreciate those practical advice columns.
doesn't it split your time and attention though?
I imagine it can, and that should play a role in your decision to include it. Or you could combine the two into a block of time devoted to both.
True. I think planning and blocking are going to be key
Just what I'm thinking Terry.
That's interesting. Do you just let the readers talk amongst themselves and keep your own engagement to a minimum?
The chat feature was a great idea. It's great that we can communicate with subscribers and build relationships.
My newsletter is about learning software and data, so if you’re interested in getting into those fields or improving on them check it out :)
https://ivanh.substack.com/
Hi Katie!
I'm not sure about the chat threads yet...But I have another question for you. Would it be possible to host some of these wonderful "writer office hours" for writers who have similar interests? For example, while I enjoy interacting with writers interested in tech or self-help, --I would love to discuss with other writers interested in education, parenting, and culture, for example... Thank you!
This would be amazing.
As a side note, there's now a preference for changing the message readers see in the pop-up that appears before they arrive on your newsletter homepage. So if you don't like "No thanks," you can now change it back to "Let me read it first" or whatever else you like. Hurray! Thanks, Substack :-)
i'd love that too.
great idea, Antonette
Just signed in to Chat for the first time! It looks great, and I'm considering starting some book-club-like chats for interested readers as subscribers grow. Not sure quite how this'll work yet, but I have a positive first impression. Thanks for making this feature available on web, which is how the vast majority of my readers visit Substack!
That's a great idea!
Yes, great idea! Let us know how it goes.
I know it's going to take time to grow my page, but I put up my first Chat yesterday. I thought if I asked my followers to respond, they'd come. I think the problem is some of my followers are friends and they see me socially. It's hard being a social butterfly...
This is a fun idea! I like the idea of chat being its own kind of beast, keeping it casual but also building community. Playful!
I love the opportunity to create more conversation and direct connection with readers, but kept getting stuck on the app requirement for chat usage. What a delight to hop on here and find that it's now available on web!
love the idea of the web version, but not sure about letting subscribers start their own threads. Would that involve the need for us to act as moderators? That could be quite time-consuming
thats a good point Terry. That sounds scary!
yeah, I've been there, done that, and it's ok until you get one ill-considered comment that upsets someone
I haven't come across that yet. Don't know what I'd do if I did. Not being very PC, I'd just say suck it up and grow a pair. Thankfully, I haven't had to, yet.
Hey Terry, I just made it possible for any subscriber to start a thread in my Chat. I recognize the potential for disaster, but I'm also kind of curious to see what happens. Fingers crossed.
Oh right. Will you be documenting what happens? That would be fascinating
I didn't title my pub Field Research for nothing! :-)
Probably nothing will happen, but if somebody goes haywire it'll make for incredible content. Silver linings.
Sorry, wasn't thinking. I should be in bed right now, but am watching star trek!
I think it would Terry, if only because it is taking place under your substack. There is the option to allow only paid subscribers to initiate chats--maybe that would filter out most of the problems.
I was thinking the same, Ehud, although I feel bad about the implied wariness of my non-paying subscribers. I'm thinking of reverting to my usual stance with new features, which is to wait and see (a) how others find it and what they're doing with it and (b) whether it solves a problem I didn't know I had. I've already sent out a chat thread message, but I think I might leave it at that for now.
We're of the same mind on (a). I hadn't thought about (b) until you mentioned it.
I love Substack, but the trouble with techies is that they always seem to come up with solutions in search of a problem. Just look at Metaverse!
Actually, I'm thinking the Chat platform would be a pretty good way of picking peoples' brains. If you're writing a story and get stuck, you can put the question out to your readers and see what kind of idea they might come up with.
Question, Katie: Any idea if the platform might start allowing writers to pay less than the $50/year and $5/mo threshold? I think it’d be much better for gaining subscribers and more doable for readers. $50/year is equal to a subscription to The New Yorker. I’d love to offer more like $10-$20/year or $2-3/mo.
+1 on this!!
My attempts at chat were not successful. I may regroup and try again, but time is a problem. I am subscribed to some very interesting Substacks and just keeping up with those and my own writing just about does it for me. I don't know what I would do if I had an active chat life.
I so get that! I spend a lot of time reading through my in box, and feeling guilty because I can't read them all, or answer them.
Same here, Ehud.
I have tried to start a couple of chat threads with my 1300 subscribers and got zero response. Which is weird. Even my friends didn´t respond. Why? Maybe because they haven´t downloaded it. I don´t know. So sticking to emails for the moment.
Yes, I tried it early on with the same non-result. Felt like the tree falling in the forest…
I had a similar problem. Back in 1997 I found a room that was devoted to Macs and Apple, and we all hung out there in AIM chat. Then AIM kind of ended and we moved to yahoo. It was slow going getting everyone to move to yahoo, but we finally made the migration. It takes time to get people into the habit of doing something new, from new platforms to new ways of interacting.
I could hear crickets when I started mine..
Do your readers engage in your comments section? I get one or two sometimes but it feels like a fairly passive audience tbh. If I didn´t see consistent open rates of around 35% I would probably have given up already!
Similar experience. Fortunately, I'm writing what I want and need to write about ... so I keep exploring and am grateful for all the growth that comes my way on this journey.
I'm in the same boat. But I like that I can write what I want. I also look at my open rate. Somebody's reading, just not many want to leave comments. Can't figure that part out. I guess that's why I look at the open rate, just to reassure myself someone's out there.
I think it's because people have enough options and this is gilding the lily
That is what I was afraid would happen too.
I’m so happy we can chat on the web now! Or, well, mostly happy. It means I no longer have an excuse to procrastinate starting one. I’m still a little nervous I’ll dip my toes into it and no one will respond.
I dove right in not knowing where I was going or what I was going to say. I'm so used to no one responding in my comments--or very few, I should say--that I've gotten used to the sound of crickets.
I was about to post some whiney thing about how I'm hesitant and don't need yet ANOTHER place to chat about things, but instead I just started a chat LMAO. Empiricism for the win!
LOVE THIS.
Hey everyone! 👋 I'm Terrell and I'm one of the original testers of the Chat feature, and one of the things that has worked well for me in sparking engagement and conversation among my readers is asking them to share photos of where they are in the world -- mine is a running-focused newsletter, so sometimes I'll ask "where did you run this weekend" or "where are you right now?" It's been fascinating to see people post from places around the U.S. as well as far away as Italy, Spain, Greece, etc. It's such a cool cool feature.
Thank you for this idea, Terrell! I'm uncertain about turning on the chat feature, and this gives me some food for thought. :)
Definitely! It's been trial-and-error for me too; I've had posts that got lots of engagement and others not so much. I think of it as something light and fun, just for errant thoughts related to my newsletter, articles I think are interesting, or photos I think they might like. It's definitely a lower level of effort than I put into my posts, and that's what I want readers to see it as too -- like a big group chat. No pressure 😃
That’s good to hear. Yeah I’ve been hesitant because some really awesome newsletters I subscribe to with great comment engagement tried it out and sometimes ...crickets...or very little. As a fellow writer, sometimes I jumped in to try to get it going with them, but I don’t know if it was always catching even when the topic was good. Photos are a great idea. Anything else as an example? Thanks a ton
Folks could share a favorite playlist. Like your jazz playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6fMQ5lsGFZu0Aqep2CRMY8?si=dc16796dd6514f83
Yes!! :) Good idea. Or songs to add to a playlist? I did some random ones, like for a post about phonecalls in movies and books...the songs, I thought, were both relevant and pretty comical.
i was just about to say the same thing, Kathleen, then i read what you wrote!
Nice!
That's a good idea, Paul. I've compiled a few jazz lists myself that I could share
Yes, please, Terry!
I was thinking of that! I started adding a YouTube video of music that I thought was appropriate to my topic and got some good feedback. It was only my 3rd issue. But I like it when authors do that. We learn something about each other with our music.
Great question! One thing that I haven't tried, because my Substack isn't really about news, is starting a conversation about something timely, or just asking questions of your readers. Some writers I've seen will ask questions like, "do you think I should write about this?" and throw out a topic idea, just to gauge where their readers are at. Others share photos of their dogs 😃
I really think the best way to learn is to just jump in and get started -- it's a good idea to promote it in your newsletter for at least a few issues too, I think. Let your readers know that this is a kind of campfire you can gather round, jump in and post -- and be sure to let them know they can start conversations there too. Hope that helps!
I think, and maybe wrong, that early on you should schedule "chatting office hours" where you are devoted to being there. Could be just thirty minutes a day, or an hour once a week. And then as demand grows, you could add more days and times.
Like a lot of this, I think people have to know that you will be delivering content to them on a regular basis. Even if that "basis" is at odd times. For chatting though I think it is unusual because it happens in real time, so it would be a good idea to devote time reliably.
I like the idea of spontaneity of chat, though. But, might make more sense to have a series of rotating times when chats can happen, so that you're catering to as many as possible if subs are spread across the world (though of course, you have to be awake too, I assume. Or can you schedule a chat and not be there?)
Great idea Jimmy! I have tried Chat only once to allow people to discuss a recent post for my Visual Storytelling Newsletter. Didn't get much response. I like your idea of Office Hours that sets the expectation that the host will be there to respond, pretty much like this program we're in now. I think it boils down to framing the time and topic.
That's a great way to do it. Suleika Jaouad, who writes The Isolation Journals (https://theisolationjournals.substack.com) does a once-a-week Friday get-together that always seems to get a great response from her readers.
I also like that it can be asynchronous if you want it to be -- so, readers can jump in and jump out as they like, or reply later to something you posted hours, or days, earlier. It can be whatever you want it to be 😃
Have included mention of chat feature in every post since available. But little engagement. Should I stop adding the invite to my posts? I found out the page shuts down and has to be reloaded as well which meant reader could not access it either
That's really useful! Thanks a lot. I think I could try something like this.
This is so helpful! Thank you for taking the time to share. I really appreciate it!
That's a great idea. I didn't know it was possible for a commenter to upload a photo. How does one do that? For example here where I am responding. Is there a way I could attach a photo?
Actually you can't upload photos in comments, but you can in Chat. When you reply to an existing thread in Chat, or start a new one, there's a small photo icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the pop-up window -- click that to add your photo. 😃
I see. Thanks for clarifying that!
Nice idea! Still not totally convinced about Chat but guess it's going to work better for some Stackers than others. Thanks for sharing anyway.
I took a quick peek at your Substack and actually think it might be a perfect fit for Chat 😃 Food is such an incredibly roomy topic area for conversation and opinion and ideas.
Well the reason I haven't (and thanks for saying that) is that I've got an idea for a regular get together which I'm launching shortly and think that Chat might be an overload! But I like the idea of chatting just after you've uploaded a post that people will have had time to read
I've always liked the idea of having an announced "Office Hours" (pick your own label) chat session - about once every week or two. I love the way that Substack pre-announces the next Chat session. I'm looking at it as a Bonus reward for paid subscribers.
SUPER helpful, thank you!!
No problem! 🙌
Ah yes I love sharing photos from our slow lived life in chat
That's awesome Terrell. How long do you leave the chat open for, or does it always remain open? Is a chat history saved if you do have to switch off from it?
Love this idea Terrell! Thanks for sharing and inspiring ideas in my mind on how to use the Chat Feature! :)
You're welcome, Debbie!
What a great idea!
Do your readers share photos in the comment section or chat Terrell? I thought about saying Hi to subs in my posts but thought it might be invasion of their privacy
In Chat -- I don't think that's an option in post comments, at least right now. That's what I like about Chat -- it's opt-in; each reader goes there because they want to 😃
Thanks for the tip! Definitely makes me want to start up the Chat feature with my readers now.
Yes! Give it a whirl -- nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? 😃
Oh, that's a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion, Terrell!
Definitely! 😃
That’s such a great idea! I’ve been wondering how to get started and that’s a great option to keep in mind.
Definitely! It's always worth experimenting with 😃
That’s a great idea!
Thanks! 😃
Thanks for this insight, Terrell!
You're welcome! 😃
Thank you for this tip! Love the idea of asking for something easy and accessible.
cool features indeed!
Thank you for joining us today at Office Hours! Are team is signing off today but we will be back next week at the same time.
See you then,
Katie, Bailey, Nadav, Jonathan, Lisa, and Josh
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here's a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you:
When you put them on the scale of your creative life, which one is heavier: criticism, or compliments? I don't know about you, but I can receive ten compliments and feel pretty good, but if someone gives me ONE piece of negative feedback? Oof. Whole week ruined.
But why? Why do we let negativity sit heavier in our souls? I don't have a good answer to that. But what I DO know is that criticism and compliments only weigh as much as their ability to propel you forward. If a compliment keeps you comfy but stagnant, then it's worthless. Similarly, if a piece of criticism helps you improve, then it's more valuable than gold! Don't let the snipes, gripes, and insults about your work get you down. They may feel heavy, but they're hollow on the inside. For every compliment and criticism, ask yourself: is this valuable to me? Is it keeping me moving forward? If the answer is no, then let it go!
Most importantly: keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP! 🌿
Thanks!
What I’ve found is, the more authentic and true to myself and my craft I am in a particular piece, the less I’m affected by negative feedback.
This is so true! On a piece that honors my own tastes, I can handle getting fewer reads and less positive feedback. There’s an important lesson in that.
Completely agree with you both. I start by writing for me, not to feed the seemingly insatiable content beast. As long as that remains at the forefront, and I write with honesty and integrity, criticism just becomes another opinion.
Love this take! Good reminder to stay in our own lane and not worry about the competition.
Your only competition is you. Nobody does what you do, so nobody else can do it better. Focus on gettting better and better, and let the others do the same.
Yeah, that's what I've found, as well. I'm less interested in how a piece is received and more in whether or not said piece reflects me. If it does, I've done a great job. If not, even if people love it, it won't feel right, because they'd be loving something different from what I meant to create.
Agree with this!
This.
I listened to Neil Gaiman's Masterclass recently and one of the best pieces of advise he gave was essentially that: be honest and true to yourself.
Neil’s amazing.
I think that the most scary thing for a writer is silence. Not getting any feedback. Not getting any reaction. Encouraging comments are of course always welcomed, as is constructive criticism. Even though by nature we tend to remember the criticism more than the positive feedback, I think that as writers we should know our strengths as well as our weaknesses. Positive feedback should be kept near the heart. It keeps us going. Negative feedback that comes from someone who is not invested in my journey and doesn’t care about my growth… well, everyone is entitled to an opinion. I know my path, I know where I want to go, and I know that I still have a lot to learn. I think that keeping a humble attitude is key. Nobody was born learned.
Yeah, silence is the worst. I've been hearing about "lurkers," people who read your writing consistently and gain value from it but you'll never know because they don't engage. I'm trying to solve this by not being a "lurker" myself. It's so easy to just push the like button, more effort to comment but I think worth it, especially when I know from the other side how valuable it is for the author/content creator.
I’ve been doing that for a over a year before I started my Substack 😳! The writer I lurked subscribed to my newsletter and has been so supportive. I’m a paying subscriber now. But yeah, before I started writing it didn’t occur to me to like or comment. And I have no idea why I didn’t do that before… Now I like everything I read and comment when I have something meaningful to say. But I don’t blame the lurkers. I’m happy that they take time to read what I write. 😁 I was a very engaged lurker, read every single newsletter.
The more you hit the like button and comment on things, you're more likely to get more subscribers and more people to your publication.
Right now I mainly read the substacks to which I subscribe. But I also love discovering new stuff. The time is limited though. Authors do react back if the interest is genuine and they find my substack relevant. Other times their audience might discover me via the comments. It depends. 😊
It's a tough one. If you're only a reader, I think the value that hitting a Like button can have is perhaps not clear.
As a writer, or at least a new writer, that simple act carries a lot of encouragement and warmth and helps reassure you're contributing something. Perhaps we shouldn't need that, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't help push me along.
Such good points, Claudia. Silence doesn't allow us to gage if our writing is having an impact. I am not concerned about quantity at this point. I do, however, enjoy remarks that show the reader was engaged with the material and created a new understanding , whether it is publicly posted on Comments or in a private message to me. Since I deal with highly sensitive subject matter, I expect not everyone will want to comment in a public forum. I think your point about knowing who you are, where you want to go and being willing to learn are the key elements on this journey as writers.
Exactly, if I wanted silence I would just write for myself 😂 which is really not fun!
Love your point about no wanting quantity. The Substack Leaderboards rank people by the number of followers and frequency of publishing. But I feel like I have to take my time to write an article. First and foremost I want to write something that allows me to learn something about a new topic, or explore a new angle of my secondary world, or create a new short story. There is also so much content everywhere. For now I send a bi-weekly newsletter and I think that it will stay like that for a long time.
Hi Claudia,
And this is what I love about these weekly threads. I get to find new substacks! Yours sounds absolutely my kind of thing, so I shall be taking a look. Thanks for posting here :)
Thank you so much Nathan 💚
I can tell good writing after just a few words ;)
Any suggestions on where to start, or is it fine to just dip in and out of your stories?
😘 I’ll print that out and look at it every time I write! 😂
You can start here: https://claudiabefu.substack.com/p/access-to-seeds-will-determine-your
And here: https://claudiabefu.substack.com/p/welcome-to-gulmohur
The rest is non-fiction.
Perfect, thank you!
The default reaction of the world is "they don't care." or as a friend of time said "don't even know enough to care." There isn't any animosity to this, it is more OOSOOM, or out of sight, out of mind.
Exactly! As a writer it’s hard to take the ‘I don’t care’. But it’s a lesson in humility and also appreciation for every single person that cares. Nowadays it’s even more complicated. Read a great article recently about how in today’s culture everyone wants to talk but nobody wants to listen.
I couldn't agree with you more, Claudia. But the one word I keep looking for in everybody's discussion on this topic is "constructive." Sure, I appreciate when someone says, "This is great!" But that doesn't help me get better. We need real, constructive feedback from readers to learn what resonates with them. Some of my critics have pointed out huge gaps in my thinking about something I've written. I cherish those people!!
That's the best kind of feedback. Did you get this constructive feedback from regular readers or other writers? I write fiction and it would be great to have a group of writers and give each other constructive criticism on plot, style, worldbulding etc.
I wrote something similar, though not as eloquent, just now in response to another comment on this thread.
😂 what a coincidence!
One thing I've done that is helpful is keep an ongoing file where I copy and paste in every single compliment I get on my newsletter. It get a super boost now every time I read through it.
I do this too, Anne!
Consider posting them on your newsletter for potential subscribers to see.
Such a good point, Howard. There was a mini-discussion on this last week I believe. As a result, I compiled some comments from readers into my About page with an embedded link for each commenter so people can click and go to their newsletters. I figure they've helped me by giving their thoughts and time to share a comment, I can offer a little cross-promotion to them, as well as show prospective readers what others have thought of my work.
That's nice idea. I tend to give people shout-outs and recommend their newsletter, but your approach sounds good
ooh good idea!
Yes, that's what I was thinking Howard. On another website I have a couple of pages dedicated to testimonials. Not sure if anyone reads them, mind you!
Oh that’s so sweet
That's a great idea, Anne.
This is an amazing idea :)
This is such a lovely idea! I've taken screenshots of some of the lovely comments so I can look at them if I feel stuck.
I started my career as a journalist at my small hometown Texas newspaper 40 years ago this May, just nine days after graduating from high school. After writing a story that angered the mayor and a couple of city council members in a nearby small town, a senior reporter looked at thin-skinned me and said, "As long as it's accurate and truthful, remember this: You're writing to please no one. Tell the story as it needs to be told. If you do that, it's likely you'll make someone happy on both sides of any topic. You're also guaranteed to piss someone off on both sides too. That's how you'll know you've done your job."
I've never forgotten that.
A good reminder of what's important: is it true? Is it helpful? Does it serve the purpose it was meant to serve?
I also try to ask myself if what I'm writing improves the world in some way, whether that's encouraging people to think about something important, communicating a thing of beauty, or teaching an interesting topic.
And I've found that this advice applies beyond journalism. My mentor advised me recently that he feels I still haven't found my voice. Write about what I want to write about. Write for me. If its honest and valuable it will find readers. I agree with you totally, Glenn. I just wanted our colleagues who are not journalists to consider that your wise words apply to them too.
You got very smart advice. I went into journalism at 25. I don’t know many teens who could take the criticism that comes par for the course in journalism and not wither under criticism.
Is this the comment? Funny enough, I also wrote for the local newspaper when I was a teenager. They started a weekly double page for the youth for me. Once I wrote an article about the high school that I attended. Nobody spoke to me (including teachers) for two months. I was persona non-grata. Another time I wrote about illegal abortion amongst teenage girls and one of the journalist said 'You're lucky that the police doesn't read the youth page'. I stopped writing after that... 😅
You attended a pretty tough high school! So sorry to hear!
I love this! A few thoughts:
1. It's actually psychological, our brains are wired this way--it's the negativity bias. We're always scanning for "threats" as animals, so the criticisms or threats stick with us more than the "wins." It sucks but it's the way we're wired in order to "survive." But here's how I work against that...
2. I love to keep a "love notes" folder in my email inbox as well as a phone album for screenshots. When I get positive feedback about my work, I save it there. It can be really hard to constantly put yourself out there, but your work matters. And if you have your love notes file, then you can always remind yourself of your impact when times are hard :) Highly recommend this practice!
I've had a few people who already know me stop me before I can say anything else and tell me that they love reading my newsletter. They talk about it sincerely and it's made me continue on. I bank them, as you say, in the soppy metaphor of my heart.
"Love notes" is a great concept! I'm in a community were we have a "love" channel in our Slack, and members post screenshots of positive reactions we receive from the people we serve. It's wild to realize how big an impact that something we consider small or routine can have on another person's life.
Which translates well to writing. Even if we don't get many "love notes," chances are there are people who have been touched or inspired by what we write. It's both encouraging and humbling to remember that the words we put into the world have that power.
It's the way our brains are wired, I think. We are five times more likely to remember something negative than something positive, if I recall the neuroscience correctly. Thanks for this!
Yes, my thoughts exactly Mike. I wrote a piece and thought would get backlash for sure but nothing really and another same and no reaction! As writers and esp. online we should expect critical commentary. I think at this stage we should be able to distinguish the good from the trash right? Comments on this end have increased all good and with increase in #s good and bad are all part of the process
Cool. I just subscribed to your Substack and will check it out.
It makes sense...it's likely tied to survival. We remember danger and stress so we're able to avoid it in the future.
Brains are fascinating that way!
Sure thing, Sam.
I'm hopefully (🤞🤞🤞🤞) gonna start my newsletter next week, after much hemming and hawing! Will keep your advice in mind.
Go for it! I wish I started mine ages ago.
oh wow! that's good encouragement.
You go girl! Never let anyone stop you from chasing what you want in life (as long as it doesn't harm anyone haha)
Go for it Jenny!! I stalled for a long time, and have never regretted taking the leap.
Jenny, I stalled, too, and then I realized I was waiting for perfection. Don’t wait for that.
What are you going to write about, Jenny?
my trip to Zion next and my relationship to my mother...maybe.
also now that I'm thinking about it more - possibly what it's like to grow up with a brother 13 years younger than me (I'm going with my brothers) and the stark difference in our childhoods.
The whole story sounds like it could have a snowball effect. You start with one angle, and then you start exploring more angles. I definitely found that to be true as I started sharing my personal story as well. (on recovery from the strict religious environment I was raised in).
Hmm.
This is the perfect place for you to be.
Heck yeah! That's why I don't write about causes that I don't believe in. If I'm going to put my time and energy into it, it's going to be something I stand by firmly and with conviction.
That way the negative comments don't get under my skin. I know I'm doing a good job by my own standards, and that's important to me.
I feel the same. And even if something is lacking, I’ll try to do better next time. Nobody’s perfect!
Absolutely Sam 👍👋
100% with this. I started my newsletter just to share what I've learned in life to my friends and families. And their compliments and feedback have been very beneficial for me in reiterating and improving my craft ❤️
Very good, Kris. The same start up for my writing. I had been writing for my children and wanted a place to archive. Substact seemed a good place. I now have 60 or so subs with a hand full paid. Learning. Want to keep the start up vision.
Or if I've lost a subscriber. I know better - it's not logical. I want readers that truly gain from reading the newsletter and will absolutely keep writing. Yet -there it is - that little tickle of sadness.
turn of the notifications when a subscriber leaves. That prevents it showing up in your inbox as a reminder. leave positive notifications on (like when someone comments)
As always, just the wisdom I needed to hear today! Thank you, S.E.!! xo
What do you write about, Kerri?
Kerri paused her publication just after I subscribed. It's the effect I have on a lot of people. I've read a few of her past articles, and the current ones, and they're well worth subscribing to, Mike: lovely and upbeat. It's definitely a great part of the week when an article from Kerry appears. (Kerri, my invoice is in the post)
Terry, you're the best. Thank you for this ringing endorsement! (PS - Will you accept payment in the form of another coffee? 😉)
Thanks, Kerri, my pleasure, and no! But thank you anyway :-)
Haha Terry! Don't subscribe to mine then ;)
Blimey, I thought I had. OK, will do now. Stand by for a huge drop in your numbers!
Funny! Even so, glad to have you here :)
For the first year of the publication, I shared three things each week that made me smile. In January, I put that part on hold to write about a course I'm taking called "Creating the Impossible," where my impossible project is to get cast in a Broadway musical. I'll return to sharing smiles when the course is over. Thanks for asking! :)
Sounds interesting. I just subscribed and will check it out.
Thank you, Mike!! Glad to have you on board. :)
Also, just to say that Kerri is intelligent and erudite. I know this because she subscribes to mine! And likes it! If you're interested, I write at terryfreedman.substack.com, and have a great correspondence going with Rebecca Holden at https://rebeccaholden.substack.com/
Terry and Rebecca time is one of my favorite times of the week! Also, love the Monday posts that I usually get to on Wednesday and appreciate all the more by mid-week. :)
That's why I took so long to even think about publishing! I didn't know if I could handle a) criticism and b) radio silence.
But here I am :)
I have to remind myself: there's always someone who's negative. It's no reflection on anything you do as an artist (unless *everyone* is negative, which, yeah, rethink then).
For my most recent song I released, my ratings on a hot-or-not chart ranged from 0 to 100 (average about 82, I think). When I see those zeros, I just tell myself: there's always someone. Carry on.
You are not going to be for everyone, but you will be amazing for the ones who need it!
You, too, S.E, Keep going.
You are making a difference. Especially here.
I can't make it here every week, but I found myself returning here today and first looking for your post.
Roll with the punch. As long as it is not just slinging of crap (which any writer must be able to filter out), all criticism helps you improve, good or bad. Remember, many times negative criticism has a touch of jealousy involved. I am speaking from experience, about negative comments I have made myself on other's substacks!
Definitely appreciate this, S.E. -- In reality, it's harder to do than we might think, because, as others have written below, it's part of how we're wired. We have to keep at it, pretty much always. And, the more negative inputs we've experienced over our lifetime, the more we are at risk of a cumulative negativity bias that tends to outweigh the positive, even when we reach a point of having a lot of light in our life. I recently published a 2-part series on the power of words and explored this very idea in the second part. "Facing the Music" https://elizabethbeggins.substack.com/p/facing-the-music Linked to some helpful resources that flesh out my own ideas for those who want to dig a little deeper.
Thanks so much for calling attention to this from the writer's lens.
Hi substack folks - last week I missed this post by 1 hour and there were already 1000+ comments. It's not really possible to have a voice that way. Any thoughts on how this weekly office hours post could be changed to address that?
I read hundreds of comments and replies on here each Thursday. And reply to a dozen or two. I always find a couple or three new writers to subscribe to, as well, and about half my subscribers have come along via Office Hours directly or indirectly. So I'm glad there are A LOT of writers on here.
100%
Yes, it’s crowded, but this space is a huge resource.
Oh, definitely. I like that there's so much overlap and that I "discover" writers I never would have gone searching for. It's chaotic but it's fun.
Absolutely. It’s highly unlikely I would’ve found your work had we not crossed paths here.
Cheers Kevin.
Great descriptors! Chaotic but fun! Lol
yeah, Mike I'm finding I really enjoy the office hours here. I've met some really cool people and discovered some awesome newsletters.
Yeah, I thought about that too but it's an awful lot of time filtering things. I'm actively trying to curate the sources of my information intake. But I agree there's something to be said for finding new things. And your point about the new subscribers thing is an important one.
It's time-consuming, I agree with you on that, Brad.
Yep, I agree with Mike (and Kevin and Valorie). It can be overwhelming at first, but it is certainly worth diving into the threads and spend some time here. If not to meet the fabulous Substack team, then to meet the fabulous writers who are eager to share their thoughts here.
What do you write about, Arjan?
I write a poetry magazine. So with poetry and about poetry. Every Friday I share a fresh poem, something poetic and three links to poetry elsewhere. On selected Tuesdays I post about my endeavours as a poet exploring publishing on blockchains. I am also doing some podcast episodes.
And you?
A strong focus on psychology and culture.
Sounds interesting. Will take a look
I mostly share stories from my first novel and this summer will start sharing stories from my second novel.
Hey Mike! Perchance you’ll like my stuff. I write personal essays and memoir pieces at: sismanandrew.substack.com
Okay, I'll check it out, Andrei. So you live in Romania? One of my favorite authors was the Romanian-American Elie Wiesel.
Wow! Funnily enough, I haven’t heard of him. Not very popular here. But I will give him a try.
Elie Wiesel! He was probably the most well-known person to have survived the Holocaust. A Nobel Laureate. He died in 2016. It would be worth it for you to check him out. A true gem!
He was the leading author about the Holocaust. Earned the Nobel Peace Prize.
Yes, it is a valuable resource even though I can't get through all the content week over week.
Same.
This just occurred to me, but maybe Office Hours should be split up between "question time" and "social time". Right now, the mix of writers with specific questions and writers who just want to talk shop is a little dizzying. 🌿
Yes! Some of us mentioned this last time. We might benefit from breaking out the social aspect into its own time, where writers can confine their chatting, networking, and self-promotion while keeping Office Hours strictly for the Q&A stuff. I think that makes a lot of sense and provides us the greatest amount of choice. Everyone wins :-)
That is a good idea. Create a separate thread for conversation and encouragement.
So true! Two different functions.
Agreed, maybe it could be splintered off into office hours for different groups.
I guess the trick would be how to group them - topically? Newbies vs established?
At the same time, established writers come in and help newbies, which is one of the beautiful things about office hours. I know there is always a prompt for Office Hours (today is Chat). Maybe that prompt could be announced ahead of time so people could decide if they want to join that conversation or not.
I like newer vs established because the stages of development and what makes sense is different. As a newer writer here that is my perspective. As an established biz owner I can say that in any group spaces, it is helpful to both pay it forward and learn something new. So by breaking it out, you don't bore the veterans and don't give newbies the "not yet a fit" things to try. Allowing new and established writers to play and visit in each other's group (again to pay knowledge forward and learn).
I like the new vs established group idea. There are different challenges at each stage of development and sometimes office hours really seems geared to the folks who are just starting.
That said, it’s always nice when you can answer a question for someone new. I could see myself attending both versions just for the pleasure of being helpful to the new guys.
It's two hours later, but I just want to add that there is a big difference between being a new young writer seeking advice and being new to Substack. I have been writing for over fifty years, but am relatively new to Substack.
Maybe by newsletter topic? Although I guess that runs the risk of creating an echo chamber.
Yes or different timezones. I too do get lost in so many and quick repies.
I like this suggestion a lot! Spread out some of the q's
Yeah - and they took the collapse function away. This is my last office hours if it's gone forever. There is NO way to wade through all of this - so you're not alone in how you feel.
I don't have collapse function either. I wonder if it's a glitch in different browsers? But I desperately need it!
You can collapse. Click on the line under the icon at the beginning of the thread.
Great question.
I hear you, Brad, and so do many others. In fact, this was a recurrent suggestion for last week's Office Hours, if you want to go back and review any of that content. It is tricky to sift through so many comments. That being true, I still find value in skimming and reading what I can in the time I have. I learn something every time.
We always post the office hours thread before the conversation hour to try to make sure everyone gets the chance to get their questions in! If you can show up early, that's a more sure-fire approach to get your question answered.
I echo Brad's sentiment, though. I'm on a tight schedule daily and can't show up early...getting here "on time" to find hundreds of comments already on the thread can be overwhelming, and it often takes a while to find pertinent conversations.
Thanks Bailey! While there are some great points made here about the advantages of diving in to all the comments - many that I agree with - I'm just not sure it's scaling well. Maybe the way reddit pre-posts AMA threads they know are going to be popular would work. Cheers :-)
Honestly if the default sort was by "new" it would change the reading dynamic significantly.
This. As much as I appreciate the snowball effect of likes and replies my posts get because I post so early, I hate that posts with zero likes--and very insightful questions or comments--get buried because of the weight given to likes by default. A simple change like this would really make a difference. 🌿
Agree with you. (But FYI, I like your posts because they're good and insightful, not because you post early.)
Aw, thanks Glenn. 😁🌿
Yes, and turn off automatic reloading. I just lost a long reply to someone because it reloaded so much it made the text box I was writing in disappear. :/
Yes please!
How do you turn off auto reloading??
There are some clunky workarounds that you can try in each browser, but they affect your browser's behavior across all websites. This is really something Substack needs to take care of on their end.
Gotcha. Thanks!
Oh, we can switch it from Top to New or Chronological, Scott. See the button above, at the top of all the comments?
I see it--but the default is Top. Most people when they come to Office Hours for the first time will see the most-liked comments. If they saw new comments by default, they would be forced to navigate some of those insightful questions or comments before getting to the most liked ones.
I see.
Agree there's a lot going on here. One thing I realized is that the thread is open significantly before the official start time. So if you did want to "get in early" try logging on an hour or two beforehand.
Personally, what works for me is to collapse the threads about topics I'm not currently attuned to. That's an easy way to skip over the long conversations which may not be relevant to you at this particular time.
Yet here you are, with a voice...:)
<shamelessPlug>Obligatory reply that I'd love to see you over at https://strong99.substack.com where I'm writing about not just living longer but *thriving* longer, and that I'm excited to have just launched my second newsletter - https://sticksandstones.substack.com - where I'm writing about the impact of worldwide military spending on society. Cheers!</shamelessPlug>
I'm trying to convince Substack to do an office hour devoted to Classifieds. Let's do an experiment, let's use this thread as a classifieds section. I'm sacrificing my notifications for the cause.
If you are looking for collaborations, share this information in a reply to this comment:
-What is your substack? Share a link!
-What is your substack about? Pitch prospective collaborators!
- What kind of collaboration are you looking for? Guest post? Podcast Guest? Letter writing counterpart? Cross-post? Something I can't think of right now? Mention it here.
-Who is your ideal collaboration? someone who is in the same space as you? Something different? Are you looking for someone to enhance an idea you focus on, or introduce a new idea you want to talk about?
If you are open to collaborations, scroll the replies and respond to people if you think you are a match! Coordinate among yourselves how to get the collab going.
I hope this works! Good luck out there! Happy hunting!
My weekly Substack features a week in the life of working moms. Would love to feature some more stories (and link to my contributor’s creative projects etc)
Coree, do you mean you're looking for contributors to your newsletter? I'm a working mom and I'd be up for that.
Oh cool! There’s a Google survey form on the main page. It’s pretty simple!
I see. Thanks!
No longer working but have worked as a mom and expect to go back. I am very much in the between. I was a 30 year old mom who worked and then I had a -surprise- 40 year old baby and have stayed home for a few years. Might be an interesting perspective as far as moms who have experienced a little bit of everything!
Oh that would be lovely! This week we featured a mom looking to head back after adoption so all stories are welcome. A Google form is on the Substack main page
Working mom here! Just subscribed. :)
Just subscribed, although I am past the stage of being a working mom. But my daughter has a 3 year old and is about to give birth to her 2nd, so I will be sure to pass it on!
Hey! I write Practice Space (sismanandrew.substack.com). It's a newsletter of nonfiction essays, whether memoir (stories about my life and how certain events changed me) or more general nonfiction stories. Some of the topics I cover are heavy (I wrote a piece about the history of animal abuse in Hollywood), while others are funny and whimsical. Come check it out! I'll be eternally grateful for the support. As for collaborations, I'm a big fan of cross-posts and recommendations. I recommend a bunch of stacks I love and it feels really great to help them reach new people.
Hi Andrei, I just subscribed too. I also write personal essays and would love to cross-post and recommend. You can see mine here: accidentalcareergirl@substack.com
.
Hey, great. Subscribed to yours too! I'll hit you up with an e-mail to chat about some of those collaboration ideas.
lots of my posts blend memoir with social analysis. You might be interested...I do monthly cross-post- link lists too...I'll keep you in mind...
Thanks for the rec. Will check out your newsletter!
Just subscribed! We do some similar things...
Thank you Glenn. Will check out yours too.
I write Maine Musings: https://gadaboutmaine.substack.com/
- I share my adventures throughout Maine - from hikes to pursue, to farm to table dinners, quirky events and so much more. If you are infatuated already with Vacationland or have dreamed of visiting, it should serve as good fuel.
- I'd love to cross-post with any other substack focused specifically on - or written from - Maine.
Great idea - and thanks for this! :)
Just subscribed, Chelsea. I’ve been looking for some New England based Substacks!
Love Maine! I lived in NH but went to school in South Berwick...so many fun days at Wells and York beaches. ☀️
I love this! I worked at a summer camp in Maine and it was really lovely.
Just subscribed! I’m always mentally planning my next visit to Maine!
I write humorous poems about everyday life: https://rhymeofyourlife.substack.com/
Am always on the look out for inspiration and would love to hear from writers who have shared any stories about funny incidents that they have found themselves in. The strangest things can sometimes spark my imagination!
-I write the Peasant Times Dispatch https://timesdispatch.substack.com/
-It's a Catholic lifestyle magazine-ish about how to live as a Catholic in this modern world--the focus is on what I call the "Peasant Life" which is all about knowing our limits and our limitations.
-I'm looking for Guest posts, Cross posts, or letter writing counterparts.
-The ideal collaborator is someone who is Catholic or Christian (or interested in either), who has thoughts about the simplest and most fundamental truths of faith, and is interested in discussing or exploring those ideas in a collaborative setting.
This is a very niche thing, but if anyone is interested let me know!
Ok I may have someone who would be interested Scoot. Send your details and I will let them know
Have them subscribe to my substack and reply to my welcome email!
Kind of odd, but I’m a practicing Catholic & astrologer, which works for me but sometimes more trad Catholics can’t wrap their head around. No worries either way, but would be open to collabing if you were interested.
Very interesting! I think there's room for a conversation there. I will subscribe and reach out via email! Thank you for reaching out!
Looking forward to it!
You may be interested in William Collen's newsletter. He explores the arts from a Christian perspective at RUINS: https://www.ruins.blog
I will check him out! Thank you!
Hi Scoot,
I write on education and family in a time of upheaval from a Christian perspective. You can take a look at my posts and see if you feel they are a good fit for you. I just recently wrote on "Reclaiming your Stolen Focus - A Lenten fast with a tech twist" https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/reclaiming-your-stolen-focus
Excellent! You've got a new subscription, i'll be keeping an eye out for collaboration potential!
Hello Everyone,
I write Oíche Rua (Ee-ha rue-ah - it's Irish). In this publication I explore themes of product design, research & education, and cultural inspiration. My perspective comes from a pottery and textiles point of view, so occasionally there are sheep or clay involved.
I am looking for a cross post with/ to be a podcast guest for someone who enjoys art and culture, understanding complex systems, discussing spiritual influences. I'd love to share a cup of tea and discuss what makes wool beautiful, or the history behind your beloved teapot!
www.oicherua.com
P.S. Thank you for hosting a classifieds section, Scoot! RIP your notification window
I'm glad you suggested a separate forum for classifieds. Long ago I worked at a ComputerLand franchise where the corp had just set up a forum on Telenet. Many franchisees were exchanging great ideas. I made the mistake of asking my colleagues if any of them had a scarce product they could share with me. The entire network seized upon that idea and the forum became a trading post. My hope is that this Office Hours gets more focused on the craft of writing and the innovative things people are doing to reach a bigger audience.
Hi Scott, thanks for trying this out here!
I write Heartbeats- https://thebarefootbeat.substack.com/
I share short and sweet weekly reflections to soothe the Sunday Scaries and offer inspiration/encouragement for all creatives.
I'm looking to feature fellow creatives who have traveled to the beat of their own drum- voices who need a little amplification and support with wisdom to share for the rest of us!
My ideal collaboration are with artists/entrepreneurs from all different modalities. The weirder the better. Let's show the world what can happen when we honor our authenticity and unique gifts/talents.
My goal is to create a thriving, creative community where we can eventually do things like offer collaborations, mutual aid, and widen the safety net of love in the world. <3
Fun! I run Unruly Figures, a history podcast. I'm looking for historians to interview. If you're interested in being a guest, shoot me an email at unrulyfigures@substack.com :)
My Substack is Stream Unconsciousness. sabrinalabow.substack.com. I just write and tap into my unconscious. It's an exploration of the human condition. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it but it's my thoughts on all sorts of topics. It's about how we create your own realities with our thoughts and beliefs. We are all spinning on this ball in space going round and round and you look out into the sky and it's infinity and I suppose trying to get my head around it by writing about it and our shared experiences as humans. I'm not very good at the tech stuff but trying to get better!
This is a great idea. I'd love to find some more people interested in right livelihood and alternatives to the money system: https://thelaboringheart.substack.com/
Love love this idea. Collaborations yes Scoot. This classified approach would save time and having all potential collaborators listed to scroll, search, and email fantastic.
I'm calling it a "community directory" but I think my idea is very similar!
Thanks, Scoot!
My Substack is a little bit of a lot of things: memoir writing, travel, the writing process, social and political commentary - sarahstyf.substack.com
I would love to guest post or be a podcast guest. I just self-published a book! 😊
I'm MOST open to collaboration with travel posts, particularly camping and outdoors.
Hi Scott, I like your initiative! I write a bi-weekly newsletter about climate fiction: https://claudiabefu.substack.com/
Currently I’m working on a collection of short stories and exploring the world of a novel I hope to start when I’m done with the collection.
I also write about climate fiction and its role in educating about climate change. I am looking to collaborate with other people interested in cli-fi. Letter exchange on cli-fi topics such as the future of food, ecological imagination, ecotopia, etc. would be interesting or interviews with cli-fi writers. If you write cli-fi or are interested leave a comment. 😘
I'm Marie Shadows, an EX-WWE employee now turned podcaster, Livestream host, wrestling media journalist/analytist, and writer. I would love to Collab with other wrestling fans and wrestling writers.
The only idea I have is to feature fan stories on my newsletter. I might do the invite to my podcast as a guest to talk about WWE, New Japan Pro Wrestling, MLW, Impact, and not so much AEW as I've fell out of love with AEW. But we'll see. During 2020, I used to do this with my buddies.
My link: https://marieshadows.substack.com
My Substack is about my journey in wrestling, my thoughts on all things wrestling and even podcasting drama to set records straight because love to drag the most successful in their field, and more stuff in wrestling.
So this just an introduction for now. We can also use chat. 🤷 Message me if interested.
Please note: I don't easily trust or am quick to be like: yes! Let's book it! I do suggest to talk with me for a bit on a friendly level conversation and interact with me on my posts, in chat, in my discord, or on Twitter. It'll get me comfortable. This is the only thing I ask if you wanted to Collab with me. 🙏
I always wanted to Collab with others but it was always an idea. I think we change that.
Thanks Scoot.
"moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies" is open to guest writers. Please see the link below for more information:
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/be-our-guest
Prompt: If you've ever felt that you learned something about life from a movie,
please share it with us 🤗
I came across a substack that uses a "Tip jar" rather than paid subscription. Readers leave a one-time tip if they enjoyed the articles or want to support the writer with a one-time payment. Has anyone tried this? Any thoughts on adding a 'tip jar' option?
I always put a Ko-fi link for people who don’t like the burden of a subscription and I usually get one or two per article, that’s £5. I think an integrated tip jar in substack would be even better.
Had never heard of that! Thanks, Sophia - definitely worth considering!
What is a Ko-fi link Sophia?
ko-fi.com is a platform where you can create a profil and people can send you money via a link “a coffee”. it is like any paypal/venmo link but a bit nicer
Hey Ratika! I'm in the same boat. But $5 isn't actually the minimum for Indian publications. If you turning paid subs on you'll see that the pricing is in INR and more flexible. We do have a different problem though - no way to price in USD for US readers. Oh, also, no way for readers to pay via UPI.
I have one on my Substack. It’s a nice option for people that might not be regular subscribers or readers that might not be in a spot to go paid.
Does this option get used frequently? Do you think it might it dissuade readers from committing to a subscription?
Semi-regularly. Based on the people using it, I don’t think it dissuaded anyone. A common example might be my writing about a specific band, and one of their fans using it after reading the article.
I saw a Substack do this as well and thought it was a nice idea. Less commitment. It was a writer/reader-related pub, so the author put "Buy me a book" and it linked to an outside site where people could do a one-time contribution of $5, $10, or $25.
My husband had Alzheimers Disease. In lieu of paid subscriptions, I plan to add a link to The Alzheimer's Association website and let readers contribute if they choose - either in his name or someone else's name they would like to honor.
That's a beautiful idea. I wish you and your husband all the best. 💚
Thank you.
I’ve thought about setting up a tip jar. I feel like the subscription pledges is still a big commitment.
Laura, it isn’t a big commitment for many people. Let them decide.
The buy me a book idea is nice. I read a lot as research for my writing and the last book I bought was over 30$ in the Kindle edition… 😐
Tell me about this Theresa
The person used: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/
I like the concept of "throw me a couple bones if you like what I'm doing," because I totally do that for creators I like. I suppose I'm also a little unsure if my Substack offers enough value at the moment to have a Paid section, so this seems like a nice in-between.
Hey there! Wanted to jump in to share some thoughts around we haven't built tools on Substack for this.
One of the reasons we focus on monthly and yearly subscriptions, at minimum $ amounts, versus one-off payments/tips and ads is that the former creates a stable, even sizable, income for the writer that empowers them to do their best work. Monthly and yearly subscriptions are not reliant on writing "hit posts" and don't incentivize short-term wins. Instead they encourage writers and readers to develop trusting, sustained relationships.
In the future, some form of "tipping" could work on Substack (for example, for readers who are already paying subscribers to give a writer kudos), but this is why we haven't prioritized building a feature like this now and instead have created products like pledges - https://on.substack.com/p/pledges
While I can understand this, I don't see tip options as encouraging writers to attempt "hit" or "viral" posts. Rather, it gives readers (like me) who can't afford to subscribe to every Substack they enjoy a way to show tangible support and bolster others' income.
Thanks Bailey!
I keep forgetting to mention my Buy Me a Coffee link! But I have one. I used it in the past before Substack and had a few people give money and wrote praises for my writing and it was the best feeling ever!
Right now I’m in an existential phase of life so I’m always forgetting to mention it. I’m essentially just writing weekly posts as I explore life and figure out what the heck I’m doing with it after losing my mom... so I’ll have to remember to bring up the Buy Me a Coffee page again. I say “buy me a matcha”, haha! And can set it up to be as little as $3 I think.
My tip jar links are in my footer, so it goes out with every email. However, I've considered putting it retroactively at the bottom of posts for those who visit the webpage version. BMAC is also in the sidebar links for me. And yes, you can totally set it up for $3! Put it everywhere, haha.
I had a tip jar via Buy me a coffee + links to Venmo/PayPal/etc before I turned on paid subs. I still have the tip jar link as an option for those who can't commit to a monthly payment.
I think this is a smart idea. I'd love to see an integrated option on Substack for "support this article" or "Like this article? Buy me a (coffee, burrito, taco, salad, etc...)"
Honestly, this is the basic idea of writing NFTs in the Web3 space. There's a lot more to it than that, but at its core, it's a way for people to support and curate articles and other creative works individually rather than being tied to a subscription. And it gives creators more options to receive support.
I've commented about this on previous Office Hours threads, but I'd be happy to give a few dollars as a tip on a post I really liked vs. subscribing to every paid Substack I read. I can't sustain the latter financially, but the former would provide the option of supporting writers I enjoy beyond just clicking "like" or leaving comments.
of front-of-house restaurant staff can do it, why not authors? :)
I have! Rarely does anything come from it, but every once in a while someone will toss in a few dollars.
Thanks for sharing, Valorie. I looked into the option but I didn't like how the company of Buy me a coffee could access any information in the Stripe account. Maybe I'm worried too much but it gave me pause.
I've been recommending something like this for a while too:
Substack establishes a credit system where a member can buy a dollar value each month, which can roll over. A credit can = $1 and can be used in the following ways:
1. They can pay for subscriptions with credits where there might be a reduced cost option (say 3 credits vs. $5)
2. They can pay for individual essays with credits (1 credit / essay)
3. They can send credits to writers for free essays as a 'tip' for good writing.
So this would break down to allow someone to buy 20 credits - $20 each month.
They could use 9 credits on three subscriptions and have 11 credits to buy / tip for other essays. This would allow a micro-monitization vs. the expectation of a fully committed and yet independent subscriptions. It would help build the broader community aspect of a network of authors as well.
It would also solve the challenge of "micro-payments" via credit card. I think that's a bit of a barrier because you get socked a fee for every handful of dollars.
It always feels better when someone pays for the content after they've read it and found it valuable. There are few better ways to express recognition!
How would this work online Ruth? Like the idea of generating some cash returns
This substack writer simply added a link along the main header called 'Tip Jar' which was linked to a stripe account.
Which one was this? Id like to implement it, but not sure how!
There seems to be an option to set this up if you have a stripe account. I'll look into this later today.
I've thought about doing something similar- I've added my Venmo link at the bottom for a "pay what you can" option. We'll see what happens! I'm also interested in trying out registering/selling monthly events on my Substack. They will be free for founding members, but I know a lot of people would probably be more willing to pay $10 for one or two instead of $100 for all twelve.
Does anyone know if there's a way to make the Founding Membership monthly instead of annually? Might get more subscribers that way?
I am waiting for a Substack native feature that does this. I hope it is on their radar. I feel bad for taking money outside the substack native environment, it's the only way they make money too.
Is there any way to organise a Substack writers meet-up in our respective cities? Or at least a resource of where people are grouped so we can do the leg work ourselves of organising? Community is everything and meeting with other writers in our city would be so inspiring and helpful beyond the screen.
👀 We've helped with organizing meetups in the past. I hope we can again one day. If you have ideas, feel free to check this out: https://airtable.com/shr75JiXOl4sPJOl4
Oh no, does this mean there won’t be any “official” meetups on the two coasts this year? I definitely don’t have the square footage to host everyone in NY...
That’s a fantastic idea! I’d love to meet writers from my area in person. Maybe start a little writing club.
Seconding what Tonya said. I think some writers--like those of us in LA--have planned to meet up again. If you can find people in your city, maybe they already have a meet up schedule.
Hi Valorie, I'm in LA and wondered if I could join your writers meetup.
Oh to be in LA with y’all. I’ll be on the lookout for Torontonian writers! 👀
That’s a great idea. I wonder if people could choose to join different area groups? Something like that...
That’s exactly what we need! Expand those chat functions to author-author connections
They did this last fall! I missed it, so I’m really hoping they’re organizing meetups this year too.
Great idea! I know there's at least 3 of us in my town, so it'd probably be more of a small dinner than anything else. Still a great way to get know the people on the other side of the screen.
Brilliant idea! Would love to participate in something like this.
It's possible but hard work. I organised Zoom meetups for writers in Australia/ New Zealand/ Pacific etc timezones, but I had to search the discover tab to find them and then contact them all.
That was my next thought- just how much legwork would I need to put in to make this happen without internal support from Substack?
Potentially a fair bit. I had a bit of spare time and it was something I really wanted to do. It's worth noting that as a side effect, I ended up being promoted by a couple of larger substacks than me, it's a worthwhile way of putting your work in front of others without actually promoting. I didn't do it for that reason, but it did have that effect.
I've also been really hoping for this!
https://www.meetup.com/ There's an app for that.
Hey all, I’m celebrating a modest yet significant-to-me milestone: I have earned NET $400 as a writer on Substack! 🎉
Income is not not currently my goal but a happy side effect of offering the option to subscribers. All the money from Stripe gets deposited directly into my savings account where I’m holding it for costs related to editing and publishing my book at some point in the near future.
I was feeling pretty low key about this because it doesn’t feel like a lot, but I mentioned it to my friend the other day who has published a dozen books and he made a big deal out of me earning money as a writer. He celebrated it!
So here I am thanking Substack for making a space where nobodys like me can make a buck or two for doing what I love.
Thank you for sharing and congratulations! I've made about $475 (net) since November and I think sometimes it's hard to celebrate these wins! I've been asking myself a lot what makes me a "real" writer when I don't have any formal publications or professional training, degrees, etc. but I think the fact that people are paying to read what I write definitely counts!
I feel the same fraudy feelings over what it means to be a writer. I have no books or bylines... YET! 😄
Yes, I love that little word...YET!
Sure it counts Mariah! Did ya start asking for paid subs first or ... cause always wonder if I should have done the same,as the cost is low and I believe it adds value to the work
I started out offering paid subs with no expectation whatsoever that anyone would choose it. I wrote an email to 50+ people I knew personally and about 17 of them subscribed right away...I even got four founding member subscriptions. Honestly, it's all from people I know but that was a really big confidence boost (at the same time humbling) and helped me realize that I have support for what I'm trying to do.
Before the 80s most people who wrote newspapers articles were not trained in journalism. They were called reporters and were often college drop outs or had no college at all. Hemingway for instance and Churchill, one of the highest paid journalists of all time and prolific author, just started writing and writing and writing. Oh and he had staff
Wow, Mary! Thank you so much for offering this perspective. It can feel so intimidating sometimes with all of the gatekeeping in place these days...which is one more reason I love Substack! We have the keys to unlock our own gate. Thanks again, I will hold this reminder close to my heart.
You should totally celebrate that! Nice work!!
Congratulations, well done
I am interested because I have many subscribers who I know personally and because of that I've felt odd asking for $. I think I've said before, I worry that I'm goin to come across as the crazy Avon lady calling at everyone's door. I would love to double my subscriptions with people who I don't run into at the coffee shop. Do you know your subscribers? I also write personal essays with a humorous edge. And of course I want to say I'm glad your friend celebrated you - that's the best part!
I have so far made paid subscriptions available but I don’t paywall any of my content. The language I use in the subscriber journey is that all my content is free, and a paid subscription is simply your way of supporting my work as a writer. I donny push paid subscriptions at all, so people have self-selected when they sign up.
My first 15 subscribers were friends and family, then about a month later I sent a personal invitation out and got another 15-20 friends subscriptions. But mostly my readers are new-to-me through substack.
My belief is that friends usually want to be supportive, whether it’s by paying, commenting, encouraging, or sharing. If we don’t give them that opportunity, then they can’t participate. But if we give them the opportunity, they can choose it or not. So I give my readers that opportunity.
I love(d) Avon.
100% worth celebrating, imo!! Congrats 🎉🎉
That's fantastic! Keep doing what you're doing...
An ignorant question here. If I send a post out to all of my subscribers and then update it, they don't get separate emails every time I do that, right? I've seen some folks posting comments admitting to typos, but they didn't go back and fix them. I'm obsessive enough that sometimes I'll tweak things even after sending out a new post -- and I definitely go back and fix errors (an embarrassing one was when Autocorrect changed "Noam" Chomsky to "Norm" Chomsky :). But am I spamming my subscribers every time I do that?
Rest assured, Joshua - the email is sent out just the once, unless you choose to resend it. You can go back in and edit a published post whenever you like, and it won’t automatically send the email again.
Phew! Thanks so much :)
Correct! Updates you make also *will* show up on the web and in the app, but once the email is sent, it's sent and set in stone!
Thanks, Bailey!
Knowing that the typo persists in the email drives me nuts though!
YES. Me too; I have to refrain from emailing again...
Same!
SAME. Had one in today's email, and it's been bothering me since I saw it!
I feel confident we can survive this. 😎
It doesn't repost, fortunately. I fix typos now and then, more frequently if I've sent something in a bit of a hurry. I do add a footnote if I fix something factual or adjust wording in a way that I feel changes meaning, though. I don't want someone to read the email and then visit the website later and feel cognitive dissonance ("I thought it said something else.....").
Good call on the footnote!
I update a lot of my posts too, Joshua. I always have that tiny trepidation, but I'm 99% sure they don't result in another email going out. Glad you asked, and I look forward to a Substack staffer giving us a definitive answer.
Mistakes, weirdly, seem to make my readers like me more - I guess I seem more like a human and less like an industry media machine.
So don't stress the mistakes too much.
On Monday I made a really really bad factual error about a deadly human pathogen in my email and have added an 'Erratum' near the top of the page on the web version so anyone who received the error in their email will see that I have corrected it if they happen to visit the page. (I will also let subscribers know about the error in my next email to them, of course),.
BTW AI writing never has typos so your mistakes prove you are human!
Oh I totally go back and edit things. When I started using Grammarly, I went back through the old posts and was appalled (though in reality it wasn't so bad). I'll only leave a note if it changes the form, fit, or function of the essay. You can't fix the first e-mail, but they don't see any others. (I have one of my other e-mails as a 'subscriber' to check these things too :)
I also make edits! (It doesn’t get sent out) I think people understand we are editing ourselves and it’s easy to make mistakes. :) I also sent something out about 6 weeks early by mistake - oof - I followed it with a whoops email and actually got a lot of engagement out for that! I think people like to see our human side! Also - it’s really nice when other writers write privately to help with an edit. I always appreciate that
Oh that's a good question...and it's good to know the answer, as posted by others here. I didn't even think of that, yikes!
I did this earlier this week and wondered the same thing :)
Hey Joshua. They don’t, I checked in with my wife a couple of times. I’ve made a habit of tweaking my older posts every once in a while, now that I know for sure I don’t run the risk of being spammy.
Update away Joshua. Updates never duplicate as far as I know. Go to resources and all this is covered. Updating posts by adding content, expanding sub titles esp. and of correcting typos all have increased #s
I was wondering why PayPal is not a payment solution? My readership is mostly European which means that most of them do not own a credit card. They use paypal instead. Currently I let them pay via paypal and comp them but that is quite manual also I guess not really ideal for substack is it? 🤷♀️
You can pay with a debit card via Stripe. I live in Europe and this is how I pay and how my paid subscribers pay.
We are currently investigating other payment options. Would love to hear from writers which ones you'd like us to support, so please chime in!
Yes, I would love PayPal to be an option. 🤗
I'd love Paypal too
Oh I didn’t realise this. I also have a large European audience and did not consider it. Debit is not allowed with Stripe?
Stripe can definitely charge to debit cards. My debit card is hooked up to Stripe.
My debit card is charged by Stripe -- I'm U.S. based.
Not sure if it's because people finally see that PayPal does evil things to their customers: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1043833
Hey there! So I'm a bit new (haven't even started my full Substack yet), so I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on starting? Do I need to have a ton of posts in the archive before I publish? Should I just start the darn thing and see what happens? I think I am in my head about the first newsletter and providing enough to get a subscription from readers. Anyway, any advice would be oh-so welcome and appreciated!
I’m pretty new here too. I have 9 posts out at this time. What I’ve found is just writing and posting are satisfying in themselves, and pretty soon you’ll find yourself on a roll. You won’t worry about what you should be writing about, it will just come to you, and soon your newsletter will have its own voice. And while I think it’s important to have a large back catalogue, so to speak, to create in the reader the idea you’re a legitimate creator, I also think you’ll build that over time, just by putting out your newsletter week to week (or whatever frequency you choose). Pretty soon, a year will have passed, and you’ll have released 52 issues!
Wholly agree. When you write what you like it’s so satisfying and you’re less concerned with the algorithm, the audience. And I think naturally that helps draw the right people to you :)
This is so true! just showing up for your writing at a frequency you are comfortable with, is enough! I've had wonderful transformations within myself with my writing. And now, that is more than enough feedback for me :)
THANK YOU! I love to write so that's why I am so excited about Substack. I really appreciate the feedback, I think I should probably just get started and go dive it :)
My wife and I have an interior design Substack/podcast, which is her area of expertise. She is not quite as willing to “build in public” as I am, so the fact that we can keep our publication on private mode initially was a big selling point for her. The way it works is that only subscribers can see our home page/archive and whenever anyone fills out the subscription form, we get an email notification and approve them. An unforseen benefit is that it feels pretty intimate for the approx 50 people on our subscriber list and a lot of people on the subscriber list are very excited to be taking part in this whole experiment from the beginning.
Anyways, maybe an option for you :)
I would dive in!! I also think the more you write, you’ll fine tune what it is your substack is actually about. I started with a more general idea, but it’s gotten more specific as I’ve progressed.
This is encouraging. I think I get frustrated sometimes by not having a "totally clear and concise" topic my Substack is about. It's more a mission- create a collaborative community and inspire others to nurture their creativity. But some weeks I write personal reflections about grief or how I'm struggling to make a decision, etc. It all ties back into hoping to inspire others but it can feel a little messy at times!
I hope the more I write the more I'll refine the messaging and that in the meantime, people will be drawn to the "spirit" of my Substack without needing to indulge them in a lot of marketing gimmicks.
Yesss Mariah! You got this! One thing that's helped me is the thought that I really want my substack to me a reflection of who I am as a writer/person overall. I think the gimmicks are always tempting but in general, if you honor YOU, you will feel successful. And I think so many people will and could benefit from the community you're creating!
Yeah, I’m in full support of that!
In accepting his recent Oscar, Brendan Fraser talked about how, in his career, it all came so easy... until it didn't. I've also found that it doesn't come as easy to others as it often has to me, so I remember to be grateful. The trick is to identify early when it stops being so easy so you can up your game to compensate. Don't let self-doubt or self-pity drag you down.
My advice: aim to be prepared “enough” but don’t try to be fully prepared when you start publishing. You’ll never feel ready. I had two weeks’ worth of posts prepared when I started. It felt like a huge leap to hit publish, but it all flowed from there.
Also, it doesn’t hurt to publish a few things at the start. I published three pieces on my first day, so that when I directed my friends to the site there was something on there for them to see.
It’s always helpful to have a catalog of work to schedule before launch so the pressure is off. But I say start the damn thing and commit to a sustainable cadence with sustainable extras that works for you. Consistency counts the most for successful substacks. But also, come back here! This is a great place for networking, finding good Substacks or get subscribers.
That was my plan originally but ended up just going for it. My cadence is not as consistent as I’d like it to be- but now after I few weeks of every other week, I’m almost done with a post for this week. I am always pushing myself though and enjoying the process.
Enjoying the process is what’s most important.
Agree 100% 😊
Start the darn thing and see what happens 😁 Every article you write should go out as a newsletter from day 1. If you have any people in your circle that might be interested in subscribing, let them know one week in advance, tell them to subscribe and then send the first newsletter. It doesn’t make sense to build an archive. Subscribers like to follow the journey from the beginning. Good luck! What do plan to write?
Treat your substack as a living experiment. I launched with an idea of how I wanted to do it, and I have assessed and reconfigured at least twice in the last year. Be open to change, listen to your audience, and don't be afraid to talk to them about what you want for them and for your publication. Good luck!
A good point. I am currently in the midst of reconfiguring my publication. I started in Oct 2022 and have about 35 posts to date. I feel like I know what I am now offering in a clearer way than when I started which is satisfying in its own way AND is prompting some messaging changes in how I present initially to an audience. Stay tuned!
Thank you for sharing! I feel like I'm constantly in the "reassess and grow" phase and that can be frustrating at times but I think it's natural!
That's exactly where you most want to be!! Grow or die!
Such excellent advice, Scoot! Thanks for posting this!!!
Before I started, I did have about a month’s work already scheduled and some other notes. That way I didn’t fee time pressure. I tend to have a lot ready beforehand and sometimes do something last minute, pushing the others back. I guess it depends on your topic and how often you plan to post? I wanted to go twice a week from the start. I was playing around on Medium to get ready for it.
But if it’s once a week, maybe just go for it! Start with some short posts. Maybe you only have a few subscribers to start then slowly build. It sounds like you want to get going :) good luck!!
Signed up for your Substack, Kathleen. Will check it out.
Thank you! Yours looks really interesting as well. Will also check it out :)
Oh, very cool. So you're in Europe?
Yes, in Basel. You live in Florence? I lived in Milan about 15 years ago. Was so wonderful.
Oh no, New Florence is symbolic of the Renaissance. I live in Albuquerque in the U.S.
I would recommend joining my Substack, In Which We Journey, where I'm getting together a bunch of people who are also new to Substack so we can learn and go together. I would say, just start! At the very least, I'll be reading your posts.
Subscribed! I'm excited to see where this kind of networking can go. I've written a lot about writing lately, as well 😊
Hey Sunday! I just subscribed. Welcome to Substack! Maybe you'll find my newsletter interesting too. I write short, personal essays, mostly inspired by my own life, but sometimes about other things that matter to me.
I just saw, I'm so thrilled! I'll definitely be checking out your Substack. I think you are my most experienced subscriber, how would you like to be featured on next Saturday's Subscriber Spotlight?
Hey, I mean, yeah, sure. I wouldn't say no to some free publicity :D you can hit me up by email at andrei.sisman@gmail.com.
Personally, I'd have several posts written and ready to go in DRAFTS before I launch. When I launched, I had several in draft mode and then I could publish something every single day. I published every day for about 3 weeks to get the thing going. I find that if you publish every day, you'll build it faster and as you go along, you'll have an archive for folks to read.
Great point- I am definitely in the phase of creating a body of work and not too worried about my rate of growth. My husband made the point that you want potential subscribers to be able to ‘go down the rabbit hole’ of your archive. So making that rabbit hole is definitely my top concern! Slowly but surely.
Yes, if you want a rabbit hole, then create and publish the content before you launch.
Start the darn thing Cake 🍰😊 Ya start with a single step with that first post of a single article. My very first article has been generating interest ever since I started a year ago. Featured character that was the inspiration gets a lot fan love. Just do it Cake. That first bite is the best!
Just start the thing! Make a consistent goal (once a week, once every other week) and just do it. Focus on building an audience (and know that it will happen slowly) and don't worry about how people will react to your FIRST newsletter.
Start the dang thing! It will all get much more clear once you get going.
Great advice! Love this thread.
Hey Substack! Any plans to introduce new ways for writers without a big audience to gain subscribers?
This is hard because thousands keep signing up. What I've found is that sites like The Sample https://thesample.ai/?ref=9034 or Yak Reads https://yakread.com/?ref=wtwhoj help to grow.
The Sample is a quid-pro-quo. Growth is slow unless you help others find it. OR you pay. I tried paid forwards and gained about 20 new subscribes. The benefit here is that these aren't bot accounts. They are people who see and read one of your essays and descide to subscribe.
Otherwise, it's about social media and other activities. It's Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast.
Sample not doing much for me so far Michael
I see.
Good to know, Michael. I signed up for Sample about a month ago, but had no idea how it works.
Yeah, you have to plug it in your substack so they gain subscribers if you don't want to pay. Like I said, I started paid forwards and I'm getting new subscribers but they are costing about $5 each. Which is a better return than I had doing paid promotions on Twitter and LinkedIn. I got more views through those last two, but the sample only charges with each honest subscription.
Your Substack sounds interesting. I just subscribed and will check it out.
Interesting, Michael.
I see this question weekly. Hopefully we get some insight.
We should legit start a Substack on how to grow your audience. 😎
The Molehill - How to Become a Mountain.
I’m here for it!
I will subscribe!
I have legit started one!
It's published under a pseudonym, out of respect for my professional/industry audience (at The Rotten Apple), who don't give a damn about writing or Substack.
It's https://pubstacksuccess.substack.com/ and in it I share everything I have learned about starting a Substack and growing to 1699 subscribers and $8,600 annual revenue.
Click here to check it out: https://pubstacksuccess.substack.com/
I haven't really started. Just wrote something and published it to see what happens. I'm interested in what you did. You have your Writes The Rotten ... and then another separate one for folks starting or thinking of starting a Substack. I'd like to know if you have two separate substacks do the subscribers to one know that you are the author of the other if you don't tell people like you just did in this post? I'd like to have a community substack for where I live and then a separate substack about more personal things that I don't want everyone in my condo to know about.
It's possible to keep Substack newsletters completely separate from each other. My Substack learners newsletter readers know I have a successful food safety Substack, but my food safety readers don't know about my other publication.
To keep them completely separate you can use two different email addresses to create two different Substack accounts. You should also use two different browsers or browser profiles on your device, one for each 'persona', otherwise you will be constantly having to sign in and out of Substack to switch 'personas'.
You're participating in it right now. Nothing has provided better advice for me than some of the brilliance Office Hours participants share here. That's why I keep coming back.
What ideas do you have for us that we aren't yet doing!?
Hey! Well, I’m thinking about a variation on Substack Grow or Substack Go for people who missed the first ones. I hear only great things about them and I’d love to experience that sense of community with other writers, help each other, and give each other a much needed boost. And also the information that those courses provide. I don’t really know what to do in order to get more subscribers consistently. I’m not a big media personality outside of here, but I am a good writer. And I’m not sure what to do to get my work in front of more people.
Write, read, explore, comment, like, network -- organic growth takes time.
What do you write about, Andrei?
I write nonfiction essays. Usually, I tell personal stories about my life, often intertwining them with bigger themes. Or I might write essays on entirely different topics, which have caught my attention that week and which I want to explore (for instance, my seventh issue is about animal abuse in Hollywood). Most of all, whatever I write, I do so because I feel the urgency to tell those stories. I only write stories that matter to me.
Cool. I signed up and will check it out.
Really appreciate it!
Checking it out Andrei! I'm also relatively new to Substack so trying to understand!
Thanks, Namrita!
Happy Office Hours! I am happy to share that my Substack experience has been so wonderful that I decided to start a new Substack!
Read my latest edition about GPT-4 on this new newsletter, and consider subscribing if you are interested in AI and other cutting-edge technologies 😀:
https://futuretelescope.substack.com/p/future-telescope-6
I wrote about chatGPT earlier that you might enjoy as well.
I'm currently working a project leveraging GPT4 that I'm hoping to be able to share soon!
https://polymathicbeing.substack.com/p/can-ai-be-creative
Thanks for sharing, checking it out!
I have a series of posts exploring ChatGPT's creative capacity. Here is the first one, from back in December.
https://evangelosscifi.substack.com/p/the-amazonian-reactor
My conclusion: Definitely.
Wow, checking it out right away!
Hey Substack, is there a way to delete old or abandoned chat threads from the feed? Some folks I subscribe to haven't posted a chat in months (chat's not for everyone and that's a-okay!) but there doesn't seem to be a way to clear those dormant threads. Am I missing something obvious here? Thank you!
Looking for an answer to this as well.
Let me double check the answer for this for you!
Yes Meg, I think there should be a way to delete this esp. when and if are little to no response
Hi there! My partner and I co-write our Substack, The Queerest Year, about queer art, media and creators (and our year *only* intaking queer art, media & voices).
I'm wondering about the categories available for tagging our Substacks... I know this is a topic that comes up a lot and that Substack is hesitant to add more, but I find that the categories are really limiting, especially for Substacks that are relevant to communities/demographics of people.
In other words, currently the category tags are focused on WHAT the newsletter content is about, but what if we had some categories for WHO the newsletter is for, especially now when certain communities (like queer and BIPOC communities) are under increasing social and political attack and we need to feel more connected. I would love for more people from the LGBTQ+ community to more easily be able to find our newsletter. (Yes, I know readers could search the word "queer" or "LGBTQ" but it's not the same.) Would love to hear what people, esp those at Substack, think. Cheers!
I love the idea of audience categories.
Great! And, ah yes: "audience categories"! Thank you for understanding what I was saying and very succinctly capturing the idea in two words. ;-)
Thank you for sharing your interest in this! I'll let our team know.
Awesome, thanks, Bailey!
Having no audience categories translates into the writing being for all people; and maybe more people will read your posts. Barry Gordy of Motown says in his movie Hittsville that he was against classifying Motown music as black music. He insisted it was American music. Or have your writing in several categories so non LGBTQ+ people don't miss your writing thinking it is not for them. Radio stations in the 60s played Sinatra, then Zepplin. The variety exposed everybody to different things.
Not everything is for all people, and that's okay—especially for people from systemically marginalized communities. We need different things, including communities (and art and culture) BY and FOR us. Our publication knows our audience, which is LGBTQ+ and can include allies who seek our perspectives, and we appreciate how Substack is inclusive and could potentially support us to reach more of our specific audience.
How many people are also doing voice-overs and pushing them to Podcast players? Are you seeing much traction? The one thing I've noticed is that Substack only tracks Podcast episodes for taffic, NOT voiceovers pushed to RSS. This could be a really great addition.
If you are doing recordings, I'd love your feedback on mine as I'm always looking to learn and grow.
https://polymathicbeing.substack.com/p/new-podcast
I do this! I interviewed my readers and found that they prefer to listen to my posts, and if I don't make the audio myself, it will generate a robot voice that they don't like. I also had a podcast before for many years, so it's great to get more listens for that as well.
Michael, have you heard from your readers on whether they like it and are listening instead of reading? I've thought about doing this for all my existing posts and am wondering whether or not to prioritize it.
Stephanie, making podcasts of back issues is quite time consuming, so it might not be worth your while. But here's a weird observation:
I have been making audio versions for 49 weeks straight and hardly anyone listens to them. BUT they are one of the features that paid subscribers say they value and will pay for (funny!).
So even though people aren't listening, the paid-only audio versions definitely seem to be a good selling point for my publication.
This is interesting, Karen! Thank you for the valuable insight. So maybe I'll record them in the background and then if I ever do a paid section with additional content, I can upload them. It would be fine it it takes a while, since I'm happy producing free weekly essays and don't plan to introduce a paid tier soon.
We've heard this feedback from other writers. Hopefully we can get that data tracking added soon!
Hi Michael, I just clicked your link. Have you thought of also adding a Substack native podcast track to that list of podcast players, so casual readers can check out the 'feel' of your podcast straight from their browser before committing to finding you on Spotify/whereever?
My publication has an audio archive where I post links to every issue's audio version so they are easy for my subscribers to find...
Hello! I run the "What I'm Reading" newsletter (https://phillewis.substack.com/), and I'm relatively new to the Substack world. What are some tips for growing your newsletter?
What do you write about, Phil?
I write news stories about race and culture!
Oh.
Welcome Phil! I would definitely give this post a read. It's our most comprehensive resource: https://on.substack.com/p/grow-4
Thank you!
I would recommend joining my Substack, In Which We Journey, where I'm bringing together a bunch of people who are new to Substack, so we can all grow together, support one another and answer each other's ignorant questions without feeling embarrassed. I would also recommend this article: https://karlstack.substack.com/p/26-growth-lessons-from-26-substack A lot of it went over my head, but the main ideas are find your niche, post regularly, and write about what you love.
Starting a new podcast here on Substack which is different from my current Substack, exciting times.
How are you finding the podcast functionality? I have a loose plan to add in some audio later on, as extra content when I open for paid subscribers.
I run a podcast here! (Unruly Figures) I really like the functionality, though I find it much easier to record somewhere else and upload than to record in Substack. There's not a ton of editing functionality (yet?).
I agree with Valorie, making podcast posts is easy and very intuitive, but, like Valorie I find it better to record elsewhere (I use the free auphonic app on my Android phone, and this cleans up background noise and ensures every audio file has exactly the same loudness - you can also do simple edits in the app).
Would be interested in talking for a collab!
Have fun!
Thanks, Substack managers, for Writers Office Hours! I've picked up about 40% of my subscribers directly or indirectly from hanging out and chatting here on Office Hours every Thursday. Also find 2 or 3 new Substacks each week that I really like or even love.
Wow that's awesome! Glad to have you here!
Thanks, Bailey.
I recently suffered a stroke. It has impacted my speech and coordination in my left hand. Subsequently, this has also affected my ability to write and speak (cognition is thankfully unaffected, although I get tired more quickly during the day as my brain tries to heal). I am making improvement through therapies.
If you have suggestions for resources, strategies, and/or tools to accommodate this type of situation, please share.
I follow this account on Instagram:
https://linktr.ee/abilitease
They have a lot of resources for a variety of abilities. They have tools for everyday life as well as some others in development. Hope this helps and good luck with your recovery.
Thank you Chevanne, I appreciate you sharing these resources
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing it.
My friend Hal has a severe chronic illness. He makes music and posts on his Substack once per week, when he has enough energy and does pretty well on it too! https://halwalker.substack.com/. Hope you find his work helpful / inspiring :)
Thank you Tash.
ChatGPT prompt engineering. They can't replace your novel writing ideas, but they can hack out the mundane typing of words that you can edit quicker.
Thanks Michael. I've played with ChatGPT and maybe it's time to explore it with more intention.
Hi Matt, I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I truly admire your resilience and determination.
Would you mind if I ask: how did you type out the above comment? Using your right hand?
I may have a suggestion for you.
I'm sure you've heard of ChatGPT? Take advantage of it.
Even if you're able to type out just a few lines using your right hand, I suggest you create prompts for the ChatGPT tool.
It's free to use, and it'll write essays and articles for you.
You can then copy-paste that into your newsletter.
Though the content is written by AI, it stems from your thoughts. It is still very original - because it came from your ideas. You can always edit/adjust as you wish later.
If you need any help writing, I'd be more than happy to help you.
Please feel free to reach out to me either through substack or email me: guru@daivi.ca.
You are a great inspiration, Matt! I pray god to bless your soul.
I wish you only the very best in all your pursuits.
You're going to spring back like a BOSS!
Take care.
Thanks Guru. I can type just not as quickly and it gets tiring more quickly (not to complain). I appreciate your suggestions.
I understand. Again, I'm happy to help! Feel free to reach out. Wish you the very best again.
Thank you Libor.
OMG! Your substack is awesome! Those pics! 🔥
Several of my subscribers have mentioned that they would like to have a way to pull back on all the recommendations they are receiving as they feel they are getting overwhelmed with recommendation emails from Substack. I'm not sure if there is a way for them to control how often they receive these emails already...in which case, please let me know...but, if not, they have mentioned that twice a month would be plenty to receive as otherwise they just feel blasted with them.
I need some examples of Substacks for some guidance, either ones you write or read. I am a multipotentialite, meaning I have a lot of different interests, many of them creative endeavors, including writing, photography, music, romance novels, etc. It's a fun life, but also frustrating because I'm not a specialist and can't whittle my Substack down to one catchy, concise thing. (As of now, it's a place where I share published journalism articles, photographs I've taken, stories from my travels, occasional writing tips, and more.)
I'd like to see examples of other Substacks like this to see how they operate for some inspo, please! Do you write one? Do you read one you love? Please share.
Hi there! Writer illustrator here. I always kept my creative writing and illustrating separate (separate social media accounts, separate work hustles) and had no idea how to bring them together. So that's what my substack is about - trying to bring these two parts of my art together. I haven't totally sorted it out, but its a work in progress and I am having fun writing and drawing stories and talking about my professional journey!
Very cool idea! Just subscribed. I'm not a visual artist, but it's super interesting to me and I think writing about creativity is always fascinating.
Brilliant, thank you! As someone who dabbles in watercolor your Substack sounds great :) Excited to join for your journey.
Work husseles tell me more Meaghan
day job, contract writing work, affiliate marketing - I gotta stay busy haha
I love the term "multipotenialite"! I just subscribed to your Substack. My Substack is also kind of all over the place, so I find it difficult to put in a box. I've settled on the logline of navigating the messy middles... in life, writing, relationships, etc. Feel free to check it out if that sounds interesting. :)
I like this idea of finding a logline or tagline that you can tie everything to but that allows you to cover a fair bit of ground. I've found this works in my experience, too.
As a side note, "navigating the messy middles" is really cool, I'm subscribing!
Thanks so much! I have been chipping away at my "About" page for quite some time, so this thinking came from that.
Literally just subscribed off of your description alone. :)
If you're curious about multipotentialites, I recommend Emilie Wapnick's Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/emilie_wapnick_why_some_of_us_don_t_have_one_true_calling?language=en
It truly changed the way I think about life and myself.
Ooh awesome! I will check it out! Thanks!
"moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies" is an eclectic publication with six sections that includes a comic strip, a humor section, and a section for guest writers:
https://moviewise.substack.com
Hi, I hear you and it's a challenge for sure.
I really didn't want to restrict my writing to one topic, so instead of choosing a defining subject, I instead journaled and created three pillars for myself: Authenticity, Creativity, and Curiosity.
This way I can write about religion, bird watching, the 1847 Potato Famine, or tightrope walking - and it still all has a "home" with me. My priority is to find and establish my voice through these posts. The individual post topics are just vehicles for this journey.
Thank you so much Rian, this is very helpful!
Rooting for your 'stack! I just subscribed.
Can you tell me more about your site Theresa
Looks interesting, Theresa. Just signed up and will check it out.
As does yours!! Glad we connected here in the comments :)
Me too.
Please fix the commenting interface for office hours. I was just writing a thoughtful reply to someone, and because the page reloads with so many active comments, it ended up reloading a few times and then the comment I was writing just disappeared.
I'm sure I'm not the only one this has happened to.
We're feeling the pain too on staff. Trying to figure out what's going on here - it may just be because this is such a huge thread. Hopefully we can resolve this for all of us!
It's because of the live update that reorders comments. Things suddenly shift. It started happening late last year. Before that one had to manually load new comments.
Also, please consider bringing back the simple and clear "collapse" link that disappeared last week. One can collapse by clicking on the vertical line, but it's not at all intuitive. Several people have mentioned the "collapse" absence today.
It's definitely because it's a huge thread! If Substack could turn off auto-reloading for this page, I think that would go a long way towards improving the experience. Then at least people wouldn't have to deal with the jumpiness as they're reading and replying.
A second huge help would be an "expand all" option at the top of the page. That would let people use Ctrl-F to find the comments they want to revisit.
One last thought is improving the navigation between comments. It *really* helps that the timestamp is a link to a page with just that comment and any replies. But, if you go to that page for a nested comment there's no way to get back to the parent comment. The only link back up the chain is "Return to thread", which brings you back to whole Office Hours page.
I imagine this would only be useful on the very few Substack pages where people actually post 500+ comments, so it's probably a hard thing to prioritize.
I think I will share a post next week that offers people some workarounds for these issues.
Yes, it's a pain. I avoid it by setting the order at the top to "New" before doing anything else. That seems to tame it.
One thing I noticed is that my reply always jumps away from me if I've just pressed like. So I always comment before I press like, and now I rarely have this problem. But it is a pretty jumpy page.
The best thing I've found is to click on the timestamp of the post you're replying to. That brings you to a page with just that comment. You can then take as long as you want, there's no jumping around because it's just that one comment on the page. But I don't always remember to do that.
Hello all! My Substack pal Michael Estrin who writes the delightful Situation Normal newsletter put out a great issue recently detailing how he got this first 2,000 subscribers and what he learned. I found it very helpful and you might too!
https://michaelestrin.substack.com/p/i-hit-2000-subscribers-heres-what?r=1fqhx&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Michael is the funniest writer on Substack!
My Substack, Serialize, is my way of bringing my teaching (I’m a creative writing professor at Northwestern university) to more aspiring writers. The chat could be the equivalent of a writing workshop, but we’ve had trouble finding a central spot to post as a group. I have an AMA page, but I’d love suggestions.
https://serialize.substack.com/
I teach the art of serializing a novel or memoir, which is a way to produce work readers really (really) want to read (and keep reading)—a skill anyone who wants to get an agent or sell a book needs.
That's awesome Sarah. I will check out your 'stack.
Awesome. https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/ego-and-self-promotion-on-substack
Self-promotion versus providing a service and letting people know.
How do you stay disciplined and avoid burnout as a writer?
Hi Kris!
Just getting started here on Substack, but I would say adhering to a balanced schedule and not excessively checking the Substack stats or social media.
Hahaha you got me on checking the Substack part. As a new writer, I'm definitely guilty of this. Thanks for sharing Antonette!
For me, a big part of it is having dedicated writing time every morning. I get up, feed my pets, have breakfast and the all-important coffee, then I write for 1-1 1/2 hours. Now I'm in the habit, I find it really effective.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield was wacky but also great advice on the creative process.
I've read that book several times. I agree with you. I appreciate advice on how we can enjoy our personal creative talents as well as create through so many different forms of art and writing.
I take time to get outside, even if it is only for a short time. I love to write, but I also know my body needs to be cared for in a gentle and loving way as well.
By lowering my standards lol.
Seriously, I do suffer from perfectionism. So I've had to reach an agreement with myself. I'm not going to water down my writing and go for the lowest common denominator approach. But I'm also going to accept that they're not all gonna be winners.
Sometimes they'll just be okay (but at least consistent).
I subscribe to a Substack called Why Aren't I Writing that always has good tips. One thing it said recently was that if you switch between different fonts it will trick your brain into thinking your doing something new and exciting. It really works!
This sounds a lot like the Artist pages from Julia Cameron. Three pages a day, no matter what. I find as a creative person, re-filling my well with inspiration and new experiences is really important. Lately I've been trying to go on "artist dates" once a week for a few hours. Each week I pick a new activity or place to explore. It feels sooooo good!
I highly recommend artist dates! We can give ourselves a gift of time, making the best investment I know of to ourselves.
Do you have any ideas for artist dates? I’ve been trying to do this after reading The Artist’s Way but struggle to come up with ideas each week!
Yes! I have a whole list of Notes I keep in my phone and then cross off when I do them. A lot of it is trying new food, coffee shops, going to a museum or live music joint, taking a pottery class, visiting a botanical garden, taking a horse lesson, etc. Some of it's simple- wandering around and photographing the street art or going to a used book store. Some ideas are more challenging like taking a horse riding lesson!
I'm actually hoping to share at least one "artist date" per month in my newsletter! I've already shared two for paid subscribers but will likely make it free in the future.
https://thebarefootbeat.substack.com/p/artist-date-2-austin-edition-field
https://thebarefootbeat.substack.com/p/artist-date-1
I don't want to sound like a snot, but 200 to 300 words a day sounds like the output demanded of 9 year olds in Bob Dole's corny Kansas. When I was young and healthy, I turned out, on some days, several thousand words a day. When I was 33, and withdrawing from Valium addiction, I wrote 140 pages in about a week.
Avoiding burnout is contingent on a lot more than talent, determination, and energy. It is contingent on having the luck to have a mind that is in tune with the masses around you. If you write like a febrile facist, and you reside in Nazi Germany, you may have luck.
Although people often claim that they want to be intrigued, stimulated and provoked by literature, that's usually bunk. It's like this: People long to read stuff that confirms their prejudices. Anything that is too novel, is too disconcerrting and is rejected by the common worthless herd.
Good advice. I think that the "write anything" advice is important. Writing is a skill which improves with practice.
Interesting. So I guess the first step is literally "just to show up"! Thanks for sharing this tip Ratika. Have a great one!
How do I get more interaction with readers on my substack? Right now, I have very few comments on my materials, and I try regularly to comment on others’ work to be a good literary citizen. I feel like I’m missing something!
Ask your readers a question and to please reply. Phrase the question so the answer is something about them. If you give people a chance, they like to talk about themselves.
I found that some of my readers typed their comment and because they had not yet register on Substack, their comment disappeared! I lost a few this way. Did that happen to anyone else?
This is a function of social media saturation. I don't worry about them writing things. Because out of the blue, someone I haven't talked to will be like "OMG I love your essays and I share them and talk about them with my friends"
I'm like.....'wish I knew that a while ago"
But in all reality, many people are gunshy from what I call the 'twitter effect' of flame wars. Commenting on open forums isn't great. I'm debating sending an e-mail and asking my subscribers to respond back personally, to just me, not the group.
This has happened to me a lot!
I too would like to know, as I am just beginning to get on social media and this platform.
This interview with Suleika Jaouad is worth a read for inspiration! https://on.substack.com/p/engage-1-suleika-jaouad
Depends on your readers. Some readers, because of where they work or because they don't have a Substack account, might never post a comment or even click the Like button. Other readers might post a lot of comments. I watch the (very high-level, not detailed) percentage-read and page-hitcount statistics and don't worry too much about the comments. I believe both types of readers are equally engaged based on in-person and email feedback.
I agree with this based on previous experiences from my days on LinkedIn. I posted there 4 to 5 times a week for a couple of years and didn't get much visible engagement on the platform. But more than one person either appeared at random intervals to leave a truly thoughtful comment or told me in other conversations (Zoom, email) that they'd been following my posts and enjoyed them. So you do never know who's reading "in the background," so to speak.
Frankly, that's not much different from traditional authors or journalists. They can't know the true number of people who read their books or articles, and feedback is sporadic. That doesn't mean they're not making an impact or building readership--it's just a different dynamic.
I love office hours! Question...I absolutely love writing my newsletter and want to offer my readers the best experience but don't want to inundate them. Is there a 'sweet spot' for how often I should be putting out content?
Since my newsletter is about investing and helping the average investor, there is SO much awesome content to share...and so much is changing day to day. I also give trade ideas and could do this daily but don't want to burden or annoy......lol...
Thoughts?
It is possible to post regularly without sending an email every time. Maybe send one email that is a round of links to everything you wrote in the week.
Great idea!
So send it out on the app alone then once a week on email? I need to make an email about getting the app then right?
People can also see it online too
I also think about this a lot! I do two posts a week, typically one paid and one not. Seems a good balance. A lot do the advice is simply to make it regular whatever it is. However I’ve noticed a few of my subscribers have turned off emails. I’ve only had two unsubscribes. I think that maybe letting people know they can do This in case they want to read in the app but not get a bunch of emails is useful. How often do you post?
I started off once a week or even every two weeks due to my time constraints. However, I have been so motivated and truly enjoy it that I've been doing 4x per week. Not long reads and often ideas about where to put some money to work (not advice, just my opinions). So much happening in markets it's hard NOT to post regularly! LOL
Haha, it sounds like with your topic, people would appreciate it! Why not take a poll?
Actually, I did take a couple polls this last year....I asked if they prefer video of me discussing or reading. The response was more to video than reading...but I get more opens and engagement with written. So odd! Lol
Can’t edit the comment on my phone: a lot “of” the advice
If you have a high open rate, it could indicate readers want more. Ideally, you could later give people a choice -- daily, biweekly, or weekly newsletter. You could take a poll.
Does anyone use facebook to promote? Do you search up public groups and post there...or how do you approach things efficiently? Thanks for sharing!
My open rate ranges from 50-60%...sometimes mid 60%. I don't have anything to compare to. Polls are a good idea.
I have heard 50% is what we should be aiming for. Sounds like you are doing great!
Well with only a few hundred subscribers, my pool is smaller. Lol but thanks!
That's a very solid open rate.
swweeeeeeet! lol
You can't please everyone, so do what makes you comfortable! Your audience will self-segment as they get used to how you work and your publishing schedule.
Though if you want ideas... You could split some of this by paying/free subscribers. Like paying subscribers get daily investing recommendations and free get them three times a week or something.
I've also seen people pretty successfully publish every day but not send an email every day. In that case, you could send one digest/round-up email at the end of the week saying "Here's what else I published that you might have missed."
Completely agree on the 'self-segment' part. I've been writing as if nobody is reading! Lol...and my subscriber base has been growing rapidly!
Good ideas!
The sweet spot seems to be roughly 2 posts per week. That said, I subscribe to stacks that post every day and to others that post maybe once a month. Your material sets the pace, really. But I publish twice a week and no one seemed annoyed by that pace.
Thank you Tonya.
I think investing content would work well with a mix of posts and using the chat feature. Longer posts for macro trends etc. Chat for daily charts or querying subscribers about their positions.
Hey Eric! I’ve been pondering that myself. Due to other work impinging on my time, I can only put out a newsletter once every two weeks. What people tell me is that it’s consistency that matters more than frequency. Choose a schedule that allows you to put on quality work while sticking to it religiously! As for innundating readers, I think unless you’re posting 2k word essays every day, you shouldn’t worry about that.
Thank you Andrei...and yes, I'm mindful of the length. I tend to make them relatively brief, yet dense with content if that makes sense. I treat it like a work email....if it's too long, people delete it! Lol
3-5 minutes max. Heavy on the 3 Eric.
Hi Eric,
I don't know the answer to your question, beside the 'don't send email notification' option when you publish a new post (then it is only published to web).
Your topic looks interesting, I just suscribed 😉
I just subscribed to yours....I LOVE the topic of leadership. I'm a former broker turned police officer (now a police lieutenant)...and the topic of leadership is such a great one to learn.
Thank you! We share the same passion then. It's quite a progression you've made. I was managing a team of over 45 people in a big software company and loved it so much but I was not prepared properly for the challenge so i wanna help others.
Looking forward to learning from you too. I am sure your challenges as lieutenant are different from mine. 😉
Well when it comes to leadership, it was the position of sergeant that put me to the test. Sergeants lead people. Lieutenants manage stuff. Lol
I see that Nadia, thank you! I just put one out this morning based on fundamentals AND technicals....give it a read! :-)
Ok, I will have a look. Thank you 🙏
Right! That’s a good approach, I think. I also try to be brief, but my latest two posts turned out much longer than I’d intended. Even so, they were well received. But to balance things out, I plan to publish a few shorter ones for the next few weeks. So I think a little variety is good too.
If you're aiming for a more news-y angle, maybe a round up either before market open or at close each weekday?
Love the Recommend feature. It has generated 10% of subscribers so far, second only to getting cross posted!
Definitely, James. About 40% for me.
I clicked on the link and it didn't work. Can you repost, please? Thanks!
sorry...no idea why a link was created...
Hi, I hope everyone is having a good week!! Polls have been a great way for me to engage my readers! And to help me fine tune the newsletter. It would be helpful for me to see which reader voted on what in the backend. And maybe they could run for longer: two weeks? ✨🖤
Yes Amani, I just tried a poll and it worked!
Hi everyone. I would love to get your take on how important images are for your newsletter and how you find them. When I started my newsletter Onward (which is about life-long learning and personal reinvention) 10 months ago, I mostly went for photos and illustrations from Unsplash, iStock and the like. By now, I've almost completely switched to images I create myself on Canva (I also dabbled in Dall-E 2) to better capture the point I try to make in a post. What are your experiences which imagery?
This is my newsletter, in case you want to check it out ;)
https://annetteschaefer.substack.com/
I find photos very effective Annette, and doesn't seem to matter if using upslash or whatever or your own photos. I enjoy selecting them and placing captions under each. I have loaded a bunch of photos with captions on my Instagram page @bestdlines
Thanks, De, for your take! I'll make sure to take a look at the photos on your newsletter and instagram pages.
Hi Annette, I really like the Sun image on your welcome page, and several of the post images visible on your homepage. Your written content looks strong, especially your "About" page. I just subscribed.
Like you, I also use Canva to create images for my posts. I have been having a lot of fun with this. I keep two questions in mind when creating images for my posts:
1. Will this image support my writing? The image doesn't need to directly correspond with the post content. But if it's more distracting than supportive, I'm okay with ditching it for an image-less post, because I know that writing is my primary strength, rather than visuals.
2. How can this image help my brand identity? I have been trying to build a "brand identity" for The Gargoyle. So wherever I can, I incorporate the tan, white, and black motif I've chosen for my Substack. I also make sure that if my header image includes text, that I am using the same Canva font every time.
My hope is to stand out in inboxes and have readers associate my color palette with quality writing! I hope that's helpful. I love exploring Canva (such a powerful tool) and happy to chat more with you about it anytime.
Is Canva free Rian?
It's a freemium model. So, there's a lot you can do for free. But some of the premium graphics are available only if you have the "Professional" subscription, which is $119.99 per year or $10/month. I use Canva so frequently, that I went for the paid model.
Your Substack looks interesting, Annette. I just signed up and will check it out.
Thanks, Mike! Really appreciate it!
Just noted your newsletter is right down my alley. I'll sign up for it, for sure
I have a question. What is a good open rate? I have 305 subscribers and hot between 40 and 45%
I've heard around 50% is what we're aiming for. Congrats to you on all of your subscribers.. and looks like you are definitely on your way with the open rate!
That's pretty good, Annabel!
Your Substack looks interesting. I just signed up, will check it out.
Sounds about right, Annabel.
Hi, team: Are you taking a look at the leaderboards? Honestly, I'm not a fan of ranking Stacks that often talk about very different things in the same list, but now I get the distinct impression that people are self-selecting into categories to which they absolutely don't belong, simply to rank high somewhere. This is pretty much guaranteed to put off readers, who are looking for useful and knowledgeable, rather than weird, esoteric, and irrelevant. I'm concerned that this may put off a huge, broad and untapped audience that Substack is just beginning to reach: We need a universally appealing reputation for Substack with the niche reputation reserved for individual Substack newsletters.
Interesting, I didn't know there were leaderboards.
I'm very interested in hearing more from Substack about how readers (who don't already have Substack author profiles) engage with this site. I am particularly curious about how these readers use the searchbar to find publications. I'm not convinced it's set up in the best way for readers or writers. Although things may have improved since I last spent deep time with it.
What are the leaderboards, Annette?
Mike, take a look at Substack Discover.
What's that?
My theory is the only people watching the leaderboards are writers and wannbe writers, not readers. I used them to get ideas of what a 'successful' Substack looks like, but other than that....
I grew my substack from 0 to 1,200 readers in 6 months. What growth tips would you recommend to get to that 10,000 subscriber milestone? Are there certain benchmarks that you can share around healthy growth trends. Like if you hit X in Y time you are doing great, average, below average. It would be good to understand that from a push / pull perspective. Thank you!
That's amazing! How did you manage to grow so quickly? I'm working on getting to 30 right now, although my niche (activism, human rights, etc) might require a different path then most...trying to collect some tips.
I really like the post: https://karlstack.substack.com/p/26-growth-lessons-from-26-substack But to be fair, I don't even have 15 subscribers so I'm not exactly the most qualified person to be giving advice, but that is what my Substack is all about: building a community of people new to Substack.
Thanks so much for sharing! This was very helpful!
Happy to help!
Hi, thanks :) Hmmm, well, this is the very thing I was trying to understand haha. I did not know if this was quickly or not. I think what has really worked for me so far is the following: 1. I have been a Venture Capitalist for a while now and some major funds in LatAm, so I already had a network of founders / investors who knew me and followed me on LinkedIn. 2. I filled a gap in the market, which is VC information in Spanish. This was a huge gap, and it is also a niche audience. 3. I try to make my posts honest, detailed, and fun. VC can be "scary" from the outside, but it is not hard to understand once someone breaks it down for you. That is my mission. I want the tone to be friendly but for all readers to walk away feeling like they learned something every time. I think it is working so far based on the email open rate, but now I want to know how to take it to the next level. Let's see :) Wishing you the best of luck with your Substack!
Thank you for your response! That all makes a whole lot of sense.
I'd love to hear about how folks who have a newsletter that's not super specific are growing! My newsletter is more my musings on living under capitalism, creativity, capacity, and wellbeing, so it's not super targeted. I'd love to get more readers and maybe even eventually turn on paid subscriptions. Would love to hear from others who are in the same boat :)
I write personal essays on capitalism, the human condition, aging, oligarchy, ecocide, and many other things. I have 305 subscribers, 39 paid. And continue to grow. I do wish there were a personal essay category. I use philosophy because it is closest. But it is not quite a good fit.
My newsletter name came from not having super specific categories. I think having the freedom of writing whatever interests you is great. In the Grow program, they talked about figuring out the why- "why do readers return to your work" and that helped me figure out some undercurrents in my writing. Specifically that first graphic of "accountability, skill development, etc." https://on.substack.com/p/grow-2
Hi Sara. We are in the same boat. Growth has been slow, so I have no pearls of wisdom there. But I can say that I've felt much more "myself" by creating a Substack that has three "pillars" rather than one guiding theme.
My pillars are Authenticity, Creativity, and Curiosity. I've been pleased with what this framework has allowed me to write and explore, and I know that in time the right readers will find it.
I'm in the same boat! I'm playing around more with sharing the "mission" of my newsletter- to inspire others and create a collaborative community of artists. Hoping this will resonate with the right folks!
But weekly I also vary on topic. This week I'm sending out a newsletter about letting go of the "hustle" mentality with a short poem inspired by a walk in the woods.
Sounds interesting, Sara. I'll sign up and check it out.
Thanks, Mike! I appreciate that :)
All about human rights, intersectional activism and other such things. Capitalism definitely comes up...the next edition I'm putting out is going to be a rant about the minimum wage, hah!
I'm in a similar boat, a slow crawl of early growth that I'd love to build.
Thinking of trying out chat now that subscribers can start topics in it, but I tried doing a basic 'introduce yourself' thread earlier this month and it got no response. So I don't think these features will work for me right now. Around what number of subscribers would you say that features like this do get a response? Seems like starting chat now wouldn't have much purpose.
I've wondered the same thing! It's kind of embarrassing to start chat threads with no response, but I've committed to doing one a week. Sometimes I get a few replies, some weeks none. I'm trying to tell myself that the consistency matters and as I grow folks will start to chime in. But they can't chime in if they don't have the opportunity! Maybe the new feature of letting folks start their own threads will help?
I also send a reminder in my newsletters about chat and link to it there.
This is always my fear on Substack, that each one of my subscribers (all 12 of them), will look at what I've posted and think, "meh" and ignore it. I think you just have to keep posting and writing and it'll be a little pathetic at first, but with persistence people will come.
I'm a PhD Economist currently writing a small substack ( https://nominalnews.substack.com/ ) writing about applying economic research to current issues and issues of interest to people.
One question I have is regarding engagement. Basically, as I started this substack, I would like my readers over time to suggest topics that they may be interested in (Economics is much more broad than people perceive). Do you have an effective way to reach out to the subscriber to ask them to contribute, either via comments or direct message? Should you put a sentence at the beginning of the post that gets emailed? Send out a unique post asking to comment underneath?
Any and all suggestions welcome! Thank you!
I occasionally put a small blurb at the beginning of the post, usually in italics to set it off from the regular text, asking what topics subscribers would like to see covered.
Also, your Substack sounds interesting, I just subscribed and will probably email you about topics I'm interested in :-)
I tried this I compiled a list topics previously presented and asked readers to let me know which topics they preferred/a Bucky Stamp of Approval ... crickets
Another thought: I've seen some writers put "Please email me and let me know who you are and what you're interested in reading about" in their welcome email. I like this, have responded to some of these, and think it's a great idea. I haven't done it yet for mine, but I should!
Chat seems like the best bet or you can do a post like office hours that just prompts readers to comment and pin it to the top of your feed.
That might be something for the chat functionality, I think! That way you can discuss and engage with your followers and get suggestions with good detail. That's my plan for the future, anyway.
Hi Substack team. I really love writing on Substack but I find myself in a bit of a chicken and egg situation - when I write, my posts seem to go down well, and I build up my subscribers. But finding the time to write is hard as I need to pay my mortgage. I know that Substack will offer "deals" to certain high profile writers to help them get started and essentially solve this problem - I was wondering if the company would ever offer (lower value) deals to smaller writers, and if there is an application process where applicants can make a business case?
Hey there! We are no longer doing these deals with writers, or currently running fellowship programs. You can read more about this here: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/substack-reins-in-perks-for-writers
One thing that might be a good approach is to write as often as you can, and see if you accrue a meaningful number of pledges - which helps bridge the risk for writers as they decide to take their publications more seriously/invest more time https://on.substack.com/p/pledges
Long ago, I learned that search engines like Google emphasize only the first three substantive words in a title and longer titles are ignored in searches. Is that still true for Substack articles?
You can go into each article and optimize the title and subtitle for SEO optimization. It doesn’t change the title your readers see in the app.
Thanks, is it easy to do that? If you do that after the article was published, does it remain effective?
It is easy. I can not tell you off the top of my head how to do it. But substack has instructions.
Perfect, did not think of that.
Interesting. Would be good to know the answer to this.
I’ve heard this too, which is why I recently took off my serialising numbers at the start
Yes, that would seem to do the trick.
Hello. I'm new to substack, however have an extensive body of work on Medium, Forbes, Psychology and other platforms. I like a "neutral" platform that leaves me in control and I need to better understand why I should switch from Medium (leaving 100 articles behind) over to Substack.
I’m also curious about the differences between Medium and Substack.
In the final analysis, I wonder if it's worth shifting over from Medium to Substack.
Tell me more about Medium John
Medium is a good platform that works well for me.
Do you write about business or psychology or what, John?
I write about technology's impact on humanity with a focus on health and medicine. But I've often a philosophical prospect too...
Sounds similar to my content themes. Will check it out John
Hmm.
Medium and Substack are totally different and both good in their own ways. I recommend using them in a complimentary way. I am on both platforms and coincidentally wrote a Medium post on this exact topic last week.
Substack gives you way more control than Medium, in terms of who sees your work and how much you earn from it. But Medium is a better way to get new eyes on your work.
If you want to hear about the pros and cons of each, see my article.
Here's a friend link (free to read) for the article: Is Substack Better than Medium (and should you ditch Medium for Substack) https://karen-cherry.medium.com/is-substack-better-than-medium-46a7b5c6081b?sk=2b545093788da1f7faee44b9751edc6a
Hi everyone, I've been writing on substack for over a year now and want to start a practice of connecting with fellow writers. I've been reading the comments in these office hours and every one is truly helpful! before substack, I wrote off and on on my old wordpress blog but lack of feedback, comments discouraged me a lot. But this time on Substack, I feel I'm more matured now and have gone beyond the feedback/comments/likes and focus only on writing. I've realized now that my writing is like therapy to me and has healed lot of spaces within me. I would love to connect with fellow writers and be a part of this wonderful community! I write "Love, action and miracles" on the topics of inner/personal transformation, spirituality and my epiphanies.
You're in the right place, Namrita -- Office Hours is an easy way to begin a practice of connecting with fellow writers. It helps if you show up regularly, post comments, reply to others, and try to be helpful if and where you can. Soon you'll start recognizing names and newsletters. It's not perfect -- there are a lot of comments today that attest to ways it could be better -- but on the whole it's a positive and supportive place where you can find real help and build real relationships. Good luck!
Thanks Sarah! Your newsletter looks very interesting..Going to check it out. I have a bookwork in my home too! my 10yr old daughter loves reading!!
Awesome; thanks!
I am brand new to Substack. I look forward to connecting with others on this fantastic platform. I look forward to connecting with other writers, as well as being able to post my thoughts. Is there anyone is willing to share their knowledge and experiences when they began that will help guide me? I have been writing for years. Now it's time to take my first baby steps along this exciting new journey.
Welcome, Brenda! I recommend checking out Substack Resources -- https://substack.com/resources There's a ton of information and ideas there.
Hi Sarah, Thank you for welcoming me to Substack and your recommendation to look at the resources. I will set some time aside to check it out.
That is exactly what my Substack is about! It's called In Which We Journey and I'm using it to bring together a bunch of writers who are new to Substack so we can all offer one another advice and help each other grow.
Is anyone else concerned that chat, useful though it may be, is also opening the Pandora's Box of Substack becoming another social media platform?
My feeling is that most of us already have so many chats in our lives that we could spend all our time in chats. I share your concern.
Hi all & happy office hours :)
I write about spirituality, astrology, & general nonfiction, I have a travel piece coming up. My goal is to work all of these themes into one cohesive newsletter (not switch from topic to topic, but we’ll see). I also write through a very optimistic lens, hence “The Solstice” — trying to find the maximum light in any given situation!
I would be interested in reading, subscribing, and collaborating with anyone sharing any of these interests. So please ping me if you do! 🤩✨❤️💌
Also, https://open.substack.com/pub/thesolstice/p/the-wisdom-of-saturn?r=15f2vp&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post my latest piece on Saturn changing signs & getting through the hardest parts of your goals
Nice to see you in office hours, Sofia!
Hey guys, I just started out few weeks ago and it would be lovely to learn from everyone.
And I write about deep introspection that bothers on basically any topic. I won’t mind any tips to help me grow. Xx
In case you want to check me out, this is my sub stack.
https://thinkdeeperpeople.substack.com/?r=n9tb4&utm_campaign=pub-share-checklist
I'll give it a try.
Thanks good sir. I really do appreciate 🙏🏿
I recommend checking out Substack Resources -- https://substack.com/resources There's a ton of information and ideas there. Have fun.
I'll definitely be checking out your Substack. My Substack is dedicated to connecting people new to Substack so we can support each other and grow together. https://sunnystuff.substack.com/ I would also recommend https://substack.com/resources
I'm looking to find a couple more quality newsletters to read...I write The Tobin Report which is all about money, markets and charts...I'd be interested in others who write about money and investing. I love seeing others perspectives.
The Bear Cave is great. Also MacroAlf but apparently he plagiarizes charts 😬 (found out about that on Twitter)
Yeah, I kinda follow him. I sometimes use others charts but I give that source and credit.
I think that’s the reason people are upset, bc he fails to cite.
The only finance Substack I read is Akash Kundu. He does a great job.
Name looks familiar...I think he is a subscriber to mine. I'll check his out! Thanks Mike.
Tried this one? https://tendollars.substack.com
Yup...I read it regularly. In fact, we both recommend each others.
Ag! Yes!
Ag AND Au! lol
Ha. Meant ‘Ah.’
I discuss money but from a vantage point that irks most people. People have used many adjectives to describe me. I have never suffered the designation of being boring. And even if you hate it, you can enjoy writing scathing comments about my stuff.
Hi Eric, I write about risk at Risk Musings, including finance risk but also AI risk, climate risk, technology risk. I'm a big fan of systems thinking and system dynamics as underrated tools, so I weave that in sometimes.
Awesome...I'll check it out Stephanie!
MEMOIR -- I started a group chat for writers of memoir, autofiction, and personal essay and many have already joined 👁❤️.
If you write on Substack in these genres (especially memoir!), please join us https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/ec458494-5827-4be4-9071-6485dd551fcc
How do I join? The link directs to my homepage
This is the link that others have used to join. I'm sorry if it's not working somehow... I don't know the system is supposed to work, but I grabbed it from the "Copy Link" button in the thread.
https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/ec458494-5827-4be4-9071-6485dd551fcc
That worked, thank you!!
I don't do chats, but I signed up for your Substack, Bowen. Will check it out. Thanks.
Great!
I had so much fun connecting with many of you yesterday during chat! It truly made me believe collaborative, creative communities ARE possible! 💗
If we haven’t connected yet, I’m interested in doing artist interviews (yes, you’re an artist), starting a community directory to share your work, doing art shares, and more! My goal is to create a place for creative folks of all kinds to come together and thrive…I’d love for you to be part of it!
Monday I’ll be announcing what I’m calling “Creative Contemplation,” a way to deepen your creative practice with others. I’ll be offering ALL subscribers a free journal with affirmations and creative prompts, as well as a time to gather monthly online and share. If this resonates with you, let me know so we can learn and grow together!
We have a similar outlook I think! Just subscribed.
Thank you, Jodie! Excited to share this space with you.
That sounds so generous and lovely
I write a weekly substack (https://millennialmaybe.substack.com/) about being a Millennial maybe adult in a genZ world and what it means to date, eat, and survive in it. Lots of Hinge horror stories and love letters to ice cream. If anyone writes about similar themes, or is interested in cross-collaborating, please message me! You can find me on IG (@aggiemaybe)
It's a GenZ world? I hadn't noticed, but I'm curious to find out more.
Have subscribed sounds right up my street! I was born in 81!