Have questions about Substack? The Substack team, and your fellow writers, are here to help!
Our team will answer questions and share insights with you in the threadsΒ today from 10 a.m.β11 a.m. PST / 1 p.m.β2 p.m. EST. We encourage writers to stick around after the hour and continue the conversation together.Β
To help organize conversations, weβre opening two discussion threads this week. Jump into a thread to join the conversation most relevant to you.
Notes: Substack Notes is a new space where you can publish short-form posts and share ideas with other writers and readers on Substack. We rolled out the product this week to all writers and readers. Today you can talk to the team that built Notes and ask them your burning questions. Join the thread.
General thread: Have questions about publishing, growing, or going paid on Substack? The comments on this post are open for general questions.
Hey writers! The Substack team is signing off today. We'll be back next week to help answer more questions. In the meantime, we encourage writers to stick around after the hour and continue the conversation together.
I see a lot of people are loving Notes. For me, I have to be honest that it just feels like more noise, more work, more distraction. I write Scroll Sanity, a newsletter about staying sane in a digital world, and part of what I love about Substack is the commitment to high quality writing and high quality engagement. Notes feels like a departure from this commitment to me. I don't want to feel like I have to post short-form snippets to keep people engaged. I want me long-form newsletter posts to hold their own... This may be an unpopular viewpoint, but like I said, I try to keep my digital presence as contained as possible - meaning, very little engagement on social media platforms - so that I can focus instead on the high quality stuff.. If you want to check out my newsletter, here's the link. https://carmellaguiol.substack.com/ My latest post is about learning that I have ADHD and how this affects my relationship to social media & smartphones.
Celebrating the 1,000 subscriber milestone today. Thanks to Substack and crew for all of the internal promotion through the network. It really does make more of a difference than all other social media combined, at least in my case!
Excited to chat about Notes! As a new writer on the platform (just published my 4th piece today) I'm excited to connect with other writers, and I think Notes is a great first step toward turning Substack into a hub for in-depth discussions.
One thing that I'd love to hear feedback on is using newsletters for long-form reporting. Newsletters by definition are often used to share thoughts and ideas, and then point the reader elsewhere to read more in-depth. At least that's how it usually goes.
I've started my newsletter specifically to write long-form articles on offbeat and interesting topics that I think deserve more attention. So, rather than saying "hey, i like this, here's my thoughts, go read what this other person wrote, too" I do my own reporting right in the newsletter, sometimes 1,000-1,500 words my previous newsletter actually hit the word limit for emails so I had to trim it).
So far I've reported on things like how "free tablet" programs in prisons are exploitative, the impact of AI on freelance designers, and just today I published a piece on how a woman from Kansas started a fake "tumbleweed farm" that turned into a real business. Offbeat, impactful, and sometimes fun stories are my bread and butter.
Is this something that anyone else has had success with? Is there a benefit to writing summaries of the stuff I'm reporting on, and then publishing the full article elsewhere? Personally I'd rather get the full story upfront in my email/Substack app, but that's just me. I'm still quite new to the site so any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Love Substack Notes. Thanks for this. Now struggling to do that, do this, and write my longform posts! Aieee. I'll figure it out. The posts are the point, after all.
New writer here π. I love how Notes make it easier than ever to connect with other writers, discover newsletters, and support each other. It makes the community feel tighter than ever. Joining Substack was one of the best decisions I made last month.
Also! I'm celebrating my 5th post this week! Anybody else hit any milestones recently?
Iβve been on Substack for a while now, and I mostly love it. The recommendations feature has gotten me hundreds of subscribers from other writers, and Iβm slowly growing my audience through consistent publishing. But Iβm worried about the direction Substack is going.
I fell in love with this place precisely because it wasnβt social media. Now itβs becoming social media. I donβt like Chat, and I really donβt like Notes. I donβt know if Iβm in the minority here, but I feel like these things are a departure from Substackβs original mission.
I donβt have a question, but I wanted to make sure my voice was heard on this topic. Please donβt try to make this next Twitter. Just be Substack.
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here's a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you:
As a gardener, one thing you would think I'd have learned by now is patience. But every year I struggle with the amount of time it takes to wait. To wait for the weather to improve. To wait for the perennials to come back. To wait for the seeds I planted to sprout. There's so much waiting in any kind of cultivation! But by the end of the season, I look back and it felt like it all went by SO FAST. With a basket full of harvest, I'm always glad I waited.
It might be impossible to believe in a world that moves so quickly and prizes virality, but when you're growing a community of readers it's going to take time. Everything worth doing is worth being patient and faithful for! If what you want is quality, then learning to wait well and build trust will serve you best. Don't despair! What's growing is often happening invisibly, so keep moving forward!
Most importantly: keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP! πΏ
One thing I've already noticed is that I don't sweat what I post on Notes nearly as much as I do on my Substack. The stakes are lower, and that frees me up to try things. Anyone else feel the same way?
I'm so close to reaching 100 subscribers. Is it true that once you reach that number that Substack promotes your publication more in "Discover" and other places?
I've picked up at least 10 new subscribers each week for five weeks in a row now!
More importantly, I'm finding about five new Substack writers each week whose writing means a lot to me.
And best of all, about three writers per week find or I find them and the other's writer really resonates with each other. Mutual, reciprocal. genuine interest in and appreciation of each other's work. Ideal !!
A question for fellow writers who don't have a specific niche? What do you category do you tag your work as? Culture? I write more personal essays and there's no category to fit there. I don't want to be left out of the loop and I'd love to find more writers who write similar to myself. Any advice?
Notes is pretty cool but I am seeing some limited engagement thus far, please share some tips. Or better yet, follow my notes. They are some of my favorite quotes that I use in my Substack and a link to the issue they originated from.
I like how there are now separate threads each week. Would be nice if the community could input the kinds of topics / threads that are made each week, so it can be truly a community-driven discussion.
Hello fellow Substackers! I've been signed up for Substack office hours for months and this is the first week I've actually been able to make it onto the thread. What a beautiful community it feels like already to see everyone supporting one another. I've been on Substack for maybe about 5-6 months now and although the main topic I write about is healing, I feel like my newsletter is a bit messy and all over a place and not as niche as others. Is this something I should work on changing? I'm a bit indecisive and have so much I want to write about, but it's just a little difficult for me to stick to one obvious thing. Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks to the Substack team for adding a βrestackβ button to posts...itβs already having an effect on my subscriber base and makes it easy for authors to promote other authors prior to βrecommendingβ them...or instead of this.
Who has used paid advertising to boost their posts? Which platforms worked the best? What techniques were successful? Would love to hear all the details you have to share.
New to Office Hours? Donβt be intimidated. Weβre a supportive community here. It can feel overwhelming; donβt let it. Just take it day by day. This is one of the best writing platforms around. Substack respects our intelligence by not forcing ads on us, and by allowing writers as much control as possible over our own material.
A great way to build a subscriber list is to: 1. Write quality material regularly, 2-4 times per week (plus or minus); 2. Engage with other writers on the platform; 3. always attend and comment in Office Hours; 4. Read and comment on other writersβ stacks. 5. Donβt be afraid to self-promote, but do it as part of the community with other writers in mind. 6. We can all share, comment on and recommend each otherβs work. Plus thereβs crossposting, guest-posting, etc.
*One final suggestion/note: Write honestly. Get real, raw and vulnerable. Pull no punches. Writing is about guts, not safety. π
I want to address @simon k jones's great post on getting paid for our writing. I have a post tomorrow called, "What Is Your Writing Worth?" that will, I hope, unite all of us in going paid. Nearly every media outlet (NY Times, Atlantic, etc.) is paywalling everything but one article per month. The trick is that we all need to do it together. We just need to change the public's perception of what (all of our) writing is worth. People buy the craziest things and think nothing of buying a $6 coffee. People buy air! In canisters! Just as people don't walk into Starbucks and expect free coffee, we have to all charge for our writing so that they don't expect to get it for free either. Substack is the way. Unite! https://serialize.substack.com/
I started just a couple of weeks ago on Substack and my goal is to grow slow and steady, aiming to reach 500 followers by the end of June by posting consistently (2x / week) and participating in community threads, notes, and trying to get other relevant newsletters to recommend us :)
If anyone has tips on growing when you're just starting out, i would love to hear them!
Really enjoying notes so far. It's fun watching people figure out what it's going to do for them.
It's fun figuring out that for myself as well!
I've finally managed to consistently write for the last two weeks under the banner of "perfect is the enemy of the good" and not sending posts out as emails, publishing them only here instead.
Feels good to be productive, even if it's not the best work. Never thought it would but it does!
Hope everyone is having a nice week π spring is truly here!
On balance I think Substack Notes is a positive. I'm glad for the chance to pop off random thoughts on the internet that might one day get me cancelled. Because to get cancelled first you got to be somebody.
I'm enjoying Notes more than I expected, but it feels like shouting into the void with nobody listening, same as my substack most of the time and social media all of the time. I've had some fun conversations, but my own notes don't seem to be read by anyone. In general there's a frustrating gap between fun ideas I have to interact with readers, and the absence of actual interaction on my substack.
Haven't gotten any of that Notes growth people are talking about. Thing is I didn't even go to Notes looking for that, but seeing people post their charts about gaining tons of subscribers while I don't have a single like on my own note doesn't feel great. Going to try hard to resist those feelings.
On the bright side, I posted a short story at a random time and day instead of following my usual schedule, and it seems to have gone over well. I worked hard on that, so it's nice to feel like people actually noticed it (though I try to be content with my work regardless of public reception).
Here's a small piece of advice for those who are just starting out with Substack: focus on your growth numbers in percentages rather than absolute numbers of subscribers. It'll be a more rewarding way to track your progress.
Totally missed the start time today - my question is - how does one use the Audio recording feature on Substack and if anyone has, can you give me your tips, advice, suggestions?
This is a general note to the Substack team: I know that many have told you how much SS has changed their lives β after two months, I count myself among those many.
I've been a professional writer for 35 years, mainly screenplays, which isn't real writing; no script scribbler would call it that. I've always been considered too much of a maverick to publish, but too worthy of being read to ignore. It's a liminal space that I've grown used to, but it's a frustrating comfort zone, like being stuck in the executive lounge at an airport with your flight delayed indefinitely.
At this point, I'm too smitten with the platform to complain, and so grateful that I can build my own paywall rather than waiting for legacy media to snap out of this vortex of terror and censorship they're stuck in to publish work that is different, but also considered heretical in this awful neo-puritanical moment in Western history, a second Prohibition imposed by a vile Temperance Movement, in which free speech stands in for alcohol. Most alarmingly, they haven't needed to amend the Constitution to impose their bleak, joyless, hateful restrictions.
I've rarely been prouder to be associated with anything than I have the past few days being on the right side of the skirmish between Substack and Elon/Twitter. Keep on trucking'.
Substack is the best and only speakeasy in town. Thank you.
I have two questions: 1) What should my next goal be? and 2) has anyone posted on both their substack and blog? Is this an acceptable strategy for expanding my web presence or will I get dinged by SEO for publishing the same content on substack and a wordpress blog?
Hi, I'm Karen! I write a blog on my life after a pretty bad breakup. I only have four subscribers but I feel that my content is pretty vulnerable. At the same time, I hope I can gain more traction! Any advice on how to build a base?
ISSUE FOR GENERALIST WRITERS. Three weeks or more ago, I raised a question about the lack of provision in Substack categories for those of us who write on a wide range of topics. There were a lot of supportive comments and someone from Substack (sorry, I completely forgot the name) agreed it was a good question and he would sort it out. But has it been sorted out? And if not, why not? I can't list my newsletter under any one category as none makes sense, but I have grown from 25 to 300 in five months, so people are reading β and more might do so if you had such a category.
βWill a search of a single writer's notes be possible in the future?
βWhat about hashtag support?
These are motivated by an interest in using Notes as a sort of Zettelkasten system but with community features enabled, or a public brainstorming session. I'm really enjoying the feel of Notes so far; let's hope it keeps its positive and collegial atmosphere!
I'm especially curious to hear from any fiction writers who have found success at gaining paid subscribers. I've had no problem building a strong readership, but have very low conversion rates. This could be because I'm unwilling to paywall much content. Has anyone found any reader-friendly strategies?
Recently started as well and am 4 subscribers away from hitting 100. Yay, exciting! I am mostly curious about how do we find Substack READERS? I have been pushing my newsletter to my existing social network and a lot of them are not familiar with Substack. I also make some video content to try and market but realize those audiences may be a mismatch for long form content... Then when I think about finding Substack Readers, aren't a lot of people already inundated with too many newsletters to read (aka me), which means it may be harder to find people willing to pay or want to read your work if they're already an existing substack reader. So many conundrums...
I just set up an account a couple of days ago. I still have no idea what to write, which direction. Should I keep waiting or should I just start scribbling and post sometime... mmm...sounds very unprofessional. My goal is to have paid subscription and I feel I need to have it together before I post.
Could you add reddit as a social media option to link to? User profiles or even subreddits are another platform for communities, I think itβs better than Facebook at that.
I write mostly, so I can decide what I can and should do.
I often do not know what I think until I write and rewrite.
as I understand your model, the goal is to have the most number of people read what I write and perhaps pay for the privilege. I am not sure that is my goal.
It seems like there are a lot of threats to writers and other creatives at the moment - ChatGPT and AI writers, lots of competition, etc. The substack I am writing - https://ironcladcreative.substack.com/ - is about understanding and dealing with those threats and making ourselves more resilient.
My question is - is that too narrow a focus? The intent is to build a resource for growing a successful freelance or creative business while understanding what's coming over the horizon and how to deal with it.
Really enjoying using Notes so far! What seems to be the optimal method when it comes to using Notes? What's the best approach when it comes to not only growing reach and audience, but also providing value to existing subscribers?
Hey writers! The Substack team is signing off today. We'll be back next week to help answer more questions. In the meantime, we encourage writers to stick around after the hour and continue the conversation together.
My Substack is still really small, but I DID just reach 100 subscribers. I know thatβs nothing compared to others, but itβs a milestone.
How many times per week should I publish?
Should I stick to a strict platform?
I see a lot of people are loving Notes. For me, I have to be honest that it just feels like more noise, more work, more distraction. I write Scroll Sanity, a newsletter about staying sane in a digital world, and part of what I love about Substack is the commitment to high quality writing and high quality engagement. Notes feels like a departure from this commitment to me. I don't want to feel like I have to post short-form snippets to keep people engaged. I want me long-form newsletter posts to hold their own... This may be an unpopular viewpoint, but like I said, I try to keep my digital presence as contained as possible - meaning, very little engagement on social media platforms - so that I can focus instead on the high quality stuff.. If you want to check out my newsletter, here's the link. https://carmellaguiol.substack.com/ My latest post is about learning that I have ADHD and how this affects my relationship to social media & smartphones.
Celebrating the 1,000 subscriber milestone today. Thanks to Substack and crew for all of the internal promotion through the network. It really does make more of a difference than all other social media combined, at least in my case!
Excited to chat about Notes! As a new writer on the platform (just published my 4th piece today) I'm excited to connect with other writers, and I think Notes is a great first step toward turning Substack into a hub for in-depth discussions.
One thing that I'd love to hear feedback on is using newsletters for long-form reporting. Newsletters by definition are often used to share thoughts and ideas, and then point the reader elsewhere to read more in-depth. At least that's how it usually goes.
I've started my newsletter specifically to write long-form articles on offbeat and interesting topics that I think deserve more attention. So, rather than saying "hey, i like this, here's my thoughts, go read what this other person wrote, too" I do my own reporting right in the newsletter, sometimes 1,000-1,500 words my previous newsletter actually hit the word limit for emails so I had to trim it).
So far I've reported on things like how "free tablet" programs in prisons are exploitative, the impact of AI on freelance designers, and just today I published a piece on how a woman from Kansas started a fake "tumbleweed farm" that turned into a real business. Offbeat, impactful, and sometimes fun stories are my bread and butter.
Is this something that anyone else has had success with? Is there a benefit to writing summaries of the stuff I'm reporting on, and then publishing the full article elsewhere? Personally I'd rather get the full story upfront in my email/Substack app, but that's just me. I'm still quite new to the site so any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Love Substack Notes. Thanks for this. Now struggling to do that, do this, and write my longform posts! Aieee. I'll figure it out. The posts are the point, after all.
New writer here π. I love how Notes make it easier than ever to connect with other writers, discover newsletters, and support each other. It makes the community feel tighter than ever. Joining Substack was one of the best decisions I made last month.
Also! I'm celebrating my 5th post this week! Anybody else hit any milestones recently?
Iβve been on Substack for a while now, and I mostly love it. The recommendations feature has gotten me hundreds of subscribers from other writers, and Iβm slowly growing my audience through consistent publishing. But Iβm worried about the direction Substack is going.
I fell in love with this place precisely because it wasnβt social media. Now itβs becoming social media. I donβt like Chat, and I really donβt like Notes. I donβt know if Iβm in the minority here, but I feel like these things are a departure from Substackβs original mission.
I donβt have a question, but I wanted to make sure my voice was heard on this topic. Please donβt try to make this next Twitter. Just be Substack.
Hello all, and happy Office Hours! Here's a little bit of encouragement from one small newsletter to all of you:
As a gardener, one thing you would think I'd have learned by now is patience. But every year I struggle with the amount of time it takes to wait. To wait for the weather to improve. To wait for the perennials to come back. To wait for the seeds I planted to sprout. There's so much waiting in any kind of cultivation! But by the end of the season, I look back and it felt like it all went by SO FAST. With a basket full of harvest, I'm always glad I waited.
It might be impossible to believe in a world that moves so quickly and prizes virality, but when you're growing a community of readers it's going to take time. Everything worth doing is worth being patient and faithful for! If what you want is quality, then learning to wait well and build trust will serve you best. Don't despair! What's growing is often happening invisibly, so keep moving forward!
Most importantly: keep going, keep writing, and DON'T GIVE UP! πΏ
On Notes:
One thing I've already noticed is that I don't sweat what I post on Notes nearly as much as I do on my Substack. The stakes are lower, and that frees me up to try things. Anyone else feel the same way?
I'm so close to reaching 100 subscribers. Is it true that once you reach that number that Substack promotes your publication more in "Discover" and other places?
Thank you!
I've picked up at least 10 new subscribers each week for five weeks in a row now!
More importantly, I'm finding about five new Substack writers each week whose writing means a lot to me.
And best of all, about three writers per week find or I find them and the other's writer really resonates with each other. Mutual, reciprocal. genuine interest in and appreciation of each other's work. Ideal !!
Substack is awesome!
A question for fellow writers who don't have a specific niche? What do you category do you tag your work as? Culture? I write more personal essays and there's no category to fit there. I don't want to be left out of the loop and I'd love to find more writers who write similar to myself. Any advice?
Anyone else struggling with burn out around constantly producing content--even content you love? How do you deal with it?
Notes is pretty cool but I am seeing some limited engagement thus far, please share some tips. Or better yet, follow my notes. They are some of my favorite quotes that I use in my Substack and a link to the issue they originated from.
Where do I sign in to my own Substack? Do not laugh I am 80 and itβs not an intuitive program!
Notes is such a good feature, but I would add more features to notes such as the ability to add emojis or have polls.
Hi there! Loving the changes coming thick and fast lately! Thank you! π In that spirit.... how are themes getting on? I'd love to be able to make my substack visually radically different from another's - there are some great themes out there that only add to the readers experience π€©
I like how there are now separate threads each week. Would be nice if the community could input the kinds of topics / threads that are made each week, so it can be truly a community-driven discussion.
Hello fellow Substackers! I've been signed up for Substack office hours for months and this is the first week I've actually been able to make it onto the thread. What a beautiful community it feels like already to see everyone supporting one another. I've been on Substack for maybe about 5-6 months now and although the main topic I write about is healing, I feel like my newsletter is a bit messy and all over a place and not as niche as others. Is this something I should work on changing? I'm a bit indecisive and have so much I want to write about, but it's just a little difficult for me to stick to one obvious thing. Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Hi all! Anyone have any thoughts on building an audience via substack without endless promotion on social media?
Notes is the new Twitter, Notes is the new Twitter, Notes is the new Twitter! π¦
Check out my first Note (and concern on the app), in reply to Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie.
https://substack.com/profile/6147133-livio-marcheschi/note/c-14606716
What do you think?
Thanks to the Substack team for adding a βrestackβ button to posts...itβs already having an effect on my subscriber base and makes it easy for authors to promote other authors prior to βrecommendingβ them...or instead of this.
Who has used paid advertising to boost their posts? Which platforms worked the best? What techniques were successful? Would love to hear all the details you have to share.
New to Office Hours? Donβt be intimidated. Weβre a supportive community here. It can feel overwhelming; donβt let it. Just take it day by day. This is one of the best writing platforms around. Substack respects our intelligence by not forcing ads on us, and by allowing writers as much control as possible over our own material.
A great way to build a subscriber list is to: 1. Write quality material regularly, 2-4 times per week (plus or minus); 2. Engage with other writers on the platform; 3. always attend and comment in Office Hours; 4. Read and comment on other writersβ stacks. 5. Donβt be afraid to self-promote, but do it as part of the community with other writers in mind. 6. We can all share, comment on and recommend each otherβs work. Plus thereβs crossposting, guest-posting, etc.
*One final suggestion/note: Write honestly. Get real, raw and vulnerable. Pull no punches. Writing is about guts, not safety. π
Hereβs a helpful link: https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/why-you-should-edit-your-substack
Best of luck!
Michael Mohr
βSincere American Writingβ
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
I want to address @simon k jones's great post on getting paid for our writing. I have a post tomorrow called, "What Is Your Writing Worth?" that will, I hope, unite all of us in going paid. Nearly every media outlet (NY Times, Atlantic, etc.) is paywalling everything but one article per month. The trick is that we all need to do it together. We just need to change the public's perception of what (all of our) writing is worth. People buy the craziest things and think nothing of buying a $6 coffee. People buy air! In canisters! Just as people don't walk into Starbucks and expect free coffee, we have to all charge for our writing so that they don't expect to get it for free either. Substack is the way. Unite! https://serialize.substack.com/
Iβm not a writer, but I read a lot! So glad some of you are posting great content. Iβll be checking in.
Hi!
I started just a couple of weeks ago on Substack and my goal is to grow slow and steady, aiming to reach 500 followers by the end of June by posting consistently (2x / week) and participating in community threads, notes, and trying to get other relevant newsletters to recommend us :)
If anyone has tips on growing when you're just starting out, i would love to hear them!
Hi Substack!
Really enjoying notes so far. It's fun watching people figure out what it's going to do for them.
It's fun figuring out that for myself as well!
I've finally managed to consistently write for the last two weeks under the banner of "perfect is the enemy of the good" and not sending posts out as emails, publishing them only here instead.
Feels good to be productive, even if it's not the best work. Never thought it would but it does!
Hope everyone is having a nice week π spring is truly here!
On balance I think Substack Notes is a positive. I'm glad for the chance to pop off random thoughts on the internet that might one day get me cancelled. Because to get cancelled first you got to be somebody.
Hello! Whatβs the best way to promote my Substack? I just started it
I'm enjoying Notes more than I expected, but it feels like shouting into the void with nobody listening, same as my substack most of the time and social media all of the time. I've had some fun conversations, but my own notes don't seem to be read by anyone. In general there's a frustrating gap between fun ideas I have to interact with readers, and the absence of actual interaction on my substack.
Haven't gotten any of that Notes growth people are talking about. Thing is I didn't even go to Notes looking for that, but seeing people post their charts about gaining tons of subscribers while I don't have a single like on my own note doesn't feel great. Going to try hard to resist those feelings.
On the bright side, I posted a short story at a random time and day instead of following my usual schedule, and it seems to have gone over well. I worked hard on that, so it's nice to feel like people actually noticed it (though I try to be content with my work regardless of public reception).
Here's a small piece of advice for those who are just starting out with Substack: focus on your growth numbers in percentages rather than absolute numbers of subscribers. It'll be a more rewarding way to track your progress.
Totally missed the start time today - my question is - how does one use the Audio recording feature on Substack and if anyone has, can you give me your tips, advice, suggestions?
This is a general note to the Substack team: I know that many have told you how much SS has changed their lives β after two months, I count myself among those many.
I've been a professional writer for 35 years, mainly screenplays, which isn't real writing; no script scribbler would call it that. I've always been considered too much of a maverick to publish, but too worthy of being read to ignore. It's a liminal space that I've grown used to, but it's a frustrating comfort zone, like being stuck in the executive lounge at an airport with your flight delayed indefinitely.
To paraphrase John Le CarrΓ©, I'm becoming the writer who came in from the cold, albeit as slowly as everything moves in entertainment and literature, mostly thanks to SS. I gave the team a hard time when I started; to be fair, there is room for improvement, and I've tried to be as polite and constructive as possible.
At this point, I'm too smitten with the platform to complain, and so grateful that I can build my own paywall rather than waiting for legacy media to snap out of this vortex of terror and censorship they're stuck in to publish work that is different, but also considered heretical in this awful neo-puritanical moment in Western history, a second Prohibition imposed by a vile Temperance Movement, in which free speech stands in for alcohol. Most alarmingly, they haven't needed to amend the Constitution to impose their bleak, joyless, hateful restrictions.
I've rarely been prouder to be associated with anything than I have the past few days being on the right side of the skirmish between Substack and Elon/Twitter. Keep on trucking'.
Substack is the best and only speakeasy in town. Thank you.
I finally made it to 100 subscribers today! Woo!
I have two questions: 1) What should my next goal be? and 2) has anyone posted on both their substack and blog? Is this an acceptable strategy for expanding my web presence or will I get dinged by SEO for publishing the same content on substack and a wordpress blog?
Substack here for reference: https://soulslikewheels.substack.com/
Thank you!
Hi, I'm Karen! I write a blog on my life after a pretty bad breakup. I only have four subscribers but I feel that my content is pretty vulnerable. At the same time, I hope I can gain more traction! Any advice on how to build a base?
ISSUE FOR GENERALIST WRITERS. Three weeks or more ago, I raised a question about the lack of provision in Substack categories for those of us who write on a wide range of topics. There were a lot of supportive comments and someone from Substack (sorry, I completely forgot the name) agreed it was a good question and he would sort it out. But has it been sorted out? And if not, why not? I can't list my newsletter under any one category as none makes sense, but I have grown from 25 to 300 in five months, so people are reading β and more might do so if you had such a category.
I have a few questions about Notes:
βWill a search of a single writer's notes be possible in the future?
βWhat about hashtag support?
These are motivated by an interest in using Notes as a sort of Zettelkasten system but with community features enabled, or a public brainstorming session. I'm really enjoying the feel of Notes so far; let's hope it keeps its positive and collegial atmosphere!
I'm especially curious to hear from any fiction writers who have found success at gaining paid subscribers. I've had no problem building a strong readership, but have very low conversion rates. This could be because I'm unwilling to paywall much content. Has anyone found any reader-friendly strategies?
Recently started as well and am 4 subscribers away from hitting 100. Yay, exciting! I am mostly curious about how do we find Substack READERS? I have been pushing my newsletter to my existing social network and a lot of them are not familiar with Substack. I also make some video content to try and market but realize those audiences may be a mismatch for long form content... Then when I think about finding Substack Readers, aren't a lot of people already inundated with too many newsletters to read (aka me), which means it may be harder to find people willing to pay or want to read your work if they're already an existing substack reader. So many conundrums...
I just set up an account a couple of days ago. I still have no idea what to write, which direction. Should I keep waiting or should I just start scribbling and post sometime... mmm...sounds very unprofessional. My goal is to have paid subscription and I feel I need to have it together before I post.
Could you add reddit as a social media option to link to? User profiles or even subreddits are another platform for communities, I think itβs better than Facebook at that.
Just a thought....but if people publish really good work.....I would be happy to read daily.
I'm not suggesting people try to write daily but if it's interesting and entertaining, the more the merrier!
I am not sure that I should publish on substack.
I write mostly, so I can decide what I can and should do.
I often do not know what I think until I write and rewrite.
as I understand your model, the goal is to have the most number of people read what I write and perhaps pay for the privilege. I am not sure that is my goal.
do I belong here?
It seems like there are a lot of threats to writers and other creatives at the moment - ChatGPT and AI writers, lots of competition, etc. The substack I am writing - https://ironcladcreative.substack.com/ - is about understanding and dealing with those threats and making ourselves more resilient.
My question is - is that too narrow a focus? The intent is to build a resource for growing a successful freelance or creative business while understanding what's coming over the horizon and how to deal with it.
Hey Substackers, how are you thinking of using the Notes and the Chat feature effectively? Any creative or novel ideas?
On a side note, I am still trying to work on the value proposition for my Substack. Grateful for 150 subscribers :)
Hi. I'd really appreciate thoughts from other writers about splitting my occasional fiction off into a completely different Substack.
At the moment it's a separate section, but it seems to have the unsubscribe effect when I publish say the next chapter of my novel.
What would you do? All thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.
Linda
:-) xx
As someone who mainly writes fiction, what's something I can do to bring in more readers and earn more subscribers? I do post quite often.
Really enjoying using Notes so far! What seems to be the optimal method when it comes to using Notes? What's the best approach when it comes to not only growing reach and audience, but also providing value to existing subscribers?