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General Thread
Do you have questions about a Substack feature or want help strategizing how to best set up your publication? Drop any general questions in the discussion thread by commenting on this post, and we’ll do our best to share knowledge and tips.
Podcasting Podcasting on Substack is unique: it creates a two-way conversation that lends itself to publishers who favor cultivating loyal and dedicated audiences. To make podcasting even easier, we’ve just added transcripts and audiogram clip sharing to the podcasting toolkit. Today we’ll answer questions on how to get started if you are tinkering with podcasts or how to bring over a podcast you distribute elsewhere, plus anything else on your mind. Join the conversation.
🟧 This is nunnyabidness, but I need a human to speak with regarding billing cycles. Auto-pay on the last day of the month? A.I. does not cut it. Some of us are... "ahem," older and no longer working for significant renumeration. In case you hadn't noticed, there have been significant downturns across many sectors of the U.S. and world economy.
Your request (410747) has been updated. To add additional comments, reply to this email.
Betty (Substack, Inc)
Aug 31, 2023, 7:38 PM EDT
Hi David,
Betty from Substack support here. Thank you for reaching out to us.
I've cancelled your current subscription to The Floutist at the end of the billing period, so it will not auto-renew. To cancel any other subscriptions, follow these steps: How do I cancel my paid subscription?
Please let me know if I can help with anything else!
Best,
Betty
Substack Support
Upgrade your reading experience with the Substack mobile app! Available for iOS and Android
Now live for all: Substack Notes
David Otness
Aug 31, 2023, 12:16 PM EDT
This is a follow-up to your previous request #410742 "Re: Your payment receipt fr..."
No. I am not cancelling. Do. Not Bill. Me. At. The. End. Of. The. Month!!
🟧 I created a Substack, I have several different but interestingly related topics I want to write and podcast about. What is the best way to organize these ? Do I create whole other Substacks, or do I have one Substack with different topics ? Some of my topics would attract quite different readers
I am LOVING this thread! Commenting to keep track. But also... Are you planning to podcast in audio of video? Would anyone know if I can upload a video but add it under the podcast section? And if so, will it push to other podcast sites? Newbie here!!!
You can create sections. However, I also write about several topics, ranging from equality, politics, women's rights, design and of course, Meghan and Harry. There's an element of human interest and politics in all, so I decided to keep it all under one tab for now, and section it out later on, after I determine what topics I actually wind up writing about the most. It's hard for me to know what will transpire so early in the life of my newsletter.
I'll explore these links. The top one does clarify some questions I had.
I have the same overall issue. While I so far have all my writing in one "stack" there is one subject that seem to be attracting a following of people who might not be interested in the other "stacks" I'd put out. Plus some of them are paying for subscriptions particularly for this reason and it may be a while before I get back to the topic. In other words it's a bit of a strategic as well as practical question. And keeping things as easy as possible for the reader.
🟧 Is Sections the only means of subdividing content according to area of interest? My own query reaches farther than Joan's: I would really like to be able to institute a system of tags within the blog, but perhaps this comes associated with technical difficulties for the site's IT administration?
For instance, I wrote a short spate of articles concerning the sinking of the Titan submersible, but might never write about it again. It's not so much a section, but anyone (ahem, including me) searching for items on that subject could readily reference them using a tag system. There is a tag system but I never seem to be able to make the tags appear, even if I can create them. Any insights?
Graham - if you have added a tag you can add a tab to bar at the top of your Substack homepage under the Navigation section of the settings. Not sure you would want to for what you describe, but that is how tags can grouped and viewed.
Thanks, er, I think. I spent some time creating a whole bunch of tags, basically just reading my own stuff and deciding "it's about this or that."
The tag creation process is not the easiest, not the hardest.
This is all done in settings on the dashboard. Now, to be frank, I don't ever see the blog "website" as a non-admin. So, I don't know what subscribers see.
In the settings again, I have three subsections:
Navigation: Control which links show up in the bar at the top of your website.
Links? What are links? To somewhere offsite? Or to content in my blog? Hm. Next.
Pages: Create special pages that you can link to directly. You can also add these pages to your navigation bar.
Ah, navigation bar. That's what they talked about up above. So, Pages are a sort of Link? What is a "page" then? Hm. Next.
Tags: Create tags to help organize your posts into pages that you can link to directly. You can also add these tags to your navigation bar.
So tags let me create pages and there are links, which can go into a navigation bar.
Can we do it like The Guardian does it, like at the foot of the story "Trump pleads not guilty in Georgia election case":
🟧 Similarly, I think it would be useful to be able to see the comment you are replying to on the app. Once I click comment, I am brought to a blank page and if i go back to remind myself what I am replying to, my draft gets deleted. Merci 🙏
I believe that if you X out a note, and then click to write a new one, your old one will appear (within a reasonable time period). Not exactly what you want, but a start!
I’m on the app and when I X out of a note it gives me the option to either “Cancel” and keep writing the note or “Discard” the note. And when I went back it wasn’t there. Does it keep it around on the website? Thanks!
The app, in my experience, is primarily for readers, not writers. I think they added authoring stuff but it really doesn’t work well. Use your browser when managing your site. I really don’t know why they push people to the app. Maybe it’s because they think everyone does everything on their phone.
🟧 ✏️ How do you keep writing week in and week out, even when it feels like you have nothing left in the tank? I hit walls of writer's block and dissatisfaction with my work more often now that significantly impedes my progress. This leads to me having multiple projects I jump between, none of which get finished and the projects continue to grow.
🟧 I’ve got my payments available and people can support my publication voluntarily. Yet in stats I don’t see them as paid nor do I get any bank transfers. Why js that?
I have a question I hope someone can help me with! When you record a voice over for a post, there's an option to add it to RSS feed and the fine print says that this will make it searchable in podcast platforms or something to that extent. Where does it get sent to??? Is my voice randomly telling stories in a platform I don't know about? Haha
You have to already have your show listed in an index such as iTunes or Spotify, which you will point to an RSS feed, where it will then “fetch” your feed and list your episode. It doesn’t automatically show up in these services. Each platform has its own method to add your show.
If your podcast is part of your main thing. If you use the category feature for just podcasts I think you should have a dedicated RSS feed for that category, not exactly sure.
Me neither... On Apple Podcasts, it has the title of my podcast but includes my audios for non-podcast posts. But that's because I tick the box that allows them to add it to the feed.😆 I'll figure it out!!! THANK YOU, JIM!!! For helping out a rando!😂
🟧 I have seen “subscribe” written next to the names of people who leave comments on other substack posts. How does that happen as I would like to add that feature when I make a comment.
🟧 I eventually want to publish the audio for my articles on Apple, etc. Do you suggest including the audio along with your written posts or posting them separately through podcasts?
Also, can you post podcasts without emailing your subscribers I'll soon be adding audio for past articles and want to avoid sending out 10 separate emails.
Does Substack automatically eliminate email addresses with bounces or failed deliveries? That would explain why in the last few days, my # subscribers does not coincide with [# of previous day subscribers] + [# new subscribers] - [# of disabled emails]. Thx!
My ongoing contretemps with Substack's AI---thought resolved---continues. A subscription billing which I attempted to get moved from the last day of the month has met AI indifference meets lack of logic. Rather than doing the expeditious thing of moving the billing date, the "creature" has insisted on my intentions being to cancel my subscription. This was something I repeatedly reiterated as not being my intention whatsoever.
🟧 - I have edited my very first post 1 zillion times. It emails correctly and views correctly. HOWEVER, when I look at it in the column of posts, the byline has never changed, even after the 1 zillion edits to fix it. Is there a lag time with your server?
I have been writing everyday (and transferring my posts from elsewhere on the 'net) since last week. I have over 30 posts.
However, today, I discovered "Publishing." It doesn't have any of my posts and no stats. How is "publishing" DIFFERENT from writing and either emailing subscribers and/or posting directly "to the web"? Also, how would I transfer my 30+ posts over to "Publishing"? In other words, I now see something, "________'s Substack" with zero content. But I also see the title, a list of posts and a DIFFERENT dashboard. SUPER CONFUSING. Thanks in advance, for your input.
Re email lists. I would like to have names associated with the email addresses. Also, I would like to put these in groups or to be able to filter them. Can I do that?
✏️Can ANYONE tell me how to give someone a link to subscribe to my founding member plan? It's my first! And I can't figure out how the heck to make this work! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaasssssseeeee????? THANK YOU!
✏️ 🟧 I currently have a Substack in English, but I am bilingual, and I would like to provide a translated version in German too. My question is: is it better to put the German translations as a separate section within the same Substack, or would it be better to create a new, separate Substack? I can imagine arguments for both sides. It seems that for me it would be easier to have one Substack to manage, but for the readers it might be confusing to have to subscribe (and for the existing readers to UNsubscribe) from a particular language version. What do you think? -- Thanks!
🟧 ✏️ Is there any upper limit for free-of-cost data-storage available to each creator account? It's unclear if we have to pay for the online storage if our posted media exceeds certain data limit. Please clarify.
✏️ Hi all, can anyone tell me how to create new "tabs" across the top, so in addition to the default Home, Notes, Archives and About? I tried Pages but couldn't get it to work. Thanks in advance!
✏️I have a question about my writings. How do I get people to read them or better yet, how does this site work? I’m a writer who was invited to this platform by another writer who has a publication but I don’t know how to navigate the site and I don’t comprehend how it works so I have a hard time visiting the page.
🟧I'm sorry I couldn't link up at the time suggested. However, I have the following questions:
1) About the Substack features. I noticed that whenever I write a new post and have to fill the space provided for tags with keywords, the words disappear. Why is that so?
2) It appears I have two Substack accounts with the following names: Pedroodubayothompson.substack.com and revayo36.substack.com; what do I do to combine both accounts and use "Writers Wonderland" as my new account name. It would be wonderful if I could be helped with, thank you in advance.
3) The least not the last, I really need to grow big time and reach my goal of going paid. Thanks once again and looking forward to hearing from you.
✏️ 🟧 Hello! A technical question please. Can anyone tell me how to turn off the predictive text? I find its suggestions so distracting! And I am appreciating this growth discussion, thank you.
RSS stands for Really Simple Sindication, and it is an XML file (similar to HTML) that is generated by a podcast host. It’s essentially a coded document in the cloud that tells a “feed reader” where to find the appropriate files. Services like Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and apps like Overcast and Pocket Casts, are the “readers” or “pod-catchers” that use the file to find the link where your file is hosted and “fetch” it, so that subscribers can get your file in their favorite listening app.
Substack makes an RSS file available for your recordings, so if you list your show with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts, they can “fetch” the file for anyone who subscribes in those other apps. You would use your RSS feed link to add your show to those other services.
It was a joy to converse with Peter Wang on his Work in Progress podcast.
Sixty minutes felt like five; we could have gone on for hours.
St. John Paul II once said, “The worst prison is a closed heart.” I opened my heart during this far-too-short conversation and hope that you open yours when listening to my words.
I leave you with Peter’s exceptionally kind introduction:
“Live and live well, for someday you will be needed by somebody…[after all, your] life is not about you. Your life is about others."
In the latest Work In Progress podcast episode, Thomas J. White IV shares profound wisdom on how he embraced the curse and the gift of Tourette, the purpose of his life, and how hardships lead to true vulnerability and dignity.
Tom writes a thoughtful newsletter called White Noise, consults (thinking-as-a-service as he puts it), and invests across asset classes.
A few nuggets of wisdom from our conversation:
1. On celebrating life: “Embrace the life that you lead. Let your talk be heard. And remember, each word is a celebration and hope.”
2. On gratitude: “'A grateful heart hath a continual feast.' Gratitude is the only way to treat the wonder and the joy that we all take for granted on a daily basis.”
3. On hardship and vulnerability: "Hardship leads to vulnerability, which leads to connection, which leads to conversation, which leads to camaraderie, which leads to dignity."
Ever get confused when you approach a door, especially if someone of the opposite sex is waiting along side you to walk through? Women 's role in our society,our laws are out of touch...women are weight lifters,police,football players,boxers,many aren't sraying in the kitchen baking cookeis..High time our laws evolved to reflect that. Never hit a woman if you're a man? How many beatings are you supposed to endure?
✏️ Howdy. Fairly new to Substack… Wondering if it's possible to load an article or piece on my page without "publishing" it? Meaning, without sending it to my subscribers? Thanks for your help. 🙏🏼 Raf
✏️ 1. What are everyone’s favorite climate newsletters? I’m partial to Emily Atkin’s Heated and Bill McKibben’s The Crucial Years, and glad that Katherine Hayhoe is now on Substack, but interested in learning about others, particularly lesser known authors.
🟧 I recently joined Substack and have been gaining followers (yay). I an receiving notes from paid subscribers that show up on my dashboard. How might I reply to them most easily? I just noticed them through my desktop but don’t see them anywhere on the app. (Boo) thanks in advance.
I’m blogging on Wordpress (since December 2015) and have decided to move to Substack for several reasons (accessibility, fond and graphics issues with an ageing MacBook)
Subtrack, why don't you respond to followers? This appears to be the only way to get word to you about a problem with your system. Seriously, I experienced a problem with your system, which when I tried to report it to you, I received only a machine response. I am a longtime follower and subscriber to Heather Cox Richardson's Letters to America. I went to comment on a post of hers but was told I had to subscribe to do so. I went to the site to subscribe again and did so. However, while I was doing so, I received a message, telling me there was an error in your system, as it had found that I was subscribed already. As a result, it appears I was required to pay again, due to an error in your system. Having already been a subscriber, I do not care to subscribe twice, nor to pay a second time for what I was subscribed. Please correct your system’s error, refund my payment, and confirm my continuing subscription. You may also want to correct the bug in your system. I look forward to your "non-machine" response, please. Thank you.
🟧 hi, I am totally new to this. Literally just signed up. I want to give my Substack a name, so it's not just 'myname' at Substack. however, I'm not yet sure what that name should be. 1. how do I change it, and 2. does it look bad to "rebrand" later down the line?
✏️ 🟧 - how do you integrate Substack subscribers with other email platforms? I love that Substack has an email builder, but I would also like the option to communicate with Subs in a private setting (like an email list) and not manage multiple lists. Constantly exporting and scrubbing lists is not ideal and it looks like Zapier doesn't connect.
Long time blogger but new to Substack. I also have an outside podcast. Other than linking, is there a way to embed? I’m still trying to find my way around
🟧 – Any tips on SEO? When I search for the name of my publication (On the Arts) on Google, nothing comes up. I know it's a bit of a non-specific name, but this still seems like something is not working correctly.
it takes time to populate, and you have a very generic name. You don't really SEO a name. You rank for keywords, and that is a very generic keyword to rank for. It takes some time to even populate, but I rank better now than I did a couple of months ago.
I had the same experience actually. Typed the name + substack in google search - nothing. Does it take a while for google to index a new substack publication?
To help organize the conversation, please use one of the following emojis when you start a new comment.
🧠 - when sharing strategy or advice for fellow writers
✏️ - when asking questions or seeking feedback from fellow writers
🟧 - when asking a question you hope the Substack team can help answer
Use your emoji keyboard or simply copy and paste the emoji at the beginning of your comment.
✏️ 🟧I started a romance Substack and have been trying to grow it. Can use any tips for best way to grow romance community readers here. Thanks, Beth
🟧 This is nunnyabidness, but I need a human to speak with regarding billing cycles. Auto-pay on the last day of the month? A.I. does not cut it. Some of us are... "ahem," older and no longer working for significant renumeration. In case you hadn't noticed, there have been significant downturns across many sectors of the U.S. and world economy.
YES....please please give us a 'real' person to talk to in 'real' time......it's very frustrating not having questions answered
It continues on to further AI hell:
Support <no-reply@substack.zendesk.com>
Aug 31, 2023, 3:38 PM (20 hours ago)
to me
##- Please type your reply above this line -##
Your request (410747) has been updated. To add additional comments, reply to this email.
Betty (Substack, Inc)
Aug 31, 2023, 7:38 PM EDT
Hi David,
Betty from Substack support here. Thank you for reaching out to us.
I've cancelled your current subscription to The Floutist at the end of the billing period, so it will not auto-renew. To cancel any other subscriptions, follow these steps: How do I cancel my paid subscription?
Please let me know if I can help with anything else!
Best,
Betty
Substack Support
Upgrade your reading experience with the Substack mobile app! Available for iOS and Android
Now live for all: Substack Notes
David Otness
Aug 31, 2023, 12:16 PM EDT
This is a follow-up to your previous request #410742 "Re: Your payment receipt fr..."
No. I am not cancelling. Do. Not Bill. Me. At. The. End. Of. The. Month!!
[KYPN67-PEKXM]
David Otness <david.otness@com>
Aug 31, 2023, 4:32 PM (19 hours ago)
to Support
WHATTTT????
Godammit, READ WHAT I WROTE, "BETTY!"
I agree. It would be nice to have a human to speak to -- and I'm just trying to set things up. Instructions are not always clear.
If there was a known means of otherwise making contact for specificity's sake, I'd have gone there directly.
But thanks for the human(e) acknowledgement.
Oh. I forgot to mention inflation. Seen any of this near a town like yours...?
🟧 I created a Substack, I have several different but interestingly related topics I want to write and podcast about. What is the best way to organize these ? Do I create whole other Substacks, or do I have one Substack with different topics ? Some of my topics would attract quite different readers
I am LOVING this thread! Commenting to keep track. But also... Are you planning to podcast in audio of video? Would anyone know if I can upload a video but add it under the podcast section? And if so, will it push to other podcast sites? Newbie here!!!
You can create sections. However, I also write about several topics, ranging from equality, politics, women's rights, design and of course, Meghan and Harry. There's an element of human interest and politics in all, so I decided to keep it all under one tab for now, and section it out later on, after I determine what topics I actually wind up writing about the most. It's hard for me to know what will transpire so early in the life of my newsletter.
Sections may work well for you?
I would take a look at these two articles to learn more:
How can I create multiple newsletters or podcasts under one publication?: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360060687771-How-can-I-create-multiple-newsletters-or-podcasts-under-one-publication-
A guide to publication sections: https://on.substack.com/p/a-guide-to-publication-sections
Great info Bailey!
I'll explore these links. The top one does clarify some questions I had.
I have the same overall issue. While I so far have all my writing in one "stack" there is one subject that seem to be attracting a following of people who might not be interested in the other "stacks" I'd put out. Plus some of them are paying for subscriptions particularly for this reason and it may be a while before I get back to the topic. In other words it's a bit of a strategic as well as practical question. And keeping things as easy as possible for the reader.
🟧 Is Sections the only means of subdividing content according to area of interest? My own query reaches farther than Joan's: I would really like to be able to institute a system of tags within the blog, but perhaps this comes associated with technical difficulties for the site's IT administration?
For instance, I wrote a short spate of articles concerning the sinking of the Titan submersible, but might never write about it again. It's not so much a section, but anyone (ahem, including me) searching for items on that subject could readily reference them using a tag system. There is a tag system but I never seem to be able to make the tags appear, even if I can create them. Any insights?
Graham - if you have added a tag you can add a tab to bar at the top of your Substack homepage under the Navigation section of the settings. Not sure you would want to for what you describe, but that is how tags can grouped and viewed.
Thanks, er, I think. I spent some time creating a whole bunch of tags, basically just reading my own stuff and deciding "it's about this or that."
The tag creation process is not the easiest, not the hardest.
This is all done in settings on the dashboard. Now, to be frank, I don't ever see the blog "website" as a non-admin. So, I don't know what subscribers see.
In the settings again, I have three subsections:
Navigation: Control which links show up in the bar at the top of your website.
Links? What are links? To somewhere offsite? Or to content in my blog? Hm. Next.
Pages: Create special pages that you can link to directly. You can also add these pages to your navigation bar.
Ah, navigation bar. That's what they talked about up above. So, Pages are a sort of Link? What is a "page" then? Hm. Next.
Tags: Create tags to help organize your posts into pages that you can link to directly. You can also add these tags to your navigation bar.
So tags let me create pages and there are links, which can go into a navigation bar.
Can we do it like The Guardian does it, like at the foot of the story "Trump pleads not guilty in Georgia election case":
US politics
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Republicans
Democrats
Thank you!
🟧 Would it be possible to have a draft feature for Notes? This way it’s easy to save partially written Notes and random ideas for later.
I like that idea
🟧 Similarly, I think it would be useful to be able to see the comment you are replying to on the app. Once I click comment, I am brought to a blank page and if i go back to remind myself what I am replying to, my draft gets deleted. Merci 🙏
Congress has had more than 2 years to pass SSI restoration act and neglected to do so.
Congress needs to pass SSI Restoration Act
Yes! Great idea! I second that x
+1!!!!
Yes this too. I’m forgetful sometimes lol
I believe that if you X out a note, and then click to write a new one, your old one will appear (within a reasonable time period). Not exactly what you want, but a start!
May be. I think thatI
Yes of course
May beof course
I’m on the app and when I X out of a note it gives me the option to either “Cancel” and keep writing the note or “Discard” the note. And when I went back it wasn’t there. Does it keep it around on the website? Thanks!
In my experience it keeps it on the website but not on the app (i'm on adroid)
The app, in my experience, is primarily for readers, not writers. I think they added authoring stuff but it really doesn’t work well. Use your browser when managing your site. I really don’t know why they push people to the app. Maybe it’s because they think everyone does everything on their phone.
IT universe
Ah I see. I figured it was something like that. Thanks
Now i understand what mean... Thanks
Maybe give this a test first....!
Yes! this would be wonderful
Wanted to add to this thread that I made a list of newsletter directories you can submit your Substack to. Easy passive subscriber growth through this quick task! https://sleepyhollowink.substack.com/p/newsletter-listings
THIS is amazing. Thank you!!
I am not on instagram, Facebook or twitter. How can I Use substack with just talking to my self?
Just as I thought. Talking to myself.
🟧 ✏️ How do you keep writing week in and week out, even when it feels like you have nothing left in the tank? I hit walls of writer's block and dissatisfaction with my work more often now that significantly impedes my progress. This leads to me having multiple projects I jump between, none of which get finished and the projects continue to grow.
@northseafanclub witty, weekly stories about swimming in the North Sea
🟧 I’ve got my payments available and people can support my publication voluntarily. Yet in stats I don’t see them as paid nor do I get any bank transfers. Why js that?
I have a question I hope someone can help me with! When you record a voice over for a post, there's an option to add it to RSS feed and the fine print says that this will make it searchable in podcast platforms or something to that extent. Where does it get sent to??? Is my voice randomly telling stories in a platform I don't know about? Haha
You have to already have your show listed in an index such as iTunes or Spotify, which you will point to an RSS feed, where it will then “fetch” your feed and list your episode. It doesn’t automatically show up in these services. Each platform has its own method to add your show.
Gotcha! Thank you for taking the time to respond, Jim! I appreciate it. :)
So it's linked to the podcast I've set up and using the RSS feed for that would include these posts too...👀 I found it in Apple, by the way!
If your podcast is part of your main thing. If you use the category feature for just podcasts I think you should have a dedicated RSS feed for that category, not exactly sure.
Me neither... On Apple Podcasts, it has the title of my podcast but includes my audios for non-podcast posts. But that's because I tick the box that allows them to add it to the feed.😆 I'll figure it out!!! THANK YOU, JIM!!! For helping out a rando!😂
🟧 I have seen “subscribe” written next to the names of people who leave comments on other substack posts. How does that happen as I would like to add that feature when I make a comment.
🟧 Hi, what's the URL for today's OH please? The link in the email sends me here, not to the latest one. Thanks
🟧 I eventually want to publish the audio for my articles on Apple, etc. Do you suggest including the audio along with your written posts or posting them separately through podcasts?
Also, can you post podcasts without emailing your subscribers I'll soon be adding audio for past articles and want to avoid sending out 10 separate emails.
🟧 The images for the articles I post are cropped on the home page. How do I avoid that so the entire image is shown?
Does Substack automatically eliminate email addresses with bounces or failed deliveries? That would explain why in the last few days, my # subscribers does not coincide with [# of previous day subscribers] + [# new subscribers] - [# of disabled emails]. Thx!
My ongoing contretemps with Substack's AI---thought resolved---continues. A subscription billing which I attempted to get moved from the last day of the month has met AI indifference meets lack of logic. Rather than doing the expeditious thing of moving the billing date, the "creature" has insisted on my intentions being to cancel my subscription. This was something I repeatedly reiterated as not being my intention whatsoever.
My screaming into the void is fruitless.
You guys are too hard to use!
🟧 - I have edited my very first post 1 zillion times. It emails correctly and views correctly. HOWEVER, when I look at it in the column of posts, the byline has never changed, even after the 1 zillion edits to fix it. Is there a lag time with your server?
✏️ - Greetings -
I have been writing everyday (and transferring my posts from elsewhere on the 'net) since last week. I have over 30 posts.
However, today, I discovered "Publishing." It doesn't have any of my posts and no stats. How is "publishing" DIFFERENT from writing and either emailing subscribers and/or posting directly "to the web"? Also, how would I transfer my 30+ posts over to "Publishing"? In other words, I now see something, "________'s Substack" with zero content. But I also see the title, a list of posts and a DIFFERENT dashboard. SUPER CONFUSING. Thanks in advance, for your input.
Re email lists. I would like to have names associated with the email addresses. Also, I would like to put these in groups or to be able to filter them. Can I do that?
✏️Can ANYONE tell me how to give someone a link to subscribe to my founding member plan? It's my first! And I can't figure out how the heck to make this work! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaasssssseeeee????? THANK YOU!
I am wondering how it is that I think I post a note, but then it doesn't show up in the postings sent to me?
✏️ 🟧 I currently have a Substack in English, but I am bilingual, and I would like to provide a translated version in German too. My question is: is it better to put the German translations as a separate section within the same Substack, or would it be better to create a new, separate Substack? I can imagine arguments for both sides. It seems that for me it would be easier to have one Substack to manage, but for the readers it might be confusing to have to subscribe (and for the existing readers to UNsubscribe) from a particular language version. What do you think? -- Thanks!
Something really fun
Hi I’m a published author via Amazon and I would like to know how to use Substack to this end
Thank You
How do keep my post emails from landing in Promotions, where they languish unheeded?
🟧 ✏️ Is there any upper limit for free-of-cost data-storage available to each creator account? It's unclear if we have to pay for the online storage if our posted media exceeds certain data limit. Please clarify.
Agree
✏️ Hi all, can anyone tell me how to create new "tabs" across the top, so in addition to the default Home, Notes, Archives and About? I tried Pages but couldn't get it to work. Thanks in advance!
Go to Settings. Scroll down to Navigation. At the bottom of the box there is a "+ New Link" in green. Click that to add a new tab.
Thank you so much, Timothy! You. Rock! Seriously, made my whole day. -Kate
Sorry, I missed it, I have find it today on Sept. 3rd. Is it going to be another meeting any soon ??
What is the cost of “Paid” ???
Thx,
Virginia Adams
✏️I have a question about my writings. How do I get people to read them or better yet, how does this site work? I’m a writer who was invited to this platform by another writer who has a publication but I don’t know how to navigate the site and I don’t comprehend how it works so I have a hard time visiting the page.
I would like to suport you, but it is difficile because I don't see well. I wish you good luck "et bon courage!
Connie Bygdnes
🟧I'm sorry I couldn't link up at the time suggested. However, I have the following questions:
1) About the Substack features. I noticed that whenever I write a new post and have to fill the space provided for tags with keywords, the words disappear. Why is that so?
2) It appears I have two Substack accounts with the following names: Pedroodubayothompson.substack.com and revayo36.substack.com; what do I do to combine both accounts and use "Writers Wonderland" as my new account name. It would be wonderful if I could be helped with, thank you in advance.
3) The least not the last, I really need to grow big time and reach my goal of going paid. Thanks once again and looking forward to hearing from you.
Pedro Odubayo Thompson
✏️ 🟧 Hello! A technical question please. Can anyone tell me how to turn off the predictive text? I find its suggestions so distracting! And I am appreciating this growth discussion, thank you.
Thank you very much. Please explain about RSS feeds
RSS stands for Really Simple Sindication, and it is an XML file (similar to HTML) that is generated by a podcast host. It’s essentially a coded document in the cloud that tells a “feed reader” where to find the appropriate files. Services like Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and apps like Overcast and Pocket Casts, are the “readers” or “pod-catchers” that use the file to find the link where your file is hosted and “fetch” it, so that subscribers can get your file in their favorite listening app.
Substack makes an RSS file available for your recordings, so if you list your show with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts, they can “fetch” the file for anyone who subscribes in those other apps. You would use your RSS feed link to add your show to those other services.
It was a joy to converse with Peter Wang on his Work in Progress podcast.
Sixty minutes felt like five; we could have gone on for hours.
St. John Paul II once said, “The worst prison is a closed heart.” I opened my heart during this far-too-short conversation and hope that you open yours when listening to my words.
I leave you with Peter’s exceptionally kind introduction:
“Live and live well, for someday you will be needed by somebody…[after all, your] life is not about you. Your life is about others."
In the latest Work In Progress podcast episode, Thomas J. White IV shares profound wisdom on how he embraced the curse and the gift of Tourette, the purpose of his life, and how hardships lead to true vulnerability and dignity.
Tom writes a thoughtful newsletter called White Noise, consults (thinking-as-a-service as he puts it), and invests across asset classes.
A few nuggets of wisdom from our conversation:
1. On celebrating life: “Embrace the life that you lead. Let your talk be heard. And remember, each word is a celebration and hope.”
2. On gratitude: “'A grateful heart hath a continual feast.' Gratitude is the only way to treat the wonder and the joy that we all take for granted on a daily basis.”
3. On hardship and vulnerability: "Hardship leads to vulnerability, which leads to connection, which leads to conversation, which leads to camaraderie, which leads to dignity."
More here: https://www.whitenoise.email/p/appearing-on-the-work-in-progress
Ever get confused when you approach a door, especially if someone of the opposite sex is waiting along side you to walk through? Women 's role in our society,our laws are out of touch...women are weight lifters,police,football players,boxers,many aren't sraying in the kitchen baking cookeis..High time our laws evolved to reflect that. Never hit a woman if you're a man? How many beatings are you supposed to endure?
Okay
✏️ Howdy. Fairly new to Substack… Wondering if it's possible to load an article or piece on my page without "publishing" it? Meaning, without sending it to my subscribers? Thanks for your help. 🙏🏼 Raf
yes, you just go and uncheck the two boxes at the bottom when you go to publish. I just did it yesterday.
@RusselNohelty, thank you. Will give that a shot.
✏️ 1. What are everyone’s favorite climate newsletters? I’m partial to Emily Atkin’s Heated and Bill McKibben’s The Crucial Years, and glad that Katherine Hayhoe is now on Substack, but interested in learning about others, particularly lesser known authors.
✏️ 2. Any way to search these comments?
Okay doomer, which recently left Substack for Ghost.
🟧 I recently joined Substack and have been gaining followers (yay). I an receiving notes from paid subscribers that show up on my dashboard. How might I reply to them most easily? I just noticed them through my desktop but don’t see them anywhere on the app. (Boo) thanks in advance.
you have to email them. I send everyone a personalized email with some bonuses.
✏️- how do I become famous off of indie publishing my novel(s)?
Type that question into YouTube.
Do something else.
What do you mean?
Don’t make books. Do some other non author thing if you want to be famous.
I’m sorry but that’s for people that don’t work hard...
I know lots of hard working, not famous writers. Lots of the hardest working ones are the least famous, so no.
Technical question:
I’m blogging on Wordpress (since December 2015) and have decided to move to Substack for several reasons (accessibility, fond and graphics issues with an ageing MacBook)
Subtrack, why don't you respond to followers? This appears to be the only way to get word to you about a problem with your system. Seriously, I experienced a problem with your system, which when I tried to report it to you, I received only a machine response. I am a longtime follower and subscriber to Heather Cox Richardson's Letters to America. I went to comment on a post of hers but was told I had to subscribe to do so. I went to the site to subscribe again and did so. However, while I was doing so, I received a message, telling me there was an error in your system, as it had found that I was subscribed already. As a result, it appears I was required to pay again, due to an error in your system. Having already been a subscriber, I do not care to subscribe twice, nor to pay a second time for what I was subscribed. Please correct your system’s error, refund my payment, and confirm my continuing subscription. You may also want to correct the bug in your system. I look forward to your "non-machine" response, please. Thank you.
🟧 hi, I am totally new to this. Literally just signed up. I want to give my Substack a name, so it's not just 'myname' at Substack. however, I'm not yet sure what that name should be. 1. how do I change it, and 2. does it look bad to "rebrand" later down the line?
🟧 - When I post in notes is it discoverable by people who don't follow me?
🟧 - Is there a way to get visibility in interest groups like climate, culture?
🟧 - Do #s work in substack?
I'd be interested as well to know whether hashtags work in Substack Notes. Perhaps somebody can link any useful resource to upskill on Substack Notes.
Hey Fam... love the feeling of connection really 🩵☝🏻
Also, if you want to engage in another fascinating reading ... I got you covered ⤵️
“Some Words For Your Soul”
https://avwritingco.gumroad.com/l/somewordsforyoursoul_ebook
📖 It’s a book made for you. So claim your copy dear friend.
🟧 How do I access a donation?
How do I access a donation?
✏️ 🟧 - how do you integrate Substack subscribers with other email platforms? I love that Substack has an email builder, but I would also like the option to communicate with Subs in a private setting (like an email list) and not manage multiple lists. Constantly exporting and scrubbing lists is not ideal and it looks like Zapier doesn't connect.
they don't have an open API, so you can't do anything except what you're already doing.
Long time blogger but new to Substack. I also have an outside podcast. Other than linking, is there a way to embed? I’m still trying to find my way around
There's a code block widget that you can use to embed. I just used it today. It's in the MORE in the toolbar.
Thank you! :)
You’re welcome
Don't have time
🟧 – Any tips on SEO? When I search for the name of my publication (On the Arts) on Google, nothing comes up. I know it's a bit of a non-specific name, but this still seems like something is not working correctly.
here is a post from Substack on SEO: https://on.substack.com/p/substack-seo-guide
I am not sure about SEO on publication name. In my experience, I see that with right keywords, you might get traffic on certain posts.
it takes time to populate, and you have a very generic name. You don't really SEO a name. You rank for keywords, and that is a very generic keyword to rank for. It takes some time to even populate, but I rank better now than I did a couple of months ago.
I had the same experience actually. Typed the name + substack in google search - nothing. Does it take a while for google to index a new substack publication?
"Google search console" allows you to request Google to index your posts. But, ranking on search results is a different story.
Yes it shouldn’t take months for Google to index