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🧠 I’m celebrating that I’ve more than DOUBLED my subscriber list in the past five weeks, from 193 to 394! 🥳 I’ve had two New York Times best-selling authors subscribe to read my writing, and I’ve gotten three new recommendations. All through engaging with the Substack platform!
I’m writing an article about what’s worked for me. If you’d like to receive it in your inbox, you can subscribe at www.lizexplores.com, where I share stories from my life about infertility, mental health, and adventure. I’m not a writing coach; I just want to answer the questions people have been asking me and help fellow newbies!
For context, I started my Substack in December 2022 with zero audience and zero publications to my name, so the perspective I offer is one of starting from scratch and writing for the sake of writing. I don’t sell anything to my audience other than my writing itself, with a handful of paywalled posts that are personal in nature. Most of my work, including the article I’m working on now, is free.
Hi. I started at roughly the same time (November 2022) and have managed to acquire over 500 subscribers. But I have one advantage in that I write for other sites (generally for older women) and a number of readers come that way. Even one article attracted 50+ subscribers. You can mention that if you want. Good luck.
That’s a great strategy, Ann! My piece will be focused just on what I’ve tried and has worked for me, which has been engagement with the Substack platform. But I’ll also be talking about next steps, which definitely includes freelance articles in other publications. I’m glad to hear how effective that’s been for you! What do you write about?
Sure! I got the idea from interviews I'd read about authors who sell books on Amazon; thanks to the overwhelming number of books and authors selling there, it's *really* hard to get noticed unless your book matches readers' search terms exactly -- otherwise, you need to buy ads on Amazon and FB/IG.
Buying an ad on Facebook, to be honest, is a little tricky. You need to have a Facebook page set up for whatever you're advertising, and your ads are essentially just like a FB post. I have mine set to spend no more than $5 a day, and have picked out certain parameters to target. And, I set my ads to click through to www.thehalfmarathoner.com/welcome, so the email signup prompt is the first thing they see (and realize it's a newsletter, not just a website).
There's a blogger named David Gaughran who writes an excellent newsletter on this; his stuff is targeted more to authors selling books, but I think there's good lessons in what he writes for us too.
Happy to answer any & all questions, if you have any more!
Thank you so much, Heidi! I’ve been doing a lot of different things, but it all boils down to building relationships with other readers and writers on the platform. My article will talk about how I’ve been doing that. At first it brought in folks one at a time through personal interactions, but then those people started recommending and sharing me and it snowballed!
I also write just for writing's sake and free too! It's more about engaging with people and getting motivated to do what I love. I've been having one or two new subscriptions each week and I know it means I need to write something new! Looking forward to reading your ideas.
Thank you, Brina! After slow and steady growth all year, I too am amazed by how quickly it picked up. There are many opportunities to harness the power of the Substack network!
🧠 Welcome Substack’ers. The key advice I can give you all is to follow these tips in this extensive guide that can help you grow your subscribers. I have boosted my subscribers recently doing a couple of tricks and next 8 weeks I am running agressive campaigns to reach 100,000 Subscribers and you can do that too 🥳
🟧 I am new to this, but want to get started asap. I am, however, an old person--almost 70--so I'm not as technically savvy as younger people. I'm going to be writing on a topic that's a difficult one--violence against women in America--so I'd like to know if there are any parameters/rules re: what I can write about. I tend to be brutally honest about this crime and its complexities.
Also, I was in a HBO documentary on VAW in 2014 (now on YouTube), and I'm wondering if I can link the film to my writing on Substack.
Any hints for this old advocate would be appreciated.
Welcome to Substack, Kit! You can publish anything original whether it's articles, essays, fiction, poetry, or any other form of written content. You have compelte editorial feedom to write about what you want to write about.
As for the documentary, you can embed a YouTube video in any Substack post, just copy the URL of the YouTube video and paste it directly into your draft post. The video will automatically appear within the web post and in the Substack app. In email posts, a static image will be shown that links to the YouTube video, and readers can choose whether to open the video on the YouTube app or youtube.com in their browser.
Hi Kit, I've helped a number of 'older' people learn the basics of using Substack, with 40 minute video call (just US$20). If you like the sound of that, check https://pubstacksuccess.substack.com/p/work-with-me
Welcome Kit... I've been on Substack for a couple of years now... and I'll be turning 72 next week... so welcome to the Senior's Substack Sorority! LOL
Thanks Phil. I could use some coaching! I've tried to upload a photo (my techie 46 yo son tried to help and he couldn't get it to work!), and I want to write my first post.Do you have tips? Thanks again!
Hi Kit, Great to eMeet you. Congratulations on your work in the documentary.
If you have a blog and website, and your documentary is not already featured on both it would be great to add them now.
If you don’t have that permission, then you can create a buzz by linking to the documentary, and talking about it all the time. Reach out to every nonprofit that works with survivors.
You can write a book and create other related products. You could create an entire business from this.
As an abuse survivor myself, I’ll tell you that women need to find you. They are waiting for you.
We’re not old, we’re wise and well- seasoned with plenty of sass and dash.
I’m Andrea Amador, a 60 year old widow, published author and women’s empowerment coach.
I am proof positive that it’s never too late to learn anything or do things differently.
In fact Starting Over with Andrea Amador is the title of my new podcast teaching women how to rise above hardship.
Take it from me. You can master technology at any age. Years ago I hired out all my tech because computers and any electronic devices completely overwhelmed me.
From years of abuse, I believed the lie telling me that I was too stupid and incapable of handling technology. Wrong!
Now I do everything on the computer, even build websites for myself and clients.
Don’t short change yourself. The advantage we have with age is the gift of perspective.
The difference If you’re passionate about protecting women from violence, I’ll venture to bet you have a very big why driving you.
Tech is small potatoes. You’ve survived bigger challenges. Take that fresh perspective with you and find new joy in seeing yourself in a new way where all possibilities exist simultaneously.
Reach out to the big organizations like RAINN to find out about the parameters for appropriate discussion. You got this.
You 'ain't' alone, Kit, in the age department. We are simply, "ladies of a certain age", and do not fuck with us. Thank goodness you are writing about the violence. I saw a video on AMREN, where certain men were assaulting women and girls; they were actually coming up to strange women and girls, hitting or slapping them in the face, or anywhere else. Those poor ladies ended un the floor. I would love to find this video and send it to you.
Is the video that you appeared in look-uppable, in 2014?
✏️ - I'm a fairly young writer (27) and have been struggling with engaging peers on Substack. My Instagram audience is responsive to my content when I post it there, but that traffic doesn't covert to Substack hearts, comments, and shares.
I wish my audience was diverse in age, and I follow a diverse audience, but it's a hard reality that most of my online audience is 20-35.
I think the best way I have been able to do it is through my lead magnet. I'll post something either to my feed or stories that will take them to my lead magnet where they will enter their email and then I transfer them to my Substack. Let me know if you find anything that works!
I know.. I think they are. I've started also publishing a short series as a little break between essays just so they don't always have to keep focus on a 6-7 min read
🧠 - here's a tip if you want yo sign your newsletter with your handwritten name.
Find a writing font you like and make sure there is lots of empty space on the right so that the name appears left aligned. Also save it with a transparent backgrounds.
I use procreate and an apple pen to sign my name. There are other programmes you can use that doesn’t require an Apple pen or iPad.
Hi I need help, please, if possible. I can't copy that Orange square you want us to use. Hope it is this one 🟧 on my emoji keyboard.
Ok, i wish to wite an article or paper or thesis, once off, and make it public - to be found and read ( for free ) by anybody, hopefully by people that could take the matter, research and publishing the essential truths, further and better.
But I have no idea how to use Substack and whether this is the right platform for what I want to achieve...
So, (1) can I use Substack for this?
(2) can I write in Microsoft Word
(3.1) and upload the final in one single document or
(3.2) upload it in sections by seperate files/folders ?
Like First an Introduction, as a stand alone "item" followed then perhaps by the main theme, with my conclusion as the last "item" - or post or whatever it is called (help with terms plz.)
What about a short post about myself , related to the One Single Topic which I wish to address?
(4) Then to make the Topic known ... would people that I follow on Substack know when I "posted" or wrote on my Substack? Would a Google search find the Topic and wil anybody be able to find and read it on Substack even though not everyone is a member (or account holder) of Substack?
Cannot reach Jessica Wildfire to switch my subscription (which I have been paying for quite a while) from free to paid. So I cannot get into articles. Cannot find a way to communicate with her directly. Can you help?
✏️ - does anyone have any adhd writers they love to follow? (Or you could recommend yourself)
My newsletter follows my journey of rediscovery. I would love to talk about my late diagnosis last year and would love to read how others are tackling the subject. 💕
You could follow me! True to form, I have about forty posts drafted or outlined but haven't gotten my very first post dialed in perfectly yet. I do hope to begin posting weekly very soon. ;-) I was diagnosed "borderline autism" in my childhood, then "ADD" in my early twenties, before the "H" was added to the initialism. Thanks to supportive family I even have a neurological disorder diagnosis that explains my particular set of ADHD symptoms. I have worked with kids and adults on the ADHD and autism spectrum in non-psychological contexts. I have managed my own ADHD well enough to run two successful (but very small) businesses, enjoy 32 years of marriage, raise three children, and be a valued volunteer with local non-profits that I care about. Let's talk!
🟧 ✏️ Katie ... I sent a comment but it hasn't appeared. It occurred to me it would be better to reply to you.
I'm new to Substack, haven't yet set up my webpage, and find that detailed directions aren't available. At least, I haven't been able to find any that are easy to understand.
How do I design and implement a home page? Is there a choice of templates available somewhere? Can those templates be used and modified, if desired, according to the user's content without needing to know html or some other language?
It's really detailed basics that I'm needing. I'm hoping there's a link, or set of nested links, with well-written, detailed instructions.
🟧 I would like to know how Substack plans to protect writers from Stripe's new dispute fee policy in which a $15 dispute fee is levied for any chargeback, regardless of the outcome. I recently had a paid subscriber dispute four monthly charges without any attempt to contact me and this has resulted in me being docked with $60 in dispute fees before the outcome is even decided. I will not recoup the fees if I win the dispute. This policy puts writers in a vulnerable position and my conversations with Substack support have not yielded any encouraging information about what Substack will do to better protect writers from the new Stripe policy. Many of us are concerned about this and so I'm asking here, once again: how is Substack going to meaningfully respond to this Stripe dispute fee policy change?
Hi Miles, I know you've been in touch with our team about Stripe's new dispute fee policy. I am sharing the response here so more writers can understand what is happening here.
Currently, Substack is integrated with Stripe through "connect" accounts, which means that individual publishers are the merchant of record responsible for refunds and chargebacks. Substack is set up this way to make it easy for publishers to migrate their existing subscribers to the platform (or easily take them elsewhere). While we're unable to cover dispute charges today, we hope to come up with a sustainable solutions for writers and have some work planned for payments in the new year.
This policy change on Stripe's part is unfortunate, and we're listening to writers feedback, so we do have a couple of mitigations in place to prevent chargeback disputes altogether in the short term:
> We have system level fraud prevention mechanisms in place to prevent charges that might end up becoming chargeback disputes.
Additionally, as a connect customer with Stripe, you can enable Radar (https://stripe.com/radar) for an extra two cents per transaction, which provides extra protection against fraudulent charges.
Katie, as I wrote to your colleague via email, these mitigations are not nearly enough to protect writers from this policy. The cancellation process for paid subscriptions is not as easy as it should be (especially for subscribers who are less tech-fluent) and genuine credit card fraud isn't the only root of chargebacks. The Stripe policy gives consumers a tremendous amount of power to weaponize the chargeback option, and this is particularly concerning for writers because many of us write about topics that are polarizing enough to attract bad actors who could choose to abuse the chargeback option. And as I've experienced, it only takes one consumer disputing several $3-6 transactions to inflict significant pain, $$$-wise.
Simply put, Substack is going to have to do more than this to offer writers substantive protection from the Stripe policy. As it stands, we are very exposed. Especially Substack writers who are just getting started with growing their paid subscriber base.
Thank you for the feedback, Miles. As I shared with Tara above, it's top of mind for our team and we are working on a sustainable solution for writers.
That's good to hear, Katie. In the interim, it would really be great if Substack could offer writers a heads up about this Stripe policy change, beyond this Office Hours session. I'm about to inform my paid subscribers about it and re-explain how they can cancel their subscriptions if they ever need to, or how a Substack charge will appear on their credit card statement. As a means of hopefully preventing any good faith erroneous chargebacks going forward. (Bad faith ones are harder to prevent.) It's important that writers are made aware of this so that they can proactively decide how to protect themselves until a sustainable solution from Substack is implemented. Finding out the hard way via Stripe was very frustrating.
One way to avoid Stripe's punishing dispute fee would be to use a different payment processor. Stripe has several distinctives that made it the top choice for small businesses, but if PayPal, Braintree, or Square (or a smaller outfit like Bill.com?) were also supported by Substack, that would be awesome. I use Stripe+QuickBooks for all my online invoicing, but I use Square+QuickBooks for in-person transactions, and I am not alone... I suspect that many of us use more than one payment processor outside of Substack.
Is there any chance of Substack using its leverage (delivering all of us Stripe customers) to get a change in Stripe policy for newsletters? The policy adds risk for small stackers and discourages the use of paid subs until one reaches a certain size.
I thought I had misread that fee on my Stripe statement. That's appalling. Bad actors could create havoc. It needs addressed and resolved, immediately.
Seriously. This creates considerable risk for Substack writers: especially because a lot of us write about topics that are political enough to attract bad actors. And right now, the risk created by the new Stripe policy is being dumped onto us.
Exactly. No distinguishment between people selling merch vs. subscriptions for $3-6 a pop. This has the potential to cause chaos in the "content creation" market.
Let's point this out to Stripe customer service. Stripe needs to hear from us directly. Substack uses Stripe because it was the best, most popular payment processing service with easy site integration... but Stripe sets its own policies, and each of us personally are Stripe's customers.
If Stripe hears our complaints and demands directly, we're more likely to see something change "immediately."
(Especially if Substack executives are making similar noises at them directly, albeit discreetly, for the moment)
Yes, but it's really not Substack's responsibility. Substack doesn't own Stripe.
Substack is a big customer, and I'm sure (for several reasons) that Substack execs are raising hell about it on some backchannel with Stripe. Not all economic pressure needs to be public.
We need to be complaining directly with Stripe. We have a direct relationship with them, after all, as our third-party service providers—not just with Substack but with MemberMouse, Dubsado, and any other commerce platforms we might be using. Having one Stripe account for all those platforms is lovely—but I also have payment processing accounts with two other firms that I don't use much anymore. If Substack gave us a choice between two or several payment processors, it would give us the freedom to take our payment processing business elsewhere if Stripe doesn't shape up.
But it would also dilute Substack's bargaining power with Stripe on our behalf...
It would certainly be a good "or else" to beat Stripe with, in the meantime.
Chargebacks have been the bane of the industry as long as I've been doing anything e-commerce and this is possibly the WORST implementation I've ever seen. They're usually pretty "merchant unfriendly" but the egregiousness of this is unprecedented.
It's a question we ought to keep pressing Substack on. The team member I communicated with about this said that part of why they work with Stripe is to make it easier for writers to migrate existing subscribers from another platform to Stripe, or vice versa. I wonder if Square could offer the same utility.
I have only used Square to process transactions for material goods, but they do seem to have some provision for service providers to use them. I don't know that they would offer a better deal than Stripe, but I agree that it's worth looking into. I agree with your concern; the way things are, you don't even need partisanship as a motivation to be a bad actor.
Square is good. I use them for in-person transactions (their POS is elegantly bulletproof, and battery life is excellent for festivals and conventions). Square will be more expensive per transaction than Stripe, but if Square's dispute process is better, it may well be worth the (minor!) extra cost.
Hi Jo! We're currently integrated with Stripe and don't have plans to add other methods to our platform any time soon. However, we're always looking for ways to improve Substack so I'll be sure to pass this along to the team for discussion.
If any payment processor wants an exclusive provider deal with Substack, they need to be willing to give Substack preferential treatment.
(Especially if it is entirely rational to do so for Substack: these are *subscription* transactions—comparatively tiny ones—not lucrative sales of physical goods or services, and Stripe does not distinguish between these right now, so we're beaten with the same stick Stripe designed for internet scammers)
And if Stripe isn't willing to cut Substack (and therefore us) a deal, excluding us from this automatic dispute fee, Stripe must understand that Substack will give its members options.
🟧 Thanks for putting pointing out this issue.I've had the same problem, but when I spoke with a Stripe representative they told me if the dispute ws resolved in my favor, I would receive the dispute fee back. So that has not happened from your end? However, they should NOT take the money out of my account while the dispute is still pending.
The disputes will be resolved by mid-January but I contacted Stripe support directly and they told me that the dispute fees would NOT be returned to me, regardless of whether I win or lose the dispute. They also told me that once a dispute is initiated by a subscriber, there's basically nothing you can do to shake the dispute fees. This went into effect pretty recently, from the sound of it, and it's outlined in the link from Stripe support I posted in the comments here. They used to return the dispute fee if you won. Now that's changing.
FWIW, when I contacted Substack after my call with Stripe, they acknowledged the policy change and concern from other writers. So they're aware of this. And it astounds me that they haven't informed all Substack writers of this (or outlined how Substack will respond.)
Oh wow, Miles, this is really concerning. I have a monthly subscriber who switched to a free plan three months back and is still getting charged each month, despite his suscriber status (in substack) saying he is on the free plan.
Each time I refund him costs me money and it's incredibly embarrassing too.
After more than 8 years of using Stripe I have never 'won' a dispute (digital products), even when I have clear logs of download history, etc. so we are very much at Stripe's mercy.
Thank you so much for bringing this to everyone's attention.
This must be addressed. This is the kind of thing, if ignored, will have people jumping ship. The first time it happens to someone it will immediately have them looking at alternative platforms. No business should sustain anything which can encourage a revolving door.
Square does not have the chargeback fee, but I am not sure it is as developer friendly or functional for this kind of platform.
There's always Square. And even Venmo, which some of my clients insist upon.
Square is a little more expensive, from my viewpoint as a small business. I wonder how Square and Stripe compare on a large scale, with a company like Substack?
I've had nothing but good experiences with Stripe, actually, and it's the lowest cost, too (which may explain their market share—which is not as large as PayPal yet).
On the other hand, I've had horrible experiences with Zelle, and other people tell me Zelle is fine. So ymmv I guess...
I have used Stripe for years for the shopping cart and membership fees on my website. I'm new to Substack so I don't have any paywalls yet. I've only had a few people per year dispute charges. I fought every single one out of principle, even though it cost me more than my time was worth, because the disputers had already downloaded software. They could now use it forever but either claimed "it doesn't do what I thought", or said "it doesn't work" (without reaching out to me for support). The first excuse is very weak as I have YouTube videos showing exactly what every product does and a fact sheet that outlines compatability details.
I also encourage potential customers to ask questions before purchasing. Regarding the second excuse, I support my products completely and get issues resolved quickly, often by remoting in with Quick Assist. I only lost one dispute. It was surprising to me as it was one that should've been a slam-dunk (a large back-and-forth email chain proving that I got the product working correctly for him). The decision is ultimately up to the customer's credit card company (bank). I got the sense that he was a complainer with a big account so they sacrificed a stranger to appease him. I have always liked Stripe but I hope they will revisit this decision for the sake of the writers in the Substack community who deserve the compensation their supporters have agreed to provide them, without getting fee soaked.
Compared to other things I've tried, I love Stripe. Never had any problems with them, and only one dispute in 15+ years. (Well, only one that went through Stripe, anyway!) This may be because my business is more relational than transactional... but it will hurt if a toxic subscriber here on Substack costs me more than they paid me.
My biggest worry is what Jeff G. brought up: that Stripe might use this new dispute fee policy (that it's nonrefundable regardless of outcome) as a customer-hostile revenue stream. It's the sort of stupid tactic that costs big companies much more than it ever nets them, and can kill a tech firm, since it makes enemies of the exact people who are using their services and paying them regularly without thinking about it.
A really stupid tactic, yes. Unfortunately, corporations have this reputation for making stupid managerial decisions...
Oh my, that does seem problematic. Chargebacks are really problematic in general, especially in the realm of monthly subscriptions. Thank you for bringing this to Substack's attention Miles.
I have and it was through Stripe that I learned the nuts and bolts of this policy change. It went into effect in September. And it's really quite bad. Even if you proactively refund a subscriber who disputes a charge, you're still assessed a $15 fee.
Upon learning this, I emailed Hamish and got in touch with a member of Substack's Trust and Safety team. Their response was underwhelming. They cited Substack's fraud detection practices and how they make it easy for subscribers to cancel a paid subscription. But no mention of any real response to the Stripe dispute fee change.
If this Stripe policy had been in place when I was starting Substack, I would have been a lot more hesitant about turning on paid subscriptions.
I missed that email from Stripe when it was sent to me last Feb. Your situation could be worse, like living in Switzerland where dispute fees are CHF 20 ($23), and transaction fees are 2.9% for Swiss Cards and 3.25% for International Cards (most of my paying customers)... It certainly puts an exclamation point on being a small fish...
Oookay, now I am worried. I was a Wells Fargo fan back in the day when they were a delightful disruptor in the banking industry. I remember their fall from grace, from high principles all the way down into incompetence and policies that amounted to white-collar crime.
It is not difficult to imagine Stripe following the same character arc.
If you're interested in utilizing tags, this is a great way to make them accessible for readers. I have a select number of categories (tags) that I usually write under. Each time I publish a new post, I'll add the relevant tags and the directory is updated automatically. The directory functions as a convenient landing page, facilitating easier post navigation compared to the search feature. I also suggest including brief descriptions for each category.
I've received great feedback from readers on how useful the directory is. Let me know if you have any questions on setup, etc.
Yes, I wanted the ability to list it on my homepage clearly (for new and returning readers to reference). I also write about a handful of topics and didn't want my about page cluttered with that info.
My sense is that readers find it quite helpful to have this kind of organization. They sometimes aren't sure what they are looking for in my writing, or what I have previously written about. The directory gives general categories and descriptions to pique their interest. It has increased discovery of older posts as well.
I include a link to the directory in my welcome email and in the about page. Overall, the feedback has been really positive!
I've been doing that. I use tags differently, basically I have the tag categories show up on my homepage. It's a bit more organised than the magazine layout which I find confusing.
Melanie, I checked out your homepage and LOVE how you used tags to organize your posts into categories. I'd love to do the same. Did you read how to do that on SubStack? Watch a YouTube video?
I want to second this. Do this for sure! I recently did it. And not only did it give rise to better navigability for readers, it helped me clarify what my Substack is all about and where I want to take it and opened up possibilities in my mind. An organizational gift to myself. Really terrific advice @Alyssa!
Yes, exactly. Was a terrific way to focus. And it and a few brainstorming sessions that followed led to a streamlined way of looking at my editorial calendar that I'm excited about. :0)
I've received feedback from folks about Substack being difficult to navigate. Unfortunately, I think it's all in my setup. This looks like a brilliant way to navigate the categories. Thank you for sharing! 🌻
Thanks, Alyssa. How would you set that up, though? I didn't quite understand. I utilise tags just before posting, but am unsure of how to have them listed in a way similar to yours.
I created a page (available in settings under "Pages") where I listed the hyperlink of each tag with a written description. I then included the page in the navigation bar.
Alyssa, thank you so much for the explanation, I really appreciate it.
Blessings - Jo
p.s. a lovely thing I noticed is that you also mention 'The Artist's Way' in your newsletter, which is a driving force behind my own Substack :). Looking forward to reading/listening.
Nice format! Earlier I suggested to Substack to offer an auto-tagging mechanism for all posts. This will remove the risk of inconsistent manual tagging.
I haven't explored how tags work on Substack and how to make use of them strategically.
I remember when hashtags were first used on Twitter and how that innovation helped communities of interest to form, especially for academics (articles and books have been written on the practice, and there are many good case studies).
Has Substack posted a useful guide to tags anywhere? Tags can be a very convenient, and efficient, end effective way to track, and take part in, ongoing focused conversations.
That's great. Thanks very much, Brock. I'll follow that up. Tags can be a powerful too to gather and focus. I'd like to make more of a conscious effort to use them here on Substack.
Hi Mark, I wrote up a guide to using tags on Substack. They're useful, but Substack's system is fundamentally different from how tags work on most other platforms. I think it's really helpful to understand those differences before jumping in.
Wonderful. This is really helpful, Eric. I'm used to using #s as in Twitter (pre-X).
I just did a search.
"The man known as X was once a child (whose name was lost to history) experimented on with mutated DNA and studied until he seemingly died in a fire. He awoke later with amnesia and grew up to be a violent teenager with enhanced strength and intelligence."
Are you not using Notes to get the word out? But...that may be because I never really had a large email list to begin with. It's growing, but I feel more people see me on Notes, when I make the effort.
A tip for people reacting to this: the size of the fish doesn’t matter as much as the growth of the fish (i see everyone is leaning into the metaphor so im going for it 😂):
When I first started substack i grew like crazy, i sent the people i recommended a collective 8,000 subs over 3 months. (Note: almost none of them recommended me back…). In the last month, my growth has stalled massively because i have not had time to focus on growth (I will again in january) and ive sent them barely 100. The best recommendation you can get is from someone with a big audience who just launched their substacl because in the next few weeks and months they re gonna grow like crazy and you’re going to benefit (eg a big author, influencer, public figure whose sub says “launched 3 days ago”. In my niche there are dozens popping up every day.
I do a lot to promote my substack so the people who i recommend benefit. Its a “tide raises all boats” situation. In my niche (fashion), people arent super collaborative but if people are in yours, recommendations truly are the best.
You mention “I have not had time to focus on growth” and “promote my substack”. I’m a substack baby and would love to learn from the master fish grower 🐠
If I have one regret, I wish I planned a bit before I started because I some subscribers out of nowhere, which tells me that substack must have done a lot to push it.
I can tell you but you’re not going to like it 😂. I do this: https://www.instagram.com/lizambelmonte?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr. When I started my substack 6 months ago i had 2,000 friends and family and they grew alongside each other. Each video centers around one substack post with a call to action at the end and each video brings me 200/250 new subs. And, yes, you can definitely apply this idea and replicate to suit any niche. Hope that helps xx
Liza, your reels are SO SO SO good. Someday when I will find/make the time to create them for my own newsletter, but until then I will admire & watch yours!
You’re either the big fish, the small fish, or equal. Partnerships are often easier when you’re the big fish working with small fish. They’re nearly impossible if you’re the small fish reaching out to big fish.
To answer your question: look through your readers and see which substacks they subscribe to. Figure out where your largest intersect is and see if that publisher would be interested in a recommendation swap.
My 2 cents here - Recommendations are a great way to start a connection. I actually found Liza (posted above) via instagram, then went on a deep dive into her content, subscribed to her substack, and then added her substack to mine. She then found me on instagram, sent me a message and also recommended my newsletter. A couple weeks ago she invited me to publish a guest post on her newsletter which resulted in several hundred new subs for me, increased instagram followers, and just more reps in writing, which I need. PLUS. a new internet friend. I've made connections like this with a few other writers as well. So - shoot your shot. Make recommendations (bonus if you can add a little blurb on why you enjoy their substack!). Connect with people whose writing you admire. Comment on their posts, or their notes. If you have an idea for collaboration - put it out there - the worst thing that can happen is they say no or ignore you. And be generous with others too - because there will be other people out there that could use your help/support/advice at one time or another.
✏️ - I'm a fairly young writer (27) and have been struggling with engaging peers on Substack. My Instagram audience is responsive to my content when I post it there, but that traffic doesn't covert to Substack hearts, comments, and shares.
I wish my audience was diverse in age, and I follow a diverse audience, but it's a hard reality that most of my online audience is 20-35.
My question is: What is that number? I hear some saying when you hit 300 it gets easier, or 500. But from where I sit, I don't really think there's a magic number. I can see I'm going to have to push on the recommendations, but, well, fiction...it's a hard sell for some reason. What, people don't read for enjoyment anymore?
I started with 2600 after 1 year of using Revue with the Twitter integration, writing monthly. I had a pretty linear growth on Substack until I started working with other publishers through Recommendations. Then, I saw a massive uptick in daily subscriber counts (almost 50+ a day now).
To answer your question: for me it happened at exactly 7182 subscribers. From there is was a rocket.
🧠 I’m celebrating that I’ve more than DOUBLED my subscriber list in the past five weeks, from 193 to 394! 🥳 I’ve had two New York Times best-selling authors subscribe to read my writing, and I’ve gotten three new recommendations. All through engaging with the Substack platform!
I’m writing an article about what’s worked for me. If you’d like to receive it in your inbox, you can subscribe at www.lizexplores.com, where I share stories from my life about infertility, mental health, and adventure. I’m not a writing coach; I just want to answer the questions people have been asking me and help fellow newbies!
For context, I started my Substack in December 2022 with zero audience and zero publications to my name, so the perspective I offer is one of starting from scratch and writing for the sake of writing. I don’t sell anything to my audience other than my writing itself, with a handful of paywalled posts that are personal in nature. Most of my work, including the article I’m working on now, is free.
What’s worked best for me has been building relationships. If someone takes the time to like or comment on something I’ve shared, I use the power of the Substack network to “follow” them, check out their work if they are a writer, and engage with them in notes. I am meeting some genuinely amazing people, and many of them have subscribed to me and gone on to share my work!
🧠 I took an unannounced break of almost 2 months from publishing. I published my first post back last week, no apologies for being MIA from peoples' inboxes or anything—just picked it back up. No one unsubscribed and my stats are about the same! Moral of the story: take breaks as needed, it doesn't have to be a big thing imho.
Thanks for the reminder. For mental health it is so important to slow down when needed and what ends up happening is that you often get that creative boost.
I am offering a free newsletter to allow me the space to feel into my topics and cadence of writing about listening to my intuition and leaving my job, to somehow weaving in my late adhd diagnosis to my love of learning about substack (and the real behind the scenes numbers). I really appreciate that you shared about how you were able to take a pause because I will be thinking about this when I decide to bring on paid subscribers. Thanks Theresa!
I took 2.5 months off for maternity leave and my growth flatlined, and then when I came back, I had several email disables after each of the first few posts I shared. But, I more than made up for it so it wasn’t a real loss. If I were to take a long break like that again, I think I would schedule content out like freezer meals so people remember who I am and why they are subscribed.
🟧This brings to mind a simple idea! Substack how about offering out-of-office reruns? To remove the dread of taking time off and risking bailouts, I could simply select, say my most popular posts I’d like to rerun, timeframe and my regular scheduling. To make it appealing you can even add a oldie but goodie icon. Think about TV news programming during the holidays that runs old but great reruns.
It's not just dedication, you can also benefit from inertia and laziness. :D It happens on YouTube all the time — people subscribe to a channel and never prune their lists for creators who have been been inactive for a while, or who have ceased to interest them. That's why subscriber numbers on YouTube should always be taken with a grain of salt; it doesn't always indicate how many people are actually watching.
🟧 This was recently posted: https://substack.com/inbox/post/139779766. It is a collective letter addressed to Substack Leadership about the surge of Substack newsletters promoting nazi ideals. Is it possible to find a way to discuss how to tackle this as a community since the founders seems adverse to taking a step?
I know it can be done, but what is the end result of doing so? That's the main point. Tools are given, but what's their use if it does not change anything?
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
I think trying to achieve something perfectly is never the solution, and it wasn't my point reposting this post, but rather push, us writers, to think of way to create spaces where there is freedom of speech without vying towards hate speech. I am not talking on my behalf and quitting Substack, I am just inviting people to chime in some ideas to make the platform a place where we can all share very different ideas without it being detrimental for some communities.
"I am just inviting people to chime in some ideas to make the platform a place where we can all share very different ideas without it being detrimental for some communities."
Will anti-Israeli pro-Palestinian posts be treated the same? Who gets to decide what’s censored or not? It seems to me that the only rational way to handle the issue is for the READER to choose who to read or block, or support...
Wow! I have never seen any hate speech on Substack. Is it possible that you are trying to set up a paper foe? That sounds too harsh, perhaps, but if I see a post that seems too extreme in any sense, I either subscribe to see what the idiots have to say (just a New York cultural term, nothing personal), or I don't subscribe for wasting my time. I hope Substack will not take on a role of moral moderator and try to displace institutions like Harvard.
David, Substack's problem of platforming (and making money for) neo-Nazis and white supremacists is well documented. Just because you're not seeing it doesn't mean it's not there! Very much not a paper foe situation.
Thank you so much for answering to @David B. Miller clearly. It is well documented and shown that the internet is a place that fosters community (positive or negative) and that as a consequence creates microcosms. Not being part or knowing certain microcosm doesn't mean they don't exist.
Yes, the thought occurred that people may be POSING as Nazis. In fact, KKK meetings are populated with government informants; why shouldn't Nazis have SAME PROBLEM? They may even be Elon Musk bots, like Hannah Williams, allegedly.
Would you please refrain from accusing me of something that I am absolutely not doing 😊. It's been well documented for a while Substack has this type of issue. I am free to share here, on a platform that wants to foster freedom of speech, that said platform has an issue and that an unsubscribe and block buttons aren't enough to resolve the issue. I wrote earlier that I posted this to push us writers to think of ways to create a space where we can have different opinions without being detrimental to certain communities, so I hope a solution will be found. Hence my relaying a post that I hope you read thoroughly about Substack big issue. À bon entendeur !
I don't know any writers in real life, so I greatly appreciated the opportunity to meet fellow Substackers in my resident city of the San Fransisco Bay Area. Once again, thank you Substack for helping us make connections and learn about what other people are working on locally, not just across the world.
I'm writing a scifi fantasy novel about the journey of the soul, and am serializing it here. However, I also have sections on writing and journal entries, which I'm working more on these days. How about you? It's nice to meet you too, welcome to Substack!
Scifi rocks. And I skimmed a bit of The Mediator - hair braiding is such a universal way to start. Your writing puts me in mind of Ursula LeGuin. Me, I *think* I'm writing childrens' short stories, but maybe that's just because they're mostly about animals.
Thank you for taking the time to check it out and for your feedback 🙏. I love animals. As a former young reader, I support your endeavor. Children's authors and illustrators are underappreciated, I think.
Cindy and Kerry, I write mostly pet rescue stories so am also tapping into the animal market. I'm also serializing my dog memoir (PET TRACKER) so we have that in common to. I will check out both of your Substacks. I've heard about "guest writing" where Substackers collaborate to write a "guest post" for each others Substacks. I'd be open to exploring this with both of you to help cross pollinate stories that will resonate with animal lovers and perhaps boost all three of our audiences.
✏️ Our first SF/Bay Area meetup was a huge success (see photo above ⬆️)—and for me personally, a highlight of these past few weeks. It was so sweet to actually meet so many writers in person, and to see how positive and engaged everyone was. Our main goal was to **support each other in our growth as writers** and of course to have fun meeting some new people. Have you hosted a meetup? What was your organizing principle? Thinking about doing it? What's stopping you?
I hosted a Miami meetup last week. It was a great success. My principle was to stage it as a mastermind group where participants share their writing journeys, processes, challenges, and solutions.
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
It's not just a question of allowing Nazi propaganda and hate speech on Substack. There are instances where the founders have actually highlighted the propagandists and have opened doors for them to operate here at Substack.
It's not a free speech issue at all, it's a question of why hate speech and that kind of dangerous propaganda is not just allowed but encouraged.
And just in case this isn't clear yet: I am NOT for nazis in any way. What I wrote in the original post is only that
yes, this situation really sucks, but I still have to see a solution, in this age of platforms that actively HIDE almost all small voices, that is feasible, reliable, sustainable... for authors who still need to build a community. All that nobly walking away in the darkness will accomplish is to leave the bad guys the only voices.
🧠 - I went to my first Substack meetup recently in Long Beach, California. I highly recommend reaching out to the author of The Author Stack, Russell Nohelty, for advice. His Substack has lots of great information!
✏️ - I've been feeling a bit stuck recently, despite finally breaking the 1K threshold after a year, I feel like I'm hitting a bit of a ceiling in terms of growth and don't really know what strategies to adopt. I've been posting constantly but my essays generally take a lot of research to write and the slow growth I've seen and the few likes is sometimes disheartening so I would like to find new ways to create little surges in subscriptions, any advice?
For context I'm a PhD researcher in anthropology writing on visual culture, the creative industry and capitalism.
You may have done this already, but finding and connecting with other writers interested in the same kind of things is a great strategy, both in terms of growth and for forming meaningful connections.
Hey! Follow up question here- do you have any advice on connecting with other writers without making them feel like you’re doing that in part to help grow?
I think there’s no need to shy away from wanting to grow. I want to grow. AND I want the writers whose hearts and minds and words I’m falling in love with to grow. AND I want to engage with them and their work because it helps me grow in another sense of that word. AND I’d that connection helps us all rise and grow together, jackpot. This is the dream. 😊
For me the answer is sincerity. If one-sided growth is the only interest, it will show. But for people who do want to make connections in fields they care about and support each other, I think it's ok and human if *one* of our motives is our own growth. That will be true for everyone here.
I agree with the point about it being genuine. I started reaching out and connecting with other Substack writers before the recommendation feature even existed, and I primarily did it because I enjoyed it. I still do.
Also, I do like recommending Substacks which I believe might be smaller than me (based on numbers of likes and comments for example). So I'm trying to give more than I'm asking of others.
Hey Julien - I checked your essay on Style, and wow, I can see how your research could become burdensome. You write with such precision and grace. Since you study anthropology - and live in NYC - maybe you would benefit from a break from the people-world, which, to me at least, can become horribly oppressive and stifling at times.
Take the following with a grain of salt as I’ve only been here for 10 months.
Readers who follow ‘you’ on Notes and subscribe to your Publication (follower-subscribers/ subscriber-followers) tend to engage the most, be it comments, restacks, likes and so on. Granted, a lot of the engagement will start on Notes first before eventually bleeding over to your Publication.
I raise all of this and even adopt this ‘Follower-subscriber’ phrase because I’ve found a distinction between followers who only engage with your notes and don’t subscribe at all and subscribers who might not even have the app and only read emails and stop at that; no comments, likes, restacks and so on. No shade to either camp, just pointing out observations because the distinctions I’ve noted do make it easier to narrow down the issue in question.
Turning your attention to your Follower-subscribers ignites a more rewarding experience; they remind you that you are writing with and for living beings which should go without saying but stats easily obfuscate the purpose of your writing and the whole point of having readership. Figuring out which Follower-subscribers really have your back makes it easier to cross-pollinate, be it gathering new Subscriber-followers by being mentioned on Notes and Substack ShoutoutThreads or being restacked and introduced to your Subscriber-followers’ Subscriber-followers.
I’d like to think those insights might illuminate some areas in this whole stagnation issue. Again, Notes drives engagement through Follower-subscribers/Subscriber-followers. Also, I’ve only been here 10 months with far less subscribers than you, so, none of this is prescriptive or descriptive. I don’t have enough data to even comment on issues of subscriber and follower retention but what I can vouch for is my Subscriber-followers, they’ve been with me for a while now and I’d know if they decided to jump ship, that’s how much of an impression they’ve left.
✏️ My subscribers have been indicating that they're interested in receiving more content along the lines of "creativity as self-care" (i.e. journaling prompts). I'm curious to know how other folks on Substack who are writing in a similar vein are supporting their readers with the current set of tools (i.e. using audio for meditations or accessibility). I'm also looking to book out interviews and guest posts in 2024 along these lines, with people who work at the intersection of care and creativity (i.e. teachers with a podcast or music side gig, therapists who paint, etc.). If you're interested in connecting, please respond below or feel free to post your own requests/offerings here in my space, if you'd like extra eyes on it!
I give you permission to Cross-post my'Stack! https://benwoestenburg.substack.com I thought I was already recommending you. I'm not, and for that I apologize. I will fix that right away.
I'm interested. I'm building a school in Asheville, NC. Our school philosophy fosters a child’s natural curiosity of the world while providing a warm and secure environment to build lasting connections. An abundance of outdoor play (in all types of weather) and practical activity connects children and our nature-based preschool to the rhythms of the year and strengthens their affinity with the natural world. We'll also weave in farming and regenerative ag. It's a lot, but I'm very excited and would be thrilled to share more.
Very cool, Meredith! I feel you on wanting to open my classroom door, so to speak, and let people into the work I have been doing there for several years. Glad to connect!
Grace, your school sounds amazing! We get to Asheville not infrequently with our family and it seems like a wonderful place to live and play outdoors. Founding a school is no easy feat -- I'd definitely love to hear more about how you're balancing care for your community with care of the self. Please feel free to share more about your project to initiationwrites@gmail.com!
I just subscribed from your invitation here and especially for my learning rather later in life
"the intersection of care and creativity" and I'm sure I'd be a candidate for you interviewing on my learning to have a "Daily Creative Life Practice" starting on February 10, 2020 when I began Seth Godin's Akimbo workshop "The Creative's Workshop" without thinking of myself as "a creative" or having any ambition to learn how to be "creative." Today is Day 1406 of my daily creative life practice. I look forward to experiencing your learning and experience with "creativity as self-care."
Oh . . . and I haven't yet learned how to be creative enough to create a publication . . . yet on Substack . . . I'm working on it . . . and I'm glad I found the Writer's Office Hours . . .
I'm so glad you subscribed, Tom -- I'm working on some content for Jan that encourages folks like you to take the plunge and go for it! And it's certainly never too early or late to make those essential connections between creativity and care. Doing 1406 days in a row of anything is something to celebrate!
Hello, nervous newbie here! I already have an audience on another platform where I write about raising tween and teen girls. I want to bring that audience across, but I'd also like to expand my topic range.My first question is: Do you recommend keeping with my current niche content and then gradually introducing more topics? My second question is: Can I change the name of my substack later as I evolve my content? Thanks so much!
You can change the name of your Substack as many times as you like, but you can only change the url of it once. In settings, the url is at the bottom, like name.substack.com. The name is at the top, in a box you can change easily. If you put some version of your name in the url (not the title of your Substack), you'll be free to change titles.
PS - I should say, you can only change the url once without breaking existing links, like links in one post to other posts. It says this in the bottom of settings.
Ive changed my name and expanded my niche. It’s working so far. I started with humorous essays, branched into serializing my WIP novel, changed my name, started a Funny AF Women interview series and just started posting funny videos. You got this! It’s great you have an audience already. Bring them ova!
THANK YOU, this is so reassuring. I always felt like we had to stay niche focussed but I am interested in writing on a wide range of topics. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Is everyone so nice on Substack? I think i've been hanging out in the wrong places!!
The main thing I learned from @sarahfay is that your readers need to trust you. They want to know what they’re getting. I made announcements ahead of time before branching into something different.
You can change your name whenever. As per content, if you have more to say than what you’re regular readers are used to, you can add another section to your newsletter and educate your subscribers about how to opt in and out of that content.
I would stay with your current niche since that’s working. You can start another ‘section’ on your Substack and give them the opportunity to either receive those letters or unsub from it. Yes, you can also change your name!
Yes! There’s a feature in settings when you create a new one that allows you to toggle if you want to basically roll your subscribers over to the new section. Then you can show them how to select their preference. I wish I had a link handy for you right now - I’m sorry!
Just getting around to reading Office Hours. I was under the impression that you can change the name once, while maintaining links. It says that somewhere under Settings. Check there. Personally, I like the idea of keeping with your niche, then adding more, especially since your tweens will grow into older teens - a whole new topic in itself!
I was considering changing my name/url to something that reflects the current-events -political topics I write about, but was encouraged by friends to keep The India Ink, because it also reflects my aim of blending my design and writing (since actual India ink is used for both), as well as my heritage. It's a little vague, but so is The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, and so many others that eventually get known for their point of view. Ask your friends for an honest opinion!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. That's so true what you say about other publications being vague. What's a name? Really, it's the content that matters more. OK, i'll keep it for now and then gradually introduce broader content and then maybe change the name. I am so indecisive!! I love the name India ink (just googled what indian ink is). My daughter's name is India, inspired by my honeymoon there. So I am partial to any mention of the name!
Welcome! I have a post on sections and tags - pop over and read that I think it will help you see how expansive your space can be. It’s not necessary to niche here. ✨
Brock here! As far as the content of your publication and newsletter, this is all up to you as the writer. We can't make recommendations on our end, but this sounds like a great idea to start with your current niche and then gradually expand to other topics!
Regarding your second question, you can certainly change the name of your Substack newsletter and Publication name as your content evolves.
Michaela in my Substack I primarily write pet rescue recovery stories, funny police stories, occasional spiritual stuff, mini mystery games, and my serialized my dog memoir. It's a lot, I know! But I'm also crafting a YA romance/mystery where I want to recruit teen girls (11 to 17) to help me write my series, inspiring them and teaching them about the publishing industry as we collaborate. I'm just not sure yet if I will do this particular work with teens in my Substack as I don't know if teens are even ON Substack! When I first asked if I should create TWO Substacks, I was told to just have ONE Substack. You can create different headings (like I've done on my page) for the different types of posts that you create. Hope this helps! I'm going to check out your Substack since you're the only writer for teens I've heard of so far on Substack (although I'm sure there are more).
WOW, I love that!! And I am all for pet rescue stories. My pup was hit by a car a year ago today and suffered severe trauma and we weren't sure if she would make it. She lost her leg and had a couple of surgeries and it was a long recovery but our beautiful pup is thriving as a tripod. I too am interested in YA stories and have girls aged 11, 13 and 14, so let me know if you want to chat about that. And thanks for your encouragement.
So glad your dog recovered! I just shared the story of a neighbor's cat that we ended up saving after he (Rocky) was hit by a car. He also lost a leg and was a happy tripod cat. YES, let's connect! I see that your page is still under construction. Let me know if you need any advice or help with anything. I'm also sort of new and not sure HOW to communicate via email in Substack (someone said it is possible) but you can email me at info @ katalbrecht dot com if that is easier to chat. I look forward to hearing from you!
🟧 - Hey there, are there any plans to expand the use of the paywall? I would like to insert content/material within a post that only paid subscribers could access (video/picture/etc). This would really offer me a seamless way to create more intimacy without having to create a whole different email.
Yes Bailey!I am excited for that feature. I really have some ideas for it!
Thanks for sharing that link - I didn't realize there was a whole new pay to post videos. I feel like I missed a great opportunity here with this letter I wrote to my son. I used video to capture some a moment we've all done. Changing a diaper. But I am happy I know now!
Someone mentioned this last week, and I wholeheartedly agreed! I hope they implement it so we can just like... Censor only certain parts of a post that anyone can read! But still leaving it all open for paid subscribers only!
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
what I wrote is only a "justification" to stay alive even if nazis still exist. From now on, if you continue to take that as active endorsement of nazis and who platforms them, it's your problem. I am responsible for what I say, not for whatever way you keep getting it wrong. But by all means continue, every comment like yours makes my next post easier.
I don't remotely take your words as an active endorsement of Nazis, but I do take them as a passive endorsement of the platform, because logically that's what they are. As you note, you're responsible for what you say, but as it turns out you're also responsible for where you say it. If you'd written, "I'm working to get Substack to deplatform and stop promoting Nazis, and will continue writing here while I do so," I'd feel differently. But you're not saying that. You're saying, "Leaving would be hard, so I will continue writing here despite the platform's active support of Nazis."
FWIW "I'm going to criticize you in my next post" is a terribly lame threat. Have at it, Marco.
Sorry, but your repeated posts enveying against some mysterious Nazi threat makes me wonder whether you yourself (and a few other spewers) are promoting some other agenda, trying to get a rise out of Substack, perhaps? Trying to drum up support for some cause that seeks to suppress the free expression that Substack offers? Otherwise, why the unsubstantiated incendiary accusations? (Maybe I'm feeding in to your scheme by challenging your lack of tolerance?)
Thanks! It was the most elegant way to get people to my list while still getting them something so it didn't feel like I was adding them to another thing without value.
Yeah, but both of you guys have thousands of followers. I put my yearly PAID as low as I could go $30. I got one, (bless her heart.) I'm sure once I grow, I might get more. I am growing, but it's gradual. I was hoping I'd hit 400 by the New Year, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. As an added bonus, I told them I want to do PODs for my novellas/novelettes, but I need at least 70 PAID to reach that goal. I've got 12.
Which is worse, having fringe groups randomly murdering innocent civilians or subversive members of our own government determined on destroying a Democracy our forefathers died defending.
I don’t; however, you can see these under options before publishing (send to free only) and you can uncheck the publish to Substack app option. Then, you just have to set up a custom offer for the sale.
That I don’t know. The link to the post works but the visibility of that link is probably word of mouth/social only. This is the link to my Black Friday sale, for example:
So I just went and looked at your sales pitch. Maybe I should revisit mine? I thought a good selling point was the fact that I dropped it down to $30 Canadian. That's about $21 US. The only up-grade was a fellow Canuck! (There's irony for you.) But again, I write fiction (good fiction, but fiction all the same.)
I sent my offer to 500 free subs and received 13 ish upgrades, I was quite disappointed. I wonder where I went wrong. I did 25% off , perhaps that wasnt enough. It was particularly discouraging because those 500 people were all 5 stars readers so if these guys don't convert, it's not looking good for the rest!
I send weekly but if I am busy, which I tend to get with my other work, I tend to skip to bi-weekly. Sometimes I skip a few weeks. My subscriber count keeps going up because of the backlog. My point is don't kill yourself when you don't have to.
🟧 Can I offer subscriptions for a period other than a year? for example, a price for a quarter. Is it mandatory to offer an annual subscription as one of the options? Thank you!
I wondered if anyone had tried any new methods of converting free subs into paid recently?
I have just tried sending a discount code to 500 of my most active free readers for 25% off the usual rate but I saw very very little conversion (maybe 13-14 new paid subs). This was my first time experimenting with it but I see a lot of writers do frequent promotions so I expected better results. Thought I'd share in case this is something you guys considered doing (it takes quite a bit of time, some parts of the process were quite manual). Let me know if you've got any other ideas! I wish I could do more to reach the goals I'd set for myself for this end of year.
My promotions don’t yield huge results but I celebrate every single one! I’ve seen others give deadlines and talk about locking people in at a low level price for life but I still feel I want the flexibility of experimenting so haven’t done that. It does seem to bring quite incredible results as does paywalling more of your content... the balance seems key! All depending on your goals of course - my biggest is to be of service so I’m in that space right now paid or not. ✨🤍🙏
You’re lucky :) I tried a 30% off special holiday offer, and - crickets. I see click activities but no bites. There are so many variables at play here that best approach is to keep experimenting. There’s no magic formula here :)
Good to know although sorry to hear! I think I just got falsely optimistic because I see these huge writers do it all the time so it got me thinking it would be magic - although as you said that's not a thing. Hear hear to keep experiementing. Best of luck!
Alright, so I'm in the same boat as you guys. We all have a diverse selection of 'Stacks here. You guys have huge numbers, I'm sitting at 360'ish. I dropped mine down as low as I could, ($30) and it's Canadian. I write fiction, but it's Long Fiction (novellas and novelettes). I got 1 conversion. I thought it was because I was writing fiction, but I can see that doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm not changing my 'Stack though. I've PAYWALLED my Serial novel section. My SHORT STORIES AFTER 8 will stay FREE. I'm not going to sweat the small stuff. If they want to subscribe, they will. Hopefully, some will up-grade. I told my subscribers I want to offer PODs of my stories. I'll even mail them out to them. Crickets. So I'm not going to worry. I'm here for the long haul anyway--not that it's long, since I'm retired.
🟧 Is there a way to make specific content available for subscribers only, paid or unpaid? I am working on a report that I would like to share with subscribers/use it to attract new ones. Thank you!
Not sure if you saw the other comment, but he said we should choose the option to only send it to subscribers when publishing it. I also wonder if it could exist as a hidden page, so we can also use it to attract new subscribers...
That makes sense but I want to create one newsletter though. For example, I write letters to my son about fatherhood. I found a college statement of purpose I wanted to include within the letter because it was really intimate. Instead of putting it at the near bottom I would have love to just put it right in the middle. I think this would really encourage more people to pay since you are creating a feeling of FOMO (maybe?)
I asked about this about 6 months ago, Marc. Perhaps now that more people are asking, Substack will take it under consideration. They've been pretty good at listening to our wishes 😊
To "hide" a page if you have a bit of an archive, you can adjust the publication date in the post settings and "bury" it in the archive with an earlier date. That's just a workaround, not a strictly subscriber-only way to post.
Hi there! You have the option to publish to free and/or paid subscribers. Unfortunately, those who are not subscribed will still be able to see free content.
That could be an option, thank you! I still don't have paid subscribers, and I was hoping to be able to just put the report behind the subscription in general to attract new subs, but I will consider that. Thank you again!
So nice to see you all 🥰 I’m super proud of myself for keeping to my writing so regularly for a few months now.
Though I’m really running out of brainwaves here. The last post I wrote took so much walking and thinking ( it doesn’t really show but trust me it did!) that I feel a little depleted after completing it. It needs an edit and it’s not all I wanted it to be but I’m proud of it anyway.
🟧 where do you get inspiration? Especially after finishing a stretch of challenging writing?
Hahaha yes! Back to the beginning. It’s like um, head empty, what was I doing? Oh, writing. Let’s start with that. But I did have a thought I wanted to explore about the relationship between writing and reading as a parallel to talking and listening. And sometimes you need to talk, and sometimes you need to listen, and maybe this is the time to listen. So, about writing really anyway hahaha
This is an impressive writing exercise. I like the idea. My WIP is in 1st person pov, and there are 8 other characters entwined that all have their own thing going on. I thought it be interesting to write the journey from their perspective. That's either a far off writing exercise of my own, or a fan fiction project if I am ever so lucky. Anyway, thank you for sharing this, I'll check it out.
My little bit of advice: enjoy every minute with your little ones. Find books you can read to and with them.... I could go on, but you only have a few years to enjoy them and prepare them for life. -/s/-Been There and none of my children have been arrested
Great question, Ani! I often find inspiration from reading other people's writing. Often there will be a line in an article (or a book) that gives me something to think about, and then write about. You can also ask your subscribers what they'd like to know more about (if applicable). Sometimes a bit of a break from writing is exactly what you need. I don't know how long you've been on Substack, but if you've built up enough of a library, you could update and rerelease some of your older articles to give yourself the time to find inspiration for new topics.
The time and distance between writing and reading (and between writers and readers) seems much shorter now. The lone voice crying out in the wilderness, the penniless author in the attic pouring out their soul and getting nothing but rejection letters in return, that guy at the party/office/club that loves to hear the sound of his own voice (sorry, that was me); all of these things should be giving way to inclusive, respectful, exploratory, open-ended, organic, co-created, community-based, it's-the forest-not-the-tree, it-doesn't-all-have-to-be-about-me, conversations. I think that's what most of us really want.
What do we want? Respectful, inclusive, honest conversations with people we will come to love and respect. When do we want it? Now?
Sometimes, we all feel like that lone voice crying out in the wilderness. We just have to find one another and have a good chat. We are a potential community.
I release old things I put up when I first started. I only had a few readers then. And when they introduced the "followers", well they don't know what I put up earlier. It gives them a chance to read my stuff. https://benwoestenburg.substack.com Take a look!
I like talking to people who are new to me for inspiration. Reading books. Taking a walk. But also taking a break from always trying to come up with new ideas sometimes because when the well is empty, it needs time to refill.
New people offer a different perspective, new conversations. Or sometimes talking to a group of people brings up something fresh. As writers, we spend so much time in our own heads. Sometimes it's good to get an outside view.
I'm lucky I work in the arts so I have some coworkers I can bounce off of depending who I'm working with that day. My favourite is when we get into creative conversations. Random strangers often strike up conversations with me that keep me thinking about them long after they're gone. I have trouble writing at home so I'm usually at a café or the library, but I've also had interesting conversations on the bus, with Uber drivers, and even in line at the grocery store. It used to bug me that strangers wanted to chat but I decided to embrace it and find out more about people and the world around me. My innate curiosity and active imagination combine into this idea generator after I've had a particularly interesting interaction. If others weren't approaching me, though, I'm not sure what I'd do. I'm quite introverted. I guess I'd find other ways to connect with people through writing groups and common interest groups.
I was trying to find another post of mine and I found this one about looking for creative communities and them finding me instead: https://createdateletters.substack.com/p/finding-creative-communities And I'll definitely have to expand on this after I brainstorm different ways to find them!
I don't know if this helps but my newsletter is a reaction to the weekly restaurant reviews that are published in the UK, so I always have a jumping off point to write from. I've only just started and the letter is evolving as I go along but I'm starting to focus on themes and issues thrown up by the reviews rather than just being a digest of other people's writing which is how it sort of started out. Maybe there is a column published regularly that touches on your area of interest that you could react to or use as a jumping off point for a letter?
Sounds interesting. The funniest restaurant review I read was during the time of the Iraqi war. The reviewer wrote that the soup was so awful that if it had been found in a canister in the Iraqi desert then the search for weapons of mass destruction would be over.
It’s so great to watch your own work evolve and change as you discover your own voice! My writing is personal so I try to stick to myself but you’re right that reading more is never a bad idea
I totally agree with that. I write what interests me, as opposed to what I know. I mean, write what you know? That might have been the case when I was younger, but then, they didn't have the internet in the old days, did they? Now, I can read about anything that interests me, and write about it after.
True!! It’ll come to me. Might write about trying to participate in the office hours today, because the insanity that unraveled while I was responding to comments is unparalleled. My three year old got her hands on the container with flour and created a winter wonderland in the kitchen in mere minutes, covering her sister pretty much fully. 🥰I turned around and really REALLY tried not to laugh but failed so now this is an accepted activity I guess
My wife used to stand our son on the table and paint him with water paints. She had the best of everything. Play with the kids all day, and then pass them off to Daddy when he got home from work. Those kids had a great childhood!
Take your content topics and divide them into more and more niche sub-topics. It will still remain inside of your "genre" and it will yield so many more topics and inspiration for new posts.
You should be proud, anni. I keep a running note of everything I think of on the notes app on my phone. Not all will make a post or part of a post but it's useful to jot down everything you think of.
I do! This is very helpful and basically the only way I ever know what to write about. For some reason that well is dry right now 😅need to build up again!
I started guest interviewing on podcasts, and now I have a constant stream of topics thanks to the different ways people ask questions in those conversations. Also, I always keep lists of ideas from there and everywhere, so when I sit down to write, I am usually starting in on a topic I have been ruminating on for months or even years (I didn’t start publishing until after I had a list of a couple hundred topics I wanted to write about... which I still have yet to reach the bottom of!). A piece of writing advice I took to heart in the beginning was that you would know if you were a writer and if you had the correct topic after 250 posts. So, by that metric, I’m only halfway through testing my idea hahaha
Hey hey! I have finally launched the English version of my French newsletter. Should I write my bio in French / English or would u recommend to stick to one language?
🧠 Hi Laurent. If you are sure that all your French-speaking subscribers can understand English, I would just publish it in English; otherwise I'd suggest in both French and English.
✏️🟧 Newbie here! Just launched my substack, Mother of a Dilemma, last month. It's designed to help those who are on the fence and struggling with making the decision of whether or not have kids. I'm not really sure how to grow it, especially on the substack platofrm. Is there a good way to help people find it? TIA and excited to be part of the community :) https://valeriemariep.substack.com/
High-quality writing is your best marketing tool. When you publish, it stands a chance at getting picked up by other websites, people with big audiences, or press outlets that match your target audience. There’s no magic formula for doing this, but one big hit can bring you thousands of new readers.
Buttons! Include a subscribe button in very post. It will encourage free subscribers to upgrade to paid, and if new readers land on your post, it gives them an easy way to subscribe.
There are a few voices in the “child free” space you could connect with? Or perhaps those who write personal essays? A shout out on Notes would be your best bet. If you tag me I can tag some folks in for you. I’ve been here since April ‘22 so met a few. ✨
New to Office Hours? Don’t be intimidated. We’re a supportive community here. It can feel overwhelming; don’t 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, 1-2 times per week (plus or minus);
2. Engage with other writers on the platform in a positive, affirming, honest manner;
3. Always attend and comment in Office Hours;
4. Read and comment on other writers’ stacks.
5. Don’t 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 other’s work. Plus there’s cross-posting, guest-posting, etc.
*One final suggestion/note: Write honestly. Get real, raw and vulnerable. Pull no punches. Writing is about guts, not safety. 👌
Hey Michael--thought this was really helpful! Self-promoting is not something I'm good at yet but I love reading so am inspired to comment on others' work so they know someone is listening!
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
Thank you for your input - your piece and the Techdirt-link are really helpful in understanding this.
And I completely understand your point of view. Substack is a wonderful plattform for writers like us. And I do understand the American way to think about freedom of speech.
But: Substack is earning money from those Nazi newsletters. So if big names pull away like Disney did from X, maybe they start rethinking their policy. I just hope they will!
My personal problem is: I am from Germany, and I am German. And even though we mostly have freedom of speech, most Nazi symbols and even the salute is illegal here for good reasons. It is a very personal decision I need to make, if I can stay here or not, especially as I wanted to start a newsletter in German next year.
You are certainly right, in that staying or leaving this or any other community is and MUST be a personal decision, not peer pressure. My point in that post was/is to remind some ugly realities (= where else could one go?, see the "renting apartment" example), and above all to not judge harshly those who take a different decision.
Well, I think the peer pressure should be put onto Substack like we could do with joining the open letter, which I will tomorrow (today is simply too late for me writing a meaningful intro to that. But that doesn't mean I want to pressure you or anybody to post the open letter or to leave!
Pressure could also be put on Substack by the big newsletters, like my example with X and Disney. I am too tiny of a newsletter at the moment to make an important dent.
Thanks, that's the attitude! I will check the open letter tomorrow. Right now, I have changed my plans for the next issue of my own newsletter, to talk about this, so I'm busy collating all the answers I'm posting in this thread...
That is a better way for you, as you don't see how writers can't live without Substack. But tell you what: there are millions of writers out there who do that! If you see it as cutting the branch you are sitting on, well, so be it. But with enough work i.e. on Pinterest or other platforms you can still reach your readers. It may be more work, but at least one isn't supporting a platform that infringe their own rules or even that of their business partner (Stripe).
✏️ and 🟧 - I am planning to offer a paid tier at the end of this year or the beginning of 2024. Is there a lot of sense in turning on pledges now? I turned them off way back when, mainly because I wanted a more frictionless way for people to subscribe for free, but now that the paid option's approaching, it is starting to seem like a good idea.
Thoughts are appreciated from folks who have done this before!
Trust me - I’m with you. I have about the same. I had pledged on since the beginning. While I don’t have many, it was a real confidence booster to see people would contribute. My Substack is a way for me to contribute to my son’s college plan. Once I was clear on why I felt okay collected money - I went paid.
I had pledges on from day one, and paid from about the second month. All my writing is free (except for archive) but people can pay if they want to support me. I see it as a tip jar. I also have a Buy Me a Coffee link.
I love the "tip jar" concept. I'm doing something similar I think, but not quite. I write every day, so my plan is for everyone to get Monday through Friday, and paid folks get Sat/Sun also. I realize the "value add" for just 2/7 days isn't a ton, but i also feel as though this is much more of a "thanks for making my day a little better" ask, not really a value proposition.
Honestly Andrew, your work is worth paying for. I think turning on pledges from the beginning is a great idea. I know that’s not a popular opinion. But I think it helps let people know you are open to receiving. Interested to see how you roll out your paid features though!
Thanks, Marc! I'm certainly not at the beginning per se - I have about 800 free subscribers today - but I also regard this as near the beginning, big picture wise. I think your suggestion is sensible. I'll try to keep everyone posted on the strategy/how it goes.
I've had a paid tier since the beginning, even though 99% of my post are free to all. But some people will pay anyway, and it's really great to know people find it valuable. So I would say yes definitely.
Turning on pledges can be a great strategy as you gear up to launch your paid tier! Some benefits are:
1. Early Support: It allows your most enthusiastic readers to show their support early on, which can be a big morale boost for you.
2. Gauging Interest: You can gauge how many of your readers are willing to pay, which can help you plan your content and pricing strategy.
3. Smooth Transition: When you do launch your paid subscriptions, those pledges will automatically convert, giving you a head start on your paid subscriber base.
4. No Immediate Charge: Your readers can pledge without being charged until you activate the paid option, so it's a low-commitment way for them to show support :)
Thanks, Jamil! I guess I have read all this before, but I'm really interested in hearing from folks who have executed this particular strategy. Have you had any experience with this yourself? Much appreciated!
I agree that there is nothing to lose by offering paid subscriptions as an option even if you have no paywall. That is how I have handled my Substack since I started four months ago. I understand being concerned about offering your readers value for money. I worry about that, too. But I try to balance that by understanding that Substack can also operate as a patronage system (not unlike crowdfunding) in which people are willing to support your work just because they like what you're doing.
Douglas, just to be clear, I am not at all concerned with offering value for the money. I believe in myself and know that I bring elbow grease to the table every day, and I know some folks out there appreciate what I do.
I'm just curious about the intermediate time between now and when I turn on the paid tier, wherein I would use the pledge concept. I'm wondering how helpful a month or so of pledges will be from here, and whether turning them on now might be weird in any unanticipated way.
Well, there are basically two reasons for giving money to a creator; one is because you are a consumer and the other is because you are a patron. If you give because you are a patron, and not in exchange for paywalled content (i.e., you receive value for money like a consumer), the sudden appearance of a paywall shouldn't bother you because you are already paying for that content and your experience will not change.
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
I know. With both my comment and the original post I mean that all I've seen so far seems to indicate that Substack has no intention to address the issue, and that, unless it becomes much, much worst than it is, this won't change, and there is basically nothing that authors who are already investing a lot of time and energies could do about it, because starting over anywhere else (where???) would be a ton of risky effort, with no guarantee that nazis won't get there too.
or, in one sentence: just never mind about who's hosting nazis, because a) the thing to do is to fight them directly, in any way that's legal, regardless of where they speak from, whereas b) "noble" gestures like leaving substack may accomplish nothing
exactly, I would like to know what Substack is doing to directly fight them. I don't accept the "just don't worry about it" argument, from individual or company. But again, thanks for your thoughts.
Is there a way to view a publication's pricing tiers without subscribing?
My experience has been that if you click Subscribe, you've taken to the pricing tiers, but even if you decide not to (and don't select any tier), you're automatically subbed as a free subscriber.
I'd like to know if I *want* to subscribe. It doesn't seem too complicated. Just like any other service or subscription, I'd like to know what is available for what price in order to make an informed decision. That's all.
Oh, huh. Interesting. I guess that only works if you are already subscribed. That doesn’t make sense - I’d rather be able to share my pricing with anyone.
Brock here! Can you let me know which publication you're inquiring about? It is indeed true that you would need to subscribe first in order to know the pricing of the publication.
I'm talking about *any* publication, not a particular one.
You answered my question with "It is indeed true that you would need to subscribe first in order to know the pricing of the publication."
And the answer, unfortunately, is no, you can't see the pricing without subbing.
Has Substack considered making the pricing available without subbing so we can make an informed decision? Every other service in the world has a pricing page where you can see what you get for what price before you decide.
Nothing makes one feel older (esp if one is undeniably "old") than learning how to navigate a new interactive platform...namely, this one. I was today years old when I finally figured out how to post, which would be cause for embarrassment if I could actually feel that. Mostly I am bewildered by the myriad options and suggestions and peculiarities of the process. Writing is easy, Substack is tough.
Honestly, tech stress feels like sudden disability, as if one has forgotten a code or practice from a past life, but it’s really one simply doesn’t get that “insert title” is the instruction plus the blank to fill in…
just ferinstance. Stress! I don’t really mean writing is easy. Just easier to engage with. As somebody said, dying is easy, comedy is hard…LOL
Hahaha yes, I’ve never heard that before but that’s well said. It will come, just do what you can and you’ll discover what you need in time. Trying to grasp it all at once will be frustrating and take more time
🟧 or ✏️ - I am trying to understand the organization of Substack subscribers and followers. For example, I think there are some people who "follow me" but don't subscribe to my newsletter. Consequently, there are also places where I can engage with subscribers. How do I engage with followers? What do they see? Are there any places that explain this in depth? Thank you in advance!
Followers find you on Substack and "follow" you for a while before they commit to subscribing to your newsletter. This is to see how/what you post and if you would be a good fit for each other. Subscribers are committed to receiving your newsletter without "testing the waters" first.
Hey there! I can help clarify the difference between followers and subscribers on Substack.
Subscribers are people who have signed up to receive your newsletter via email. They've shared their email with you and will get your posts delivered directly to their inbox. If they're paying subscribers, they'll also have access to any exclusive content you offer.
Followers can see your notes and some of your reading activity, like post likes, in their Home feed on Substack. However, they won't receive your newsletter posts in their email. Think about it as a way to start a relationship with you/date you before they get formal (subscribe).
Following is still an early days feature for us, and we'll have more robust tooling to come, I'm sure.
✏️ I'm hoping you can share some advice on how to cleverly integrate a translation of your publication into Substack.
I'm experimenting with how to present both the original English texts and the German translations on my Substack. However, it's proving to be a bit tricky, and I don’t want to confuse my readers.
Has anyone found an elegant solution to handle translations in a way that’s clear and accessible for readers?
🟧 Is X/Twitter still throttling links to Substack? How can I get around this? Unfortunately I've got no choice but to find other platforms to promote my work like Facebook, Substack, Instagram & Threads. X has taken away all the good positive metrics my media company and I used to have. They're not telling me why. Even when I deleted likes and retweets of individuals that take your positive metrics away as detailed in this great blog post (https://medium.com/thought-thinkers/the-x-algorithm-encourages-self-censorship-df4fafa0afe4) X/Twitter is still not telling me what is going on. Filing an FTC complaint today.
Brock here! A workaround for this would be to purchase and add a custom domain to your publication. We have many writers who have custom domains and are able to post their Substack on X without the links being throttled.
So far my company and I have 130 followers. I can gain more by being a reply guy and from people just finding me on X. I just won't be on X very often. Only for livestreaming episodes and for show prep. The throttling, Elon Musk firing 80% of X employees and X not telling me why I'm being visibility filtered is why I'm reducing my presence there.
Create a Filter for Paid Subscribers and hit Apply.
Click on the little box next to Subscriber - this will create a new box to appear, with an Email box to the right - click on it...that should do what you want.
Thanks! But following those steps I’d have to manually find select all annual subscriptions, right? Fortunately, there are many of them, but it won’t be easy to select one by one.
If you click on the box next to Subscriber, all Paid Subscribers will be selected, so there is no need to manually select all...unless you want to deselect your monthly subscribers. Good luck
What would you guys say is a decent open rate? I'm normally around the 40% mark, depending on how clicky my bait is, but don't know if that's any good or not ✏️
What I read somewhere is that it depends on your subscriber count. If you have a small following than you should expect slightly higher rates. The more people are subscribed the less that % will be. I wonder if some of your followers only open posts via the app, which sometimes might not register as an email open?
I think I’ve artificially driven my number up by pulling out statistics in front of friends and family and calling them out. 7/17 emails for your supposed nephew. Shame. Shame on you
this is 100% using the feature as intended. I do remind my fiends how useless they are by bringing these up: look this person I don't even know opened the latest email THREE TIMES, and you, my best friend in the whole world, can't even open it once? maybe we need a break....
Haha right? I was gutted when mine was about 40% so I did my research! Obviously it's a slightly different vehicle here because we get post views through the network too so I tend to look at those more...
Our vehicles are built different! I’d love to know if people actually read it all the way. And say someone opens it 3 times, is that bad? Cos they lost interest. Or good? Cos they regained it!
Opening it many times is good, IMO! I figure someone opens it more than once, the 2nd time means they read it – the first time is just a curious glance. Every email I get, regardless of sender, I look at quickly, then reopen later when there's more time.
No problem. I think you shouldn’t worry so much about the open rate. Especially as you increase your subscriber number.
A while back I had someone tell me that 30% was a terrible open rate. When I asked them for the data or basis for the view that 30% was bad, they apologized and said they just made it up. There was no basis for them to make the claim.
Yeah you’re probably right! I think as my subs have plateaued a little, that’s i get all my dopamine from that sweet percentage.
Haha what a strange character! You’d think if you were the kind of person who baselessly tears down someone’s open rate, you’d at least hand the conviction to lie about it.
Sit down and write 300 words every day about anything. Don’t spend any time thinking about being good, useful, or money-making, just write something. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Ah! Excellent. I would have got that if I had had a second cup of coffee before this chat. It's a good movie. Will we ever forget Jack Nicholson's crazed expression?
Maybe you should start by analyzing your block. My block are usually the results of having too many ideas in my head that I am unable to properly prioritize.
If your block is the result of no ideas, then just sit down and meditate. Go to nature and observe the beauty. :) Seriously
This works! I did that once and it got me through the most stubborn period of not being able to write. I compromised and didn’t send out emails with the posts that I didn’t feel were “good enough”
I have a Google doc called Ideas. Anytime during the day I have a brilliant idea, or something in the news triggers me, I'll write it down, along with my initial, no-holds-barred rant. I go back to that and pick a few topics to transition into a longer piece. Also, I aim to have 3 short topics in each post, but when writing, one or two lose steam, so the one that's left is the one that is the most enjoyable to research and write about, and becomes my post. So far, that's worked, and I'm also aiming to become a billionaire.
✏️Hi there, I'm very excited to be here on Substack. My husband's passing back in 2021 was the wake up call I needed to
be more visible online. I never in a million years expected to be starting over as a widow at 60, but I am.
And I have a lot to teach women about how to bounce back from hardship. I'd like to create a substack for my empowerment coaching for women and a separate one talking about grants.
I have so many questions. What is the size for photos? Is there a video available showing how to create a post? Can I add videos to my post?
Hi Ellen, Thank you for sharing your condolences. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. It’s now going on 3 years and I want so much to help others through my experience. What are you sharing here in Substack?
I am sharing my love of arts and crafts. My big goal is to help parents keep creativity as a focal point in their homes. Process art … focusing on the making rather than the end product. I am a retired preschool art teacher and just loved seeing the children create art … they were brilliant!
I definitely share your appreciation of art. Right now I'm building a client's website and having a fabulous time playing with color, lines and shapes. I know what you mean about preserving creativity and keeping that as a focal point in our homes. My grandmother shared her love of creating with me and it's made my life so rich and wonderful. There's something so magical about being able to make something with your own two hands. What experience inspired your love for creativity? What grade did you teach and what are your favorite kind of crafts to make?
It's been decades since my kids were little, but I was just thinking of a twist on a playdate for kids. How cool would it be to meet online to do crafts together. Linda, a dear friend of mine had that idea that she wanted to lead craft classes online. But sadly she passed away before she could make it happen.
🟧 hello Substack team! Would LOVE if you could add a setting so free subscribers can comment on paid posts!My paid posts offer a long free read before the pay wall so it’d be great if everyone had the ability to comment (rather than the current options which are “nobody” or “just paid subscribers” can comment). Thanks!!
🟧 Firstly, the Substack Web UI is truly a joy to navigate as a writer and as a reader but this is not translated all that well if at all in the Substack mobile app. The Writer Dashboard is the greatest omission and the inability to navigate different Sections of someone’s publication ranks just as highly; tagging my posts according to genre for easier accessibility only seems to benefit my readers if they are on Substack Web. Can the Writer Dashboard and Sections feature be included in the Substack App?
Secondly, as a writer outside of Stripe’s listed partner regions, I am not accommodated and thus unable to setup paid subscriptions. An alternative financial service that could run alongside Stripe, especially for writers in the Global South, ought to be considered and implemented. Is this possible?
Brock here! Thanks so much for this feedback about being able to access the Writers Dashboard and Sections in the App. I've passed this along to the App team for discussion.
Regarding your second question: We're currently integrated with Stripe and don't have plans to add other methods to our platform any time soon. However, we're always looking for ways to improve Substack, so I'll be sure to also pass this along to the team for discussion.
I don’t use social media besides Substack’s notes, and even that - not really. Your growth might be slower but writing what’s in your heart is always worth it if you have the urge
🧠 - I'm honored to be participating in a collaborative series this week with five other writers. This is our second series. The first was about fatherhood, and this week we are taking a crack at what "recovery" means to each of us.
I take no credit for the idea -- it's been a total group effort. But I mention it as another way of building community on this platform, in addition to guest posts, cross posting, and other forms of mutual aid.
The series continues tomorrow and Saturday, but here are the installments so far:
- I'd love a pause button on the audio recording feature
- I'm unclear on if/how the Podcast feature automatically exports to podcast platforms, or if it just creates a link/file that Stackers can upload.
I record all of my posts (my readers/listeners love it!) the content isn't podcast-native and I'm not interesting in making is so, but if it can make it easier for my readers to follow it on Apple, Spotify, whateva', I'd like to. Thank you!
Once you submit your RSS feed to a podcasting platform (Apple and Spotify mainly) other platforms just pull their feed from them. But you have to submit your RSS feed to their directories individually I think. I did, and now I show up on places like Google and Spotify.
Hi Lara! I passed along your request for a pause button on the recording feature to the team for consideration. What Cheniece said about podcasting is correct! There are a few main directories you'll probably want to submit your podcast RSS feed to. Once you’re approved by Apple though, listeners can find your podcast in pretty much any podcast directory because most podcast apps just scrape from Apple.
🟧 ✏️ Greetings! I have a question about subscribers please. I have a umber of subscribers coming from the Substack recommendations page. What is that please? Secondly, several of those subscribers have an email address like fred.blogs99@yahoo.com, with no profile or posts. Wouold I be right in thinking theyre bots or spam? Thanks
I don't think bots would confirm their subscription from their email inbox. People who subscribe but do not create a Substack profile show up like what you described.
✏️ I created my Substack, https://intranetfromthetrenches.substack.com/, a year ago and it's been a wonderful experience. I feel I opened my mind to the world and I'm able to show my ideas, opinions and experiences. However, it's been quite difficult to grow in susbscribers and visits. Recently, I reached 100 subscriptors, and I amazed 100 people that are interested in my content, and I show other substacks in which in 1 year they get thousands of subscriptors so thousands of visits.
I promote my articles in LinkedIn, Mastodon and other small groups around WhatsApp and Discord. But I'm not feeling that is the right place or my content is not the right one.
I would like to understand if my content is a mess in terms of topics I write about. And, secondly, what is the kind of self-promotion you do to grow.
Hi Vanessa. I'm sorry, first and foremost. We have thought a lot about this, and wish it was simple. We'll definitely be working on this in the future.
Currently, our ability to support paid subscriptions in certain regions is tied to our payments provider, Stripe. Over time, we want to add more payment options. Which providers would you like us to add?
🧠 I’m celebrating moving across to Substack from Beehiiv!
I’m not familiar with all the ins and outs of Substack yet, I’m just happy to be here and open to recommendation swaps! (2.5k subs, audience is mainly founders)
📙 Is there a way to get the recommendations pop up on Embeded forms as well? My newsletter is partly hosted on Wordpress https://juicyideas.com
Welcome to Substack! Great to have you here. What inspired the switch?
As for embedding a signup form with recommendations on your WordPress site, currently, our embedded signup forms don't support the recommendations feature. They're designed to simply allow new readers to subscribe to your publication. You can find the HTML code for the signup form in the Import your email list section of your Settings page --https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041759232-Can-I-embed-a-signup-form-for-my-publication-
Thank you so much for this kind response. I know it would favor many Latin creatives and writers who also struggle with precarious systems. It would be amazing if you added PayPal. I believe - as many do - that Substack is providing a revolution, it really would me amazing for Latin America as well. In my case, Colombia. Thank you so much.
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’m celebrating that I’ve more than DOUBLED my subscriber list in the past five weeks, from 193 to 394! 🥳 I’ve had two New York Times best-selling authors subscribe to read my writing, and I’ve gotten three new recommendations. All through engaging with the Substack platform!
I’m writing an article about what’s worked for me. If you’d like to receive it in your inbox, you can subscribe at www.lizexplores.com, where I share stories from my life about infertility, mental health, and adventure. I’m not a writing coach; I just want to answer the questions people have been asking me and help fellow newbies!
For context, I started my Substack in December 2022 with zero audience and zero publications to my name, so the perspective I offer is one of starting from scratch and writing for the sake of writing. I don’t sell anything to my audience other than my writing itself, with a handful of paywalled posts that are personal in nature. Most of my work, including the article I’m working on now, is free.
Amazing, congrats Liz!
Thank you so much, Katie! The power of the Substack network is really profound.
Hi. I started at roughly the same time (November 2022) and have managed to acquire over 500 subscribers. But I have one advantage in that I write for other sites (generally for older women) and a number of readers come that way. Even one article attracted 50+ subscribers. You can mention that if you want. Good luck.
That’s a great strategy, Ann! My piece will be focused just on what I’ve tried and has worked for me, which has been engagement with the Substack platform. But I’ll also be talking about next steps, which definitely includes freelance articles in other publications. I’m glad to hear how effective that’s been for you! What do you write about?
This is huge, Liz!!! Congrats!!!
Thanks so much, Terrell! I’m curious what’s worked for you in gaining such a huge readership?
As luck would have it, I just recently did an interview with Ciler Demiralp of Newsletter Circle all about this -- here's my story: https://www.newslettercircle.com/p/newsletter-circle-half-marathoner
This interview is so good, Terrell! Thank you for sharing. I’m really curious how Facebook Ads work in terms of sending people to your newsletter?
Sure! I got the idea from interviews I'd read about authors who sell books on Amazon; thanks to the overwhelming number of books and authors selling there, it's *really* hard to get noticed unless your book matches readers' search terms exactly -- otherwise, you need to buy ads on Amazon and FB/IG.
Buying an ad on Facebook, to be honest, is a little tricky. You need to have a Facebook page set up for whatever you're advertising, and your ads are essentially just like a FB post. I have mine set to spend no more than $5 a day, and have picked out certain parameters to target. And, I set my ads to click through to www.thehalfmarathoner.com/welcome, so the email signup prompt is the first thing they see (and realize it's a newsletter, not just a website).
There's a blogger named David Gaughran who writes an excellent newsletter on this; his stuff is targeted more to authors selling books, but I think there's good lessons in what he writes for us too.
Happy to answer any & all questions, if you have any more!
God how people like you make me sick .
What do you mean, Michael? I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or serious.
sorry... replied to you, Terrell, instead of Liz.
EPIC :)
Good for you! Congrats! 👏
Thank you so much, CK!
Congratulations Liz, that’s brilliant!
Thank you, Hannah! After a year of slow going, I’m excited that I finally cracked the code. 😆
That's absolutely awesome, Liz! Good for you! Celebrating with you! What do you think propelled your growth?
Thank you so much, Heidi! I’ve been doing a lot of different things, but it all boils down to building relationships with other readers and writers on the platform. My article will talk about how I’ve been doing that. At first it brought in folks one at a time through personal interactions, but then those people started recommending and sharing me and it snowballed!
That's incredible growth. Congrats to you!
Thank you so much, Ben! I am still shocked how effective my engagement was in growing my readership in such a short time.
Nice one, Liz! Congratulations.
Thank you for celebrating with me, Jo! 🥳
Congratulations on growing your platform!
Thank you so much, Tonya! It is exciting (and a little bit scary) to have people actually reading my writing now. 😆
Congrats on the new success. It's high stakes now!
It does feel that way, Yamuna! Thank you.
I feel you 100%! You’re worthy! Keep writing and we’ll keep reading.✊🏽
Thank you, Tonya. You rock! 😎
Incredible! Congratulations!
Thank you so much, Mary! 🙏
Congratulations!
Thank you, June! 🎊
Congratulations, Liz! What an accomplishment!
Thank you so much, Celeste! 🥳
Congratulations, Liz!
Thank you so much, Chris! 😄
I also write just for writing's sake and free too! It's more about engaging with people and getting motivated to do what I love. I've been having one or two new subscriptions each week and I know it means I need to write something new! Looking forward to reading your ideas.
Writing for the love of writing is the whole point! Keep going and your readers will find you. 😁
Woah, this is amazing! So glad to hear about your success on here -- it gives me a lot of hope 😊
Thank you, Brina! After slow and steady growth all year, I too am amazed by how quickly it picked up. There are many opportunities to harness the power of the Substack network!
amazing!! congratulations!!
Thank you so much, Alexa! 🥳
🧠 Welcome Substack’ers. The key advice I can give you all is to follow these tips in this extensive guide that can help you grow your subscribers. I have boosted my subscribers recently doing a couple of tricks and next 8 weeks I am running agressive campaigns to reach 100,000 Subscribers and you can do that too 🥳
https://open.substack.com/pub/raisini/p/from-zero-to-100000-subscribers-the?r=aegif&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
I've actually got your ebook bookmarked and have been slowly making my way through it. It's been quite useful! Thank you!
❤️
Thank you! This is fantastic. Clear information I can use.
🙏🏻🙏🏻
🔥🔥🔥
🟧 I am new to this, but want to get started asap. I am, however, an old person--almost 70--so I'm not as technically savvy as younger people. I'm going to be writing on a topic that's a difficult one--violence against women in America--so I'd like to know if there are any parameters/rules re: what I can write about. I tend to be brutally honest about this crime and its complexities.
Also, I was in a HBO documentary on VAW in 2014 (now on YouTube), and I'm wondering if I can link the film to my writing on Substack.
Any hints for this old advocate would be appreciated.
Welcome to Substack, Kit! You can publish anything original whether it's articles, essays, fiction, poetry, or any other form of written content. You have compelte editorial feedom to write about what you want to write about.
As for the documentary, you can embed a YouTube video in any Substack post, just copy the URL of the YouTube video and paste it directly into your draft post. The video will automatically appear within the web post and in the Substack app. In email posts, a static image will be shown that links to the YouTube video, and readers can choose whether to open the video on the YouTube app or youtube.com in their browser.
I tried to load a photo and write my first post. No luck. Would it be possible to speak to a person? Thanks!
Hi Kit, I've helped a number of 'older' people learn the basics of using Substack, with 40 minute video call (just US$20). If you like the sound of that, check https://pubstacksuccess.substack.com/p/work-with-me
Thanks, Katie! I'll get to work this afternoon!
Kit may I don't think you are old, I believe the right word is,"Classic".
Agreed, @Jerry. I like "classic"!
Ah, we're not old, we're just getting started! In my 15 years of writing online, I've never been so energized.
Welcome Kit... I've been on Substack for a couple of years now... and I'll be turning 72 next week... so welcome to the Senior's Substack Sorority! LOL
Thanks Phil. I could use some coaching! I've tried to upload a photo (my techie 46 yo son tried to help and he couldn't get it to work!), and I want to write my first post.Do you have tips? Thanks again!
Hi Kate, If you still need help, I'd be happy to hop on a video call and walk you through how to use Substack (as best as I can :).)
That would be amazing! Thanks. Please let me know when you're available.
I could do it now. Is there a way I can send you a link?
kgruelle54@gmail.com
Just sent you a link
Hi Kit, Great to eMeet you. Congratulations on your work in the documentary.
If you have a blog and website, and your documentary is not already featured on both it would be great to add them now.
If you don’t have that permission, then you can create a buzz by linking to the documentary, and talking about it all the time. Reach out to every nonprofit that works with survivors.
You can write a book and create other related products. You could create an entire business from this.
As an abuse survivor myself, I’ll tell you that women need to find you. They are waiting for you.
We’re not old, we’re wise and well- seasoned with plenty of sass and dash.
I’m Andrea Amador, a 60 year old widow, published author and women’s empowerment coach.
I am proof positive that it’s never too late to learn anything or do things differently.
In fact Starting Over with Andrea Amador is the title of my new podcast teaching women how to rise above hardship.
Take it from me. You can master technology at any age. Years ago I hired out all my tech because computers and any electronic devices completely overwhelmed me.
From years of abuse, I believed the lie telling me that I was too stupid and incapable of handling technology. Wrong!
Now I do everything on the computer, even build websites for myself and clients.
Don’t short change yourself. The advantage we have with age is the gift of perspective.
The difference If you’re passionate about protecting women from violence, I’ll venture to bet you have a very big why driving you.
Tech is small potatoes. You’ve survived bigger challenges. Take that fresh perspective with you and find new joy in seeing yourself in a new way where all possibilities exist simultaneously.
Reach out to the big organizations like RAINN to find out about the parameters for appropriate discussion. You got this.
You 'ain't' alone, Kit, in the age department. We are simply, "ladies of a certain age", and do not fuck with us. Thank goodness you are writing about the violence. I saw a video on AMREN, where certain men were assaulting women and girls; they were actually coming up to strange women and girls, hitting or slapping them in the face, or anywhere else. Those poor ladies ended un the floor. I would love to find this video and send it to you.
Is the video that you appeared in look-uppable, in 2014?
You’re still young. I am about to turn 82. You can see me stand on my head on my Substack site (just scroll down to earlier this year)
My 99 year old friend says you’re not old till you are 90.
Good luck.
And yes, you can link to external content like your HBO documentary. When you write a post, you can include the link by using the editor's link tool or embedding the video directly https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037832971-How-do-I-embed-media-in-my-post-e-g-images-video-GIFs-
You can write about challenging topics on Substack–we encourage honest and robust discourse <3 Just make sure to follow our Content Guidelines: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407986455188-Can-my-publication-host-sponsored-ads-
✏️ - I'm a fairly young writer (27) and have been struggling with engaging peers on Substack. My Instagram audience is responsive to my content when I post it there, but that traffic doesn't covert to Substack hearts, comments, and shares.
I wish my audience was diverse in age, and I follow a diverse audience, but it's a hard reality that most of my online audience is 20-35.
I'm struggling with the same thing!
Ahh, have you found any way to get some audience cross over?
I think the best way I have been able to do it is through my lead magnet. I'll post something either to my feed or stories that will take them to my lead magnet where they will enter their email and then I transfer them to my Substack. Let me know if you find anything that works!
I wonder if IG lovers are a little intimidated by the “long form” writing? I know a few of my friends are.
I know.. I think they are. I've started also publishing a short series as a little break between essays just so they don't always have to keep focus on a 6-7 min read
That is a great idea! Best of luck to you!
🧠 - here's a tip if you want yo sign your newsletter with your handwritten name.
Find a writing font you like and make sure there is lots of empty space on the right so that the name appears left aligned. Also save it with a transparent backgrounds.
I use procreate and an apple pen to sign my name. There are other programmes you can use that doesn’t require an Apple pen or iPad.
Good luck!
Hi I need help, please, if possible. I can't copy that Orange square you want us to use. Hope it is this one 🟧 on my emoji keyboard.
Ok, i wish to wite an article or paper or thesis, once off, and make it public - to be found and read ( for free ) by anybody, hopefully by people that could take the matter, research and publishing the essential truths, further and better.
But I have no idea how to use Substack and whether this is the right platform for what I want to achieve...
So, (1) can I use Substack for this?
(2) can I write in Microsoft Word
(3.1) and upload the final in one single document or
(3.2) upload it in sections by seperate files/folders ?
Like First an Introduction, as a stand alone "item" followed then perhaps by the main theme, with my conclusion as the last "item" - or post or whatever it is called (help with terms plz.)
What about a short post about myself , related to the One Single Topic which I wish to address?
(4) Then to make the Topic known ... would people that I follow on Substack know when I "posted" or wrote on my Substack? Would a Google search find the Topic and wil anybody be able to find and read it on Substack even though not everyone is a member (or account holder) of Substack?
Cannot reach Jessica Wildfire to switch my subscription (which I have been paying for quite a while) from free to paid. So I cannot get into articles. Cannot find a way to communicate with her directly. Can you help?
Contact Jessica Wildfire on her new site.
✏️ - does anyone have any adhd writers they love to follow? (Or you could recommend yourself)
My newsletter follows my journey of rediscovery. I would love to talk about my late diagnosis last year and would love to read how others are tackling the subject. 💕
You could follow me! True to form, I have about forty posts drafted or outlined but haven't gotten my very first post dialed in perfectly yet. I do hope to begin posting weekly very soon. ;-) I was diagnosed "borderline autism" in my childhood, then "ADD" in my early twenties, before the "H" was added to the initialism. Thanks to supportive family I even have a neurological disorder diagnosis that explains my particular set of ADHD symptoms. I have worked with kids and adults on the ADHD and autism spectrum in non-psychological contexts. I have managed my own ADHD well enough to run two successful (but very small) businesses, enjoy 32 years of marriage, raise three children, and be a valued volunteer with local non-profits that I care about. Let's talk!
🟧 ✏️ Katie ... I sent a comment but it hasn't appeared. It occurred to me it would be better to reply to you.
I'm new to Substack, haven't yet set up my webpage, and find that detailed directions aren't available. At least, I haven't been able to find any that are easy to understand.
How do I design and implement a home page? Is there a choice of templates available somewhere? Can those templates be used and modified, if desired, according to the user's content without needing to know html or some other language?
It's really detailed basics that I'm needing. I'm hoping there's a link, or set of nested links, with well-written, detailed instructions.
Thank you for any help you can give in this!!!
Carolyn Porco
If you're more focused on design specifically, this post has a lot of good info! https://on.substack.com/p/guide-website-customization-organization
Hi Carolyn! Katie made this video a while ago. Perhaps it could help? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qRGmBDUOIw
Thank you so much! It looks like it will be what I'm needing to get started.
Hi Dulcemaría, welcome to Substack. You can learn all about meetups here: https://on.substack.com/p/meetups
Writers have full creative freedom over how they'd like to host meetups and where.
🟧 I would like to know how Substack plans to protect writers from Stripe's new dispute fee policy in which a $15 dispute fee is levied for any chargeback, regardless of the outcome. I recently had a paid subscriber dispute four monthly charges without any attempt to contact me and this has resulted in me being docked with $60 in dispute fees before the outcome is even decided. I will not recoup the fees if I win the dispute. This policy puts writers in a vulnerable position and my conversations with Substack support have not yielded any encouraging information about what Substack will do to better protect writers from the new Stripe policy. Many of us are concerned about this and so I'm asking here, once again: how is Substack going to meaningfully respond to this Stripe dispute fee policy change?
Hi Miles, I know you've been in touch with our team about Stripe's new dispute fee policy. I am sharing the response here so more writers can understand what is happening here.
Currently, Substack is integrated with Stripe through "connect" accounts, which means that individual publishers are the merchant of record responsible for refunds and chargebacks. Substack is set up this way to make it easy for publishers to migrate their existing subscribers to the platform (or easily take them elsewhere). While we're unable to cover dispute charges today, we hope to come up with a sustainable solutions for writers and have some work planned for payments in the new year.
This policy change on Stripe's part is unfortunate, and we're listening to writers feedback, so we do have a couple of mitigations in place to prevent chargeback disputes altogether in the short term:
> We have a tight service level agreement for refunds. Many of our refund requests, within policy (https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/8915992656660-What-is-Substack-s-refund-policy-), are automated, so users typically receive service within 24 hours of their request.
> We have system level fraud prevention mechanisms in place to prevent charges that might end up becoming chargeback disputes.
Additionally, as a connect customer with Stripe, you can enable Radar (https://stripe.com/radar) for an extra two cents per transaction, which provides extra protection against fraudulent charges.
Katie, as I wrote to your colleague via email, these mitigations are not nearly enough to protect writers from this policy. The cancellation process for paid subscriptions is not as easy as it should be (especially for subscribers who are less tech-fluent) and genuine credit card fraud isn't the only root of chargebacks. The Stripe policy gives consumers a tremendous amount of power to weaponize the chargeback option, and this is particularly concerning for writers because many of us write about topics that are polarizing enough to attract bad actors who could choose to abuse the chargeback option. And as I've experienced, it only takes one consumer disputing several $3-6 transactions to inflict significant pain, $$$-wise.
Simply put, Substack is going to have to do more than this to offer writers substantive protection from the Stripe policy. As it stands, we are very exposed. Especially Substack writers who are just getting started with growing their paid subscriber base.
Thank you for the feedback, Miles. As I shared with Tara above, it's top of mind for our team and we are working on a sustainable solution for writers.
That's good to hear, Katie. In the interim, it would really be great if Substack could offer writers a heads up about this Stripe policy change, beyond this Office Hours session. I'm about to inform my paid subscribers about it and re-explain how they can cancel their subscriptions if they ever need to, or how a Substack charge will appear on their credit card statement. As a means of hopefully preventing any good faith erroneous chargebacks going forward. (Bad faith ones are harder to prevent.) It's important that writers are made aware of this so that they can proactively decide how to protect themselves until a sustainable solution from Substack is implemented. Finding out the hard way via Stripe was very frustrating.
Thanks, Miles. I hope we can do better in the future.
Seconding Miles here. This was buried deep in Stripe's small print. I hope there will be a quick resolution, and that we're all notified.
One way to avoid Stripe's punishing dispute fee would be to use a different payment processor. Stripe has several distinctives that made it the top choice for small businesses, but if PayPal, Braintree, or Square (or a smaller outfit like Bill.com?) were also supported by Substack, that would be awesome. I use Stripe+QuickBooks for all my online invoicing, but I use Square+QuickBooks for in-person transactions, and I am not alone... I suspect that many of us use more than one payment processor outside of Substack.
So we already have those accounts ready to go...
Thank you, Katie.
Is there any chance of Substack using its leverage (delivering all of us Stripe customers) to get a change in Stripe policy for newsletters? The policy adds risk for small stackers and discourages the use of paid subs until one reaches a certain size.
It's top of mind for our team and they are working on a sustainable solution for writers.
Thank you! Good to know.
I thought I had misread that fee on my Stripe statement. That's appalling. Bad actors could create havoc. It needs addressed and resolved, immediately.
Seriously. This creates considerable risk for Substack writers: especially because a lot of us write about topics that are political enough to attract bad actors. And right now, the risk created by the new Stripe policy is being dumped onto us.
I just read Stripe's policy. It's aimed at people who sell actual merchandise, and it's completely unsuitable for subscriptions.
Exactly. No distinguishment between people selling merch vs. subscriptions for $3-6 a pop. This has the potential to cause chaos in the "content creation" market.
Let's point this out to Stripe customer service. Stripe needs to hear from us directly. Substack uses Stripe because it was the best, most popular payment processing service with easy site integration... but Stripe sets its own policies, and each of us personally are Stripe's customers.
If Stripe hears our complaints and demands directly, we're more likely to see something change "immediately."
(Especially if Substack executives are making similar noises at them directly, albeit discreetly, for the moment)
Yes, but it's really not Substack's responsibility. Substack doesn't own Stripe.
Substack is a big customer, and I'm sure (for several reasons) that Substack execs are raising hell about it on some backchannel with Stripe. Not all economic pressure needs to be public.
We need to be complaining directly with Stripe. We have a direct relationship with them, after all, as our third-party service providers—not just with Substack but with MemberMouse, Dubsado, and any other commerce platforms we might be using. Having one Stripe account for all those platforms is lovely—but I also have payment processing accounts with two other firms that I don't use much anymore. If Substack gave us a choice between two or several payment processors, it would give us the freedom to take our payment processing business elsewhere if Stripe doesn't shape up.
But it would also dilute Substack's bargaining power with Stripe on our behalf...
It would certainly be a good "or else" to beat Stripe with, in the meantime.
Chargebacks have been the bane of the industry as long as I've been doing anything e-commerce and this is possibly the WORST implementation I've ever seen. They're usually pretty "merchant unfriendly" but the egregiousness of this is unprecedented.
Oh dear, I was not aware of this. Not really a fan of Stripe, to be honest. Is there no other way for us to collect payments from Substack?
It's a question we ought to keep pressing Substack on. The team member I communicated with about this said that part of why they work with Stripe is to make it easier for writers to migrate existing subscribers from another platform to Stripe, or vice versa. I wonder if Square could offer the same utility.
I have only used Square to process transactions for material goods, but they do seem to have some provision for service providers to use them. I don't know that they would offer a better deal than Stripe, but I agree that it's worth looking into. I agree with your concern; the way things are, you don't even need partisanship as a motivation to be a bad actor.
Square is good. I use them for in-person transactions (their POS is elegantly bulletproof, and battery life is excellent for festivals and conventions). Square will be more expensive per transaction than Stripe, but if Square's dispute process is better, it may well be worth the (minor!) extra cost.
Oh I see.
Hi Jo! We're currently integrated with Stripe and don't have plans to add other methods to our platform any time soon. However, we're always looking for ways to improve Substack so I'll be sure to pass this along to the team for discussion.
I hope so because this could become a huge problem. Please take the issue seriously. Thank you
Much appreciated, thanks Betty.
There ought to be.
If any payment processor wants an exclusive provider deal with Substack, they need to be willing to give Substack preferential treatment.
(Especially if it is entirely rational to do so for Substack: these are *subscription* transactions—comparatively tiny ones—not lucrative sales of physical goods or services, and Stripe does not distinguish between these right now, so we're beaten with the same stick Stripe designed for internet scammers)
And if Stripe isn't willing to cut Substack (and therefore us) a deal, excluding us from this automatic dispute fee, Stripe must understand that Substack will give its members options.
Options we don't have yet...
🟧 Thanks for putting pointing out this issue.I've had the same problem, but when I spoke with a Stripe representative they told me if the dispute ws resolved in my favor, I would receive the dispute fee back. So that has not happened from your end? However, they should NOT take the money out of my account while the dispute is still pending.
The disputes will be resolved by mid-January but I contacted Stripe support directly and they told me that the dispute fees would NOT be returned to me, regardless of whether I win or lose the dispute. They also told me that once a dispute is initiated by a subscriber, there's basically nothing you can do to shake the dispute fees. This went into effect pretty recently, from the sound of it, and it's outlined in the link from Stripe support I posted in the comments here. They used to return the dispute fee if you won. Now that's changing.
FWIW, when I contacted Substack after my call with Stripe, they acknowledged the policy change and concern from other writers. So they're aware of this. And it astounds me that they haven't informed all Substack writers of this (or outlined how Substack will respond.)
Oh wow, Miles, this is really concerning. I have a monthly subscriber who switched to a free plan three months back and is still getting charged each month, despite his suscriber status (in substack) saying he is on the free plan.
Each time I refund him costs me money and it's incredibly embarrassing too.
After more than 8 years of using Stripe I have never 'won' a dispute (digital products), even when I have clear logs of download history, etc. so we are very much at Stripe's mercy.
Thank you so much for bringing this to everyone's attention.
This must be addressed. This is the kind of thing, if ignored, will have people jumping ship. The first time it happens to someone it will immediately have them looking at alternative platforms. No business should sustain anything which can encourage a revolving door.
Square does not have the chargeback fee, but I am not sure it is as developer friendly or functional for this kind of platform.
"The first time it happens to someone it will immediately have them looking at alternative platforms."
Can confirm.
Yes I am absolutely considering a "jump" off the Substack ship over this.
I personally was disappointed to see Substack team up with Stripe. I would try another payment system for subscriptions.
Stripe's current monopolization of smaller-scale e-commerce is pretty brutal
There's always Square. And even Venmo, which some of my clients insist upon.
Square is a little more expensive, from my viewpoint as a small business. I wonder how Square and Stripe compare on a large scale, with a company like Substack?
I've had nothing but good experiences with Stripe, actually, and it's the lowest cost, too (which may explain their market share—which is not as large as PayPal yet).
On the other hand, I've had horrible experiences with Zelle, and other people tell me Zelle is fine. So ymmv I guess...
I would love it if they'd add Paypal to Substack - I'm just getting started there and I really do not like Stripe
Yikes! Thank you for bringing that to Office Hours!
I have used Stripe for years for the shopping cart and membership fees on my website. I'm new to Substack so I don't have any paywalls yet. I've only had a few people per year dispute charges. I fought every single one out of principle, even though it cost me more than my time was worth, because the disputers had already downloaded software. They could now use it forever but either claimed "it doesn't do what I thought", or said "it doesn't work" (without reaching out to me for support). The first excuse is very weak as I have YouTube videos showing exactly what every product does and a fact sheet that outlines compatability details.
I also encourage potential customers to ask questions before purchasing. Regarding the second excuse, I support my products completely and get issues resolved quickly, often by remoting in with Quick Assist. I only lost one dispute. It was surprising to me as it was one that should've been a slam-dunk (a large back-and-forth email chain proving that I got the product working correctly for him). The decision is ultimately up to the customer's credit card company (bank). I got the sense that he was a complainer with a big account so they sacrificed a stranger to appease him. I have always liked Stripe but I hope they will revisit this decision for the sake of the writers in the Substack community who deserve the compensation their supporters have agreed to provide them, without getting fee soaked.
Compared to other things I've tried, I love Stripe. Never had any problems with them, and only one dispute in 15+ years. (Well, only one that went through Stripe, anyway!) This may be because my business is more relational than transactional... but it will hurt if a toxic subscriber here on Substack costs me more than they paid me.
My biggest worry is what Jeff G. brought up: that Stripe might use this new dispute fee policy (that it's nonrefundable regardless of outcome) as a customer-hostile revenue stream. It's the sort of stupid tactic that costs big companies much more than it ever nets them, and can kill a tech firm, since it makes enemies of the exact people who are using their services and paying them regularly without thinking about it.
A really stupid tactic, yes. Unfortunately, corporations have this reputation for making stupid managerial decisions...
I recently wrote about big company about to make a stupid decision and hoping they reverse course.
https://www.pdfautomationstation.com/public/Lets-See-If-They-Listen.cfm
Oh my, that does seem problematic. Chargebacks are really problematic in general, especially in the realm of monthly subscriptions. Thank you for bringing this to Substack's attention Miles.
This seems troubling. Have you contacted the support group at Stripe?
I have and it was through Stripe that I learned the nuts and bolts of this policy change. It went into effect in September. And it's really quite bad. Even if you proactively refund a subscriber who disputes a charge, you're still assessed a $15 fee.
Upon learning this, I emailed Hamish and got in touch with a member of Substack's Trust and Safety team. Their response was underwhelming. They cited Substack's fraud detection practices and how they make it easy for subscribers to cancel a paid subscription. But no mention of any real response to the Stripe dispute fee change.
If this Stripe policy had been in place when I was starting Substack, I would have been a lot more hesitant about turning on paid subscriptions.
https://support.stripe.com/questions/h2-2023-stripe-issuing-pricing-updates
And it's NOT easy to cancel. Some readers get confused by the difference between disabling emails and canceling.
YES. I'm 90% sure that's why this subscriber disputed the monthly charges. (I emailed them to ask...haven't heard back yet.)
having only just today set up my stripe account, I appreciate knowing this, and would certainly have hesitated before signing up.
I missed that email from Stripe when it was sent to me last Feb. Your situation could be worse, like living in Switzerland where dispute fees are CHF 20 ($23), and transaction fees are 2.9% for Swiss Cards and 3.25% for International Cards (most of my paying customers)... It certainly puts an exclamation point on being a small fish...
Yes, those Swiss fees are high, Jack, I agree.
Following
Oookay, now I am worried. I was a Wells Fargo fan back in the day when they were a delightful disruptor in the banking industry. I remember their fall from grace, from high principles all the way down into incompetence and policies that amounted to white-collar crime.
It is not difficult to imagine Stripe following the same character arc.
🧠 - Add a Directory of Posts to your Substack
Hey Substack writers, I'm sharing an example of how I organize posts via a directory page. See here: https://alyssapolizzi.substack.com/p/directory
If you're interested in utilizing tags, this is a great way to make them accessible for readers. I have a select number of categories (tags) that I usually write under. Each time I publish a new post, I'll add the relevant tags and the directory is updated automatically. The directory functions as a convenient landing page, facilitating easier post navigation compared to the search feature. I also suggest including brief descriptions for each category.
I've received great feedback from readers on how useful the directory is. Let me know if you have any questions on setup, etc.
This is an awesome way to use tags! Thanks for sharing.
Out of curiosity, is there a reason you made a separate post instead of adding it to the about page, for example?
Yes, I wanted the ability to list it on my homepage clearly (for new and returning readers to reference). I also write about a handful of topics and didn't want my about page cluttered with that info.
My sense is that readers find it quite helpful to have this kind of organization. They sometimes aren't sure what they are looking for in my writing, or what I have previously written about. The directory gives general categories and descriptions to pique their interest. It has increased discovery of older posts as well.
I include a link to the directory in my welcome email and in the about page. Overall, the feedback has been really positive!
🧠 Here is how I have done this. https://pau1.substack.com/p/all-the-articles
Just copy the idea, if you have more than a few posts. I arranged them by category. Nice Alyssa!
I'm gonna have to do a deep dive into this.
Will look at your articles. Thx for posting this!
Saving this to read for later. I exclusivity use the app for reading. How does your feed populate on the app when using tags. Is it just new to old?
As far as I can tell, tags do not impact the app feed. My posts are listed in chronological order.
I've been thinking I need to do something like a roundup or directory post. Thanks for posting. I'll check out how you're doing it. Cheers!
You're welcome!
Would you recommend going over old posts and adding tags there if I had previously not been using them?
I've been doing that. I use tags differently, basically I have the tag categories show up on my homepage. It's a bit more organised than the magazine layout which I find confusing.
Melanie, I checked out your homepage and LOVE how you used tags to organize your posts into categories. I'd love to do the same. Did you read how to do that on SubStack? Watch a YouTube video?
I think I figured it out by fiddling with the dashboard. It's under settings, website and then site design
Thanks, Melanie! I like to fiddle around, too, so I'll check that out. Thanks for replying. I appreciate it!
Yes, definitely. This will help with discovery of older posts.
Ah I guess some housekeeping is in order! Thank you for the post link, I will check it out before doing all that
I want to second this. Do this for sure! I recently did it. And not only did it give rise to better navigability for readers, it helped me clarify what my Substack is all about and where I want to take it and opened up possibilities in my mind. An organizational gift to myself. Really terrific advice @Alyssa!
Oooh that’s true actually. Might help highlight the gaps in the narrative.
Yes, exactly. Was a terrific way to focus. And it and a few brainstorming sessions that followed led to a streamlined way of looking at my editorial calendar that I'm excited about. :0)
Thank you for sharing this Alyssa! definitely something for me to consider for my posts!
Very cool!
This sounds like a fabulous thing to get set up during holiday downtime. Great idea, Alyssa!
Way cool! Thanks for sharing.
I've received feedback from folks about Substack being difficult to navigate. Unfortunately, I think it's all in my setup. This looks like a brilliant way to navigate the categories. Thank you for sharing! 🌻
Thanks, Alyssa. How would you set that up, though? I didn't quite understand. I utilise tags just before posting, but am unsure of how to have them listed in a way similar to yours.
I created a page (available in settings under "Pages") where I listed the hyperlink of each tag with a written description. I then included the page in the navigation bar.
Alyssa, thank you so much for the explanation, I really appreciate it.
Blessings - Jo
p.s. a lovely thing I noticed is that you also mention 'The Artist's Way' in your newsletter, which is a driving force behind my own Substack :). Looking forward to reading/listening.
Nice format! Earlier I suggested to Substack to offer an auto-tagging mechanism for all posts. This will remove the risk of inconsistent manual tagging.
Love this. I did the same thing with my content, though your page looks much prettier. https://waldorfatwork.substack.com/p/grades
🟧 This is useful. Thank you.
I haven't explored how tags work on Substack and how to make use of them strategically.
I remember when hashtags were first used on Twitter and how that innovation helped communities of interest to form, especially for academics (articles and books have been written on the practice, and there are many good case studies).
Has Substack posted a useful guide to tags anywhere? Tags can be a very convenient, and efficient, end effective way to track, and take part in, ongoing focused conversations.
Hey Mark,
Brock here. Yes! Substack has a guide on how to use tags effectively in your posts. Here's a quick overview:
- Tags help organize your posts and make it easier for readers to find content on specific topics.
- You can create tags in your publication's Settings page or directly in your draft post's settings.
- Once created, you can manage tags, edit their names, delete them, or add them to your navigation bar for better visibility.
- To display tagged content on your homepage, use the Themes editor and select the tags you want to feature.
Hope this helps!
That's great. Thanks very much, Brock. I'll follow that up. Tags can be a powerful too to gather and focus. I'd like to make more of a conscious effort to use them here on Substack.
Hi Mark, I wrote up a guide to using tags on Substack. They're useful, but Substack's system is fundamentally different from how tags work on most other platforms. I think it's really helpful to understand those differences before jumping in.
https://www.mostlypython.com/p/using-tags
Wonderful. This is really helpful, Eric. I'm used to using #s as in Twitter (pre-X).
I just did a search.
"The man known as X was once a child (whose name was lost to history) experimented on with mutated DNA and studied until he seemingly died in a fire. He awoke later with amnesia and grew up to be a violent teenager with enhanced strength and intelligence."
That fits.
How do you get readers to go to your site or the app? I also have categories but most subscribers read via email.
Are you not using Notes to get the word out? But...that may be because I never really had a large email list to begin with. It's growing, but I feel more people see me on Notes, when I make the effort.
I meant in terms of SEO increase. I just learned from hubby-tech that the more people use the app the better folks will find me.
Substack recommendations are the way. Build partnerships with other related newsletters and watch your subscribers grow as your network grows.
+7500 subscribers this year alone, mostly from this method.
A tip for people reacting to this: the size of the fish doesn’t matter as much as the growth of the fish (i see everyone is leaning into the metaphor so im going for it 😂):
When I first started substack i grew like crazy, i sent the people i recommended a collective 8,000 subs over 3 months. (Note: almost none of them recommended me back…). In the last month, my growth has stalled massively because i have not had time to focus on growth (I will again in january) and ive sent them barely 100. The best recommendation you can get is from someone with a big audience who just launched their substacl because in the next few weeks and months they re gonna grow like crazy and you’re going to benefit (eg a big author, influencer, public figure whose sub says “launched 3 days ago”. In my niche there are dozens popping up every day.
I do a lot to promote my substack so the people who i recommend benefit. Its a “tide raises all boats” situation. In my niche (fashion), people arent super collaborative but if people are in yours, recommendations truly are the best.
Such a great insight! Thanks for sharing
You mention “I have not had time to focus on growth” and “promote my substack”. I’m a substack baby and would love to learn from the master fish grower 🐠
If I have one regret, I wish I planned a bit before I started because I some subscribers out of nowhere, which tells me that substack must have done a lot to push it.
I can tell you but you’re not going to like it 😂. I do this: https://www.instagram.com/lizambelmonte?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr. When I started my substack 6 months ago i had 2,000 friends and family and they grew alongside each other. Each video centers around one substack post with a call to action at the end and each video brings me 200/250 new subs. And, yes, you can definitely apply this idea and replicate to suit any niche. Hope that helps xx
Liza, your reels are SO SO SO good. Someday when I will find/make the time to create them for my own newsletter, but until then I will admire & watch yours!
Wow. This is great insight. Thanks, Liza.
I’m a gold fish. Will search for the dolphins willing to play.
😂
Can you say more? How did you build partnerships with other related newsletters? Love this idea.
There are dynamics to consider here.
You’re either the big fish, the small fish, or equal. Partnerships are often easier when you’re the big fish working with small fish. They’re nearly impossible if you’re the small fish reaching out to big fish.
To answer your question: look through your readers and see which substacks they subscribe to. Figure out where your largest intersect is and see if that publisher would be interested in a recommendation swap.
Grow together.
Thanks! I'm a small fish, but eager to swim with the big fish.
When everyone's a big fish, no one will be. It's not the size of the fish, it's the quality of the school.
It’s simply the psychology of partnerships, unfortunately. Size creates gravity.
True. I guess that's what they call the network effect.
well put
My 2 cents here - Recommendations are a great way to start a connection. I actually found Liza (posted above) via instagram, then went on a deep dive into her content, subscribed to her substack, and then added her substack to mine. She then found me on instagram, sent me a message and also recommended my newsletter. A couple weeks ago she invited me to publish a guest post on her newsletter which resulted in several hundred new subs for me, increased instagram followers, and just more reps in writing, which I need. PLUS. a new internet friend. I've made connections like this with a few other writers as well. So - shoot your shot. Make recommendations (bonus if you can add a little blurb on why you enjoy their substack!). Connect with people whose writing you admire. Comment on their posts, or their notes. If you have an idea for collaboration - put it out there - the worst thing that can happen is they say no or ignore you. And be generous with others too - because there will be other people out there that could use your help/support/advice at one time or another.
Great advice, thank you Jake!
I do like that. Maybe you could recommend mine? I'll recommend yours. But I write fiction and that's a hard sell all around.
✏️ - I'm a fairly young writer (27) and have been struggling with engaging peers on Substack. My Instagram audience is responsive to my content when I post it there, but that traffic doesn't covert to Substack hearts, comments, and shares.
I wish my audience was diverse in age, and I follow a diverse audience, but it's a hard reality that most of my online audience is 20-35.
Congrats!!
Whoa 🤯 Mind sharing some tips abt you built partnerships?
I honestly don’t have a ton of insights other than when I hit a certain number of subscribers, the friction removed entirely.
That makes sense! Growth isn’t linear
My question is: What is that number? I hear some saying when you hit 300 it gets easier, or 500. But from where I sit, I don't really think there's a magic number. I can see I'm going to have to push on the recommendations, but, well, fiction...it's a hard sell for some reason. What, people don't read for enjoyment anymore?
I started with 2600 after 1 year of using Revue with the Twitter integration, writing monthly. I had a pretty linear growth on Substack until I started working with other publishers through Recommendations. Then, I saw a massive uptick in daily subscriber counts (almost 50+ a day now).
To answer your question: for me it happened at exactly 7182 subscribers. From there is was a rocket.
🧠 I’m celebrating that I’ve more than DOUBLED my subscriber list in the past five weeks, from 193 to 394! 🥳 I’ve had two New York Times best-selling authors subscribe to read my writing, and I’ve gotten three new recommendations. All through engaging with the Substack platform!
I’m writing an article about what’s worked for me. If you’d like to receive it in your inbox, you can subscribe at www.lizexplores.com, where I share stories from my life about infertility, mental health, and adventure. I’m not a writing coach; I just want to answer the questions people have been asking me and help fellow newbies!
For context, I started my Substack in December 2022 with zero audience and zero publications to my name, so the perspective I offer is one of starting from scratch and writing for the sake of writing. I don’t sell anything to my audience other than my writing itself, with a handful of paywalled posts that are personal in nature. Most of my work, including the article I’m working on now, is free.
Congrats, that's awesome!
Thank you so much, Theresa!
What an achievement, congratulations! This is truly a wonderful rewarding community (:
Thank you, Ani! I love the Substack community. 😁
Congrats, impressive growth!
Thank you, Alyssa! 🙏
What's you most useful strategy for others to copy?
What’s worked best for me has been building relationships. If someone takes the time to like or comment on something I’ve shared, I use the power of the Substack network to “follow” them, check out their work if they are a writer, and engage with them in notes. I am meeting some genuinely amazing people, and many of them have subscribed to me and gone on to share my work!
Thanks Liz! I need to better use the follow button. I usually either subscribe or do nothing. Follow is a nice in-between.
Exactly! Following keeps the conversation going and builds relationships without having to commit to a million newsletters in your inbox.
🧠 I took an unannounced break of almost 2 months from publishing. I published my first post back last week, no apologies for being MIA from peoples' inboxes or anything—just picked it back up. No one unsubscribed and my stats are about the same! Moral of the story: take breaks as needed, it doesn't have to be a big thing imho.
♥️
Thanks for the reminder. For mental health it is so important to slow down when needed and what ends up happening is that you often get that creative boost.
I am offering a free newsletter to allow me the space to feel into my topics and cadence of writing about listening to my intuition and leaving my job, to somehow weaving in my late adhd diagnosis to my love of learning about substack (and the real behind the scenes numbers). I really appreciate that you shared about how you were able to take a pause because I will be thinking about this when I decide to bring on paid subscribers. Thanks Theresa!
I took 2.5 months off for maternity leave and my growth flatlined, and then when I came back, I had several email disables after each of the first few posts I shared. But, I more than made up for it so it wasn’t a real loss. If I were to take a long break like that again, I think I would schedule content out like freezer meals so people remember who I am and why they are subscribed.
🟧This brings to mind a simple idea! Substack how about offering out-of-office reruns? To remove the dread of taking time off and risking bailouts, I could simply select, say my most popular posts I’d like to rerun, timeframe and my regular scheduling. To make it appealing you can even add a oldie but goodie icon. Think about TV news programming during the holidays that runs old but great reruns.
Hey Shlomi, you could use the cross-post feature to schedule a post from your archive for while you are away.
Can you share guidance? From this article https://on.substack.com/p/introducing-mentions-and-cross-posts
It looks like you can cross-promote only other writers.
I thought that, too. Are you saying you can Cross-post your own stuff?
It's not just dedication, you can also benefit from inertia and laziness. :D It happens on YouTube all the time — people subscribe to a channel and never prune their lists for creators who have been been inactive for a while, or who have ceased to interest them. That's why subscriber numbers on YouTube should always be taken with a grain of salt; it doesn't always indicate how many people are actually watching.
🟧 This was recently posted: https://substack.com/inbox/post/139779766. It is a collective letter addressed to Substack Leadership about the surge of Substack newsletters promoting nazi ideals. Is it possible to find a way to discuss how to tackle this as a community since the founders seems adverse to taking a step?
One can block or report violent and hateful rhetoric. I’ve done this. It will alert Substack corporate. I don’t know if anyone has been shut down tho.
I know it can be done, but what is the end result of doing so? That's the main point. Tools are given, but what's their use if it does not change anything?
I can only reshare what I wrote when I first discovered this "issue"
https://mfioretti.substack.com/p/substack-notes-chris-best-and-now
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
I think trying to achieve something perfectly is never the solution, and it wasn't my point reposting this post, but rather push, us writers, to think of way to create spaces where there is freedom of speech without vying towards hate speech. I am not talking on my behalf and quitting Substack, I am just inviting people to chime in some ideas to make the platform a place where we can all share very different ideas without it being detrimental for some communities.
"I am just inviting people to chime in some ideas to make the platform a place where we can all share very different ideas without it being detrimental for some communities."
thanks, I fully agree with that.
Will anti-Israeli pro-Palestinian posts be treated the same? Who gets to decide what’s censored or not? It seems to me that the only rational way to handle the issue is for the READER to choose who to read or block, or support...
Wow! I have never seen any hate speech on Substack. Is it possible that you are trying to set up a paper foe? That sounds too harsh, perhaps, but if I see a post that seems too extreme in any sense, I either subscribe to see what the idiots have to say (just a New York cultural term, nothing personal), or I don't subscribe for wasting my time. I hope Substack will not take on a role of moral moderator and try to displace institutions like Harvard.
David, Substack's problem of platforming (and making money for) neo-Nazis and white supremacists is well documented. Just because you're not seeing it doesn't mean it's not there! Very much not a paper foe situation.
Thank you so much for answering to @David B. Miller clearly. It is well documented and shown that the internet is a place that fosters community (positive or negative) and that as a consequence creates microcosms. Not being part or knowing certain microcosm doesn't mean they don't exist.
Yes, the thought occurred that people may be POSING as Nazis. In fact, KKK meetings are populated with government informants; why shouldn't Nazis have SAME PROBLEM? They may even be Elon Musk bots, like Hannah Williams, allegedly.
Hello David,
Would you please refrain from accusing me of something that I am absolutely not doing 😊. It's been well documented for a while Substack has this type of issue. I am free to share here, on a platform that wants to foster freedom of speech, that said platform has an issue and that an unsubscribe and block buttons aren't enough to resolve the issue. I wrote earlier that I posted this to push us writers to think of ways to create a space where we can have different opinions without being detrimental to certain communities, so I hope a solution will be found. Hence my relaying a post that I hope you read thoroughly about Substack big issue. À bon entendeur !
I don't know any writers in real life, so I greatly appreciated the opportunity to meet fellow Substackers in my resident city of the San Fransisco Bay Area. Once again, thank you Substack for helping us make connections and learn about what other people are working on locally, not just across the world.
Thank you for joining us!
So glad you come out to join us all!
I'm really sad I missed the meetup! I'm in the north bay. Will there be another one sometime?
I am in the south bay and had to miss the opportunity too!
I just read your piece on thanksgiving and I loved it! Hope to meet you at a meetup sometime Yuezhong!
Thank you, Jen! Let's stay in touch!
Yes, keep an eye out. We will likely host another in Q1 of 2024.
Hopefully we get some on the other coast soon!
Hi Kerry, I'm brand new to Substack and it's nice to meet you! What do you write?
I'm writing a scifi fantasy novel about the journey of the soul, and am serializing it here. However, I also have sections on writing and journal entries, which I'm working more on these days. How about you? It's nice to meet you too, welcome to Substack!
Scifi rocks. And I skimmed a bit of The Mediator - hair braiding is such a universal way to start. Your writing puts me in mind of Ursula LeGuin. Me, I *think* I'm writing childrens' short stories, but maybe that's just because they're mostly about animals.
Thank you for taking the time to check it out and for your feedback 🙏. I love animals. As a former young reader, I support your endeavor. Children's authors and illustrators are underappreciated, I think.
Cindy and Kerry, I write mostly pet rescue stories so am also tapping into the animal market. I'm also serializing my dog memoir (PET TRACKER) so we have that in common to. I will check out both of your Substacks. I've heard about "guest writing" where Substackers collaborate to write a "guest post" for each others Substacks. I'd be open to exploring this with both of you to help cross pollinate stories that will resonate with animal lovers and perhaps boost all three of our audiences.
Me neither! I always wanted writer friends. Nice to meet you
@bowendwelle just had a meet up there.
✏️ Our first SF/Bay Area meetup was a huge success (see photo above ⬆️)—and for me personally, a highlight of these past few weeks. It was so sweet to actually meet so many writers in person, and to see how positive and engaged everyone was. Our main goal was to **support each other in our growth as writers** and of course to have fun meeting some new people. Have you hosted a meetup? What was your organizing principle? Thinking about doing it? What's stopping you?
I hosted a Miami meetup last week. It was a great success. My principle was to stage it as a mastermind group where participants share their writing journeys, processes, challenges, and solutions.
🟧 I need to know how Substack plans to address the problem of Nazi presence and racism here?
I can only reshare what I wrote when I first discovered this "issue"
https://mfioretti.substack.com/p/substack-notes-chris-best-and-now
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
It's not just a question of allowing Nazi propaganda and hate speech on Substack. There are instances where the founders have actually highlighted the propagandists and have opened doors for them to operate here at Substack.
It's not a free speech issue at all, it's a question of why hate speech and that kind of dangerous propaganda is not just allowed but encouraged.
I know that. I covered it in the original post.
And just in case this isn't clear yet: I am NOT for nazis in any way. What I wrote in the original post is only that
yes, this situation really sucks, but I still have to see a solution, in this age of platforms that actively HIDE almost all small voices, that is feasible, reliable, sustainable... for authors who still need to build a community. All that nobly walking away in the darkness will accomplish is to leave the bad guys the only voices.
They're NAZIS.
The end.
Of course they are. The point is finding ways to fight them that do accomplish something. I just explained this here : https://mfioretti.substack.com/p/ok-lets-talk-nazis-again
Oy. I didn’t know it was encouraged. Have the stacks been promoted by Substack corporate?
🧠 - I went to my first Substack meetup recently in Long Beach, California. I highly recommend reaching out to the author of The Author Stack, Russell Nohelty, for advice. His Substack has lots of great information!
Thanks for the tip, Peter.
https://authorstack.substack.com/
Thank you.
Hope this helps so much. It's got a wealth of information.
It was good to see you there, Pete. Many thanks to Russell Nohelty for organizing the meetup. :)
✏️ - I've been feeling a bit stuck recently, despite finally breaking the 1K threshold after a year, I feel like I'm hitting a bit of a ceiling in terms of growth and don't really know what strategies to adopt. I've been posting constantly but my essays generally take a lot of research to write and the slow growth I've seen and the few likes is sometimes disheartening so I would like to find new ways to create little surges in subscriptions, any advice?
For context I'm a PhD researcher in anthropology writing on visual culture, the creative industry and capitalism.
You may have done this already, but finding and connecting with other writers interested in the same kind of things is a great strategy, both in terms of growth and for forming meaningful connections.
I was going to say something similar. Connecting with other writers in a similar field is super-helpful
Hey! Follow up question here- do you have any advice on connecting with other writers without making them feel like you’re doing that in part to help grow?
I’ve collaborated with everyone who has emailed me bar one who wasn’t a fit - I genuinely love when people take the time... ✨
I think there’s no need to shy away from wanting to grow. I want to grow. AND I want the writers whose hearts and minds and words I’m falling in love with to grow. AND I want to engage with them and their work because it helps me grow in another sense of that word. AND I’d that connection helps us all rise and grow together, jackpot. This is the dream. 😊
:) just subscribed I can tell i'll like how you write!
And I you. :) I dig your Substack's premise.
For me the answer is sincerity. If one-sided growth is the only interest, it will show. But for people who do want to make connections in fields they care about and support each other, I think it's ok and human if *one* of our motives is our own growth. That will be true for everyone here.
Thanks Tara :)
I agree with the point about it being genuine. I started reaching out and connecting with other Substack writers before the recommendation feature even existed, and I primarily did it because I enjoyed it. I still do.
Also, I do like recommending Substacks which I believe might be smaller than me (based on numbers of likes and comments for example). So I'm trying to give more than I'm asking of others.
I hit that. I started crossposting and bringing in guest posts and it really helped.
Just wanted to say hey as a fellow academic researcher...I’d love to see more growth too
Hey Julien - I checked your essay on Style, and wow, I can see how your research could become burdensome. You write with such precision and grace. Since you study anthropology - and live in NYC - maybe you would benefit from a break from the people-world, which, to me at least, can become horribly oppressive and stifling at times.
Take the following with a grain of salt as I’ve only been here for 10 months.
Readers who follow ‘you’ on Notes and subscribe to your Publication (follower-subscribers/ subscriber-followers) tend to engage the most, be it comments, restacks, likes and so on. Granted, a lot of the engagement will start on Notes first before eventually bleeding over to your Publication.
I raise all of this and even adopt this ‘Follower-subscriber’ phrase because I’ve found a distinction between followers who only engage with your notes and don’t subscribe at all and subscribers who might not even have the app and only read emails and stop at that; no comments, likes, restacks and so on. No shade to either camp, just pointing out observations because the distinctions I’ve noted do make it easier to narrow down the issue in question.
Turning your attention to your Follower-subscribers ignites a more rewarding experience; they remind you that you are writing with and for living beings which should go without saying but stats easily obfuscate the purpose of your writing and the whole point of having readership. Figuring out which Follower-subscribers really have your back makes it easier to cross-pollinate, be it gathering new Subscriber-followers by being mentioned on Notes and Substack ShoutoutThreads or being restacked and introduced to your Subscriber-followers’ Subscriber-followers.
I’d like to think those insights might illuminate some areas in this whole stagnation issue. Again, Notes drives engagement through Follower-subscribers/Subscriber-followers. Also, I’ve only been here 10 months with far less subscribers than you, so, none of this is prescriptive or descriptive. I don’t have enough data to even comment on issues of subscriber and follower retention but what I can vouch for is my Subscriber-followers, they’ve been with me for a while now and I’d know if they decided to jump ship, that’s how much of an impression they’ve left.
🟧 It would be great if we could see post view statistics over time, similar to how we can see all blog views over time.
Hi Emaan! That's a great suggestion. I passed it along to the team for consideration.
✏️ My subscribers have been indicating that they're interested in receiving more content along the lines of "creativity as self-care" (i.e. journaling prompts). I'm curious to know how other folks on Substack who are writing in a similar vein are supporting their readers with the current set of tools (i.e. using audio for meditations or accessibility). I'm also looking to book out interviews and guest posts in 2024 along these lines, with people who work at the intersection of care and creativity (i.e. teachers with a podcast or music side gig, therapists who paint, etc.). If you're interested in connecting, please respond below or feel free to post your own requests/offerings here in my space, if you'd like extra eyes on it!
https://ryanroseweaver.substack.com/p/roll-call-a-potluck-dinner-for-feelings
I have started crossposting a lot of other voices with their permission to help build out my offerings.
I give you permission to Cross-post my'Stack! https://benwoestenburg.substack.com I thought I was already recommending you. I'm not, and for that I apologize. I will fix that right away.
When applicable, I weave in prompts that are meant to deepen reflection, be used for journaling, etc.
Here's an example: https://alyssapolizzi.substack.com/p/integrating-the-shadow
Ooh, I love me some Jungian archetypes, so glad to connect!
I recommend @donnamcarthur The Bright Life
I'm interested. I'm building a school in Asheville, NC. Our school philosophy fosters a child’s natural curiosity of the world while providing a warm and secure environment to build lasting connections. An abundance of outdoor play (in all types of weather) and practical activity connects children and our nature-based preschool to the rhythms of the year and strengthens their affinity with the natural world. We'll also weave in farming and regenerative ag. It's a lot, but I'm very excited and would be thrilled to share more.
Checking out your Substack. Looks like we're pretty well aligned! https://waldorfatwork.substack.com
Very cool, Meredith! I feel you on wanting to open my classroom door, so to speak, and let people into the work I have been doing there for several years. Glad to connect!
Grace, your school sounds amazing! We get to Asheville not infrequently with our family and it seems like a wonderful place to live and play outdoors. Founding a school is no easy feat -- I'd definitely love to hear more about how you're balancing care for your community with care of the self. Please feel free to share more about your project to initiationwrites@gmail.com!
I just subscribed from your invitation here and especially for my learning rather later in life
"the intersection of care and creativity" and I'm sure I'd be a candidate for you interviewing on my learning to have a "Daily Creative Life Practice" starting on February 10, 2020 when I began Seth Godin's Akimbo workshop "The Creative's Workshop" without thinking of myself as "a creative" or having any ambition to learn how to be "creative." Today is Day 1406 of my daily creative life practice. I look forward to experiencing your learning and experience with "creativity as self-care."
Oh . . . and I haven't yet learned how to be creative enough to create a publication . . . yet on Substack . . . I'm working on it . . . and I'm glad I found the Writer's Office Hours . . .
I'm so glad you subscribed, Tom -- I'm working on some content for Jan that encourages folks like you to take the plunge and go for it! And it's certainly never too early or late to make those essential connections between creativity and care. Doing 1406 days in a row of anything is something to celebrate!
If you're interested in writers you might reach out to for those interviews and guest posts, I recommend a few people on self-care and creativity:
https://rachelconnor.substack.com/ - Teacher and coach at Creativity Thesaurus
https://donnamcarthur.substack.com/ - Seconding CK Steefel on The Bright Life for self-care
https://uses.substack.com/ Sal Randolph's The Uses of Art
At my Substack, the Attention Chronicles and new Scenes of Quiet Reading approach self-care indirectly, not with prompts but by evoking a scene to hit the pause button on the spot. Here's the inaugural "Scene": https://open.substack.com/pub/tarapenry/p/scenes-1-christmas-tree?r=1mk0zn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thank you so much for this, Tara! So glad to connect with you on this and learn about your work as well.
Hello, nervous newbie here! I already have an audience on another platform where I write about raising tween and teen girls. I want to bring that audience across, but I'd also like to expand my topic range.My first question is: Do you recommend keeping with my current niche content and then gradually introducing more topics? My second question is: Can I change the name of my substack later as I evolve my content? Thanks so much!
You can change the name of your Substack as many times as you like, but you can only change the url of it once. In settings, the url is at the bottom, like name.substack.com. The name is at the top, in a box you can change easily. If you put some version of your name in the url (not the title of your Substack), you'll be free to change titles.
PS - I should say, you can only change the url once without breaking existing links, like links in one post to other posts. It says this in the bottom of settings.
Thanks for this info. I *think* I get it.... but i'll make sure i read all about it in settings. Thank you
Ive changed my name and expanded my niche. It’s working so far. I started with humorous essays, branched into serializing my WIP novel, changed my name, started a Funny AF Women interview series and just started posting funny videos. You got this! It’s great you have an audience already. Bring them ova!
THANK YOU, this is so reassuring. I always felt like we had to stay niche focussed but I am interested in writing on a wide range of topics. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Is everyone so nice on Substack? I think i've been hanging out in the wrong places!!
BTW, everyone is REALLY nice. Super supportive community.
The main thing I learned from @sarahfay is that your readers need to trust you. They want to know what they’re getting. I made announcements ahead of time before branching into something different.
You can change your name whenever. As per content, if you have more to say than what you’re regular readers are used to, you can add another section to your newsletter and educate your subscribers about how to opt in and out of that content.
I do that with my short form daily newsletter I publish sometimes, if people don’t want to receive emails five days in a row as opposed to 3 times a month or so they can opt out of whatever is in that section. The housekeeping post I have might help you see what that looks like https://open.substack.com/pub/dotdot/p/introducing-morning-coffee?r=j286f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I would stay with your current niche since that’s working. You can start another ‘section’ on your Substack and give them the opportunity to either receive those letters or unsub from it. Yes, you can also change your name!
Thanks Marc. I didn't know about the "sections". So does that mean they can choose which content to subscribe to, like having "preferences"?
Yes! There’s a feature in settings when you create a new one that allows you to toggle if you want to basically roll your subscribers over to the new section. Then you can show them how to select their preference. I wish I had a link handy for you right now - I’m sorry!
Expanding on Marc's comment here about the links to sections. Here they are!
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360060687771-How-can-I-create-multiple-newsletters-or-podcasts-under-one-publication-
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/8914938285204-How-do-I-subscribe-to-or-unsubscribe-from-a-section-on-Substack-
Let me know if you have questions!
Thanks for hopping in Brock!
Just getting around to reading Office Hours. I was under the impression that you can change the name once, while maintaining links. It says that somewhere under Settings. Check there. Personally, I like the idea of keeping with your niche, then adding more, especially since your tweens will grow into older teens - a whole new topic in itself!
I was considering changing my name/url to something that reflects the current-events -political topics I write about, but was encouraged by friends to keep The India Ink, because it also reflects my aim of blending my design and writing (since actual India ink is used for both), as well as my heritage. It's a little vague, but so is The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, and so many others that eventually get known for their point of view. Ask your friends for an honest opinion!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. That's so true what you say about other publications being vague. What's a name? Really, it's the content that matters more. OK, i'll keep it for now and then gradually introduce broader content and then maybe change the name. I am so indecisive!! I love the name India ink (just googled what indian ink is). My daughter's name is India, inspired by my honeymoon there. So I am partial to any mention of the name!
Welcome! I have a post on sections and tags - pop over and read that I think it will help you see how expansive your space can be. It’s not necessary to niche here. ✨
Thank you so much, I'll take a look.
Hey Michaela,
Brock here! As far as the content of your publication and newsletter, this is all up to you as the writer. We can't make recommendations on our end, but this sounds like a great idea to start with your current niche and then gradually expand to other topics!
Regarding your second question, you can certainly change the name of your Substack newsletter and Publication name as your content evolves.
Hope this helps!
Michaela in my Substack I primarily write pet rescue recovery stories, funny police stories, occasional spiritual stuff, mini mystery games, and my serialized my dog memoir. It's a lot, I know! But I'm also crafting a YA romance/mystery where I want to recruit teen girls (11 to 17) to help me write my series, inspiring them and teaching them about the publishing industry as we collaborate. I'm just not sure yet if I will do this particular work with teens in my Substack as I don't know if teens are even ON Substack! When I first asked if I should create TWO Substacks, I was told to just have ONE Substack. You can create different headings (like I've done on my page) for the different types of posts that you create. Hope this helps! I'm going to check out your Substack since you're the only writer for teens I've heard of so far on Substack (although I'm sure there are more).
WOW, I love that!! And I am all for pet rescue stories. My pup was hit by a car a year ago today and suffered severe trauma and we weren't sure if she would make it. She lost her leg and had a couple of surgeries and it was a long recovery but our beautiful pup is thriving as a tripod. I too am interested in YA stories and have girls aged 11, 13 and 14, so let me know if you want to chat about that. And thanks for your encouragement.
So glad your dog recovered! I just shared the story of a neighbor's cat that we ended up saving after he (Rocky) was hit by a car. He also lost a leg and was a happy tripod cat. YES, let's connect! I see that your page is still under construction. Let me know if you need any advice or help with anything. I'm also sort of new and not sure HOW to communicate via email in Substack (someone said it is possible) but you can email me at info @ katalbrecht dot com if that is easier to chat. I look forward to hearing from you!
🟧 - Hey there, are there any plans to expand the use of the paywall? I would like to insert content/material within a post that only paid subscribers could access (video/picture/etc). This would really offer me a seamless way to create more intimacy without having to create a whole different email.
Hi Marc! To get clearer on what you're asking for, you want mid post elements to be paywalled, but the text and content before/after to not be?
I imagine we'll build that at some point, but if you want to paywall videos in nuanced ways (e.g. mid video) you can now do that via a video post. You can read more about that here: https://on.substack.com/i/139229125/flexible-paywalls-for-video-episodes
Yes Bailey!I am excited for that feature. I really have some ideas for it!
Thanks for sharing that link - I didn't realize there was a whole new pay to post videos. I feel like I missed a great opportunity here with this letter I wrote to my son. I used video to capture some a moment we've all done. Changing a diaper. But I am happy I know now!
https://raisingmyles.substack.com/p/tell-them-where-youre-from
That’s a brilliant idea, Marc! A great way to create desire without actually icing people out!
Yes! Also creates less work for the writer !
Someone mentioned this last week, and I wholeheartedly agreed! I hope they implement it so we can just like... Censor only certain parts of a post that anyone can read! But still leaving it all open for paid subscribers only!
yes!
🟧 Why is Substack platforming and promoting Nazis, and when is that going to change?
Great question. And why are they dodging by referring to "free speech" when they are actively monetizing speech? That's literally not free anymore.
I can only reshare what I wrote when I first discovered this "issue"
https://mfioretti.substack.com/p/substack-notes-chris-best-and-now
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
So you're okay with Substack platforming and promoting Nazis. Understood; thanks for the data.
It is evident that you understood NOTHING of what I actually wrote.
But thanks for giving me a good inspiration for the next post.
You wrote a justification for staying on Substack even though it platforms and promotes Nazis.
what I wrote is only a "justification" to stay alive even if nazis still exist. From now on, if you continue to take that as active endorsement of nazis and who platforms them, it's your problem. I am responsible for what I say, not for whatever way you keep getting it wrong. But by all means continue, every comment like yours makes my next post easier.
I don't remotely take your words as an active endorsement of Nazis, but I do take them as a passive endorsement of the platform, because logically that's what they are. As you note, you're responsible for what you say, but as it turns out you're also responsible for where you say it. If you'd written, "I'm working to get Substack to deplatform and stop promoting Nazis, and will continue writing here while I do so," I'd feel differently. But you're not saying that. You're saying, "Leaving would be hard, so I will continue writing here despite the platform's active support of Nazis."
FWIW "I'm going to criticize you in my next post" is a terribly lame threat. Have at it, Marco.
Hate speech in relation to freedom of speech is an issue, not an "issue." You might want to stop using the word "solution" when discussing this issue.
Sorry, but your repeated posts enveying against some mysterious Nazi threat makes me wonder whether you yourself (and a few other spewers) are promoting some other agenda, trying to get a rise out of Substack, perhaps? Trying to drum up support for some cause that seeks to suppress the free expression that Substack offers? Otherwise, why the unsubstantiated incendiary accusations? (Maybe I'm feeding in to your scheme by challenging your lack of tolerance?)
Use the option to send emails to free subscribers only, not publishing to Substack (email only), and run sales for upgrading to paid.
My Black Friday sale resulted in 91 upgrades 🤯
I got 130 from my last one doing this. I wrote about it here. https://authorstack.substack.com/p/bestsellerbadge
I love this detailed write up! It's interesting what you're doing with comps.
Thanks! It was the most elegant way to get people to my list while still getting them something so it didn't feel like I was adding them to another thing without value.
Yeah, but both of you guys have thousands of followers. I put my yearly PAID as low as I could go $30. I got one, (bless her heart.) I'm sure once I grow, I might get more. I am growing, but it's gradual. I was hoping I'd hit 400 by the New Year, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. As an added bonus, I told them I want to do PODs for my novellas/novelettes, but I need at least 70 PAID to reach that goal. I've got 12.
Thank you and wow, big growth!
Which is worse, having fringe groups randomly murdering innocent civilians or subversive members of our own government determined on destroying a Democracy our forefathers died defending.
This sounds like a great idea. Do you have an example or guide on how to do this? I’d like to try it!
I don’t; however, you can see these under options before publishing (send to free only) and you can uncheck the publish to Substack app option. Then, you just have to set up a custom offer for the sale.
I love this idea! Thank you Jake!
Are you still able to allow access to it to new subscribers though? Because that would be a big need for me.
That I don’t know. The link to the post works but the visibility of that link is probably word of mouth/social only. This is the link to my Black Friday sale, for example:
https://osintnewsletter.com/p/black-friday
So I just went and looked at your sales pitch. Maybe I should revisit mine? I thought a good selling point was the fact that I dropped it down to $30 Canadian. That's about $21 US. The only up-grade was a fellow Canuck! (There's irony for you.) But again, I write fiction (good fiction, but fiction all the same.)
Thank you, Jake! I'll take a look!
That would be major!!
I sent my offer to 500 free subs and received 13 ish upgrades, I was quite disappointed. I wonder where I went wrong. I did 25% off , perhaps that wasnt enough. It was particularly discouraging because those 500 people were all 5 stars readers so if these guys don't convert, it's not looking good for the rest!
actually it was 600.. sigh. Thats a rubbish conversion rate.
Your conversion rate was higher than mine! I only upgraded 91 out of maybe 8500-9000.
🧠publish less going forward into the new year. You will still see engagement and you will give your mind a much needed rest. Trust me.
Can you give some examples of your schedule and process?
I send weekly but if I am busy, which I tend to get with my other work, I tend to skip to bi-weekly. Sometimes I skip a few weeks. My subscriber count keeps going up because of the backlog. My point is don't kill yourself when you don't have to.
Agreed! Having a deep archive has made a big difference in my new subscriber rate and with paid conversions.
🟧 Can I offer subscriptions for a period other than a year? for example, a price for a quarter. Is it mandatory to offer an annual subscription as one of the options? Thank you!
Hi Maura! We currently have the option for monthly and yearly subscriptions and don't have support in the system for removing or changing these plans.
Great question!
🧠✏️ Hi Substack community!
I wondered if anyone had tried any new methods of converting free subs into paid recently?
I have just tried sending a discount code to 500 of my most active free readers for 25% off the usual rate but I saw very very little conversion (maybe 13-14 new paid subs). This was my first time experimenting with it but I see a lot of writers do frequent promotions so I expected better results. Thought I'd share in case this is something you guys considered doing (it takes quite a bit of time, some parts of the process were quite manual). Let me know if you've got any other ideas! I wish I could do more to reach the goals I'd set for myself for this end of year.
All the best to all!
My promotions don’t yield huge results but I celebrate every single one! I’ve seen others give deadlines and talk about locking people in at a low level price for life but I still feel I want the flexibility of experimenting so haven’t done that. It does seem to bring quite incredible results as does paywalling more of your content... the balance seems key! All depending on your goals of course - my biggest is to be of service so I’m in that space right now paid or not. ✨🤍🙏
You’re lucky :) I tried a 30% off special holiday offer, and - crickets. I see click activities but no bites. There are so many variables at play here that best approach is to keep experimenting. There’s no magic formula here :)
Good to know although sorry to hear! I think I just got falsely optimistic because I see these huge writers do it all the time so it got me thinking it would be magic - although as you said that's not a thing. Hear hear to keep experiementing. Best of luck!
Alright, so I'm in the same boat as you guys. We all have a diverse selection of 'Stacks here. You guys have huge numbers, I'm sitting at 360'ish. I dropped mine down as low as I could, ($30) and it's Canadian. I write fiction, but it's Long Fiction (novellas and novelettes). I got 1 conversion. I thought it was because I was writing fiction, but I can see that doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm not changing my 'Stack though. I've PAYWALLED my Serial novel section. My SHORT STORIES AFTER 8 will stay FREE. I'm not going to sweat the small stuff. If they want to subscribe, they will. Hopefully, some will up-grade. I told my subscribers I want to offer PODs of my stories. I'll even mail them out to them. Crickets. So I'm not going to worry. I'm here for the long haul anyway--not that it's long, since I'm retired.
This sounds like a massive success to me.
🟧 Is there a way to make specific content available for subscribers only, paid or unpaid? I am working on a report that I would like to share with subscribers/use it to attract new ones. Thank you!
This is exactly what I want to do as well. It’ll help me mitigate trying to create something entirely new for paid subscribers.
Not sure if you saw the other comment, but he said we should choose the option to only send it to subscribers when publishing it. I also wonder if it could exist as a hidden page, so we can also use it to attract new subscribers...
That makes sense but I want to create one newsletter though. For example, I write letters to my son about fatherhood. I found a college statement of purpose I wanted to include within the letter because it was really intimate. Instead of putting it at the near bottom I would have love to just put it right in the middle. I think this would really encourage more people to pay since you are creating a feeling of FOMO (maybe?)
I asked about this about 6 months ago, Marc. Perhaps now that more people are asking, Substack will take it under consideration. They've been pretty good at listening to our wishes 😊
To "hide" a page if you have a bit of an archive, you can adjust the publication date in the post settings and "bury" it in the archive with an earlier date. That's just a workaround, not a strictly subscriber-only way to post.
Hi there! You have the option to publish to free and/or paid subscribers. Unfortunately, those who are not subscribed will still be able to see free content.
+1
Thanks for asking abt this, I’m curious too
You may want to try using the flexible paywall, and put the report behind the paywall? Does that seem to work?
https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407989020308-How-do-I-publish-a-free-preview-of-a-paid-post-on-Substack-
That could be an option, thank you! I still don't have paid subscribers, and I was hoping to be able to just put the report behind the subscription in general to attract new subs, but I will consider that. Thank you again!
hello fellow Substackers!
So nice to see you all 🥰 I’m super proud of myself for keeping to my writing so regularly for a few months now.
Though I’m really running out of brainwaves here. The last post I wrote took so much walking and thinking ( it doesn’t really show but trust me it did!) that I feel a little depleted after completing it. It needs an edit and it’s not all I wanted it to be but I’m proud of it anyway.
🟧 where do you get inspiration? Especially after finishing a stretch of challenging writing?
Taking time to live. If all we're doing is writing, then we'll have nothing to write about!
Well said and so true! Breathe life in, breathe stories out! My ‘fantasy’ is fueled by reality.
Beautiful 🥰
💛 Thanks
We could write about writing. That's what I do 😂
Yes haha! When all else fails go meta!
LOL Going meta is always a good fallback position! Chortle
Hahaha yes! Back to the beginning. It’s like um, head empty, what was I doing? Oh, writing. Let’s start with that. But I did have a thought I wanted to explore about the relationship between writing and reading as a parallel to talking and listening. And sometimes you need to talk, and sometimes you need to listen, and maybe this is the time to listen. So, about writing really anyway hahaha
I couldn't agree more. For me, reading and writing are two sides of a coin
Indeed lol. I've got a section on it. It's inevitable, I think.
So you have, so I've just subscribed. In case you're interested, I've been experimenting with writing the same story in a multitude of styles: https://terryfreedman.substack.com/s/experiments-in-style
This is an impressive writing exercise. I like the idea. My WIP is in 1st person pov, and there are 8 other characters entwined that all have their own thing going on. I thought it be interesting to write the journey from their perspective. That's either a far off writing exercise of my own, or a fan fiction project if I am ever so lucky. Anyway, thank you for sharing this, I'll check it out.
sounds interesting! You're welcome
Oh I do, but my life as a stay at home mom to two little demon spawns only gives so much to write about 🤭🤭
My little bit of advice: enjoy every minute with your little ones. Find books you can read to and with them.... I could go on, but you only have a few years to enjoy them and prepare them for life. -/s/-Been There and none of my children have been arrested
I can say the same! Good job, Dad! (Oh yeah, maybe Mom had a lot to do with it, since she stayed home just for that. To enjoy them while she could.)
Great question, Ani! I often find inspiration from reading other people's writing. Often there will be a line in an article (or a book) that gives me something to think about, and then write about. You can also ask your subscribers what they'd like to know more about (if applicable). Sometimes a bit of a break from writing is exactly what you need. I don't know how long you've been on Substack, but if you've built up enough of a library, you could update and rerelease some of your older articles to give yourself the time to find inspiration for new topics.
Me, too, Heidi.
The time and distance between writing and reading (and between writers and readers) seems much shorter now. The lone voice crying out in the wilderness, the penniless author in the attic pouring out their soul and getting nothing but rejection letters in return, that guy at the party/office/club that loves to hear the sound of his own voice (sorry, that was me); all of these things should be giving way to inclusive, respectful, exploratory, open-ended, organic, co-created, community-based, it's-the forest-not-the-tree, it-doesn't-all-have-to-be-about-me, conversations. I think that's what most of us really want.
What do we want? Respectful, inclusive, honest conversations with people we will come to love and respect. When do we want it? Now?
Sometimes, we all feel like that lone voice crying out in the wilderness. We just have to find one another and have a good chat. We are a potential community.
I release old things I put up when I first started. I only had a few readers then. And when they introduced the "followers", well they don't know what I put up earlier. It gives them a chance to read my stuff. https://benwoestenburg.substack.com Take a look!
Oooh these are all awesome ideas! Thank you! I’ll definitely ask subscribers, what a good idea haha!
My pleasure :)
I like talking to people who are new to me for inspiration. Reading books. Taking a walk. But also taking a break from always trying to come up with new ideas sometimes because when the well is empty, it needs time to refill.
Oooh talking to new people. That’s good! I need to meet some new people now
I'm here...
Hi Ben, I'm Ani, would you like to apply for role of New Person To Talk To? :D
New people offer a different perspective, new conversations. Or sometimes talking to a group of people brings up something fresh. As writers, we spend so much time in our own heads. Sometimes it's good to get an outside view.
Really true! Just not very easy in practice I guess. Where do you find that connection?
I'm lucky I work in the arts so I have some coworkers I can bounce off of depending who I'm working with that day. My favourite is when we get into creative conversations. Random strangers often strike up conversations with me that keep me thinking about them long after they're gone. I have trouble writing at home so I'm usually at a café or the library, but I've also had interesting conversations on the bus, with Uber drivers, and even in line at the grocery store. It used to bug me that strangers wanted to chat but I decided to embrace it and find out more about people and the world around me. My innate curiosity and active imagination combine into this idea generator after I've had a particularly interesting interaction. If others weren't approaching me, though, I'm not sure what I'd do. I'm quite introverted. I guess I'd find other ways to connect with people through writing groups and common interest groups.
I was trying to find another post of mine and I found this one about looking for creative communities and them finding me instead: https://createdateletters.substack.com/p/finding-creative-communities And I'll definitely have to expand on this after I brainstorm different ways to find them!
I don't know if this helps but my newsletter is a reaction to the weekly restaurant reviews that are published in the UK, so I always have a jumping off point to write from. I've only just started and the letter is evolving as I go along but I'm starting to focus on themes and issues thrown up by the reviews rather than just being a digest of other people's writing which is how it sort of started out. Maybe there is a column published regularly that touches on your area of interest that you could react to or use as a jumping off point for a letter?
Sounds interesting. The funniest restaurant review I read was during the time of the Iraqi war. The reviewer wrote that the soup was so awful that if it had been found in a canister in the Iraqi desert then the search for weapons of mass destruction would be over.
Hehe.
The restaurant owner threatened to sue for libel
Oh dang. Was the review deserved?
I dunno. I never went to the restaurant. 😊
It's like musicians riffing off one another, but yours is like the foodie commentary version. Fun!
It’s so great to watch your own work evolve and change as you discover your own voice! My writing is personal so I try to stick to myself but you’re right that reading more is never a bad idea
I've found the format very liberating compared to the stuff I usually write for the press, it's like going back to my blogging day in the 90s.
Such is the beauty of doing your own thing. You can do what you want 🤭
I totally agree with that. I write what interests me, as opposed to what I know. I mean, write what you know? That might have been the case when I was younger, but then, they didn't have the internet in the old days, did they? Now, I can read about anything that interests me, and write about it after.
Take a break. Writers need a day off too.
True!! It’ll come to me. Might write about trying to participate in the office hours today, because the insanity that unraveled while I was responding to comments is unparalleled. My three year old got her hands on the container with flour and created a winter wonderland in the kitchen in mere minutes, covering her sister pretty much fully. 🥰I turned around and really REALLY tried not to laugh but failed so now this is an accepted activity I guess
Haha. That’s awesome. Did she build a snowman?
Pretty sure her sister was the snowman 😂😂
I miss those years. Mine are grown and flown. Check out Moms in America on Substack. She interviews — moms in America. Hehe. Oh. Are you in the US?
My wife used to stand our son on the table and paint him with water paints. She had the best of everything. Play with the kids all day, and then pass them off to Daddy when he got home from work. Those kids had a great childhood!
I'm in England! :D but I will check it out, thank you!
Take your content topics and divide them into more and more niche sub-topics. It will still remain inside of your "genre" and it will yield so many more topics and inspiration for new posts.
You should be proud, anni. I keep a running note of everything I think of on the notes app on my phone. Not all will make a post or part of a post but it's useful to jot down everything you think of.
Is that the same as carrying a notebook and a pen? (Asking for a friend.)
Ha! 😂
I can't do that because any notebook I get my kids take over and destroy
I do! This is very helpful and basically the only way I ever know what to write about. For some reason that well is dry right now 😅need to build up again!
I started guest interviewing on podcasts, and now I have a constant stream of topics thanks to the different ways people ask questions in those conversations. Also, I always keep lists of ideas from there and everywhere, so when I sit down to write, I am usually starting in on a topic I have been ruminating on for months or even years (I didn’t start publishing until after I had a list of a couple hundred topics I wanted to write about... which I still have yet to reach the bottom of!). A piece of writing advice I took to heart in the beginning was that you would know if you were a writer and if you had the correct topic after 250 posts. So, by that metric, I’m only halfway through testing my idea hahaha
Hey hey! I have finally launched the English version of my French newsletter. Should I write my bio in French / English or would u recommend to stick to one language?
Have you looked at your subscriber map? That should help you understand how much of your (existing) audience might be in what region.
Then I would say that it's likely not damaging in any way to have an about page in both languages if you're comfortable with the formatting.
🧠 Hi Laurent. If you are sure that all your French-speaking subscribers can understand English, I would just publish it in English; otherwise I'd suggest in both French and English.
If you have two language versions of the paper I’d recommend two languages for the bio too! That’s just imo (:
✏️🟧 Newbie here! Just launched my substack, Mother of a Dilemma, last month. It's designed to help those who are on the fence and struggling with making the decision of whether or not have kids. I'm not really sure how to grow it, especially on the substack platofrm. Is there a good way to help people find it? TIA and excited to be part of the community :) https://valeriemariep.substack.com/
Welcome, Valerie! As you get started and seek to grow, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Leverage Recommendations: Use the Recommendations feature to suggest other writers and get suggested in return. This can significantly boost your visibility https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/5036794583828-How-can-I-recommend-other-publications-on-Substack-
Engage with Notes: Post short-form content on the Substack app to socialize and discover new readers with similar interests https://on.substack.com/p/notes-collaboration-growth-guide
High-quality writing is your best marketing tool. When you publish, it stands a chance at getting picked up by other websites, people with big audiences, or press outlets that match your target audience. There’s no magic formula for doing this, but one big hit can bring you thousands of new readers.
Buttons! Include a subscribe button in very post. It will encourage free subscribers to upgrade to paid, and if new readers land on your post, it gives them an easy way to subscribe.
Some more best practices here: https://on.substack.com/i/138757848/best-practices
Thank you!!
There are a few voices in the “child free” space you could connect with? Or perhaps those who write personal essays? A shout out on Notes would be your best bet. If you tag me I can tag some folks in for you. I’ve been here since April ‘22 so met a few. ✨
Thanks so much! I have never used the notes feature so let me see if i can figure that out haha
🧠
New to Office Hours? Don’t be intimidated. We’re a supportive community here. It can feel overwhelming; don’t 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, 1-2 times per week (plus or minus);
2. Engage with other writers on the platform in a positive, affirming, honest manner;
3. Always attend and comment in Office Hours;
4. Read and comment on other writers’ stacks.
5. Don’t 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 other’s work. Plus there’s cross-posting, guest-posting, etc.
*One final suggestion/note: Write honestly. Get real, raw and vulnerable. Pull no punches. Writing is about guts, not safety. 👌
Here’s a helpful link: https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/what-is-the-point-of-substack-making
Best of luck!
Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
Hey Michael--thought this was really helpful! Self-promoting is not something I'm good at yet but I love reading so am inspired to comment on others' work so they know someone is listening!
Ah, Michael, right on the nose, as usual.
https://open.substack.com/pub/kevinmkruse/p/substackers-against-nazis?r=117b&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post Any response to the multiple posts asking about the platforming of Nazis?
Hats off to Kevin for that letter!
What actions will you take regarding the issue of Nazism, as discussed in "The Atlantic" article and the open letter from Substackers? As a German, I find this very difficult to bear. I have come across some problematic newsletters on Substack myself and am appelled by what I found there! https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/substack-extremism-nazi-white-supremacy-newsletters/676156
Have you seen this open letter?
https://theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/substackers-against-nazis
Yes, that is the one I am referring to. It really came as shock to me!
I can only reshare what I wrote when I first discovered this "issue"
https://mfioretti.substack.com/p/substack-notes-chris-best-and-now
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
Thank you for your input - your piece and the Techdirt-link are really helpful in understanding this.
And I completely understand your point of view. Substack is a wonderful plattform for writers like us. And I do understand the American way to think about freedom of speech.
But: Substack is earning money from those Nazi newsletters. So if big names pull away like Disney did from X, maybe they start rethinking their policy. I just hope they will!
My personal problem is: I am from Germany, and I am German. And even though we mostly have freedom of speech, most Nazi symbols and even the salute is illegal here for good reasons. It is a very personal decision I need to make, if I can stay here or not, especially as I wanted to start a newsletter in German next year.
You are certainly right, in that staying or leaving this or any other community is and MUST be a personal decision, not peer pressure. My point in that post was/is to remind some ugly realities (= where else could one go?, see the "renting apartment" example), and above all to not judge harshly those who take a different decision.
NB: I am not american, btw
Well, I think the peer pressure should be put onto Substack like we could do with joining the open letter, which I will tomorrow (today is simply too late for me writing a meaningful intro to that. But that doesn't mean I want to pressure you or anybody to post the open letter or to leave!
Pressure could also be put on Substack by the big newsletters, like my example with X and Disney. I am too tiny of a newsletter at the moment to make an important dent.
Thanks, that's the attitude! I will check the open letter tomorrow. Right now, I have changed my plans for the next issue of my own newsletter, to talk about this, so I'm busy collating all the answers I'm posting in this thread...
Here is the post I promised, on ways to fight nazis that are more effective: https://mfioretti.substack.com/p/ok-lets-talk-nazis-again
I have elaborated on better ways to put pressure onto Substack here: https://mfioretti.substack.com/p/ok-lets-talk-nazis-again
That is a better way for you, as you don't see how writers can't live without Substack. But tell you what: there are millions of writers out there who do that! If you see it as cutting the branch you are sitting on, well, so be it. But with enough work i.e. on Pinterest or other platforms you can still reach your readers. It may be more work, but at least one isn't supporting a platform that infringe their own rules or even that of their business partner (Stripe).
✏️ and 🟧 - I am planning to offer a paid tier at the end of this year or the beginning of 2024. Is there a lot of sense in turning on pledges now? I turned them off way back when, mainly because I wanted a more frictionless way for people to subscribe for free, but now that the paid option's approaching, it is starting to seem like a good idea.
Thoughts are appreciated from folks who have done this before!
Turn them on. You've nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Thanks, June! Have you tried this strategy?
Trust me - I’m with you. I have about the same. I had pledged on since the beginning. While I don’t have many, it was a real confidence booster to see people would contribute. My Substack is a way for me to contribute to my son’s college plan. Once I was clear on why I felt okay collected money - I went paid.
I had pledges on from day one, and paid from about the second month. All my writing is free (except for archive) but people can pay if they want to support me. I see it as a tip jar. I also have a Buy Me a Coffee link.
I love the "tip jar" concept. I'm doing something similar I think, but not quite. I write every day, so my plan is for everyone to get Monday through Friday, and paid folks get Sat/Sun also. I realize the "value add" for just 2/7 days isn't a ton, but i also feel as though this is much more of a "thanks for making my day a little better" ask, not really a value proposition.
Exactly, that's my view. My writing is there every Saturday, and if people want to say thanks now and again, that's fine.
Honestly Andrew, your work is worth paying for. I think turning on pledges from the beginning is a great idea. I know that’s not a popular opinion. But I think it helps let people know you are open to receiving. Interested to see how you roll out your paid features though!
Thanks, Marc! I'm certainly not at the beginning per se - I have about 800 free subscribers today - but I also regard this as near the beginning, big picture wise. I think your suggestion is sensible. I'll try to keep everyone posted on the strategy/how it goes.
I've had a paid tier since the beginning, even though 99% of my post are free to all. But some people will pay anyway, and it's really great to know people find it valuable. So I would say yes definitely.
Turning on pledges can be a great strategy as you gear up to launch your paid tier! Some benefits are:
1. Early Support: It allows your most enthusiastic readers to show their support early on, which can be a big morale boost for you.
2. Gauging Interest: You can gauge how many of your readers are willing to pay, which can help you plan your content and pricing strategy.
3. Smooth Transition: When you do launch your paid subscriptions, those pledges will automatically convert, giving you a head start on your paid subscriber base.
4. No Immediate Charge: Your readers can pledge without being charged until you activate the paid option, so it's a low-commitment way for them to show support :)
Thanks, Jamil! I guess I have read all this before, but I'm really interested in hearing from folks who have executed this particular strategy. Have you had any experience with this yourself? Much appreciated!
I agree that there is nothing to lose by offering paid subscriptions as an option even if you have no paywall. That is how I have handled my Substack since I started four months ago. I understand being concerned about offering your readers value for money. I worry about that, too. But I try to balance that by understanding that Substack can also operate as a patronage system (not unlike crowdfunding) in which people are willing to support your work just because they like what you're doing.
Douglas, just to be clear, I am not at all concerned with offering value for the money. I believe in myself and know that I bring elbow grease to the table every day, and I know some folks out there appreciate what I do.
I'm just curious about the intermediate time between now and when I turn on the paid tier, wherein I would use the pledge concept. I'm wondering how helpful a month or so of pledges will be from here, and whether turning them on now might be weird in any unanticipated way.
I appreciate the time and thought!
Well, there are basically two reasons for giving money to a creator; one is because you are a consumer and the other is because you are a patron. If you give because you are a patron, and not in exchange for paywalled content (i.e., you receive value for money like a consumer), the sudden appearance of a paywall shouldn't bother you because you are already paying for that content and your experience will not change.
You're right. I think I'm almost 100% after patrons. Maybe I should just make one of the 7 days paywalled instead of 2.
What are you doing to curtail the spread of Nazi propaganda on this platform?
@substack still waiting on your response here!
I can only reshare what I wrote when I first discovered this "issue"
https://mfioretti.substack.com/p/substack-notes-chris-best-and-now
In short and don't take this as an endorsement of nazis of any kind:
I am not sure there could ever be a solution that is REALLY SUSTAINABLE for any AUTHOR that doesn't just play with substack as an occasional side hobby.
If you take writing seriously, build your presence here, maybe to pay your bills with it, can you really leave because substack ALSO hosts bad people, unless of course you already had thousands of paying subscribers surely willing to follow you?
To go where? Self-hosting means total invisibility, going to any other platform gives ZERO real guarantees that it won't have the same problem . See my post, where I elaborated on every point.
I appreciate your opinion, I'd like to know Substack's.
I know. With both my comment and the original post I mean that all I've seen so far seems to indicate that Substack has no intention to address the issue, and that, unless it becomes much, much worst than it is, this won't change, and there is basically nothing that authors who are already investing a lot of time and energies could do about it, because starting over anywhere else (where???) would be a ton of risky effort, with no guarantee that nazis won't get there too.
or, in one sentence: just never mind about who's hosting nazis, because a) the thing to do is to fight them directly, in any way that's legal, regardless of where they speak from, whereas b) "noble" gestures like leaving substack may accomplish nothing
exactly, I would like to know what Substack is doing to directly fight them. I don't accept the "just don't worry about it" argument, from individual or company. But again, thanks for your thoughts.
🟧 - (substack emoji, I hope)
Is there a way to view a publication's pricing tiers without subscribing?
My experience has been that if you click Subscribe, you've taken to the pricing tiers, but even if you decide not to (and don't select any tier), you're automatically subbed as a free subscriber.
What's the use case? Do you just want to see and do research on how other writers set up their subscription tiers?
I'd like to know if I *want* to subscribe. It doesn't seem too complicated. Just like any other service or subscription, I'd like to know what is available for what price in order to make an informed decision. That's all.
add /subscribe to their url and you can see the tiers there
Didn't work. Went the publication opening "welcome" page.
Oh, huh. Interesting. I guess that only works if you are already subscribed. That doesn’t make sense - I’d rather be able to share my pricing with anyone.
Hey Victor,
Brock here! Can you let me know which publication you're inquiring about? It is indeed true that you would need to subscribe first in order to know the pricing of the publication.
Thanks so much!
I'm talking about *any* publication, not a particular one.
You answered my question with "It is indeed true that you would need to subscribe first in order to know the pricing of the publication."
And the answer, unfortunately, is no, you can't see the pricing without subbing.
Has Substack considered making the pricing available without subbing so we can make an informed decision? Every other service in the world has a pricing page where you can see what you get for what price before you decide.
Nothing makes one feel older (esp if one is undeniably "old") than learning how to navigate a new interactive platform...namely, this one. I was today years old when I finally figured out how to post, which would be cause for embarrassment if I could actually feel that. Mostly I am bewildered by the myriad options and suggestions and peculiarities of the process. Writing is easy, Substack is tough.
Hey, that’s a great position to be in. I’d rather write easy and struggle with tech than the opposite
Honestly, tech stress feels like sudden disability, as if one has forgotten a code or practice from a past life, but it’s really one simply doesn’t get that “insert title” is the instruction plus the blank to fill in…
just ferinstance. Stress! I don’t really mean writing is easy. Just easier to engage with. As somebody said, dying is easy, comedy is hard…LOL
Hahaha yes, I’ve never heard that before but that’s well said. It will come, just do what you can and you’ll discover what you need in time. Trying to grasp it all at once will be frustrating and take more time
I will, thank you!
For note, I am just glad I finally navigate to publishing a post, not a “note” or a “chat”
And I gotta turn of those notifications or this will become my newest distraction
🟧 or ✏️ - I am trying to understand the organization of Substack subscribers and followers. For example, I think there are some people who "follow me" but don't subscribe to my newsletter. Consequently, there are also places where I can engage with subscribers. How do I engage with followers? What do they see? Are there any places that explain this in depth? Thank you in advance!
🧠 Hi Lance, hi Grace.
Followers find you on Substack and "follow" you for a while before they commit to subscribing to your newsletter. This is to see how/what you post and if you would be a good fit for each other. Subscribers are committed to receiving your newsletter without "testing the waters" first.
You pretty much can't. You engage with followers on notes. Otherwise, they are not very useful.
Hey there! I can help clarify the difference between followers and subscribers on Substack.
Subscribers are people who have signed up to receive your newsletter via email. They've shared their email with you and will get your posts delivered directly to their inbox. If they're paying subscribers, they'll also have access to any exclusive content you offer.
Followers can see your notes and some of your reading activity, like post likes, in their Home feed on Substack. However, they won't receive your newsletter posts in their email. Think about it as a way to start a relationship with you/date you before they get formal (subscribe).
Following is still an early days feature for us, and we'll have more robust tooling to come, I'm sure.
I'm wondering about the same thing!
✏️ I'm hoping you can share some advice on how to cleverly integrate a translation of your publication into Substack.
I'm experimenting with how to present both the original English texts and the German translations on my Substack. However, it's proving to be a bit tricky, and I don’t want to confuse my readers.
Has anyone found an elegant solution to handle translations in a way that’s clear and accessible for readers?
🟧 Is X/Twitter still throttling links to Substack? How can I get around this? Unfortunately I've got no choice but to find other platforms to promote my work like Facebook, Substack, Instagram & Threads. X has taken away all the good positive metrics my media company and I used to have. They're not telling me why. Even when I deleted likes and retweets of individuals that take your positive metrics away as detailed in this great blog post (https://medium.com/thought-thinkers/the-x-algorithm-encourages-self-censorship-df4fafa0afe4) X/Twitter is still not telling me what is going on. Filing an FTC complaint today.
Hey Peter,
Brock here! A workaround for this would be to purchase and add a custom domain to your publication. We have many writers who have custom domains and are able to post their Substack on X without the links being throttled.
Hope this helps!
Oh, ok! This is good to know
I hear ya. I ended up leaving X. If you have a large following tho don’t quit. It sucks. Maybe someone else has a better answer for you. 🙏
So far my company and I have 130 followers. I can gain more by being a reply guy and from people just finding me on X. I just won't be on X very often. Only for livestreaming episodes and for show prep. The throttling, Elon Musk firing 80% of X employees and X not telling me why I'm being visibility filtered is why I'm reducing my presence there.
If those 80% of employees weren't fired I believe there'd be people willing to help me out.
🟧 ✏️ Please, how can I send an email only to annually paid subscribers? Is it possible? I want to offer a bonus (e-book) to those subscribers.
Go to your Dashboard.
Go to the Search Box under All Subscribers.
Click on the Filters button.
Create on Add a Filter.
Create a Filter for Paid Subscribers and hit Apply.
Click on the little box next to Subscriber - this will create a new box to appear, with an Email box to the right - click on it...that should do what you want.
Thanks! But following those steps I’d have to manually find select all annual subscriptions, right? Fortunately, there are many of them, but it won’t be easy to select one by one.
If you click on the box next to Subscriber, all Paid Subscribers will be selected, so there is no need to manually select all...unless you want to deselect your monthly subscribers. Good luck
Yep, I need to get only annual subscribers. Thanks anyway.
Hi Sarita! If you use the filter "Subscription interval," you can segment out only annual subscribers.
Hi, Betty! Please, how do I do it? I can’t see the annual filter as an option.
What would you guys say is a decent open rate? I'm normally around the 40% mark, depending on how clicky my bait is, but don't know if that's any good or not ✏️
What I read somewhere is that it depends on your subscriber count. If you have a small following than you should expect slightly higher rates. The more people are subscribed the less that % will be. I wonder if some of your followers only open posts via the app, which sometimes might not register as an email open?
I think I’ve artificially driven my number up by pulling out statistics in front of friends and family and calling them out. 7/17 emails for your supposed nephew. Shame. Shame on you
this is 100% using the feature as intended. I do remind my fiends how useless they are by bringing these up: look this person I don't even know opened the latest email THREE TIMES, and you, my best friend in the whole world, can't even open it once? maybe we need a break....
Really high! The standard is about 7% for emails!
Thanks for sharing Claire! Bloody hell that is good news. That’s put a pep in my step
Haha right? I was gutted when mine was about 40% so I did my research! Obviously it's a slightly different vehicle here because we get post views through the network too so I tend to look at those more...
Our vehicles are built different! I’d love to know if people actually read it all the way. And say someone opens it 3 times, is that bad? Cos they lost interest. Or good? Cos they regained it!
Opening it many times is good, IMO! I figure someone opens it more than once, the 2nd time means they read it – the first time is just a curious glance. Every email I get, regardless of sender, I look at quickly, then reopen later when there's more time.
Ha right? I guess you could ask?
I guess I could! I think I might ask people to leave comments for my validation
My open rate usually hovers around 30% which I’ve heard is pretty decent.
Thanks for sharing man!
No problem. I think you shouldn’t worry so much about the open rate. Especially as you increase your subscriber number.
A while back I had someone tell me that 30% was a terrible open rate. When I asked them for the data or basis for the view that 30% was bad, they apologized and said they just made it up. There was no basis for them to make the claim.
Yeah you’re probably right! I think as my subs have plateaued a little, that’s i get all my dopamine from that sweet percentage.
Haha what a strange character! You’d think if you were the kind of person who baselessly tears down someone’s open rate, you’d at least hand the conviction to lie about it.
How do I get myself to write again after a month-and-half bout of writer's block? Also keep in mind I plan to be a billionaire writer.
Sit down and write 300 words every day about anything. Don’t spend any time thinking about being good, useful, or money-making, just write something. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All work and no pay makes Jack a poor boy.
However, if we brought in a Universal Basic Income, he would probably be OK with that.
That was actually a reference to the writer’s block in The Shining.
Ah! Excellent. I would have got that if I had had a second cup of coffee before this chat. It's a good movie. Will we ever forget Jack Nicholson's crazed expression?
Best writer’s block reference ever.
I agree with the two advices above.
Maybe you should start by analyzing your block. My block are usually the results of having too many ideas in my head that I am unable to properly prioritize.
If your block is the result of no ideas, then just sit down and meditate. Go to nature and observe the beauty. :) Seriously
Abandon standards and make output the priority , rather than quality
"Abandon standards all ye who enter here!" sounds like good advice. I think I'll start a Substack called 'The Tenth Circle' and use that as my motto.
This works! I did that once and it got me through the most stubborn period of not being able to write. I compromised and didn’t send out emails with the posts that I didn’t feel were “good enough”
Loving ‘abandon standards’—YES.
Yay likemindedness 🙌 quality only comes from doing! Progress isn’t linear 🌝
Responding to other writers sometimes kicks off the next idea.
Very true. Conversations can be good fire starters. And fires can be good conversation starters.
I have a Google doc called Ideas. Anytime during the day I have a brilliant idea, or something in the news triggers me, I'll write it down, along with my initial, no-holds-barred rant. I go back to that and pick a few topics to transition into a longer piece. Also, I aim to have 3 short topics in each post, but when writing, one or two lose steam, so the one that's left is the one that is the most enjoyable to research and write about, and becomes my post. So far, that's worked, and I'm also aiming to become a billionaire.
Cool! Thanks for the advice, and hopefully one day we can race our mega-yachts.
How close to being a billionaire are you already? That could change everything.
I'm only about a billion short at the moment
✏️Hi there, I'm very excited to be here on Substack. My husband's passing back in 2021 was the wake up call I needed to
be more visible online. I never in a million years expected to be starting over as a widow at 60, but I am.
And I have a lot to teach women about how to bounce back from hardship. I'd like to create a substack for my empowerment coaching for women and a separate one talking about grants.
I have so many questions. What is the size for photos? Is there a video available showing how to create a post? Can I add videos to my post?
Thank you,
Andrea
What a beautiful gift you are giving others by doing this! I am so sorry for your loss!
Hi Ellen, Thank you for sharing your condolences. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. It’s now going on 3 years and I want so much to help others through my experience. What are you sharing here in Substack?
I am sharing my love of arts and crafts. My big goal is to help parents keep creativity as a focal point in their homes. Process art … focusing on the making rather than the end product. I am a retired preschool art teacher and just loved seeing the children create art … they were brilliant!
I definitely share your appreciation of art. Right now I'm building a client's website and having a fabulous time playing with color, lines and shapes. I know what you mean about preserving creativity and keeping that as a focal point in our homes. My grandmother shared her love of creating with me and it's made my life so rich and wonderful. There's something so magical about being able to make something with your own two hands. What experience inspired your love for creativity? What grade did you teach and what are your favorite kind of crafts to make?
It's been decades since my kids were little, but I was just thinking of a twist on a playdate for kids. How cool would it be to meet online to do crafts together. Linda, a dear friend of mine had that idea that she wanted to lead craft classes online. But sadly she passed away before she could make it happen.
🟧 hello Substack team! Would LOVE if you could add a setting so free subscribers can comment on paid posts!My paid posts offer a long free read before the pay wall so it’d be great if everyone had the ability to comment (rather than the current options which are “nobody” or “just paid subscribers” can comment). Thanks!!
Thanks for the feedback! I see where that would be helpful and I am passing it along to the team
Thanks so much Katie! Really appreciate it!
🟧 Firstly, the Substack Web UI is truly a joy to navigate as a writer and as a reader but this is not translated all that well if at all in the Substack mobile app. The Writer Dashboard is the greatest omission and the inability to navigate different Sections of someone’s publication ranks just as highly; tagging my posts according to genre for easier accessibility only seems to benefit my readers if they are on Substack Web. Can the Writer Dashboard and Sections feature be included in the Substack App?
Secondly, as a writer outside of Stripe’s listed partner regions, I am not accommodated and thus unable to setup paid subscriptions. An alternative financial service that could run alongside Stripe, especially for writers in the Global South, ought to be considered and implemented. Is this possible?
Hey Markan,
Brock here! Thanks so much for this feedback about being able to access the Writers Dashboard and Sections in the App. I've passed this along to the App team for discussion.
Regarding your second question: We're currently integrated with Stripe and don't have plans to add other methods to our platform any time soon. However, we're always looking for ways to improve Substack, so I'll be sure to also pass this along to the team for discussion.
Question! I have a strong aversion to social media - is it possible for me to even have a successful Substack?
I don’t use social media besides Substack’s notes, and even that - not really. Your growth might be slower but writing what’s in your heart is always worth it if you have the urge
🧠 - I'm honored to be participating in a collaborative series this week with five other writers. This is our second series. The first was about fatherhood, and this week we are taking a crack at what "recovery" means to each of us.
I take no credit for the idea -- it's been a total group effort. But I mention it as another way of building community on this platform, in addition to guest posts, cross posting, and other forms of mutual aid.
The series continues tomorrow and Saturday, but here are the installments so far:
https://lathamturner.substack.com/p/the-tao-of-no-one?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web
https://joshuadolezal.substack.com/p/a-sadness-that-holds-hope-for-joy?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web
https://bowendwelle.substack.com/p/learning-to-ride?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/addiction-and-recovery?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web
🟧 A suggestion and question!
- I'd love a pause button on the audio recording feature
- I'm unclear on if/how the Podcast feature automatically exports to podcast platforms, or if it just creates a link/file that Stackers can upload.
I record all of my posts (my readers/listeners love it!) the content isn't podcast-native and I'm not interesting in making is so, but if it can make it easier for my readers to follow it on Apple, Spotify, whateva', I'd like to. Thank you!
You need to add the rss feed manually on other platforms - at least that’s what I did Lara! ✨
Thank you!
Once you submit your RSS feed to a podcasting platform (Apple and Spotify mainly) other platforms just pull their feed from them. But you have to submit your RSS feed to their directories individually I think. I did, and now I show up on places like Google and Spotify.
Super helpful! Thank you!
Hi Lara! I passed along your request for a pause button on the recording feature to the team for consideration. What Cheniece said about podcasting is correct! There are a few main directories you'll probably want to submit your podcast RSS feed to. Once you’re approved by Apple though, listeners can find your podcast in pretty much any podcast directory because most podcast apps just scrape from Apple.
Super helpful! Thank you!
🟧 ✏️ Greetings! I have a question about subscribers please. I have a umber of subscribers coming from the Substack recommendations page. What is that please? Secondly, several of those subscribers have an email address like fred.blogs99@yahoo.com, with no profile or posts. Wouold I be right in thinking theyre bots or spam? Thanks
Do you mean writer recommendations? https://on.substack.com/p/recommendations
Or is it something different?
Will have our trust & safety team look at these subscribers to make sure everything is normal.
Thanks, Bailey. I'm not sure. Here's an example: New free subscriber to Eclecticism: Reflections on literature, writing and life!
Subscriber: someone's_name66@yahoo.com
Estimated source: Substack Recommendations Page
I don't think bots would confirm their subscription from their email inbox. People who subscribe but do not create a Substack profile show up like what you described.
Thanks, Cheniece, that's a good point: I have the double opt-in in place so I'm sure yoiu're right. I didn't think of that!
✏️ I created my Substack, https://intranetfromthetrenches.substack.com/, a year ago and it's been a wonderful experience. I feel I opened my mind to the world and I'm able to show my ideas, opinions and experiences. However, it's been quite difficult to grow in susbscribers and visits. Recently, I reached 100 subscriptors, and I amazed 100 people that are interested in my content, and I show other substacks in which in 1 year they get thousands of subscriptors so thousands of visits.
I promote my articles in LinkedIn, Mastodon and other small groups around WhatsApp and Discord. But I'm not feeling that is the right place or my content is not the right one.
I would like to understand if my content is a mess in terms of topics I write about. And, secondly, what is the kind of self-promotion you do to grow.
Thanks in advanced.
Feeling good about the upcoming launch of my first “exclusive for paid” post in the new year.
Also, giving away a little Christmas present tomorrow.
I really must ask why you have not contemplated making monetization possible for writer in Latin America.
Hi Vanessa. I'm sorry, first and foremost. We have thought a lot about this, and wish it was simple. We'll definitely be working on this in the future.
Currently, our ability to support paid subscriptions in certain regions is tied to our payments provider, Stripe. Over time, we want to add more payment options. Which providers would you like us to add?
Is that a Substack issue or a Stripe issue?
🧠 I’m celebrating moving across to Substack from Beehiiv!
I’m not familiar with all the ins and outs of Substack yet, I’m just happy to be here and open to recommendation swaps! (2.5k subs, audience is mainly founders)
📙 Is there a way to get the recommendations pop up on Embeded forms as well? My newsletter is partly hosted on Wordpress https://juicyideas.com
Welcome to Substack! Great to have you here. What inspired the switch?
As for embedding a signup form with recommendations on your WordPress site, currently, our embedded signup forms don't support the recommendations feature. They're designed to simply allow new readers to subscribe to your publication. You can find the HTML code for the signup form in the Import your email list section of your Settings page --https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041759232-Can-I-embed-a-signup-form-for-my-publication-
UPDATE! I asked an engineer, and actually if you're using our embed this should work - it should show recommendations.
Thank you! What a life saver!
Thank you so much for this kind response. I know it would favor many Latin creatives and writers who also struggle with precarious systems. It would be amazing if you added PayPal. I believe - as many do - that Substack is providing a revolution, it really would me amazing for Latin America as well. In my case, Colombia. Thank you so much.
Wonderful, thank you Vanessa. Hopefully we can offer this soon!