Are you considering switching to Substack? Or do you know someone that is? Whether you are coming from another subscription service to reap the benefits of the Substack network or moving your newsletter over so you can do more with your community all in one place, today we’ll help you answer questions about bringing your content, audience, and payment relationships with you to Substack.
I tried copying the emoji from this very post. But if I move the cursor to the emoji, I have no options -- it just sits there, unfocused, until I move it.
🟧 - I'm about to port my Mailchimp mailing list over to Substack. I've been building this audience for over 7 years, and I've built trust and confidence in them by sticking to my promise of one email, every week for free. I've pruned this list of hard and soft bounces over the years, and have an open rate of 51%.
✏️ 🟧 1. I will still send out one email per week for free through Substack. I do want to ask them if they would consider going paid to support my work and get extra content. But, I worry that by jumping platforms, and asking them to pay, I'll lose a big chunk of them who don't understand that I'm not going to be charging them if they don't want to pay; ie. They'll still get a free, weekly email; just not perks, bonus material etc.
🟧 2. If I add their emails to my substack list, do they get a notification in their inbox that they have been subscribed manually? (If so, am I in danger of confusing/angering them, pushing them to unsubscribe by switching gears after so many years?)
2. When you import the list, you can choose if you want to send them a "welcome email." If you do not choose to do that, they will not receive anything until you send your next post.
It’s been four years since I moved from MailChimp to Substack and I have to say I’ve never looked back. It’s so much easier to produce a newsletter on Substack and I’ve actually found I’ve gotten many more (free) subscribers since then. The ability to gain subscribers through in-substack sharing/visibility is great. However, I definitely have struggled to get a significant number to pay. (Though most have renewed). I’m competing with a lot of other pubs in my demo that folks are also paying for. Seeing some subscription fatigue. The only downside is the analytics are much much better on Mail chip, but they are getting better all the time on Substack.
I wish all authentic writers could get paid to be authentic and write, but when there is the bait and switch, or someone begs for paid subscribers, it turns me off. I know money is whack in today's world. Totally 1000% whack. Unfair. I was great at delegating before I knew what minimum wage was. The stress involved in making a living today is sky-high and unhealthy. I don't have any answers for this. Sometimes it causes me to examine all the open pages (that are still open from months ago) and if there isn't a decent turnout, I find I don't want to read it. I have never felt comfortable pushing people to read me. Even when I published my book, I didn't want to peddle it. My dad and older brother were salesmen. I run the other way. There is one person on here I want to pay for but I haven't done it yet. There is so much that is free and illuminating in this world. It would be one thing if I had money to spare. I know I value time over money. What I really want, I CAN'T PAY FOR in this life. I never felt like I came to the planet for money. For love, yes. For self-development, yes. For being who I really am, yes. But for pushing my energy to make money to impress people I don't (or do) care about, after 13 years with cancer, it seems like distant tensions and stress I don't want. I love to love every moment of choice. In order to make money, I've learned one has to close down the choice box. I know people love my energy and the more authentic and open I am, the more some love it, and some hate it. I know I've discovered parts of life that many consider taboo and others would put at the top of their list. Would I like every woman to know what I know about identity and satisfaction? Yes. Is it my job to peddle this? I highly doubt it. I admire everyone capable of pushing forward with creating financial fulfillment with their writing. I just wish it wasn't so stressful.
That’s great! What do you write about? I’ve made my paid for offer completely unique to me so it really doesn’t compare to others who do similar work...
We're a magazine of all things Gen-X women in midlife :-) tuenight.substack.com - in fact, not only have I only consolidated my newsletter on substack but really the whole publication. Now I'm trying to figure out how to retire my dot com (tuenight.com) which just feels like double publishing
The double publishing is a conundrum isn't it - I paused on it for a while due to SEO but now it's all here and I'm slowly building my website up to better represent the work I'm doing here...
Very similar situation. 10 years on MC with 10,000 readers, 50% open rate, two emails a month. I’m also wondering if there is GDPR to consider or whether by opting in to hear from me on MC it’s perfectly legal to change where the emails come from.
Precisely - I don't want to accidentally contravene any regulations in the process of porting them over. As you say, they legally opted in when they signed up, but they didn't technically opt-in to SS, only MC. It's still coming from the same person/business they signed up for.
My feeling is, it would be the same as switching over to ConstantContact, or FloDesk, or something similar, right? Do we need to opt everyone in again with GDPR-compliant methods?
I just drafted a message to my existing MC subscribers explaining the switch. Hopefully it doesn't lead to much churn.
That is my thinking… same business / person and I don’t plan to make changes to the style or frequency of my free newsletters, just adding the option for more paid content. Good luck sending out your message! There’s so many benefits for your readers (being able to comment on newsletters is a top one for me) that I’m sure it’ll be a mostly positive response.
I think GDPR is different world wide? I told my subscribers I was switching mailing list providers and then moved them with a clear line to unsubscribe... I think that's ok for us in the UK.
My question exactly! Want to switch to SS from MC after 13 years (!). I publish every two weeks. My biggest question right now is how to tell my subscribers I am making the switch. Is it best practices to publish our newsletters via both platforms for several weeks - before dropping MC?
Hi Jason, I'm in a very similar position (although only a 43% open rate after 9 years). On Thursday I will click send on our first SS based newsletter. I prepped readers with a little announcement at the end of my last monthly newsletter that linked to a SS post they could read if they wanted more info.
Neither post was sent directly to their email inboxes (you can select to do this for any post you like). It was my way of not pushing the issue. Folks that want to can get the info they need and choose to support me but I don't need to fill the traditional newsletter with marketing hype.
So far I haven't seen an uptick in unsubscribes and I already have a handful of paying subscribers without actually asking them to do so yet. Hopefully it all goes even better on Thursday.
Good luck with it. If you treat your readers with respect, as it seems you do, then it should work out very well for you.
Perhaps consider waiting some time after moving to substack to ask for a sub fee. For example, get them over, keep publishing your content for at least a month, maybe longer, then transition into asking for payment. that way, it's not all of a sudden and looks less like bait and switch
I moved my newsletter list over here in August. Like you, I'd worked hard to build trust with my audience, so I was concerned. I made sure the first email they received when I moved them over explained where they were and why they were here. I focused on the benefit to them (interaction with other readers, finding new content from other writers, etc.). I typically post more than once a week, so I spent the first few weeks giving them a lot of free content before I flipped the switch. Yes, I lost some subscribers, but my open rate is higher here than it was and my mailing list is growing at a faster rate on Substack. All this to say, I'm happy I took the leap and I recommend it to all my writer friends.
I’ve just moved a mailing list for a client and I edited the automated welcome email so it made sense to them then two days later sent the regular news via Substack. The design is very similar to the mailchimp version (but nicer).
I’m interested to see open rates - I’ll give them a week!
I haven’t turned on paid for the client but the pledge button exists and I think it’s is slightly confusing BUT my plan is to talk more about it and add to the footer to explain more about Substack is because I doubt a single one of them has heard of it.
With my own Substack I introduced paywall very gently and consciously... as I really believe paywall content is new to my readers. None of us were on medium or pay to read media elsewhere...
✏️ Hi all. I've noticed recently that if I like someone's article I get a pop-up asking if I want to take out a paid subscription. I don't really like this. I've paused payments on my substack at the moment (health reasons) but is there a way in settings of turning this off? If people are harangued for payment just to like something then it could dissuade engagement.
Or can you substack folk show me stats to say that it is wildly successful at converting?
🧠 I've been using Substack to bring articles I'd previously written to a wider audience. I'm a freelance writer, and I'd been publishing guides for freelancers are content creators on my portfolio website in the "blog" section.
But, I wasn't getting much engagement there - the posts were doing fine in search, but there wasn't really any feedback or indications that readers were getting anything out of them. So, I decided to move to Substack, and it's been revelatory, for a few reasons:
- I can write in a much more personable tone and speak to people directly. Although my posts are focused on running a successful content creation business, I can make the tone less business like, and more like "we're in this together, let's figure it out." This makes the posts more of a joy to write.
- I can get immediate feedback on my posts, through likes, shares, and comments. This inspired me to keep writing. Some comments have also created ideas for new posts.
- I don't have to mess around with things like website optimization, formatting, etc. Substack does all of that, and does it will. It reduces the admin overhead, so I can focus on the creativity.
- All of my content is currently free, but in the six weeks I've been doing this, I have also picked up a handful of paid subscribers - bonus!
- The discipline of regular publishing does a huge amount to get me to sit down and actually write.
Overall, moving to Substack has been a great experience. I wish I'd done it sooner!
🟧 ✏️ I'm brand new to substack, and I've got a lot to learn about using it and maximizing its potential to grow my business. For now, I'm most interested in using it to test short istories, including Flash, that aren't in the main stream of the novels I write. The objective is to see if there's enough of a audience to go all in with them. They're all for western historical fiction.
🟧✏️ Thank you so much for this space! This is long and huge. TLDR: My writing is a Jackson Pollock splatter painting from 37 years of writing that I don’t know how to best organize on here. *tiny-cat voice: help meeeee!*
Also. I was agented and working through a revision for a Big 5 editor when brain traumas 2-4 happened. This option is probably not for me. I HATE what the Amazon/socials algorithm rigamarole does to my author friends. I’d love to find ONE home that works with my health demands and what I write. Hence why I’m here.
I’m migrating 6 years of publishing my ginormous blog experiment (which I was getting feedback and gut feelings that I should probably segregate by topic once I gained a rhythm) and from another platform where I tried my hand at serializing one of the gobs of novels collecting cyber-dust in my computer. That’s been fun but it’s the wrong platform.
I’ve had some people say, “OMG these are really different audiences with different goals. You need to have multiple Substacks.” And I’ve had others say, “No, just use Sections. Don’t compete with yourself.” Here is what I’m going to be gradually migrating (NOT in a Go-All one click), and the infancy of its initial setup:
Under my 30 year dance stage name, Isidora Hart:
--My 5 Elements dance system, which mutated into the...life system that keeps me organized, inspired, healthy and as sane as I can get in a world that often looks insane to me. 🤪 Art, nature, creative process, health, curiosity, tools & toys for work/play.
I have never wanted to publish my fiction or memoirs under my dance name, esp because it all covers NSFW and 18+ topics, and the memoirs are not primarily about being a dancer. I’m equally a writer and a martial artist.
So under this Stack, Alexx Hart:
--My Damsel to Dangerous memoirs: the journey from doormat & punching bag to black belt & beyond. So this has a lot of touchy topics like domestic violence, childhood abuse & bullying (undiagnosed neurodivergent on CPTSD), the whole gamut of the MeToo arena, and everything I do to deal with all of that.
--Interwoven in that is my 22 year journey with 4 brain traumas (drunk driver, assault, the year of chronic seizures it gave me, and another rear ending) and bodily injury while being a professional, internationally touring dancer and long term martial artist. Again, touchy topics--like anything regarding disability is.
--My fiction that revolves around similar topics, set in Earth-based, modern eras.
One of the biggest questions:
It was heavily suggested that I create a separate publication under this name to serialize my Fantasy fiction:
--The novels & novellas all set in Greek mythology.
--My sprawling fantasy Gladiatrix series
--My other series: Mists of Avalon meets Memoirs of a Geisha set in Brigadooned feudal mixmash islands.
--That other series about the psi-experimenting Fascist society that accidentally blows up said islands.
--Yes, all my worlds are actually a multiverse.
So I’m still dealing with many of the same topics, just through the lens of fantastical fiction. I’m already going to have to put these different worlds into Sections. If I want them posted in the Library 😻🙏🤓 I’ll have to have a Section for each book. 😱😱😱😱 I would require drop down menus for my drop down menus if I put all that in one Stack.
So there’s the Pollock painting. We’ll see how much of this I can ever publish before I die. But I need to set it up correctly before I start loading anything.
Thoughts? (“Just pick ONE thing” is not an option. This is a long haul game, and I hear this is the place for that.) This is why I require clones. 🤪🙃🤓 If you got this far, thank youuuuuuu!!!!!!
Hey Alexx, welcome! There is a lot going on here. I'd encourage you to start experimenting with sections and listen to your audience. What do they want more of? Less of? Who's reading what and what do they enjoy most?
Hi there! Well, my old audience (who haven’t much followed me over here yet because I’m still really just trying to figure out setup) said to segregate in the way I mentioned. Which is why I originally did it. But half the feedback I’m getting here says not to at all, whereas the other half says that I need to segregate more. I have started putting things into sections, but that hasn’t changed anything.
If I just start loading things places and see what happens, if I need to migrate things from one Substack to another is that able to be done in 1 click?
🟧 - I'm having a technical problem and am unable to find how I can reach out to someone from substack. I checked this page https://substack.com/contact and it didn't help. How can I find support? I'll write about the issue here anyway, in case someone sees this:
I have a particular blog post in drafts that keeps refreshing every 2-3 seconds, ever since I've changed my website theme. Because of the constant refreshes I'm unable to write on it. It is the only post in my drafts that is doing this, and it doesn't have any video/images on it. How do I fix this? Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks, but how do I share it? The secret draft link works perfectly, the post only refreshes when I'm actually writing it. It's titled "My Favourite Video Games" on my dashboard if that helps.
I don't see anything strange going on. Is this is the only post you've had this issue with? Have you tried in a different browser of with incognito mode?
Good point, I checked the post in both Firefox and Chrome incognito, and there's no problems there. Yeah, this is the only post, and only in my current Chrome settings for some reason. If you have ideas about why it might be happening do let me know, but I think I can write this one in Firefox so it shouldn't be an issue. Thanks for your help Aaron!
🧠 - My substack is all about Christianity in the original sense of the Word without the unnecessary frills of worldly wisdoms. I would be glad if l could find like minded writers here that would like to collaborate with for something meaningful....
✏️Ever since I joined Substack, I have had a lofty goal of generating revenue for myself and living a better life as a student, all while making my mother proud. 😨 I searched high and low for jobs that could help me achieve this, but unfortunately, I was met with rejection and unresponsive employers. Some individuals even suggested getting involved in fraudulent activities, but I consistently refused, knowing that my conscience would haunt me regardless of any luxurious lifestyle I might obtain. Moreover, I value my reputation and would rather endure hardship than engage in actions that would taint it. Instead, I decided to focus on developing my writing skills, as I have a deep yearning for it. I greatly admire the creative abilities of those who can produce exceptional content on various topics. Despite not considering myself innately gifted in this area, I have been working diligently to improve my writing skills. In addition to studying electrical and electronics engineering at school, I have extensively read about economics and marketing, which has further fueled my passion for writing. The ever-emerging world of technology has particularly boosted my confidence in pursuing writing as a career. AI tools have proven to be immensely helpful in my writing process, aiding me in conducting research and publishing my work. As a young and aspiring entrepreneur, my ultimate passion lies in empowering individuals, helping them discover their strengths, and unlocking their full potential through the power of digital content creation.
With honour and respect, I really need an advice because I'm currently having a dilemma and this is navigating me to some things I have never done. How do I reach my goal with substack?
Quick question: When I import the CSV file from my other newsletter program, it looks like Substack will send out my welcome email right when I import the CSV. Is that true? If so, I don't want to import the CSV until the Welcome note is totally set, right? 🟧
✏️ Hello! I’d love and appreciate feedback on my short description. Is it clear? I’ll gladly return the favor for anyone who kindly (and constructively) critiques it!
Because the characters are so limited I screen shot mine and sat with it a little, sent to a few friends and clients and then also screen shot other people I admire and looked at how they’d articulated it. It’s nice that you’ve written “Hi Im Beth” but do you need that?
You could put 👋 and save the characters for something else?
YES! Thank you so much for this thoughtful feedback, Claire. I'm a big fan of the waving hand emoji! 👋😸
I really like how yours is smaller bites of information. I want to try that instead of my lengthy run-on sentence. You could save characters if you wanted to say "fascinated by" instead of "with." Probably not necessary though! Thanks again! 💐
Hey Beth — first off, I love the title of your Substack: "Notes from your Beth friend!" So delightful.
Regarding your short description, do you mean this: "Welcome to Introvert Drawing Club! 💐🐢 I'm an illustrator hosting fun drawing sessions and documenting my process in writing, photos, and videos."
Your description is really clear. For brevity, you could probably get away with removing the "Welcome to" part.
I do though wonder about the "Introvert Drawing Club" vs "Notes From Your Beth Friend." It almost seems like there are competing titles for your publication (both of which are fantastic). "Drawing Club" is more aligned with your content focus though.
This is wonderful feedback -- thank you! I've just launched Introvert Drawing Club, and was thinking it would be a section of Notes from Your Beth Friend. But if the first few session are well attended, I imagine changing my title.
As promised, I checked out your short description, which is clear and descriptive. Have you thought of moving "I love to help" to the end, or adding what you love to help so it's a bit less vague?
I admire your mission and look forward to your newsletters!
I accidentally set up two accounts. How do I get rid of the second one, the redundant one, michaelgurian626, without deleting the correct one, michaelgurian?
Perhaps I'm atypical, but I'm not on Substack for the money. The little I could earn here won't make a difference in my life. But I very much care about getting my ideas out to the world, and I just don't know how to do that.
I am the same as you as far as the money. I also don't have a need to get my ideas out as such. But I like to write and it gives me great pleasure to think that other people like what i write. I started with 25 family and friends and now have 340 subscribers (all unpaid) and find that pleasing.
🟧 - Any plans to have a code editor (not the one that's available now which is too limited) so we can add code with proper code formatting and additional features available on other platforms which support displaying code? At the moment, I'm having to create images with the code to show in the articles. As there are more and more technical/coding writers, this is becoming really important for us. It's a significant problem and restriction, at the moment
Dear Substack friends, In the near future, I intend to set up a free Substack account just to be able to discuss topics of mutual interest with far-flung friends.
For RIGHT NOW, however, I need to DELETE an account that was automatically generated FOR ME when I went through some portal to answer someone's online question about something.
Can someone there please get back to me and assist me in this task, which I know will be simple for you. This Substack account is linked to this email address.
🟧Hello! Our nonprofit is launching a newsletter to have an organized way of communicating with our community. We operate globally and would need to provide content in 6 language translations (and likely more later). We've looked into Substack Sections but found that getting everyone to edit their subscription options in settings is a little challenging. Are there other options you would advise us to try? Thank you!!
Hi Katie, thanks for your insights! We'll probably go with creating a different Substack so that there are separate subscribe buttons.
As for idea/feedback, would it be possible for the Substack team to create separate subscribe buttons for each section? Not only would that make it easier for writers to publish multilingual content, but it would also allow all writers to direct their audience to a specific section.
I'm having trouble using Substack - need help. What I want to do is write whatever in Chapters and e-mail them to my list of e-mails that I can add to anytime. I will get comments back from who I sent the emails to and maybe from Substack as well. Eventually i will have several chapters and it will lead to paid subs or possibly books.
Did you get my response saying that the url you provided came up "unauthorized". That's the only word. Tried on firefox and safari. Where can we go from here. Could you contact me directly please or provide a working tech support email. Please. I really love working on Substack and want to expand, but I cant until I can make it reliable for me.
✏️ I’m already switching over, but I have a problem that I hope somebody can solve for me. Is there any way to edit an existing post from my phone? I’ve tried in both the app and from the web, and can’t see any way to do that. Which really sucks when I’m out somewhere and realize I need to fix a typo or clarify something. I’m not a newbie in technology at all, but maybe there is something obvious I am overlooking. :)
If you go to the mobile web and click on the top right menu (hamburger), you can see Writer Dashboard. That’ll take you to posts where you can edit any existing article then update it.
I've been on Substack for a year and I LOVE it, but I'm willing to admit that my lack of a desire for any kind of genre is making my current Substack a little bit of a mess in places. This is particularly the case with my writing about writing, which has little to do with the theme of the rest of my writing.
I'm a high school English teacher and I have no desire to leave the classroom right now. I'm working my way back into loving what I do, I'm good at it, and it is stable employment. But I want to think about the future, when my kids are out of the house in eight years and we consider what being empty nesters looks like. I would also like to supplement our income with both my regular writing and possibly something else that could grow into a genuine side-gig.
Like I said, I'm good at teaching writing, not the business of writing, the actual act of writing. I'm contemplating spending a day (because I really only want to spend a day on this) over my summer break starting a second (or third, if you count my podcast) Substack for just my writing about writing and moving the writing I've already done about writing on my current Substack over.
While I would continue to give book updates on my current Substack, I could slowly build a newsletter solely dedicated to the act of writing. I don't see me doing it regularly. Instead, I would do it as I had time or as the inspiration hits.
I hope all of this makes sense. Any thoughts? Words of Wisdom?
Hey Sarah, have you thought about pivoting or expanding your current Substack?
Elle Griffin is a great example who has changes corse a few times and effectively communicated to her audience. Here are a few examples of when she has done that:
Might be difficult to carve a niche but one thing you could do is have a throughline for your work so that although it veers this way and that, there’s something that anchors the work.
You can also add tags to your posts and put those tags on your navigation bar to organize things.
I’m slowly realising how tags and sections can work so beautifully for my multi hyphen career and my writing and podcasts here. It’s really changed everything. I wrote about it in my Friday email a couple of weeks back. Cx
Have you thought about sections? And having one broad thing that emcompasses everything. Like, my substack is all about the intersection of craft and commerce, but that means I can talk about craft, commerce, or anything in between. Then, I have specific sections with other things.
I get around 5% of my emails that are not delivered. I don't know why. I understand when an email is delivered but not opened, or a very few are dropped. What should I do with those that are not delivered? Ignore them and hope they will be delivered later, or on the next email? I shouldn't delete them, right? Would appreciate any pointers -- thank you.
Hey David, there are a number of reasons why an email might be delivering. It might have to do with the subscribers email host, for example. We're working on some tools that will help you better understand email delivery and opens for your subscribers. Stay tuned.
🟧 - Hello, I've been writing for over a year and encountered my first week of not being able to post my full newsletter this week due to technical issues. I received a network error and a post too long message. I was able to post half my newsletter after much struggle but when I now go back to try an edit and add parts that were not allowed in initially I still receive these two messages. I don't know how to trouble shoot this problem as googling and substacks internal help area has not helped.
Is there a community of tech support that I can talk with somewhere? I sent messages to Substack but after three days of the same messages am becoming increasingly worried.
🧠 So far I've been pretty amazed by my switch to Substack. I've never had any audience to speak of for my little blog posts, which are rare anyway. I added a few friends to my substack (about 5) and thought that might be my only audience for all time, but then I posted one insignificant comment on Office Hours, and suddenly I now have 19 people who want to see my writing in their inboxes. 19! There is nothing more motivating for me to write, I have to be honest, than when people consider it to be worthy of a space in their email inbox. I'm absolutely thrilled!
🟧 I’m in the UK and am in the process (hopefully) of creating a number of Substack publications for various related but associated organisations. This will involve multiple contributors. I’m looking for a UK based tech person who I can talk to about how best to achieve this.
I have personal Substack blog which has gone from zero to fifty in six months. I also run a Mailchimp newsletter for a local association. While not private, it's certainly not something that a wider geographic audience would care about. Anyone have experience running that kind of thing on Substack?
Partially answering my own question, I guess I could keep the stuff like meeting minutes and announcements email only. I could look at moving the website over here too. But Wordpress still has features I use that are not on Substack yet. Embeds and plugins, to name but two. And on the Mailchimp side, there are things like audience segments.
I have a question outside the box about content. Under the settings link, then the website tab, I added a new link (let's call it football) to the navigation bar. I can't see how to add posts under the new link (football). The pages section doesn't seem to be the right path to tie a post to the navigation bar.
First verify that the new link is actually a new "Section." You can add both Pages and Sections to the nav bar. I just checked and it looks like you have have added page links.
I don't think I want a new section. I added Football and Baseball to the navigation bar (https://fantasyanalyst.substack.com/). I thought a could separate some of the content into two tabs. They show on my homepage.
✏️ ❓❓❓On plane so don't know if Hours still open but I have a question re Sections that keeps stumping me. How do you get the Logo/Name of the publication to show up in the emails? I would think that after entering the "Title" and "Newsletter Logo" it would happen but that's just for the main title page of the section not even the web link. I'd be fine if I could even just have at least the logo next to the titles in the posts for that section just like you have calendar image above next to "Writer's Office Hours". I like the idea of Sections but to get it to work the way I want it seems I have to create a new publication instead? Any Section experts out there? I'd be happy to pay for your time to guide me through this. ❓❓❓
🟧 Question on CSV file of my current newsletter subscribers and importing them into Substack. Will Substack automatically send my Welcome email message to all subscribers in the CSV file when I import them? That's how I'm reading the instructions from Substack. If so, I don't want to import the file until I'm 100% ready.
Here's why I like Substack. I'm 87 years old and I'm not trying to make money from my posts. But since Substack doesn't charge maintenance fees, my posts will be there for posterity even when I'm gone --for the foreseeable future anyway. I have proposed a more permanent solution to the problem of preserving one's writing at my Substack "The Perpetual Digital Archive" at https://paulabrahams.substack.com/p/the-perpetual-public-digital-archive. Unfortunately, in the context I'm writing this in, I can't insert a link as I would in a post.
I use a Galaxy Note 10 with Aquamail software. I thought it was only me but recently a subscriber, also with an amdroid, said he had the same problem. I'll be gad to send a screenshot [of the vast blankness] if there is a way to do it. And thank you so much for responding.
🟧 asking a question I hope the Substack team can help answer: I'm trying to get started. Made my first try at signing up and now have a substack named Nan's Substack. I would like to name it something else. How do I rename?
Yes. And my second question is about how paid members are counted. Why hasn’t anyone responded to my questions after so many days? Today is the 4th business day since my initial submission.
Just checking in to see if there is an answer to this question and wondering what accounts for the slow response from the official Substack support channel. You and Matt Shaw are the only people I've heard from at Substack all week. It feels like I'm having to work too hard and wait too long for help. What is the typical response time from support? I would expect 12-24 hours max but it feels like the pace is more in the 5-10 day range at this point. Please advise.
This is what I submitted to support two days ago but haven't heard back yet. I'd love to get an answer if you know:
Observation: Substack tracks and displays the number of paid subscribers to publications and then indicates status with a badge according to that stat.
Question: if a single person or organization uses the Group payment option to purchase, for example, 6 paid memberships using a single credit card does that count as 6 paid memberships for the purposes of the profile badge or 1 paid membership?
Is that different than support@substack.zendesk.com or do they both go to the same place? I have corresponded with support via the Zendesk email in the past. Both of my current requests were received at the Zendesk email and an automated acknowledgement was sent back to me; just no answer from anyone. Is the Zendesk email non-functional?
🟧 I've been using Blog/Medium and considering substack since there are writers here I like. We will be publishing on behalf of our user community across nine distinct topic areas. When can I get an overview, including onboarding and support?
🟧 ✏️Hello! I am planning to start a fiction blog and I am considering Substack vs. an independent blog. With Substack you have the benefit of subscriptions but lose the ability to have advertising, sponsorships, affiliate links and e-comm (store). Is it possible to have both? I could publish content on SS first and my own site two weeks later, to give subscribers the benefit of seeing the content first. Anyone have thoughts on this? Thank you.
Hey Elizabeth, there is a vibrant community of fiction writers on Substack. I encourage you to get to know them: https://fictionistas.substack.com/
Substack is not an email marketing platform. We don’t permit publications that are set up with the sole purpose of advertising an external product or service, distributing offers and promotions, or similar activity.
We believe strongly in the power of the subscription model. The ad model demands that writers attract 40,000 page views every day to earn just $1,000 a month. With the Substack model, a steady base of 1,000 subscribers paying $5 each month earns you $60,000 per year.
Thank you so much, Katie. I appreciate your pointing that out. While I have always had the goal of writing fiction just for people to enjoy, I do have to be practical and sustain a living. I'm hoping that Substack can help me realize my dream of doing this through fiction writing. I'm also exploring WattPad, Kindle Vella, etc. Seeking the right platform and I will engage with the other fiction writers for their thoughts and advice!
I can't figure out how to copy the right emoji - I don't have an emoji keyboard.
I want to import stories from Medium, but the Substack editor is lame compared with the one at Medium. Specifically, I want to mark divisions in my article, but not with named sections. Dropped capitals serve this function well. The Medium editor has them; the Substack editor does not. Are there any good substitutions until the cavalry arrives?
Currently I use a level 1 header with a row of stars. But that, or anything that takes up a separate line, is more disruptive to the flow than a dropped capital. I hope dropped capitals get implemented -- I'm a bit surprised that they aren't already there, given how common they are elsewhere.
✏️🟧 - New here and exploring. Unfortunately, I’m not receiving any response from Substack support regarding questions I submitted days ago. Is Substack support always this slow? No one responded to my Note about this issue in the community either. Not what I expected. -- https://substack.com/profile/99922444-tony-mars/note/c-16508139
🟧 speaking with a number of academic societies I wonder if substack has given any thoughts to academic publication hosting as its already far more accessible. A combination of a more simplified and accessible article and a more detailed journal.
✏️ when starting out what have you found to be the best tool to connect with other writers?
Best connection tool has been showing up to Office Hours and being a thoughtful commenter on people’s posts.
There are already people hosting substacks as collectives and not individuals so I’m not sure there’s an issues with an academic publication starting here.
✏️ 🟧 Given the fact that the GDPR disallows Brits to bring over subscribers unless they have opted in, I was wondering if anyone has hit upon a great way of enticing lots of people over. Thanks
When they opt in to your list on one platform, you have the ability to bring them to another platform. So, you are good to bring them to substack if they have opted in on Mailchimp or whatever.
Oh no, does it? I didn’t know that. If you’re offering the same content under the same terms but just switching provider (eg from SquareSpace to Substack) wouldn’t that be ok because you aren’t using the data for anything they haven’t already opted in for? (Thanks for raising this btw)
Sorry, I should have clarified. (I'm not an expert, btw). When I've switched newsletter companies, like from aweber to mailerlite, I told subscribers I was doing it so that they would know to look out for a different email format, and in case they wanted to take the opportunity to opt out. But I also asked them to opt in when I emailed them, so I could prove that everything was above board. In Substack you have to tick a box saying that you have their permission to add them. But I didn't lose sleep because it was all the same subject matter, which sounds like your situation.
The challenge for me is that my substack newsletter is much broader in scope, so my subscribers on mailerlite definitely have NOT opted to receive all the extra stuff, so I have to entice them somehow.
Thanks, Kathy. I've tried a couple of times, hoping people will come over because lots of them like my writing and loads have been with me for years, but it's been a bit of a thankless task. I am beginning to think I should bribe them in some way, like offering a lead magnet of some sort.
Okay... Outside sponsorships are against the TOS. I am aware of that. So that is not what I am asking about.
What I want to check on is this... I want to offer taglines and exposure in my newsletter in exchange for reviews and feedback from those who play test my newsletter game. No money exchanged, just services. Is Substack going to have a problem with that?
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.
How do I insert the emojis?
I copied/pasted it
I tried copying the emoji from this very post. But if I move the cursor to the emoji, I have no options -- it just sits there, unfocused, until I move it.
Ctrl alt space will bring up emojis list on desktop on my Mac.
✏️ I copied & pasted an emoji on Substack. I put the cursor point on the emoji, then double-clicked the LEFT mouse button. Then CTRL + V to paste.
How do I use an emoji? Copy it?
Yes, I did
🟧 - I'm about to port my Mailchimp mailing list over to Substack. I've been building this audience for over 7 years, and I've built trust and confidence in them by sticking to my promise of one email, every week for free. I've pruned this list of hard and soft bounces over the years, and have an open rate of 51%.
✏️ 🟧 1. I will still send out one email per week for free through Substack. I do want to ask them if they would consider going paid to support my work and get extra content. But, I worry that by jumping platforms, and asking them to pay, I'll lose a big chunk of them who don't understand that I'm not going to be charging them if they don't want to pay; ie. They'll still get a free, weekly email; just not perks, bonus material etc.
🟧 2. If I add their emails to my substack list, do they get a notification in their inbox that they have been subscribed manually? (If so, am I in danger of confusing/angering them, pushing them to unsubscribe by switching gears after so many years?)
Hey Jason,
First off 51% open rate is very impressive!
1. This is where I think a great announcement post can come in to clearly explain what subscribers get.
This is one of the most detailed announcement posts I've seen explaining free vs paid perks: https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-new-burnt-toast
I love how Carissa Potter explains the perks visually on her about page: https://peopleiveloved.substack.com/about
Here you can find some more examples: https://on.substack.com/i/121859358/step-make-an-announcement
2. When you import the list, you can choose if you want to send them a "welcome email." If you do not choose to do that, they will not receive anything until you send your next post.
Thanks so much, Katie. Very helpful, as always!
I'll check out Carissa, Virginia and the other examples you pointed to. I'm thankful I'm not alone on this one!
It’s been four years since I moved from MailChimp to Substack and I have to say I’ve never looked back. It’s so much easier to produce a newsletter on Substack and I’ve actually found I’ve gotten many more (free) subscribers since then. The ability to gain subscribers through in-substack sharing/visibility is great. However, I definitely have struggled to get a significant number to pay. (Though most have renewed). I’m competing with a lot of other pubs in my demo that folks are also paying for. Seeing some subscription fatigue. The only downside is the analytics are much much better on Mail chip, but they are getting better all the time on Substack.
I wish all authentic writers could get paid to be authentic and write, but when there is the bait and switch, or someone begs for paid subscribers, it turns me off. I know money is whack in today's world. Totally 1000% whack. Unfair. I was great at delegating before I knew what minimum wage was. The stress involved in making a living today is sky-high and unhealthy. I don't have any answers for this. Sometimes it causes me to examine all the open pages (that are still open from months ago) and if there isn't a decent turnout, I find I don't want to read it. I have never felt comfortable pushing people to read me. Even when I published my book, I didn't want to peddle it. My dad and older brother were salesmen. I run the other way. There is one person on here I want to pay for but I haven't done it yet. There is so much that is free and illuminating in this world. It would be one thing if I had money to spare. I know I value time over money. What I really want, I CAN'T PAY FOR in this life. I never felt like I came to the planet for money. For love, yes. For self-development, yes. For being who I really am, yes. But for pushing my energy to make money to impress people I don't (or do) care about, after 13 years with cancer, it seems like distant tensions and stress I don't want. I love to love every moment of choice. In order to make money, I've learned one has to close down the choice box. I know people love my energy and the more authentic and open I am, the more some love it, and some hate it. I know I've discovered parts of life that many consider taboo and others would put at the top of their list. Would I like every woman to know what I know about identity and satisfaction? Yes. Is it my job to peddle this? I highly doubt it. I admire everyone capable of pushing forward with creating financial fulfillment with their writing. I just wish it wasn't so stressful.
That’s great! What do you write about? I’ve made my paid for offer completely unique to me so it really doesn’t compare to others who do similar work...
We're a magazine of all things Gen-X women in midlife :-) tuenight.substack.com - in fact, not only have I only consolidated my newsletter on substack but really the whole publication. Now I'm trying to figure out how to retire my dot com (tuenight.com) which just feels like double publishing
I took mine and pointed it here. I figured that website was on so many things out there that I didn't want to lose those leads.
Yes, I think I’m going to do a redirect too. Also, Hi Jen Mann!! :-)
Hi, Margit Detweiler!
The double publishing is a conundrum isn't it - I paused on it for a while due to SEO but now it's all here and I'm slowly building my website up to better represent the work I'm doing here...
Jason, I’m in the very same boat (wanting to shift to SS from MC) and have similar questions. Thank you!!
Very similar situation. 10 years on MC with 10,000 readers, 50% open rate, two emails a month. I’m also wondering if there is GDPR to consider or whether by opting in to hear from me on MC it’s perfectly legal to change where the emails come from.
Precisely - I don't want to accidentally contravene any regulations in the process of porting them over. As you say, they legally opted in when they signed up, but they didn't technically opt-in to SS, only MC. It's still coming from the same person/business they signed up for.
My feeling is, it would be the same as switching over to ConstantContact, or FloDesk, or something similar, right? Do we need to opt everyone in again with GDPR-compliant methods?
I just drafted a message to my existing MC subscribers explaining the switch. Hopefully it doesn't lead to much churn.
PS. 50%. Nice!
That is my thinking… same business / person and I don’t plan to make changes to the style or frequency of my free newsletters, just adding the option for more paid content. Good luck sending out your message! There’s so many benefits for your readers (being able to comment on newsletters is a top one for me) that I’m sure it’ll be a mostly positive response.
I think GDPR is different world wide? I told my subscribers I was switching mailing list providers and then moved them with a clear line to unsubscribe... I think that's ok for us in the UK.
Claire - Do you charge for the subscription?
No I don’t! Not on MC. I will offer a paid tier on Substack but will keep a free option that is essentially what people were receiving on MC.
My question exactly! Want to switch to SS from MC after 13 years (!). I publish every two weeks. My biggest question right now is how to tell my subscribers I am making the switch. Is it best practices to publish our newsletters via both platforms for several weeks - before dropping MC?
I’ve just moved one over for a client this week - see comment above. The first automated welcome email is your friend!
Hi Jason, I'm in a very similar position (although only a 43% open rate after 9 years). On Thursday I will click send on our first SS based newsletter. I prepped readers with a little announcement at the end of my last monthly newsletter that linked to a SS post they could read if they wanted more info.
https://open.substack.com/pub/leafrootfruit/p/its-time-for-change?utm_source=direct&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
This month's email will also have a link to another SS post essentially explaining why I'd like them to support me financially.
https://open.substack.com/pub/leafrootfruit/p/a-guide-to-making-the-most-out-of?utm_source=direct&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Neither post was sent directly to their email inboxes (you can select to do this for any post you like). It was my way of not pushing the issue. Folks that want to can get the info they need and choose to support me but I don't need to fill the traditional newsletter with marketing hype.
So far I haven't seen an uptick in unsubscribes and I already have a handful of paying subscribers without actually asking them to do so yet. Hopefully it all goes even better on Thursday.
Good luck with it. If you treat your readers with respect, as it seems you do, then it should work out very well for you.
Excellent method. I think I'll replicate this. Thank you!
Hi Jason,
Perhaps consider waiting some time after moving to substack to ask for a sub fee. For example, get them over, keep publishing your content for at least a month, maybe longer, then transition into asking for payment. that way, it's not all of a sudden and looks less like bait and switch
Good advice!
I moved my newsletter list over here in August. Like you, I'd worked hard to build trust with my audience, so I was concerned. I made sure the first email they received when I moved them over explained where they were and why they were here. I focused on the benefit to them (interaction with other readers, finding new content from other writers, etc.). I typically post more than once a week, so I spent the first few weeks giving them a lot of free content before I flipped the switch. Yes, I lost some subscribers, but my open rate is higher here than it was and my mailing list is growing at a faster rate on Substack. All this to say, I'm happy I took the leap and I recommend it to all my writer friends.
So helpful, Jen. Thank you -- and congratulations on your success!
I’ve just moved a mailing list for a client and I edited the automated welcome email so it made sense to them then two days later sent the regular news via Substack. The design is very similar to the mailchimp version (but nicer).
I’m interested to see open rates - I’ll give them a week!
I haven’t turned on paid for the client but the pledge button exists and I think it’s is slightly confusing BUT my plan is to talk more about it and add to the footer to explain more about Substack is because I doubt a single one of them has heard of it.
With my own Substack I introduced paywall very gently and consciously... as I really believe paywall content is new to my readers. None of us were on medium or pay to read media elsewhere...
Hey Claire, you know you can turn the pledge feature off? It's in publication settings>payments
✏️ Hi all. I've noticed recently that if I like someone's article I get a pop-up asking if I want to take out a paid subscription. I don't really like this. I've paused payments on my substack at the moment (health reasons) but is there a way in settings of turning this off? If people are harangued for payment just to like something then it could dissuade engagement.
Or can you substack folk show me stats to say that it is wildly successful at converting?
It’s something in the publication settings that allows pop ups (pretty sure). I have mine turned off because I don’t like being prompted.
Oooh I would love to know where to find this, exactly.
It’s under Publication Details in Settings in your Writer Dashboard. There’s a switch for subscribe prompts.
Thanks. I will turn that off on mine too
Aha! Got it. Merci !!!
🧠 I've been using Substack to bring articles I'd previously written to a wider audience. I'm a freelance writer, and I'd been publishing guides for freelancers are content creators on my portfolio website in the "blog" section.
But, I wasn't getting much engagement there - the posts were doing fine in search, but there wasn't really any feedback or indications that readers were getting anything out of them. So, I decided to move to Substack, and it's been revelatory, for a few reasons:
- I can write in a much more personable tone and speak to people directly. Although my posts are focused on running a successful content creation business, I can make the tone less business like, and more like "we're in this together, let's figure it out." This makes the posts more of a joy to write.
- I can get immediate feedback on my posts, through likes, shares, and comments. This inspired me to keep writing. Some comments have also created ideas for new posts.
- I don't have to mess around with things like website optimization, formatting, etc. Substack does all of that, and does it will. It reduces the admin overhead, so I can focus on the creativity.
- All of my content is currently free, but in the six weeks I've been doing this, I have also picked up a handful of paid subscribers - bonus!
- The discipline of regular publishing does a huge amount to get me to sit down and actually write.
Overall, moving to Substack has been a great experience. I wish I'd done it sooner!
-
Paul - Did you start out free and then started charging your audience?
People have always had the option to pay - but I do not have anything behind a paywall.
Got it thanks.
🟧 ✏️ I'm brand new to substack, and I've got a lot to learn about using it and maximizing its potential to grow my business. For now, I'm most interested in using it to test short istories, including Flash, that aren't in the main stream of the novels I write. The objective is to see if there's enough of a audience to go all in with them. They're all for western historical fiction.
Welcome Carol! You might enjoy getting to know the writers in the Fictionista community https://fictionistas.substack.com/
Why is "Substack" flagged as a spelling error?
😂 right?!
🟧✏️ Thank you so much for this space! This is long and huge. TLDR: My writing is a Jackson Pollock splatter painting from 37 years of writing that I don’t know how to best organize on here. *tiny-cat voice: help meeeee!*
Also. I was agented and working through a revision for a Big 5 editor when brain traumas 2-4 happened. This option is probably not for me. I HATE what the Amazon/socials algorithm rigamarole does to my author friends. I’d love to find ONE home that works with my health demands and what I write. Hence why I’m here.
I’m migrating 6 years of publishing my ginormous blog experiment (which I was getting feedback and gut feelings that I should probably segregate by topic once I gained a rhythm) and from another platform where I tried my hand at serializing one of the gobs of novels collecting cyber-dust in my computer. That’s been fun but it’s the wrong platform.
I’ve had some people say, “OMG these are really different audiences with different goals. You need to have multiple Substacks.” And I’ve had others say, “No, just use Sections. Don’t compete with yourself.” Here is what I’m going to be gradually migrating (NOT in a Go-All one click), and the infancy of its initial setup:
Under my 30 year dance stage name, Isidora Hart:
--My 5 Elements dance system, which mutated into the...life system that keeps me organized, inspired, healthy and as sane as I can get in a world that often looks insane to me. 🤪 Art, nature, creative process, health, curiosity, tools & toys for work/play.
I have never wanted to publish my fiction or memoirs under my dance name, esp because it all covers NSFW and 18+ topics, and the memoirs are not primarily about being a dancer. I’m equally a writer and a martial artist.
So under this Stack, Alexx Hart:
--My Damsel to Dangerous memoirs: the journey from doormat & punching bag to black belt & beyond. So this has a lot of touchy topics like domestic violence, childhood abuse & bullying (undiagnosed neurodivergent on CPTSD), the whole gamut of the MeToo arena, and everything I do to deal with all of that.
--Interwoven in that is my 22 year journey with 4 brain traumas (drunk driver, assault, the year of chronic seizures it gave me, and another rear ending) and bodily injury while being a professional, internationally touring dancer and long term martial artist. Again, touchy topics--like anything regarding disability is.
--My fiction that revolves around similar topics, set in Earth-based, modern eras.
One of the biggest questions:
It was heavily suggested that I create a separate publication under this name to serialize my Fantasy fiction:
--The novels & novellas all set in Greek mythology.
--My sprawling fantasy Gladiatrix series
--My other series: Mists of Avalon meets Memoirs of a Geisha set in Brigadooned feudal mixmash islands.
--That other series about the psi-experimenting Fascist society that accidentally blows up said islands.
--Yes, all my worlds are actually a multiverse.
So I’m still dealing with many of the same topics, just through the lens of fantastical fiction. I’m already going to have to put these different worlds into Sections. If I want them posted in the Library 😻🙏🤓 I’ll have to have a Section for each book. 😱😱😱😱 I would require drop down menus for my drop down menus if I put all that in one Stack.
So there’s the Pollock painting. We’ll see how much of this I can ever publish before I die. But I need to set it up correctly before I start loading anything.
Thoughts? (“Just pick ONE thing” is not an option. This is a long haul game, and I hear this is the place for that.) This is why I require clones. 🤪🙃🤓 If you got this far, thank youuuuuuu!!!!!!
Hey Alexx, welcome! There is a lot going on here. I'd encourage you to start experimenting with sections and listen to your audience. What do they want more of? Less of? Who's reading what and what do they enjoy most?
Hi there! Well, my old audience (who haven’t much followed me over here yet because I’m still really just trying to figure out setup) said to segregate in the way I mentioned. Which is why I originally did it. But half the feedback I’m getting here says not to at all, whereas the other half says that I need to segregate more. I have started putting things into sections, but that hasn’t changed anything.
If I just start loading things places and see what happens, if I need to migrate things from one Substack to another is that able to be done in 1 click?
🟧 - I'm having a technical problem and am unable to find how I can reach out to someone from substack. I checked this page https://substack.com/contact and it didn't help. How can I find support? I'll write about the issue here anyway, in case someone sees this:
I have a particular blog post in drafts that keeps refreshing every 2-3 seconds, ever since I've changed my website theme. Because of the constant refreshes I'm unable to write on it. It is the only post in my drafts that is doing this, and it doesn't have any video/images on it. How do I fix this? Any suggestions are welcome.
Which draft is this? I can take a look.
Thanks, but how do I share it? The secret draft link works perfectly, the post only refreshes when I'm actually writing it. It's titled "My Favourite Video Games" on my dashboard if that helps.
I don't see anything strange going on. Is this is the only post you've had this issue with? Have you tried in a different browser of with incognito mode?
Good point, I checked the post in both Firefox and Chrome incognito, and there's no problems there. Yeah, this is the only post, and only in my current Chrome settings for some reason. If you have ideas about why it might be happening do let me know, but I think I can write this one in Firefox so it shouldn't be an issue. Thanks for your help Aaron!
Do you have any browser extensions installed? That's usually the culprit when we see unusual behavior.
A bunch of em. I'll try disabling some and check if the issue persists.
Yep, that helps. I'll take a look.
🧠 - My substack is all about Christianity in the original sense of the Word without the unnecessary frills of worldly wisdoms. I would be glad if l could find like minded writers here that would like to collaborate with for something meaningful....
✏️Ever since I joined Substack, I have had a lofty goal of generating revenue for myself and living a better life as a student, all while making my mother proud. 😨 I searched high and low for jobs that could help me achieve this, but unfortunately, I was met with rejection and unresponsive employers. Some individuals even suggested getting involved in fraudulent activities, but I consistently refused, knowing that my conscience would haunt me regardless of any luxurious lifestyle I might obtain. Moreover, I value my reputation and would rather endure hardship than engage in actions that would taint it. Instead, I decided to focus on developing my writing skills, as I have a deep yearning for it. I greatly admire the creative abilities of those who can produce exceptional content on various topics. Despite not considering myself innately gifted in this area, I have been working diligently to improve my writing skills. In addition to studying electrical and electronics engineering at school, I have extensively read about economics and marketing, which has further fueled my passion for writing. The ever-emerging world of technology has particularly boosted my confidence in pursuing writing as a career. AI tools have proven to be immensely helpful in my writing process, aiding me in conducting research and publishing my work. As a young and aspiring entrepreneur, my ultimate passion lies in empowering individuals, helping them discover their strengths, and unlocking their full potential through the power of digital content creation.
With honour and respect, I really need an advice because I'm currently having a dilemma and this is navigating me to some things I have never done. How do I reach my goal with substack?
Quick question: When I import the CSV file from my other newsletter program, it looks like Substack will send out my welcome email right when I import the CSV. Is that true? If so, I don't want to import the CSV until the Welcome note is totally set, right? 🟧
Hey Joan, you should have the option to check the box and send the welcome email or bypass that step.
Thank you!
You get to edit it at the point of upload or you can do it before too...
✏️ Hello! I’d love and appreciate feedback on my short description. Is it clear? I’ll gladly return the favor for anyone who kindly (and constructively) critiques it!
Hey Beth!
Because the characters are so limited I screen shot mine and sat with it a little, sent to a few friends and clients and then also screen shot other people I admire and looked at how they’d articulated it. It’s nice that you’ve written “Hi Im Beth” but do you need that?
You could put 👋 and save the characters for something else?
YES! Thank you so much for this thoughtful feedback, Claire. I'm a big fan of the waving hand emoji! 👋😸
I really like how yours is smaller bites of information. I want to try that instead of my lengthy run-on sentence. You could save characters if you wanted to say "fascinated by" instead of "with." Probably not necessary though! Thanks again! 💐
Ooo let me take a look at that. I feel like one emoji says so much!! Thanks for taking a look! ✨ 🐇 🕳️
Hey Beth — first off, I love the title of your Substack: "Notes from your Beth friend!" So delightful.
Regarding your short description, do you mean this: "Welcome to Introvert Drawing Club! 💐🐢 I'm an illustrator hosting fun drawing sessions and documenting my process in writing, photos, and videos."
Thanks so much, Matt! Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. 😊 I wonder would it be best to remove the “Welcome to…” part?
Your description is really clear. For brevity, you could probably get away with removing the "Welcome to" part.
I do though wonder about the "Introvert Drawing Club" vs "Notes From Your Beth Friend." It almost seems like there are competing titles for your publication (both of which are fantastic). "Drawing Club" is more aligned with your content focus though.
This is wonderful feedback -- thank you! I've just launched Introvert Drawing Club, and was thinking it would be a section of Notes from Your Beth Friend. But if the first few session are well attended, I imagine changing my title.
As promised, I checked out your short description, which is clear and descriptive. Have you thought of moving "I love to help" to the end, or adding what you love to help so it's a bit less vague?
I admire your mission and look forward to your newsletters!
Thanks much for the feedback!
I accidentally set up two accounts. How do I get rid of the second one, the redundant one, michaelgurian626, without deleting the correct one, michaelgurian?
Please write to our support team and they can help merge the accounts https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360001267491
On podcasts, is there a way to tell how far people listened in to the episode, or just whether or not they downloaded it?
While it does not just include your podcast, the subscriber report tab gives you a look into where your subscribers are around the world. https://on.substack.com/i/327131/subscriber-report
Thanks that's not useful because I want to know if I'm holding their attention or if they're just downloading it by accident, but that's OK.
Perhaps I'm atypical, but I'm not on Substack for the money. The little I could earn here won't make a difference in my life. But I very much care about getting my ideas out to the world, and I just don't know how to do that.
I am the same as you as far as the money. I also don't have a need to get my ideas out as such. But I like to write and it gives me great pleasure to think that other people like what i write. I started with 25 family and friends and now have 340 subscribers (all unpaid) and find that pleasing.
Right on!!
Incidentally, after six months of writing my newsletter, I decided to show readers how I stand on my head. If you are remotely curious, feel free to have a look at https://arichardson.substack.com/p/why-does-anyone-stand-on-their-head
I am 81 years old.
Or write on...
🟧 - Any plans to have a code editor (not the one that's available now which is too limited) so we can add code with proper code formatting and additional features available on other platforms which support displaying code? At the moment, I'm having to create images with the code to show in the articles. As there are more and more technical/coding writers, this is becoming really important for us. It's a significant problem and restriction, at the moment
Hi Stephen. What features would you want to see? Do you have an example of something available on another platform?
As a minimum before I could use the built-in code editor:
- syntax highlighting
- scrollable blocks (at the moment, if the line is two long it wraps to a new line which is not suitable for code blocks)
- Link to copy code
Such as here, for example: https://thepythoncodingbook.com/2023/02/07/understanding-the-difference-between-is-and-in-python/
+1 for this!
Got it. I'll see if we can get this on the roadmap for editor features.
Lots of people in the technical writing corner of Substack are desperate for this!
Aaron - Is there a maximum number of post's a writer can put on Substack?
Not that I'm aware of
Thanks!
Dear Substack friends, In the near future, I intend to set up a free Substack account just to be able to discuss topics of mutual interest with far-flung friends.
For RIGHT NOW, however, I need to DELETE an account that was automatically generated FOR ME when I went through some portal to answer someone's online question about something.
Can someone there please get back to me and assist me in this task, which I know will be simple for you. This Substack account is linked to this email address.
Sincerely, Stephen Badrich
If you want to delete your entire profile and everything, you can do so here — https://substack.com/settings — just scroll to the bottom of the page.
To just delete your Substack publication, go here — https://stephenbadrich.substack.com/publish/settings#danger-zone — again, at the very bottom
🟧Hello! Our nonprofit is launching a newsletter to have an organized way of communicating with our community. We operate globally and would need to provide content in 6 language translations (and likely more later). We've looked into Substack Sections but found that getting everyone to edit their subscription options in settings is a little challenging. Are there other options you would advise us to try? Thank you!!
Hi Anna, Sections is probably the best answer for now. We've also seen writers create a different Substack for each language.
For example, Dr. Katelyn Jetelina had an english and spanish version.
https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/about
https://suepidemiologolocal.substack.com/
She links to both from each posts and her about pages.
Any idea or feedback for our team on your use case? We've been thinking a lot about tools for multi-lingual and internal pubs.
Hi Katie, thanks for your insights! We'll probably go with creating a different Substack so that there are separate subscribe buttons.
As for idea/feedback, would it be possible for the Substack team to create separate subscribe buttons for each section? Not only would that make it easier for writers to publish multilingual content, but it would also allow all writers to direct their audience to a specific section.
I'm having trouble using Substack - need help. What I want to do is write whatever in Chapters and e-mail them to my list of e-mails that I can add to anytime. I will get comments back from who I sent the emails to and maybe from Substack as well. Eventually i will have several chapters and it will lead to paid subs or possibly books.
I need tech support. Photos in my post are not showing on phones--they are fine online. Is there ANYONE who can help? or tell me where to go for help?
Hey Terry, sorry to hear that. You can reach out to our support team to investigate here: https://admin.substack.com/customer_support_mode?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fadmin.substack.com%2Fusers
Did you get my response saying that the url you provided came up "unauthorized". That's the only word. Tried on firefox and safari. Where can we go from here. Could you contact me directly please or provide a working tech support email. Please. I really love working on Substack and want to expand, but I cant until I can make it reliable for me.
✏️ I’m already switching over, but I have a problem that I hope somebody can solve for me. Is there any way to edit an existing post from my phone? I’ve tried in both the app and from the web, and can’t see any way to do that. Which really sucks when I’m out somewhere and realize I need to fix a typo or clarify something. I’m not a newbie in technology at all, but maybe there is something obvious I am overlooking. :)
My husband edits in chrome on iPhone and has no issues. I let the typos go so my audience know I’m not AI 😉
If you go to the mobile web and click on the top right menu (hamburger), you can see Writer Dashboard. That’ll take you to posts where you can edit any existing article then update it.
Just a reminder, you can not edit from the app but you can from the web, the app is a reader app, as Chevanne said.
Thank you! Turns out I was on SS as a reader or something, not in as my "admin" account. No wonder I could never see the Dashboard link! Thanks!
🟧 ✏️ This might be a long one, but here it goes.
I've been on Substack for a year and I LOVE it, but I'm willing to admit that my lack of a desire for any kind of genre is making my current Substack a little bit of a mess in places. This is particularly the case with my writing about writing, which has little to do with the theme of the rest of my writing.
I'm a high school English teacher and I have no desire to leave the classroom right now. I'm working my way back into loving what I do, I'm good at it, and it is stable employment. But I want to think about the future, when my kids are out of the house in eight years and we consider what being empty nesters looks like. I would also like to supplement our income with both my regular writing and possibly something else that could grow into a genuine side-gig.
Like I said, I'm good at teaching writing, not the business of writing, the actual act of writing. I'm contemplating spending a day (because I really only want to spend a day on this) over my summer break starting a second (or third, if you count my podcast) Substack for just my writing about writing and moving the writing I've already done about writing on my current Substack over.
While I would continue to give book updates on my current Substack, I could slowly build a newsletter solely dedicated to the act of writing. I don't see me doing it regularly. Instead, I would do it as I had time or as the inspiration hits.
I hope all of this makes sense. Any thoughts? Words of Wisdom?
Hey Sarah, have you thought about pivoting or expanding your current Substack?
Elle Griffin is a great example who has changes corse a few times and effectively communicated to her audience. Here are a few examples of when she has done that:
https://ellegriffin.substack.com/p/year-one
https://ellegriffin.substack.com/p/going-paid
Might be difficult to carve a niche but one thing you could do is have a throughline for your work so that although it veers this way and that, there’s something that anchors the work.
You can also add tags to your posts and put those tags on your navigation bar to organize things.
I've thought about that too. Maybe for now that would be best?
Yeah, just until you can see that throughline.
I’m slowly realising how tags and sections can work so beautifully for my multi hyphen career and my writing and podcasts here. It’s really changed everything. I wrote about it in my Friday email a couple of weeks back. Cx
So... Time to dig for that 😂
Here you go lovely - https://open.substack.com/pub/creativelyconscious/p/my-friday-email-substack-tips-for?r=506nf&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Thank you!!!
I’ll grab it for you.
Have you thought about sections? And having one broad thing that emcompasses everything. Like, my substack is all about the intersection of craft and commerce, but that means I can talk about craft, commerce, or anything in between. Then, I have specific sections with other things.
I get around 5% of my emails that are not delivered. I don't know why. I understand when an email is delivered but not opened, or a very few are dropped. What should I do with those that are not delivered? Ignore them and hope they will be delivered later, or on the next email? I shouldn't delete them, right? Would appreciate any pointers -- thank you.
Hey David, there are a number of reasons why an email might be delivering. It might have to do with the subscribers email host, for example. We're working on some tools that will help you better understand email delivery and opens for your subscribers. Stay tuned.
Thank you.
🟧 - Hello, I've been writing for over a year and encountered my first week of not being able to post my full newsletter this week due to technical issues. I received a network error and a post too long message. I was able to post half my newsletter after much struggle but when I now go back to try an edit and add parts that were not allowed in initially I still receive these two messages. I don't know how to trouble shoot this problem as googling and substacks internal help area has not helped.
Is there a community of tech support that I can talk with somewhere? I sent messages to Substack but after three days of the same messages am becoming increasingly worried.
🧠 So far I've been pretty amazed by my switch to Substack. I've never had any audience to speak of for my little blog posts, which are rare anyway. I added a few friends to my substack (about 5) and thought that might be my only audience for all time, but then I posted one insignificant comment on Office Hours, and suddenly I now have 19 people who want to see my writing in their inboxes. 19! There is nothing more motivating for me to write, I have to be honest, than when people consider it to be worthy of a space in their email inbox. I'm absolutely thrilled!
I.m 81 and not very techie. How to I read or hear Steve Bryen
🟧 I’m in the UK and am in the process (hopefully) of creating a number of Substack publications for various related but associated organisations. This will involve multiple contributors. I’m looking for a UK based tech person who I can talk to about how best to achieve this.
Is stripe the only way to get paid on Substack? Venmo? PayPal? Is Stripe secure? They asked for my user name and password to get my money?
Thanks Aaron. It creates an odd effect within Pages (vs. Posts).
I have personal Substack blog which has gone from zero to fifty in six months. I also run a Mailchimp newsletter for a local association. While not private, it's certainly not something that a wider geographic audience would care about. Anyone have experience running that kind of thing on Substack?
Partially answering my own question, I guess I could keep the stuff like meeting minutes and announcements email only. I could look at moving the website over here too. But Wordpress still has features I use that are not on Substack yet. Embeds and plugins, to name but two. And on the Mailchimp side, there are things like audience segments.
🟧
How can I embed a url?
Thanks for answering, Mike. You got the idea. And said it clearer than I did. I'd like either
1. The Section name and/or logo showing up in emails from that section. OR
2. To have Section-specific banner images.
I think you're saying that neither is possible yet. I'm creating a kind of work around but like you say, it'd be a great feature. Thanks again.
I have a question outside the box about content. Under the settings link, then the website tab, I added a new link (let's call it football) to the navigation bar. I can't see how to add posts under the new link (football). The pages section doesn't seem to be the right path to tie a post to the navigation bar.
First verify that the new link is actually a new "Section." You can add both Pages and Sections to the nav bar. I just checked and it looks like you have have added page links.
Click this to add sections — https://fantasyanalyst.substack.com/publish/settings#section-settings
When publishing a new post (or editing a previous one), you'll be able to select which Section it appears under.
I don't think I want a new section. I added Football and Baseball to the navigation bar (https://fantasyanalyst.substack.com/). I thought a could separate some of the content into two tabs. They show on my homepage.
Sections would be one way to do this. Another one (brand new!) would be using the tags feature.
Once you create a tag, you could link in the nav bar to the URL for that tag. It'll display all posts with that tag.
I thought the tags were more for searches.
This post has a good dive into all the ways to use tags.
https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/15325400348948
I guess I thought I could create a dropdown tab under the navigation tab (football for my future 32 posts) rather than rotating something to the top.
The way Substack uses them they are purely for the author to organize their content. At least right now. Readers can't actually see your tags.
I've used tags to group a mini series of posts: https://www.speakupmag.com/t/beans
I ended up redoing the Navigation Bar with the Tags, and my content fell in line with what I wanted to do. Thanks.
✏️ ❓❓❓On plane so don't know if Hours still open but I have a question re Sections that keeps stumping me. How do you get the Logo/Name of the publication to show up in the emails? I would think that after entering the "Title" and "Newsletter Logo" it would happen but that's just for the main title page of the section not even the web link. I'd be fine if I could even just have at least the logo next to the titles in the posts for that section just like you have calendar image above next to "Writer's Office Hours". I like the idea of Sections but to get it to work the way I want it seems I have to create a new publication instead? Any Section experts out there? I'd be happy to pay for your time to guide me through this. ❓❓❓
I did a big explainer on sections. I think you might want to just add it to the top of your newsletter as an image but maybe this will help. https://authorstack.substack.com/p/how-to-use-substack-sections-to-beef
Are you wanting to get the section name/logos to show up in emails?
Or just the general publication name?
If section-specific logo is what you are after, I don't think that's possible (yet). That will be a great feature add when it is possible!
However, you can go to https://davidblistein.substack.com/publish/settings/preamble to add a "banner image" that will show up as an image header in all of your emails, regardless of section.
The link came up "unauthorized" on both Firefox and Safari. Thanks for responding.
🟧 Question on CSV file of my current newsletter subscribers and importing them into Substack. Will Substack automatically send my Welcome email message to all subscribers in the CSV file when I import them? That's how I'm reading the instructions from Substack. If so, I don't want to import the file until I'm 100% ready.
Here's why I like Substack. I'm 87 years old and I'm not trying to make money from my posts. But since Substack doesn't charge maintenance fees, my posts will be there for posterity even when I'm gone --for the foreseeable future anyway. I have proposed a more permanent solution to the problem of preserving one's writing at my Substack "The Perpetual Digital Archive" at https://paulabrahams.substack.com/p/the-perpetual-public-digital-archive. Unfortunately, in the context I'm writing this in, I can't insert a link as I would in a post.
I use a Galaxy Note 10 with Aquamail software. I thought it was only me but recently a subscriber, also with an amdroid, said he had the same problem. I'll be gad to send a screenshot [of the vast blankness] if there is a way to do it. And thank you so much for responding.
How do I contact support? I can't find any support or chat feature on the site.
You can contact support here Don: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360001267491
I joined Substack with my newsletter, "sportsintheav.substack.com". How many articles can you have on your news letter with images?
2. How what size should your picture be on the home page, so the heads of the pictures don't get cut off?
🟧 asking a question I hope the Substack team can help answer: I'm trying to get started. Made my first try at signing up and now have a substack named Nan's Substack. I would like to name it something else. How do I rename?
Hi Nan, you can change your Substack name in settings. Here's more info: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/14879687588500-How-do-I-change-my-Substack-publication-name-
Yes. And my second question is about how paid members are counted. Why hasn’t anyone responded to my questions after so many days? Today is the 4th business day since my initial submission.
Hi Tony, can you tell me more. Are you looking to understand how many paid subscribers you have?
Just checking in to see if there is an answer to this question and wondering what accounts for the slow response from the official Substack support channel. You and Matt Shaw are the only people I've heard from at Substack all week. It feels like I'm having to work too hard and wait too long for help. What is the typical response time from support? I would expect 12-24 hours max but it feels like the pace is more in the 5-10 day range at this point. Please advise.
This is what I submitted to support two days ago but haven't heard back yet. I'd love to get an answer if you know:
Observation: Substack tracks and displays the number of paid subscribers to publications and then indicates status with a badge according to that stat.
Question: if a single person or organization uses the Group payment option to purchase, for example, 6 paid memberships using a single credit card does that count as 6 paid memberships for the purposes of the profile badge or 1 paid membership?
Hey Tony, you can also email support@substack.com and get a guaranteed quick reply.
Hi Matt - Checking back in for clarity regarding the email address to use. Do support@substack.com and support@substack.zendesk.com go to the same place and are they both active?
@substack works for me -- not sure about Zendesk.
Is that different than support@substack.zendesk.com or do they both go to the same place? I have corresponded with support via the Zendesk email in the past. Both of my current requests were received at the Zendesk email and an automated acknowledgement was sent back to me; just no answer from anyone. Is the Zendesk email non-functional?
🟧 I've been using Blog/Medium and considering substack since there are writers here I like. We will be publishing on behalf of our user community across nine distinct topic areas. When can I get an overview, including onboarding and support?
Hi Michael, excited to hear you are exploring Substack.
Here's the best place to get an overview of Substack: https://substack.com/about
As you get started, I encourage you to visit our guide for bloggers switching to Substack: https://on.substack.com/p/switch-blog
For support, specifically with imports, our support team is here for you: https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=15543151468436
Thanks, do you offer any other support? I'm old school, preferring phone support, but recognize that's not the way of the world...
🟧 ✏️Hello! I am planning to start a fiction blog and I am considering Substack vs. an independent blog. With Substack you have the benefit of subscriptions but lose the ability to have advertising, sponsorships, affiliate links and e-comm (store). Is it possible to have both? I could publish content on SS first and my own site two weeks later, to give subscribers the benefit of seeing the content first. Anyone have thoughts on this? Thank you.
Hey Elizabeth, there is a vibrant community of fiction writers on Substack. I encourage you to get to know them: https://fictionistas.substack.com/
Substack is not an email marketing platform. We don’t permit publications that are set up with the sole purpose of advertising an external product or service, distributing offers and promotions, or similar activity.
We believe strongly in the power of the subscription model. The ad model demands that writers attract 40,000 page views every day to earn just $1,000 a month. With the Substack model, a steady base of 1,000 subscribers paying $5 each month earns you $60,000 per year.
Thank you so much, Katie. I appreciate your pointing that out. While I have always had the goal of writing fiction just for people to enjoy, I do have to be practical and sustain a living. I'm hoping that Substack can help me realize my dream of doing this through fiction writing. I'm also exploring WattPad, Kindle Vella, etc. Seeking the right platform and I will engage with the other fiction writers for their thoughts and advice!
I can't figure out how to copy the right emoji - I don't have an emoji keyboard.
I want to import stories from Medium, but the Substack editor is lame compared with the one at Medium. Specifically, I want to mark divisions in my article, but not with named sections. Dropped capitals serve this function well. The Medium editor has them; the Substack editor does not. Are there any good substitutions until the cavalry arrives?
Hey Paul,
You can add divider lines to posts or some writers choose to use visual icons as dividers which they get online from somewhere like the Noun Project (https://thenounproject.com/browse/icons/term/library/) or Canva (https://canva.com/).
Dropped capitals is an interesting idea for us to consider. I will share with the team.
Currently I use a level 1 header with a row of stars. But that, or anything that takes up a separate line, is more disruptive to the flow than a dropped capital. I hope dropped capitals get implemented -- I'm a bit surprised that they aren't already there, given how common they are elsewhere.
✏️🟧 - New here and exploring. Unfortunately, I’m not receiving any response from Substack support regarding questions I submitted days ago. Is Substack support always this slow? No one responded to my Note about this issue in the community either. Not what I expected. -- https://substack.com/profile/99922444-tony-mars/note/c-16508139
Hi Tony. Is this your question about image zoom?
Yes.
Currently, there is no way to disable zoom. I'll bring this up with my team to see what we can do.
🟧 speaking with a number of academic societies I wonder if substack has given any thoughts to academic publication hosting as its already far more accessible. A combination of a more simplified and accessible article and a more detailed journal.
✏️ when starting out what have you found to be the best tool to connect with other writers?
In addition to what Chevanne Scordinsky said, I would recommend engaging with writers in the comment section of the posts that resonate with you.
Notes is also great to engage with fellow writers.
Thanks for the tip :)
Best connection tool has been showing up to Office Hours and being a thoughtful commenter on people’s posts.
There are already people hosting substacks as collectives and not individuals so I’m not sure there’s an issues with an academic publication starting here.
will have to see if I can find some of the collectives I’ve seen a number of individual publications but not a group one.
Fictionistas, The Library, Talesnews… there’s a bunch.
easily notes and actually reading/engaging with their posts.
Is it the best place to promote switching to Substack on the platform itself? Seems like it won’t go much outside people who are already here.
✏️ 🟧 Given the fact that the GDPR disallows Brits to bring over subscribers unless they have opted in, I was wondering if anyone has hit upon a great way of enticing lots of people over. Thanks
When they opt in to your list on one platform, you have the ability to bring them to another platform. So, you are good to bring them to substack if they have opted in on Mailchimp or whatever.
Thanks Russell. Only if it's the same content though
Oh no, does it? I didn’t know that. If you’re offering the same content under the same terms but just switching provider (eg from SquareSpace to Substack) wouldn’t that be ok because you aren’t using the data for anything they haven’t already opted in for? (Thanks for raising this btw)
Sorry, I should have clarified. (I'm not an expert, btw). When I've switched newsletter companies, like from aweber to mailerlite, I told subscribers I was doing it so that they would know to look out for a different email format, and in case they wanted to take the opportunity to opt out. But I also asked them to opt in when I emailed them, so I could prove that everything was above board. In Substack you have to tick a box saying that you have their permission to add them. But I didn't lose sleep because it was all the same subject matter, which sounds like your situation.
The challenge for me is that my substack newsletter is much broader in scope, so my subscribers on mailerlite definitely have NOT opted to receive all the extra stuff, so I have to entice them somehow.
Oh I see. That’s a really interesting dilemma. I look forward to hearing how it goes and learning from your experience - best of luck!
Thanks, Kathy. I've tried a couple of times, hoping people will come over because lots of them like my writing and loads have been with me for years, but it's been a bit of a thankless task. I am beginning to think I should bribe them in some way, like offering a lead magnet of some sort.
Okay... Outside sponsorships are against the TOS. I am aware of that. So that is not what I am asking about.
What I want to check on is this... I want to offer taglines and exposure in my newsletter in exchange for reviews and feedback from those who play test my newsletter game. No money exchanged, just services. Is Substack going to have a problem with that?