217 Comments

Being able to compose posts on one’s phone is a huge unlock. Most of the writers I know do their work on their phone as they move through their day. Not having to then move that all over to a desktop makes life a LOT easier.

Expand full comment

It was such ecstacy to read in-app editing! A NEED for me as an at-home caregiver... It's so rare I can just plop down and write in one place.

Expand full comment

Agreed! Really excited about this development.

Expand full comment

I think I like the paywall archive the most. I like having my content be free but it might be nice to force someone to pay to read the really terrible stuff I wrote in the beginning.

Expand full comment

Pay for the pain of my early writing! Haha, love it

Expand full comment

Honestly though, the new stuff isn’t that much better 🤷🏻‍♂️

Expand full comment

I like this idea, too. I've hemmed and hawed about starting a paywall. This seems like it might be a gentler way in!

Expand full comment

I'm in the same boat. I love teaching people and spreading as much knowledge as I can, but if someone else values the information I have, then I need to make sure I also value myself and the time I spent learning the information in the first place.

Expand full comment

100%. I've moved the paywall back & forth between dates, but have settled on keeping it (roughly) a month back.

Expand full comment

Lol. I’ve left everything up in case some intrepid soul wants to find those early editions.

Expand full comment

Yeah, there’s no pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. But if you’re willing to go on the journey I’ll happily take your money.

Expand full comment

How about a reverse paywall, where if people are exposed to my content I would be charged back (against their subscription)

Think of it like a rabbit-hole fee.

Expand full comment

A big shoutout to Substack for releasing tons of new features at a fast pace! You guys are really pushing the envelope and making it easier for people to create content and share it with the world. Keep up the great work! #SubstackRocks

Expand full comment

I love all of these new additions. The settings redesign is a plus, and I can't wait to be able to write/edit on my (Android) phone! The only addition I do not like is the badges. If there was a way you could also honor/recognize the folks who are contributing great writing but who do not have thousands of subscribers, that would be preferable. Not everyone comes with huge followings, and it is discouraging to folks who are just starting out. We should be pursuing quality writing and substantive ideas instead of numbers, elitism, and popularity.

Expand full comment

Getting that first badge of 100 paid subscribers is my goal for 2023 ❤️‍🔥

Expand full comment

Hopefully Oprah or somebody plugs my Substack. That’s really the only way.

Expand full comment

In-app editing?! SWEET ECSTACY!

The features are so so bomb and much appreciated, Substack team!

Expand full comment

Excited to see in-app writing/editing in the list of new features. That'll be really helpful on the go. Hoping we get chat on desktop sometime in the near future, which would be awesome.

Expand full comment

Awesome sauce. Hopefully soon you can add keywords to each article for the platforms search engine.

Expand full comment

That's a great idea! I hadn't thought of that.

Expand full comment

Many of us have been begging for this for about a year. Most of Substack's readers and subscribers are from the platform. They need to really improve discoverability, search and categorization here.

Expand full comment

The redesign of the Settings page has been a welcome addition. Thanks for that!

The "bestsellers badges" remain a despised abomination that masses of us spoke loudly against on their roll-out, yet Substack continues to promote. Why? I am now consciously aware of them wherever I read and have made the decision to instead place my support behind unpaid and smaller paid publications without the obnoxious badge. Had the badges not been there, the income of authors I read would never have been on my radar. What the badges stand for is grotesque. Substack should make display of badges optional for authors so we can see who the vain and shallow status-seekers writers are and decide for ourselves whether or not to support them.

Expand full comment

The badges are a dog, and I find it hard to believe Substack rolled them out anyway after the throttling they were given when announced a few weeks back.

Expand full comment

Yes, they promised to "review" and give our concerns "serious consideration," haha. Sure. In other words, we got the finger and they did whatever they wanted anyway.

Expand full comment

I like your take on this! Now you have ideas on the income of a writer instead of enjoying the publication and may feel like you add to something that props up money

Expand full comment

Exactly. It takes the focus away from the writing and puts it on $$$, which for me is a huge turnoff.

Expand full comment

Omg, composing on the iPhone app is amazing. I do most of my writing on my phone and this makes it so much more seamless. The continued innovation is extraordinary.

Expand full comment

I just noticed the Settings redesign today. It looks great! Thanks for making it easier to find these things. Keep up the great work, team!

Expand full comment

At times when I try to leave a comment, I find it closed to all but paying members. That's the main reason I keep mine free.

Expand full comment

Agree that feature is soo irksome as a reader but totally makes sense as an incentivizer to pay, so i get it! ha.

Expand full comment

It’s an incentive but you should be able to choose who can comment, or not. I do in the settings for each post and save it.

Expand full comment

In-app posting is a huge deal.

One major addition to that as an early tweak: ability to save as drafts from mobile, in case further edits on desktop or for an editor to review and publish.

Expand full comment

Great feedback, thank you! We'll work on this, I'm sure.

Expand full comment

I am new on Substack, but enjoying it so far. In comparison to my blog – too much non-writing work to have the simplest blog – I am able to focus on writing. Really boosted my productivity. I am excited about the paywall to archive option too.

Expand full comment

Music to our ears :)

Expand full comment

Thank you for listening to us, Substack! You keep getting better.

Expand full comment