How I Use Substack as a Writer [+ Tips for Readers]

There’s all the time a brand new device, platform, course of, you identify it, that you just simply have to attempt.

It’s exhausting as a content material creator to attempt to sustain with the newest traits and time-consuming to learn to use utterly new platforms. It could actually additionally really feel dangerous to start out creating content material someplace new when the place you might be is already working for you.

However it’s my skilled opinion that if you’re a author (or reader), you need to get acquainted with Substack.

Self-described as “a brand new financial engine for tradition,” it launched in 2017 and has turn out to be a well-liked house for everybody from famed, skilled authors to younger 20-somethings on the lookout for a spot to air their grievances.

It’s the right mix of weblog, journal, and e-newsletter, with the bonus of a form and thought-provoking neighborhood. Nonetheless skeptical? Learn on for extra details about Substack and a few suggestions and greatest practices for writers and readers alike.

Desk of Contents

The mannequin permits writers to maintain roughly 90% of the cash from paid subscriptions, whereas 10% goes again to Substack.

Substack does greater than enable writers to curate an area for his or her content material — it additionally gives instruments for authors to ship and handle email newsletters.

Content material creators may uncover new writers on the platform, and pay the love ahead by subscribing to different writers.

Why Use Substack as a Content material Creator or Author?

As a author, I wrestle to know the place I ought to share my writing. I may keep on with social media and put up content material on X, however this limits my viewers to followers and related thinkers.

Whereas there are various methods to make money on social media, they sometimes contain partnering with manufacturers on sponsored content material or paid adverts, which takes away a few of the autonomy in your writing.

The great thing about publishing content material on Substack is that it’s designed to provide creators freedom of thought and speech whereas serving to these creators monetize their work. You’d be hard-pressed to discover a platform that’s as decided to assist writers succeed — in any case, Substack solely makes cash in case you do.

Substack is widespread amongst writers, journalists, and creators seeking to publish impartial content material digitally. On Substack, writers personal their mental property whereas nonetheless publishing it in a public house.

It differs from competitors like WordPress as a result of it lets writers arrange podcasts, add movies, and construct a constant viewers.

One thing that units Substack aside from different content material creation platforms is the prospect to attach authentically together with your viewers. George Saunders talked about in an Esquire article, “With Substack, I’m speaking to the identical individuals nearly daily, each week. It’s given me a deeper expertise of my readers.”

In case you’re a fan of Saunders’ work, you’ll be happy to listen to he’s one in every of many celebrated writers and creators who publish on Substack, together with Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In response to Backlinko research, Substack has greater than 2 million paid subscriptions and greater than 500,000 paying subscribers. Greater than 17,000 writers receives a commission for his or her newsletters on Substack, and the ten highest-paid authors on Substack collectively make greater than $25 million per yr.

When you could not have plans to be in that prime 10, it’s evident there’s a marketplace for subscribers keen and excited to pay for entry to your unique content material.

The power to publish and simply ship electronic mail newsletters of your work by way of Substack is a big plus, because it helps you attain audiences that is probably not on Substack.

E-mail newsletters may be difficult to handle and ideal, so you’ll be able to discuss with our guide to email newsletters to make sure you apply the perfect suggestions and tips to your Substack publication.

Find out how to Use Substack as a Author

I’ll admit I had solely learn a couple of free Substack posts earlier than and had by no means printed my very own, so I set off to just do that earlier than diving into this put up. See some steps beneath for easy methods to begin utilizing Substack as a author.

1. Create an account.

I do know; I’m really beginning with the fundamentals. However, I believe it’s essential to grasp how greatest to arrange your account for fulfillment.

In case you have an present mailing record from one other platform, like WordPress or Mailchimp, you’ll be able to add it once you arrange your account.

If not (like me), you’ll be able to manually add individuals to your subscriber record, in case you so select. To get began, I included 13 associates as subscribers.

In case you have an present viewers, I strongly advise you to import it.

It’s attainable to construct your viewers from the bottom up on Substack (greater than 50% of all new free subscriptions and 25% of paid subscriptions come from inside its community, based on the platform).

But it surely by no means hurts to start out with the cushioning of people that already eat and luxuriate in your content material.

I additionally determined to arrange my account without spending a dime and never connect with Stripe (but).

Since I don’t at present have an viewers on Substack, it doesn’t make sense to ask readers to pay to subscribe to my content material. They don’t even know what they’re signing up for!

In case you have a big viewers who already pays to your work elsewhere, chances are you’ll contemplate instantly diving right into a paid subscription mannequin, however you’ll be able to all the time add this later. Why not give your followers a style of what they’ll count on, first?

2. Handle your author dashboard.

When you’ve created your account, you’re prepared to start your journey as a Substack author! However first, it is best to have a look in your author dashboard to see what steps are nonetheless pending your evaluate.

Since I’ve already written my first Substack put up and uploaded greater than 10 subscribers, you will notice that each are checked off on my dashboard. Different duties to work on are turning on paid (which you are able to do at any level) and sharing your Substack (which I like to recommend doing as quickly as you’ve written your first put up).

On the backside of your author dashboard, you’ll discover some sources that will help you get began on Substack.

I particularly loved the “When should I turn on paid subscriptions?” information, which detailed some nice choices to make the most of a paid subscription, comparable to pay-walling your posts however utilizing the free preview device to provide readers a pattern of your work to entice them to subscribe.

Your author’s dashboard can be the place you’ll be able to edit your Substack’s identify, look, and really feel. In case you toggle to the tab “Settings” you’ll be able to replace your publication identify, web site design, about web page, brand, branding, and rather more.

3. Create your first put up(s).

Lastly, we’re on to the enjoyable half! I made a decision to jot down a brand-new put up for my Substack debut (which you’ll be able to take a look at here!) however many writers could contemplate importing an present piece of content material to start.

This will both be a chunk you’ve beforehand written that has but to see the sunshine of day or, extra usefully, a chunk you’ve already printed that has gained traction elsewhere. If there was a likeability and shareability to the subject on a unique platform, that’s signal that it’s going to carry out nicely on Substack.

In case you resolve to go the paid route, you would repost some present posts as free content material to seize the eye of recent subscribers, after which begin posting new content material below a paid subscription mannequin.

4. Check and publish your put up.

When you’ve completed your put up, you’ll be able to preview how the put up will look in varied codecs: cell versus desktop, internet versus electronic mail, and free versus paid subscribers.

In case you’re proud of how the put up seems in its varied codecs, you’ll be able to ship a check electronic mail to your self to make sure the textual content and picture formatting seems right. I additionally used this to confirm my first put up didn’t seem too lengthy on cell.

I knew it could be a 4-minute learn, however I didn’t need subscribers to be deterred by a prolonged electronic mail.

After you’ve examined, you’ll be able to lastly publish your put up! Substack will carry you to the beneath display, the place you might have the choice to share your put up to many platforms, comparable to Instagram or LinkedIn, or copy the hyperlink in case you’d favor to distribute it your self.

Substack creates free photographs you’ll be able to obtain and share on Instagram Tales or in-feed to advertise your put up. It’s one other instance of how Substack can provide a lot to content material creators without spending a dime that helps you promote your work.

I shared my put up to my Instagram Story after which checked my electronic mail the place I obtained my printed put up as an electronic mail e-newsletter.

Within the prime proper nook of the e-mail, it says “Forwarded this electronic mail? Subscribe right here for extra.” That is one other nice tip — you’ll be able to ahead a replica of the e-mail e-newsletter to individuals, freed from cost, to encourage them to subscribe (paid or in any other case) to your publication.

5. Hold monitor of your stats.

Your author’s dashboard has a Stats tab that’s a tremendous place to trace the efficiency of your posts and e-newsletter.

I can see the visitors to my Substack after my first put up and the way these readers discovered it (outlined beneath), my electronic mail open price, data on my subscribers, and extra.

As essential as our freedom of thought is, it’s equally as essential to make sure individuals are really discovering and studying our ideas. Substack offers you some energy as a author with the Stats tab to determine the place most individuals discover your content material and meet them the place they’re.

You can even edit and create a New Reader Survey which might help you get extra demographic details about your readers. This additionally allows you to perceive your audience and might encourage you to supply content material that may be most interesting to these audiences.

As an illustration, if I noticed most of my readers had been based mostly within the U.S. and aged 18-24, I may analysis what present American school college students are most serious about, and attempt to incorporate a few of my findings into my writing.

6. Uncover and suggest different writers.

Any author is aware of the worth of a suggestion from one other author. That provides you a much-needed ego enhance whereas additionally opening you as much as the followers of that author’s work.

Subtack has an Discover function which you need to use to find different content material. Whereas this function is very useful for readers, it’s an effective way for writers to search out different robust or related writers.

When you discover a author you are feeling enthusiastic about, you’ll be able to click on “Advocate” on their Substack. In your profile, their publication will seem below “Suggestions” to anybody who views your web page. Beneath, you’ll be able to see that I’ve beneficial my good friend Ginny King’s Substack.

Recommending writers affords your readers different trusted publications to take a position money and time and positions you as a author keen to help different writers. And that’s certain to encourage different writers to return the favor.

Find out how to Use Substack as a Reader

Whereas I’ve totally loved my first expertise at writing on Substack, I’ve particularly liked exploring the platform as a reader. Learn on for a few of my greatest suggestions for utilizing Substack as a reader:

1. Checklist your pursuits throughout sign-up.

The toughest half about becoming a member of Substack as a reader could also be discovering the publications that spark your curiosity.

Like a social media platform, it takes a while for Substack to determine your “algorithm” and goal you with content material it believes you’ll get pleasure from.

You’ll be able to assist transfer this course of alongside by initially choosing your pursuits once you join your account.

Above, you’ll be able to see a few of the pursuits I chosen when organising my account. My first advised publications had been curated based mostly on my most popular matters of Tradition, Information, and Well being & Wellness, amongst others.

You continue to could must do some digging, however it can assist weed out any topics you’re not as drawn to.

2. Seek for your favourite writers.

When you’ve created your account, it is best to see a flood of Notes in your homepage from varied creators advised to you based mostly in your pursuits.

When you can learn by these options and discover some writers to start out subscribing to, I like to recommend first looking for writers you already know and luxuriate in.

I used the “Search” perform to seek for associates I knew had a Substack to indicate my love and help. Then, I looked for a few of my favourite writers to see in the event that they occurred to have a Substack.

Hetty Lui McKinnon is one in every of my favourite New York Times Cooking recipe builders and cookbook authors, so I shortly discovered and subscribed to her Substack.

You’ll be able to repeat this course of for no matter writers you want to, and it’s a easy method to educate the platform on the sorts of publications you’d be serious about.

Professional tip: Wait to turn out to be a paid subscriber to any accounts except you’re already a die-hard fan. Many writers could have a free subscription choice, even when it limits the content material you’ll be able to entry, and it will probably enable you get a way of their Substack earlier than you totally decide to paying.

Whereas I’d like to financially help each author, I need to ensure that I decide and select the publications that the majority converse to me earlier than placing down my bank card.

3. Discover related new writers.

When you’ve subscribed to some already-known writers, chances are you’ll need to discover new writers who poke your fancy. That is the place you need to use the Discover function once more.

Right here, you’ll be able to browse below the For You tab, which incorporates publications that Substack thinks will align together with your pursuits. In any other case, you’ll be able to look by Employees Picks or, my private favourite, by matter, as I did within the instance above by clicking Meals & Drink.

That is particularly useful if, as a reader, you might have made a Substack to learn extra a couple of specific topic. I’m serious about spicing up my residence cooking, so I clicked on Meals & Drink to filter for food-related content material.

One other nice function is the Leaderboard on the right-hand facet, the place you’ll be able to view a few of the prime publications inside that matter. It’s a fast and straightforward method to discover and subscribe to a few of the hottest writers with out scrolling mindlessly.

4. Obtain the Substack app.

I extremely suggest utilizing the Substack app as a substitute of the desktop interface, in case you’re not already. The app mimics a social media platform and makes a few of the lengthier posts much less intimidating to learn.

It’s a lot simpler to scroll by advised publications on the app and subscribe to those you favor. You’ll get an electronic mail notification once you subscribe to somebody’s publication, alerting you that you just’ve subscribed to a free plan however have choices to improve your subscription.

I favor to obtain push notifications from the app, so I turned off electronic mail notifications, however you might have the choice to maintain each.

What I additionally recognize concerning the app interface is that Notes from each subscribed and advised publications seem in chronological order, much like your Fb Timeline or X Feed. This helps Substack really feel pure and present, with the power to make amends for the newest updates first.

5. Become involved in the neighborhood.

I’m in a guide membership, and I’ve found how rather more excited I get to learn a brand new guide once I know I’ll get to debate it for hours with my associates. People are naturally social beings, and there may be immense satisfaction within the dialogue of ideas and sharing of concepts.

I believe for this reason the feedback sections in Substack publications are such a promoting level for writers and readers alike. And since Substack is a platform individuals gravitate to for particular intentions, fairly than a big public medium like social media, the discourse is rather more forgiving and considerate.

It’s a spot the place you’ll be able to voice your reflections with out concern of societal disgrace and cheer on beloved writers instantly, as you’ll be able to see beneath in a feedback thread on one in every of Alison Roman’s Substack posts of readers congratulating her on opening a grocery retailer in upstate New York.

Substack Finest Practices

My expertise testing Substack was extremely eye-opening. It’s a tremendous alternative for writers of all genres and ranges of fame to publish their work in a singular house for devoted, paying readers.

In fact, simply because it’s a recipe for fulfillment doesn’t imply all of us have the proper substances. See beneath for my 4 greatest practices to assist get your Substack off the bottom and working.

1. Choose a subject which you can constantly ship on.

What makes an thought distinctive? It appears you’ll be able to’t think about something lately that doesn’t exist already — I just lately expressed how cool it could be in case you may “check out” a guide to see in case you prefer it earlier than making a purchase order, then realized that’s what a library is for — which may make it tough to search out your Substack area of interest.

My recommendation: Decide a subject you would write nearly endlessly about. Don’t select a style that’s too area of interest simply to attempt to make your publication stand out. It’s important to discover a steadiness between a broad sufficient matter that permits for steady ideation and a hook that makes your content material distinctive to you.

Karen Cherry wrote, “In your Substack publication to achieve success, you need to have one thing of worth to supply your subscribers.”

Cherry goes on to record 5 niches you’ll be able to align with, that are instructional (instructing expertise), informational (instructing info), leisure (offering humor, nostalgia, or pleasure), time-saving (bringing all the things they want into one place), or money-making (sharing suggestions for investing or companies).

You’ll be able to choose any matter you want, as long as it constantly delivers on one of many above objectives. This will additionally enable you uncover why you might be beginning a Substack, what you hope it does for readers, the way it will evaluate to different publications, and the way it might help you earn money.

Take former NBA participant Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has since began a Substack. He informed CBS News, “There are occasions once you don‘t have any alternative however to talk the reality…I’m at this level in my life, and that is precisely what I’ve to do.”

Whereas not all writing must really feel fairly as revolutionary, it’s an essential message that what you write about on Substack must be one thing you get pleasure from, recognize, and discover essential.

2. Publish typically and persistently.

Summer Brennan wrote, “Somebody [told me] it wasn’t honest to those that didn’t have the bandwidth to publish fairly often to must compete with extra established writers. They thought they need to be given some type of leg up by the platform, so they might obtain the identical consideration and development.

Whereas I can actually relate to the frustration… the fact is that if you wish to construct a readership, you do must publish.”

Reaching success as a author on Substack whereas not an already-famed author means chances are you’ll want to attain some form of virality or at the very least robust shareability to develop your subscriber base. The extra typically you publish, the extra doubtless you might be to put up one thing that resonates and will increase your recognition.

In case you put up one thing that goes “viral” — be warned that virality could look a lot smaller on Substack than on X — sustain the momentum. Journey the coattails of that widespread put up and use it as a chance to encourage readers to maintain tuning in for extra of the identical.

In case you are making an attempt to supply a excessive quantity of posts and struggling to provide you with revolutionary codecs and kinds, take a look at our complete collection of content creation templates that may be utilized to all types of content material.

3. Join and construct relationships with different content material creators.

Being a author can typically really feel like a lonely, impartial job. It’s one thing you do daily by your self, and also you don’t sometimes obtain reside suggestions. However with Substack, you’ll be able to join with a large ecosystem of writers and readers.

Subscribing to different Substacks is important for a author. It reveals your willingness to help different individuals in your trade, and studying their publications can shed some mild on totally different greatest practices and enable you play with fashion, size, and codecs to draw new, wider audiences.

Commenting on and recommending different publications is an effective way to attach with and present your help for different writers and construct your community, particularly in your early days. This can doubtless encourage these writers to take a look at your work and provide the similar badge of approval.

Substack is a welcoming place with room for everybody. Don’t deal with it like a contest — when your community grows, you develop with it, so broaden your community as a lot as attainable.

4. Don’t take it too severely.

I’m a author as a result of I like to jot down (you’ll be able to learn extra about that in my inaugural Substack post). I hope that anybody who writes finds some pleasure in it, even when it brings frustrations and worries. Generally, you simply want a spark of inspiration to switch up your writing and make it really feel recent.

Sophia Efthimiatou, the Head of Writer Relations at Substack, stated it greatest:

“What is going to you write about? Who cares… You’d assume recognized writers with giant audiences have it simple right here, however the strain to succeed is felt extra amongst them. The stakes are low if you’re in no way recognized. There isn’t a viewers to lose, just one to realize. And acquire you’ll.

Maybe once you begin your solely subscribers might be your greatest good friend, your lonely neighbor, and your aunt—who can’t even learn English. After which, sooner or later, a fourth subscriber will roll in, a complete stranger. That individual might be there simply to learn you.”

In case you are beginning a Substack primarily as a brand new technique of revenue, that’s after all critical and one thing to take severely. But it surely’s very attainable to be critical and enjoyable. Take some dangers and take a look at one thing new. You’ll be able to all the time attempt once more after.

The essential factor is that your viewers will come and develop, particularly when you’ve got one thing to say and a real manner of claiming it.

(Sub)Stacks of Alternatives

I didn’t count on to like Substack as a lot as I did. I actually see the imaginative and prescient and why it has more than 20 million monthly active subscribers.

There’s a huge breadth of content material to be consumed, from hilarious fictitious tales to arduous political information to journey suggestions for each nook of the world. There’s a place for each author and each type of writing, and an viewers to match.

I’ve by no means used a platform that was so seamless to jot down a put up proper inside the platform. My debut Substack put up was one of many quickest items of writing I’ve ever written, and a large a part of that was how uncomplicated it was to make use of Substack.

It was additionally extraordinarily simple so as to add my family and friends as subscribers, preview and ship the e-mail e-newsletter of my put up, share it on social media, and even customise my Substack profile to make it really feel particular. I’ve used Mailchimp and WordPress, and neither is as easy to make use of or monitor stats.

Whereas I created my Substack to check it for this weblog put up, I’ll completely proceed utilizing it to publish a few of my extra private and inventive writing (In case you really feel so inclined, I’d recognize a subscribe).

I encourage any writers and content material creators to provide the platform an opportunity; it will probably carry your audiences from blogs, social media, or different locations to a way more collaborative, accepting setting.