Hey there! This is my regular Q&A feature that allows readers to ask me questions that I can answer in a future newsletter. Last month I managed to devote several newsletters to answering some really good reader questions, and so I’m excited to keep this going.
1. Don't ask a question about Substack: I over-index on Substack questions. Instead, maybe consider broadening your question so it's more about the larger newsletter ecosystem.
2. Don't ask hyper specific questions: I get a lot of people who ask questions about their very specific situations. That doesn't translate well for my newsletter audience. Remember, I'm answering these questions for 7000+ subscribers who work in the media and Creator Economy. Consider asking something about broader trends within those industries.
Hi Simon. I'm a relatively new subscriber to your newsletter, so my apologies if you've answered these before! (I intend to spend some time digging through your Substack archive - along with several other newsletters - but haven't yet managed to find a chunk of time to do this without other things popping up that need to take priority.)
1. Obviously, the key to growing your audience on a platform like Substack is consistency - in an answer to another comment on this post you say posting every week for at least 50 weeks is an important part of getting started. But if posting every week is a given, how important is it to post on the same day and the same time every week? And if that is important, how do you work out which day and which time to publish?
2. If you're a writer/single person (rather than a big media organisation) putting out consistent weekly newsletter content, are there disadvantages to scheduling content in advance? I.e. sitting down at the start of the month and writing four newsletters to go out over the next four weeks? How important is it - especially for newsletters trying to grow their audience - for topics to be relevant the current conversations happening that week and maybe offer commentary on current hot topics?
Thanks for your superb content that just gets better and better. I am learning so much.
My question: is there a “Substack equivalent” for longer form subscription-based B2B content (24+ pages with images etc)?
By “Substack equivalent” I mean: 1) Well known trusted platform so people might actually find you on the platform itself. 2) User friendly for content creators who have little or no tech. 3) Therefore the platform handles all the subscription tech, the same way Substack does. Thanks
My client is a very accomplished independent intellectual and is highly qualified to field serious questions via a personal blog just as you are doing here ... How do we determine if a blog should be a component of his sales funnel? ... How do we go about this? ... Do we use a blogging platform or a blog on his personal website?
Could massive ad-based newsletters like MorningBrew see more revenue by simply creating a paid, ad-free version? Is there a reason they haven't done this already?
Is it worth converting a newsletter with a relatively low number of subscribers (i.e. <1,500) to a paid version, or is it better to stay patient and keep building the free list. On a related point, is it worth offering paid subscriptions but still keeping all content free? Otherwise the downside of converting a newsletter to a paid version with few subscribers is that you would go from writing for, say, 1,000 free readers to writing for maybe 50-70 paid readers, and that doesn't feel great.
Hello :) I guess my question is operational: Do you have an SOP for all your newsletter related tasks (including the actual writing) and if so, how did you build it? How did you go from experimenting at the start to standardising your process (but still leaving room to update/improve it without it being a time suck chore each time)? I write a newsletter that is a link round up in some weeks, an original business feature or industry issue analysis in others, and some times a listicle of lessons or insights from an industry event. I've settled on these formats for now so there's a steady rhythm starting. I have really only just begun, but I am already finding the time management and organising aspect really challenging alongside freelance writing and consulting work. I think I need to cut the weekly guesswork down to a minimum and apart from the content calendar I already have, I think an SOP is a way to do that. Thoughts?
Hi Simon. Do you know of any news media (general news, not product or tech/entertainment news) leveraging influencer deals to build audience around a news coverage topic, news brand or public affairs issue or narrative change around an issue?
We are a regional magazine--free monthly--that wants to start an e-newsletter. We like the Substack platform but also want to develop an online store (for custom printing, books, events/tickets, merchandise). Are there ways to do both using Substack? Or what CMS is best to have a store and have the gateway to the Substack newsletter? We are targeting current readers who want more and new readers who do their reading online. We will have new content and recycle content. Also, what are the best ways to insure we don't lose print advertisers when we start thus up? Thanks.
Hi Simon, In light of Paypal threatening to fine people who say things they don't agree with, I wonder if you have any advice for us "free speech extremists" who keep getting censored on big tech platforms. Beyond the obvious—Substack—can you recommend any platforms, strategies, etc. for staying ahead of the censors?
Hi Simon. Do you think there's any downside to Substack's strategy to use Recommendations and internal network effects to help boost audiences for Substack publishers? On one hand I think it's great for building free subscriber numbers. On the other hand, I don't think it helps paid subscription growth unless Substack also significantly grows its total number of readers. If the total pool of paid Substack subscribers does not grow significantly then the only way for new Substack publishers to get more paid subscribers is if they poach them from other publishers considering it's hard (financially) for most people to support more than a small number of paid subscriptions per year. Or am I being too pessimistic?
Hi Simon - is this post a ‘Substack Thread’ or is it just a normal post with a comment function. I publish a Substack newsletter and I’m thinking about doing a monthly wrap up email for paid subscribers and also including this ‘ask me a question’ feature. I’m curious to know how this has worked for you. Good levels of engagement? (Im curious because Substack threads are net that easy to navigate and are. It very well known either). Thanks. Andrew
WHAT MAKES A QUESTION GOOD FOR MY NEWSLETTER?
Two things:
1. Don't ask a question about Substack: I over-index on Substack questions. Instead, maybe consider broadening your question so it's more about the larger newsletter ecosystem.
2. Don't ask hyper specific questions: I get a lot of people who ask questions about their very specific situations. That doesn't translate well for my newsletter audience. Remember, I'm answering these questions for 7000+ subscribers who work in the media and Creator Economy. Consider asking something about broader trends within those industries.
Hi Simon. I'm a relatively new subscriber to your newsletter, so my apologies if you've answered these before! (I intend to spend some time digging through your Substack archive - along with several other newsletters - but haven't yet managed to find a chunk of time to do this without other things popping up that need to take priority.)
1. Obviously, the key to growing your audience on a platform like Substack is consistency - in an answer to another comment on this post you say posting every week for at least 50 weeks is an important part of getting started. But if posting every week is a given, how important is it to post on the same day and the same time every week? And if that is important, how do you work out which day and which time to publish?
2. If you're a writer/single person (rather than a big media organisation) putting out consistent weekly newsletter content, are there disadvantages to scheduling content in advance? I.e. sitting down at the start of the month and writing four newsletters to go out over the next four weeks? How important is it - especially for newsletters trying to grow their audience - for topics to be relevant the current conversations happening that week and maybe offer commentary on current hot topics?
Thanks for your superb content that just gets better and better. I am learning so much.
My question: is there a “Substack equivalent” for longer form subscription-based B2B content (24+ pages with images etc)?
By “Substack equivalent” I mean: 1) Well known trusted platform so people might actually find you on the platform itself. 2) User friendly for content creators who have little or no tech. 3) Therefore the platform handles all the subscription tech, the same way Substack does. Thanks
Hi Simon ...
My client is a very accomplished independent intellectual and is highly qualified to field serious questions via a personal blog just as you are doing here ... How do we determine if a blog should be a component of his sales funnel? ... How do we go about this? ... Do we use a blogging platform or a blog on his personal website?
Thx
Could massive ad-based newsletters like MorningBrew see more revenue by simply creating a paid, ad-free version? Is there a reason they haven't done this already?
Is it worth converting a newsletter with a relatively low number of subscribers (i.e. <1,500) to a paid version, or is it better to stay patient and keep building the free list. On a related point, is it worth offering paid subscriptions but still keeping all content free? Otherwise the downside of converting a newsletter to a paid version with few subscribers is that you would go from writing for, say, 1,000 free readers to writing for maybe 50-70 paid readers, and that doesn't feel great.
Hello :) I guess my question is operational: Do you have an SOP for all your newsletter related tasks (including the actual writing) and if so, how did you build it? How did you go from experimenting at the start to standardising your process (but still leaving room to update/improve it without it being a time suck chore each time)? I write a newsletter that is a link round up in some weeks, an original business feature or industry issue analysis in others, and some times a listicle of lessons or insights from an industry event. I've settled on these formats for now so there's a steady rhythm starting. I have really only just begun, but I am already finding the time management and organising aspect really challenging alongside freelance writing and consulting work. I think I need to cut the weekly guesswork down to a minimum and apart from the content calendar I already have, I think an SOP is a way to do that. Thoughts?
Hi Simon. Do you know of any news media (general news, not product or tech/entertainment news) leveraging influencer deals to build audience around a news coverage topic, news brand or public affairs issue or narrative change around an issue?
We are a regional magazine--free monthly--that wants to start an e-newsletter. We like the Substack platform but also want to develop an online store (for custom printing, books, events/tickets, merchandise). Are there ways to do both using Substack? Or what CMS is best to have a store and have the gateway to the Substack newsletter? We are targeting current readers who want more and new readers who do their reading online. We will have new content and recycle content. Also, what are the best ways to insure we don't lose print advertisers when we start thus up? Thanks.
What do you think must happen to get your first 1000 followers on Substack?
Great - thanks! I’ll give it a go this month.
Hi Simon, In light of Paypal threatening to fine people who say things they don't agree with, I wonder if you have any advice for us "free speech extremists" who keep getting censored on big tech platforms. Beyond the obvious—Substack—can you recommend any platforms, strategies, etc. for staying ahead of the censors?
Hi Simon. Do you think there's any downside to Substack's strategy to use Recommendations and internal network effects to help boost audiences for Substack publishers? On one hand I think it's great for building free subscriber numbers. On the other hand, I don't think it helps paid subscription growth unless Substack also significantly grows its total number of readers. If the total pool of paid Substack subscribers does not grow significantly then the only way for new Substack publishers to get more paid subscribers is if they poach them from other publishers considering it's hard (financially) for most people to support more than a small number of paid subscriptions per year. Or am I being too pessimistic?
Hi Simon - is this post a ‘Substack Thread’ or is it just a normal post with a comment function. I publish a Substack newsletter and I’m thinking about doing a monthly wrap up email for paid subscribers and also including this ‘ask me a question’ feature. I’m curious to know how this has worked for you. Good levels of engagement? (Im curious because Substack threads are net that easy to navigate and are. It very well known either). Thanks. Andrew