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
I think Scribd might meet that description. It's a subscription platform and I think you get a percentage of the subscription revenue based on how many people consumed your work. I haven't looked that deep into the platform though.
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?
I don't know of any using influencer marketing to raise awareness of a specific issue, but I do know of publications that leverage influencers to drive signups to their newsletters. Morning Brew did this and also The Daily Upside.
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.
I don't think I would use Substack in your case. It's really more geared for individual creators, not traditional media companies. It also doesn't have any ecommerce functionality.
I recommend launching an ecommerce store on a platform like Shopify or Squarespace. And then for the newsletter, I'd go with something like Mailchimp.
At a bare minimum, you'd need to publish at least one substantial newsletter per week for at least 50 weeks. Consistency is the main engine for growth, especially since you'll learn what appeals to audiences as you grow.
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?
I haven't seen the Paypal news, but there are lots of platforms dedicated to some form of free speech absolutism. For social media, there are platforms like Parler and Truth Social. For video, there's Rumble. For longform content similar to what you'd see on a Patreon or Substack, there's Locals. Substack itself has a somewhat hands-off approach to content moderation, at least compared to mainstream social media platforms.
There are also lots of Web3 platforms that tout their resistance to "censorship," though I don't know enough about them to recommend any.
Thanks! I didn't know about Locals. By the way, I don't consider it "absolutism" to insist that all US platforms (as opposed to publishers) maintain strict content-neutrality w/r/t Constitutionally-protected speech. That position isn't absolutist because it respects 1st Amendment jurisprudence, which deems libel, incitement, true threats, obscenity, etc. unprotected. Platforms are like the phone company circa 1980 and shouldn't be concerned about what users are saying, unless they have to because it breaks the law. (And they shouldn't have the right to spy on the content of private communications either - that's a federal crime called wiretapping!)
Most forms of spam technically fall under the realm of constitutionally protected free speech. If all the platforms turned of their spam filters tomorrow, then I think your views on content moderation would change in a hurry.
Any platform that introduces any sort of algorithmic sorting is engaging in a form of content moderation. Would you go so far as to remove all algorithms from platforms? And if we're talking about constitutionally-protected free speech, then all those platforms are engaging in constitutionally-protected free speech when they moderate content. You can't have it both ways!
Platforms like the phone company or other large enterprises (company not legally liable for content) must be content-neutral. Publications (company fully liable, everything overseen by a human editor) not. That's how it was right up to around 2015. Nobody in 1980 would have been insane enough to argue that Ma Bell, a private company, had the right to censor or promote the speech of telephone users because "Ms. Bell" had First Amendment rights!!
As for algorithms, if the sorting can be shown not to favor or disfavor different Constitutionally-protected viewpoints, they would presumably be Constitutional; if not, not.
Obviously spam needs to be added to the category of unprotected speech. "Content neutrality" means that while spam itself (mass email blasts to people who haven't asked for them—which is harassment and should be a felony, just like spam phone calls) should obviously be eliminated, preferably with extreme prejudice, it should be illegal and unconstitutional to discriminate between spammers based on the ideas they express. Just kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out ; - )
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
This is just a normal post with a comment function. I suppose I could use Substack threads to basically do the same thing, but I don't know if there's some kind of benefit to doing so.
In terms of how it's worked: if you flip through my archives you'll find dozens of newsletters dedicated to answering reader questions. It's a great way to surface writing prompts that force me to cover topics I might not otherwise. It's also a good way to interact with the audience while simultaneously creating engaging content.
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
I think Scribd might meet that description. It's a subscription platform and I think you get a percentage of the subscription revenue based on how many people consumed your work. I haven't looked that deep into the platform though.
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
Launch a blog on his personal website but also cross-post to platforms like Medium and LinkedIn that already have built-in network effects!
Thank you Simon
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?
I think I answered a version of this question before:
https://simonowens.substack.com/p/can-the-morning-brew-model-work-with
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.
Thanks, just added to the queue.
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?
Thanks, just added this to the queue.
thank you for the newsletter response!
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?
I don't know of any using influencer marketing to raise awareness of a specific issue, but I do know of publications that leverage influencers to drive signups to their newsletters. Morning Brew did this and also The Daily Upside.
https://simonowens.substack.com/p/how-investment-newsletter-the-daily
Thanks, Simon.
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.
I don't think I would use Substack in your case. It's really more geared for individual creators, not traditional media companies. It also doesn't have any ecommerce functionality.
I recommend launching an ecommerce store on a platform like Shopify or Squarespace. And then for the newsletter, I'd go with something like Mailchimp.
What do you think must happen to get your first 1000 followers on Substack?
At a bare minimum, you'd need to publish at least one substantial newsletter per week for at least 50 weeks. Consistency is the main engine for growth, especially since you'll learn what appeals to audiences as you grow.
Thanks! I am steady Eddie for about 20. Makes me feel better knowing I’m still at the beginning.
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?
I haven't seen the Paypal news, but there are lots of platforms dedicated to some form of free speech absolutism. For social media, there are platforms like Parler and Truth Social. For video, there's Rumble. For longform content similar to what you'd see on a Patreon or Substack, there's Locals. Substack itself has a somewhat hands-off approach to content moderation, at least compared to mainstream social media platforms.
There are also lots of Web3 platforms that tout their resistance to "censorship," though I don't know enough about them to recommend any.
Thanks! I didn't know about Locals. By the way, I don't consider it "absolutism" to insist that all US platforms (as opposed to publishers) maintain strict content-neutrality w/r/t Constitutionally-protected speech. That position isn't absolutist because it respects 1st Amendment jurisprudence, which deems libel, incitement, true threats, obscenity, etc. unprotected. Platforms are like the phone company circa 1980 and shouldn't be concerned about what users are saying, unless they have to because it breaks the law. (And they shouldn't have the right to spy on the content of private communications either - that's a federal crime called wiretapping!)
Most forms of spam technically fall under the realm of constitutionally protected free speech. If all the platforms turned of their spam filters tomorrow, then I think your views on content moderation would change in a hurry.
Any platform that introduces any sort of algorithmic sorting is engaging in a form of content moderation. Would you go so far as to remove all algorithms from platforms? And if we're talking about constitutionally-protected free speech, then all those platforms are engaging in constitutionally-protected free speech when they moderate content. You can't have it both ways!
Platforms like the phone company or other large enterprises (company not legally liable for content) must be content-neutral. Publications (company fully liable, everything overseen by a human editor) not. That's how it was right up to around 2015. Nobody in 1980 would have been insane enough to argue that Ma Bell, a private company, had the right to censor or promote the speech of telephone users because "Ms. Bell" had First Amendment rights!!
As for algorithms, if the sorting can be shown not to favor or disfavor different Constitutionally-protected viewpoints, they would presumably be Constitutional; if not, not.
Obviously spam needs to be added to the category of unprotected speech. "Content neutrality" means that while spam itself (mass email blasts to people who haven't asked for them—which is harassment and should be a felony, just like spam phone calls) should obviously be eliminated, preferably with extreme prejudice, it should be illegal and unconstitutional to discriminate between spammers based on the ideas they express. Just kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out ; - )
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?
Thanks! I just added this one to the queue.
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
This is just a normal post with a comment function. I suppose I could use Substack threads to basically do the same thing, but I don't know if there's some kind of benefit to doing so.
In terms of how it's worked: if you flip through my archives you'll find dozens of newsletters dedicated to answering reader questions. It's a great way to surface writing prompts that force me to cover topics I might not otherwise. It's also a good way to interact with the audience while simultaneously creating engaging content.