This update was written in late March, 2022.
Substack’s recent product innovation really has me quite positive about the interface and Creator tools, sadly I’m not an iOS user so I haven’t had a chance to test out the app yet.
Although if you are I urge you to write a positive review here. Currently we have 1.4k reviews and for the Creator Economy, we need to be positive with this particular startup. Substack’s growth is obvious, yet it’s still in a nascent phase where it needs encouragement. Hopefully wild and unbridled encouragement on our part.
Here’s a quick summary of the things I think might be most impactful.
Locked posts can be unlocked at predefined dates.
Early-access post scheduling
By popular request, writers can now schedule a paid post to be published to free subscribers at a later date. The feature allows writers to offer “early access” to their writing or podcasts as a paid perk while keeping them accessible to everyone.
Note: This feature is available only when “This post is only for paid subscribers” has been selected.
There does not seem to be a feature on the web but not send an Email to free-subscribers (which really is duplicate content). If I could segment out my paid subscribers from that Email, it might make more sense to me.
Activity alerts on the web
A new activity page has been added to the web version of Substack, allowing writers and readers to track their activity in one dedicated space—including new likes, comments, and replies.
As in the Substack app, writers and readers can access the activity page via the account dropdown at the upper-right corner of the Substack site.
Readers will still receive emails for new activity and can toggle whether to receive alerts in the “Notifications” section of settings.
Activity alerts really keep the channels of communication open between Creator and audience, which I think is super important for a viable community.
Subscription pausing
Maybe the best received product feature, so instead of canceling people could be given the option to have a break instead. In theory this would boost long-term creator revenue and potentially reduce churn.
Many readers who cancel their paid subscriptions indicate that they’d like to re-subscribe at a later date. This feature was first beta-tested with positive results for writers and readers, so it is now available to everyone. As a result, we now present a suggestion to pause paid subscriptions for one, three, or six months instead of canceling outright.
Readers can pause and unpause as often as they like, and they will be shown the option only when they choose to cancel. Paused readers will be counted as free subscribers and will continue receiving free posts but categorized as “paused” in the subscriber dashboard.
Takeaway
So these and the other two minor announcements on metrics including the iOS app and Searching stock images directly in the interface were pretty helpful. The bottom line is it shows Substack is serious about product innovation which is a very good sign for its engineering, product and timeline for scaling its product not just to writers, but podcast makers and vloggers as well as hybrid creators.
Around the same time, we also got a new post from Substack Grow. Now I follow these blogs pretty religiously since they are based on what Substack considers research on how Creators can optimize their relationship with their audiences.
Here Substack assures us that writing is so much more than hitting “publish.” Yeah, we’ve noticed. It’s actually pretty difficult to create a marketing funnel for Newsletter writers, since our content is often niche and finding our tribe is not overtly obvious within the confines of a web dominated by Advertising giants whose algorithms are no longer designed for clicks to external sources or CTRs.
While Substack’s SEO is improving, actually in leaps and bounds, it’s still nothing compared to say Medium or Forbes.
Substack Says we should be More Relational and Conversational in our Approach to Building an Audience
This is not terrible advice. By shifting from “writing for an audience” to having a conversation with readers, writers can unlock inspiration, motivation, and new growth opportunities. It’s certainly easier if you can mix audio and video into your media.
For us pure-play writers how to we endear ourselves to our audiences? It’s one thing if I’m into cartoons or food, but what I’m if I’m more of a business or news writer?
And readers will appreciate the in-depth discussions, the chance to help shape your work, and the sense of belonging that comes from being among like minds.
The problem is to have in-depth discussions either requires a Discord, Facebook Group, Telegram group or something, or real scale of readership that affords actual comments. I don’t get actual comments. So how to build a relationship with an audience that’s mostly just getting your Emails?
I think building a Discord around your topic is not a bad idea, if real conversations are your aim.
If Substack offered me the ability to do polls the way LinkedIn has, I’d definitely include them in my work. If Substack had a thread for product ideas, I’d definately fill out a form.
Substack recommends finding your tribe and engaging with them directly:
Pinpoint your people: Get specific about who you are talking to
Find your readers where they are: Engage with communities that might be interested in your writing
Start a conversation: Get to know your most engaged readers via a discussion thread
Do something together: Find ways to connect your readers with one another and meet them yourself
However if I was going to do this, it would require A LOT of time spent outside of writing and creating. It would mean I’m a social media and community manager, in addition to being a writer.
As a business writer for instance, I can do this on LinkedIn, in my Newsletters there and in my Polls there, but to what extent while being productive in my Newsletters?
At scale, I think Substack is encouraging us rather to:
Be Specific - write on topic
Do Outreach
Converse with your audience
Create Interactive Events
But how does this work when our audience doesn’t have much scale like the majority of us creators find ourselves? I am not so sure.
As podcasters need to create vlogs in the Creator Economy
Writers need to learn to do other stuff than just purely telling stories or whatever they do.
I think, and I’m not an expert, this is what Substack is hinting at.
Segmenting your Audience
Newsletters, like other subscription-based media, perform best when they’re highly targeted to your readership—if you’re writing for everybody, you’re writing for nobody.
I personally like the idea of being an Evangelist for your topic, I’m writing about A.I or Quantum Computing, but mostly talking about the opportunity of it. This positive tone unites an audience around the interest they are supposedly into it.
Finding your audience is not actually very easy on today’s echo-bubble internet.
Reddit or Hacker News can drive eyeballs, but not Subs
LinkedIn can attract subs, but not that many eyeballs
Twitter, and if you don’t have a following on Twitter, for me it’s mostly a waste of time (I don’t write about politics).
Instagram, Pinterest and other platforms have even lower value CTRs
So to be an expert in your audience and where they hang out, you literally have to make the rounds of all these ecosystems and platforms. Some of which may require more work than they are worth, that’s the gritty reality of it.
Now if you diversified your Newsletter, into a weekly podcast and a vlog, now at least you might get audiences from more particular places. That Substack enables native podcasting and native video really is an opportunity I think a lot of indie Newsletter writers could approach more courageously.
The majority of eyeballs in the Creator Economy are already in video, Newsletters are a bit of an old-fashioned segment of written information, so we’re starting at a disadvantage immediately.
So how do you reduce friction with a potential audience? You nearly have to hit them in different ways, if not with audio or video, then different Newsletter formats. What I do, is literally write more than one Newsletter. This also means I’m not dying of boredom.
Create an Imaginary Audience Persona
Here Substack encourages us to put ourselves in the shoes of our reader. Who are they?
Then get specific to describe your target reader persona:
Describe this group of people in 1-2 sentences
Include key traits they bring as readers (e.g. relevant skills, interests, motivations, experiences, or backgrounds)
Describe their reading habits and name one or two other publications they might read (you might even include these on your About page)
What gaps exist in their current reading repertoire, and what differentiates your publication from the rest?
Bonus: Add specific names/personas to bring these readers to life
Substack Needs to Think about Audience Segmentation
Now if only I could ask my subscribers for more info regarding other segments of themselves and not just their Email. In business Email marketing this info is vital to personalizing content better to them and even segmenting Newsletters. Substack will eventually have to think of this.
I can’t Create well if I don’t know my own audience. Giving my audience access to a landing page questionnaire with basic info like age, gender, location, job and so forth would provide so much valuable data to me - instead of having to imagine magically their online persona.
Ironically so much about the advice Substack gives us as Creators is more a reflection of their own product, than it is new advice to me, somebody who has worked in marketing.
If I had actual objective data on my audience I’d ask them “why do you read or expect from my Newsletter”
After all, different personas and ages and genders might read Newsletters for different motives:
Education
Inspiration
Career
Hobbies - Fun
And so forth…..
A table from People & Company’s Get Together resources.
The Problem of Audience Outreach
For every Creator finding your tribe will mean venturing forth on Reddit, Facebook Groups, Discords, Telegrams and dozens of other micro communities scattered online. However building a relationship with them or bringing them to your Newsletter may be easier said than done. This is because these groups rarely promote CTRs outside of their ecosystems. Reddit is even quite harsh on what it considers promotions or spamming.
Facebook groups are often poor moderated and or forgotten. Discord communities can be usually your best bet. In some countries, WhatsApp groups are awesome, in other countries and topics its Telegram, it really changes very quickly. While Substack has good synergy with Twitter, it’s not something outside of politics and established journalists, that’s very useful for most of us.
Anyways, the sum total of these product updates and Substack Grow resources is mostly good news for Creators. The best way to be aware of them and Substack’s own events is to follow them on Twitter.
Don’t forget, Substack is also hiring!
https://jobs.lever.co/substackinc
Resources and updates: