Know a TikTok creator who should consider joining Substack? Send them ourguide to getting started.

On who a TikTok ban would hurt

: For me, I have the biggest platform on TikTok, but I’ll be okay if it’s gone. But I always say when people are like, “Hell yeah, I hate TikTok, blah blah blah,” the first people I think of are the 7,000 U.S.-based TikTok employees. I just don’t want anyone to lose their job. And if TikTok gets banned, they’re not going to have a job. That’s always who I’m rooting for, why [I hope] it doesn’t get banned.

: And, like, every small business that TikTok promotes and drives sales for. [And] what will Amazon do? Do you know how much money Amazon makes on storefronts just from TikTok? No [chance] that their lobbyists aren’t barking up Trump’s tree right now.

On content moderation

: I’ve gotten the weirdest community guideline [violations on TikTok]. Like we were gonna go to Egypt for our honeymoon, and I said the word “Egypt” on a livestream, and it completely shut down the live. I was like, whoa, what is this? And it was [for] terrorism speech! I was like, are you serious? This is actually crazy.

On what the next TikTok will look like

: Who’s going to replace TikTok? I think it’s not necessarily gonna be about the algorithm. It’s not about who will replace TikTok in terms of short-form media, like a quick 30-second video. It is going to be the app that makes it easiest to film and edit and post a video in five minutes or less. If you’ve ever tried making an Instagram reel, a YouTube short on the app…

: Horrible!

: Yes! I was at one of those big media platforms earlier this year and they wanted us to post a short-form video. And I was talking to one of the employees, and I’m like, “Hey, how do I just make the text on screen disappear after like three seconds?” And they’re like, “Oh, we don’t have that feature yet. But honestly, just go over to TikTok, screen record it, and then post it here.”

And I think the app that replaces TikTok if it gets banned—and who knows now, with Trump loving it and stuff—but the app that replaces TikTok isn’t going to be the best algorithm, isn’t going to be the best whatever. It’s going to be the one that makes it easiest to edit and post.

On TikTok competitors, and turning to Substack for reputable, high-quality content

: [Competing video apps] Lemonade and Clapper are too similar to TikTok. They’re not disruptive enough. Every platform that comes around that’s disruptive is what ends up being the future. So I sometimes see that with Substack—because a lot of people that I talk to are like, “Why would anyone pay for creators’ videos?”—but that pushback is telling me there’s something there.

: And the amount of people that have come over already and are like, “Oh, this is so refreshing and different.” It’s almost closer to Apple News for me than it is to anything else, because this is where I get my news from. It’s where I get reputable, high-quality content that’s like—and not that I read real news, but I’m like, I need to hear about, like, Sabrina Carpenter. I want to hear about [Prince] Harry and Meghan [Markle]. Like, I subscribe to the New York Times for recipes, and I’m using Substack instead now. It’s very different from TikTok.

On finding a reliable income stream on Substack

: So what made you go from Instagram to Substack? Because you’re really big on Instagram. So what was the deciding factor for you?

: Oh my god. This is something I feel like I can’t talk about on TikTok for some reason. But the whole agency dynamic of social media is wild.

So, I was signed with an agency and I had left for … reasons. I felt like I didn’t really own any of my content, and I didn’t have any revenue that I could take for myself. Most agency contracts have something called a “sunset clause,” where if you work with a brand while you’re signed with this agency, they get to take a cut of that brand deal for a certain period of time, even after you’re not working with them [anymore].

So I had a six-month sunset clause, and I was like, I need something that I own in full, that’s my content. If I don’t have an agency, if TikTok goes away, if something happens, I own it. You know? And I have a recurring revenue stream.

And the way brand deals are, there will be months where you make six months’ worth of income. There’ll be weeks where you make six months’ worth of income! And then there will be three months where you don’t make a penny. And the idea of like, raising a family, or owning a house, or trying to live a life—like, you can’t plan for anything. There’s no reliability. It’s just really, really hard. I’m not saying it’s not good money, but who knows how long it’s gonna last?

And Substack fixed all of that in one app. It’s insane.

Ed.: This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Welcome to another edition of the Substack Bulletin, where publishers get a roundup of the latest news, resources, and events in one place. As we close out the year, we’re featuring product updates that increase engagement with posts and Notes, analyzing the implications for publishers of the impending TikTok ban in the U.S, and highlighting recent creator events.

We’re constantly seeking ways to improve this series, so don’t hesitate to share your feedback or suggestions in the comments.

Leave a comment

News

• A redesign of quote restacks. We’ve given quote restacks a fresh new look. The updated layout treats the selected quote like an image in the feed, and readers can now customize the background color and text alignment before posting. The process remains the same: highlight the text you want to share, then click “Restack” when prompted. Learn more about restacking here.

• Measure your impact with Notes stats. Notes are a powerful way to gain new subscribers and connect within the Substack network. Now publishers can measure the impact of their Notes with new stats, including revenue generated, new paid and free subscribers, new followers, total clicks, and total shares. Stats are available one hour after a Note is posted and will refresh each hour. Currently, this feature is available on the web, with plans to bring it to the Substack app in the future. Learn more about Notes stats here.

• Tailor the reader listening experience with new read-aloud voices. Enhance your readers’ listening experience with new text-to-speech (TTS) voices in the Substack app. Publishers with TTS enabled can now choose from a variety of free voices, offering diverse genders, ages, and tones to bring their posts to life. Once selected, your chosen voice will apply to all future posts. Learn more about text-to-speech here.

• Automated clipping for all video posts in the app. Make your video content more shareable with automated clipping. After posting a video or livestream, you’ll receive clips based on key moments of engagement. Review, save, and share them directly to Notes and platforms like Instagram, all from the Substack app. Clips can be found under the “Share clips” tab in your post stats. Learn more about clipping here.

Resources

• Own your audience: Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie underlined the importance of creators owning their audience lists in a recent post, drawing parallels between the potential TikTok ban and Buzzfeed’s decline due to its reliance on platforms like Facebook. If you or a creator you know wants to migrate TikTok followers to Substack, check out our guide for step-by-step instructions.

  • Additionally, on Thursday, December 19th at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT you can tune into a Substack Live interview with digital trends expert and recipe developer , where they’ll discuss their journeys on Substack, how they tailor content for Substack vs TikTok, and tips for creators looking to build a sustainable audience beyond TikTok. Subscribe to either creator to get notified as soon as it begins!

• Gifting: ‘Tis the season for gifting Substacks. We’ve published a comprehensive guide on gift subscriptions and special offers, packed with tips and examples of how writers and creators are using these tools to convert free subscribers to paid during the holidays. Learn more about gifting here.

• Chatbot question of the week: How do you change the background color of your page?

  To change the background color of your Substack publication:

  • Log in to your Substack account

  • Go to your publication’s Settings page

  • Click on “Branding” in the left navigation bar

  • Click on “Edit theme” next to Publication theme

  • In the Design section, choose your desired background color

  The changes will be applied automatically. You can also use the shuffle icon at the top next to Branding for random color selections.

Community

• Around town: In the UK, Substack gathered publishers and their subscribers for a festive reading in central London. Creators including , , , , , , and each shared a reading on the theme of togetherness and answered questions submitted by their paid subscribers. Highlights included ’ reflections on the need for true community and ’s hilarious riff on what not to like, all topped off with mulled wine and mince pies.

• Meanwhile, writers and creators in San Francisco and New York came together for vibrant gatherings, exchanging ideas, forging connections, and finding inspiration in one another’s work. Check out some highlights below from , , , and .

• Lastly, hosted a night of relaxation and self-care to mark the launch of her new Substack, where she shares personal reflections on what inspires her—whether it’s a meaningful encounter, a transformative story, a new recipe, or moments of joy found in everyday life.

• In the press: The Cut featured ’s insights on the best advent calendars to buy this holiday season. Eater NY highlighted ’s black sesame chiffon cake in its recap of the Cake Picnic event in New York. CNBC included commentary from on how bonds and inflation might shift post-election. Town & Country tapped to share her thoughts on the perfect dessert. Real Simple covered ’s famous Dense Bean Salad, offering tips on how to prepare it. Marie Claire featured in an article exploring the benefits and pressures of achieving career success at a young age. Futurism interviewed about the fragility of the AI industry. Elle included ’s insights on the Vera Bradley brand comeback. USA Today cited ’s mock draft picks as recommendations for the team’s 2025 improvements. The Standard spoke with about her enduring fondness for New York. Elle profiled , who discussed how impending motherhood has influenced her work, her ventures into entrepreneurship, and her approach to making baby food. WWD ran a feature on ’s new Substack, offering “irreverent and personal” notes on style and living. Who What Wear interviewed about her career in fashion, her journey on Substack, and how she’s leveraged her experience into exciting collaborations.

Celebrating a milestone or press feature? Email milestone@substackinc.com or let us know in the comments.

Leave a comment

This relaunch showcases a model that, in the years ahead, will give big-vision publishers a new option for starting a fully-fledged media business, encompassing rich design, advanced websites, deep analytics, automated marketing features, and first-class support for video, audio, and more.

Substack will always be dedicated to helping individuals and small teams publish across formats, build an audience, and make money from subscriptions, but we also want to support publishers’ ambitions as they grow on the platform. With that in mind, we are building a toolset that will allow high-volume publishers with sophisticated needs—including custom branding, website design, and support for large editorial teams—to take advantage of Substack’s best-in-class publishing system while also being plugged into a network that drives subscriptions.

We’re partnering with The Free Press to build this first version of Substack’s enterprise offering while we learn how to best support organizations of this nature. This work will benefit all publishers on the platform. As we develop the toolset through an extended private beta over the coming year, we plan to take features designed for The Free Press and make them available for general use in Substack.

The Free Press in its current iteration launched on Substack in 2022 and has since accrued an audience of 1 million subscribers, including more than 135,000 paid subscribers. A recent funding round valued the company, which now has 50 employees, at $100 million.

We view The Free Press as an ideal partner for this initiative because of its longstanding presence on Substack, which extends back to its founding in early 2021, and because of its commitment to pursuing high-integrity journalism. The Free Press is old school in the best way, with meticulous editorial standards that it upholds through in-depth reporting, fact-checking, editing, original photography, and more. The Free Press, like Substack, is also dedicated to a business model based on subscriptions.

“The Free Press and Substack have grown up together,” says , Editor and CEO. “As we continue to innovate, we appreciate Substack’s commitment to the largest-scale publishers.”

We’re excited by the potential of matching these advanced content management tools with the power of Substack’s network effects, anchored by audience-sharing features such as recommendations and the Substack app. For publications across the platform, the Substack app now drives 50% of all subscriptions and 30% of paid subscriptions.

We anticipate many more outlets like The Free Press to be built on Substack in the future, benefiting not only from the elegance and simplicity of the platform’s publishing tools, but also by being part of an ecosystem of intelligent readers and consumers who are hungry for quality media.

If you are a TikTok creator and brand-new to Substack, here’s how to get started.

1. Download the Substack app

When you download the Substack app via the App Store or Google Play, you will be prompted to create a profile and claim a handle. Use the name and handle that most people know you by on social media to make it easy to find you. For Example, uses the same handle, @condimentclaire, on TikTok and Substack.

In the app, you have publishing capabilities and essential stats. To access the full stats dashboard, podcasting, and video tools, visit Substack on the web. For advanced features like a custom website, adding multiple team members, or hosting a subscriber chat, update your profile to a full publication in settings.

Download the app

2. Connect to Stripe

Moving to Substack means the ability to monetize the content you work hard to create and gain full ownership of your audience. If you have an engaged audience, turn on paid subscriptions. You can decide on a post-by-post basis what to keep free and what to make paid. As you get started, you can keep everything free, with paid subscriptions functioning like donations to support your work. If you have behind-the-scenes or exclusive content like recipes, reviews, or day-in-the-life videos, you might experiment with free previews of paid posts. Learn more

Connect Stripe

3. Make a post

Substack supports written posts from the app. If you’d like to enhance your posts with video or audio, you can do so via the web. Your first post can be simple: a short explanation of what’s coming soon or an example of the content you plan to post going forward, like a recipe, review, or episode of your video series. Be sure to include a subscribe button early in the post.

teases her Substack with a coming-soon post:

Picnic Date

hey cutie, wanna go on a date?

First things first, I AM SO HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!!! This is Picnic Date ! Our weekly picnic date where I will be posting multiple delicious recipes every week, all my current food fixations (w the recipe included ofc), weekly grocery lists, meal prepping tips and ideas, kitchen and cooking tips, weekly recaps, & and anything else my brain forces me to spew…

Read more

9 months ago · 80 likes · 3 comments · Faiths Fresh

records a video outlining her plans:

The Preamble

Welcome to The Preamble

The Preamble is a daily newsletter that will help you feel more confident in your knowledge about how government and politics work in the United States. This is a place to learn and have interesting discussions with people who think differently than you. If you’re looking for a newsletter that tells you what idiots the _________________ (fill in your pr…

Listen now

6 months ago · 886 likes · 6 comments · Sharon McMahon

Nara Smith of introduces herself and then gets behind the scenes using a flexible paywall:

Paper Pantry

Hi friends!

Welcome guys!! For everyone that’s new here and doesn’t know me- Hi! I’m Nara you may know me from uploading cooking videos on a couple different platforms or from way before when I wasn’t cooking at all and documenting all my outfits and parts of my life online…

Read more

a year ago · 399 likes · 33 comments · Paper Pantry

Make a post

4. Tell your TikTok followers

You’ve likely invested a lot of time in building your TikTok following and deserve to reach them directly. When launching your Substack, let people know. You don’t need to do anything radically out of your norm—be real and talk to your followers like you always do and tell them why this matters.

As you keep posting your regular content, send people to your Substack to go deeper. Be specific about what people can find on your Substack to incentivize them to stop scrolling and click in.

lets followers know how Substack can help keep them better connected:

@nolandanielwhiteWeek 1 drops tomorrow at 12pm EST! . . . #menswear #menfashion #menstyle #fashion #grailed #grailfits #snobshots #highsnobiety #outfit

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

playfully announces her Substack using her staple “day in my life” video format:

@faithsfreshHER FACE AT THE END ??? so disrespectful 🙄 btw all of these recipes are on my substack link in biooo #easyrecipes #privatechef

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

() posts her cooking videos with the call to action to get the recipe on Substack via the link in her bio:

@babytamagoday 7 of everything but the turkey: roasted garlic & mushroom stuffing 🙂‍↔️🧄 I want my stuffing to be *a star* not a backup dancer so there’s mushrooms, breakfast sausage, all the herbs, a whole head of roasted garlic and all the alliums to make a stuffing so good you’ll sit over the stove eating it out of the pan before you head out the door 🤞🏼 recipe is on substack already yerrrr #everythingbuttheturkey #stuffingrecipe #thanksgivingrecipes

Tiktok failed to load.

Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser

5. Keep going

Now that you’ve kickstarted your Substack, here are a few things to remember as you continue experimenting here.

• Update your bio: Add your Substack to your link in bio or Linktree so TikTok followers, old and new, can quickly subscribe. Consider updating the text in your bio explaining what’s on your Substack.

• Share a note on Substack: Notes is the best way to reach new audiences within the Substack app. Notes are short-form posts, images, and videos that land on the home feed for the broader Substack network to discover, whereas posts go directly to subscribers’ inboxes. Learn more

• Experiment with Chat: Substack Chat is a subscriber-only community where you make the guest list and the rules. It’s like having a group chat or Reddit thread connected to your Substack. Learn more

  

• Try live video: Live video allows publishers to broadcast in real time to free subscribers, paid subscribers, or the broader Substack network from the app. All “lives” are automatically recorded so you can post out to subscribers as part of your archive. Learn more and request access

  

As you get started, keep it simple. Create a regular routine of posting to subscribers on Substack and using your TikTok to point back to what you are doing here on Substack.

Get started

Hear stories from TikTokers making their home on Substack

“A website just felt too serious, like who did I think I was? But Substack seemed like the perfect medium for me—it kind of feels like I’m sending a love letter every time I write one.” — ()

Read on

“The longer the media, the longer your audience remembers you for. TikTok was great for exposure, but it was not great for building a loyal community … For me, Substack has been such a saving grace.” —Coco Mocoe

Read on

“Substack provides me with consistent income. One Substack post can bring in a significant number of new subscribers, providing a steady revenue stream compared to the variability of brand deals. It’s reaching a point where brand deals are less appealing, and focusing on Substack seems more sustainable.” —

Read on

Get started

Gift subscriptions, special offers, and thoughtful posts to celebrate the end of the year can be powerful tools to convert free subscribers to paid and help you reach new audiences.

Here are a few tips and some inspiration to help you grow your publication as 2024 comes to an end.

Gifts 

Subscriptions are a great gift—a way for current subscribers who already know and love your work to share it. It’s a gift for them, too: an opportunity to discuss a shared interest with friends and family all year long. The holiday season is the perfect time to remind your current subscribers that gift subscriptions are available. 

• , a music and media historian, includes a reminder about gift subscriptions in the midst of his recent essay. 

The Honest Broker

Is There a Crisis of Seriousness?

Back in 1996, critic Susan Sontag warned that seriousness was disappearing from society…

Read more

a month ago · 1332 likes · 271 comments · Ted Gioia

• , the creator of The Isolation Journals, includes a gift subscription option in all her posts beneath the “subscribe” button.

The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad

Prompt 312. The Olive Oil King & Nosf-Nosf

Hi friend…

Read more

a month ago · 399 likes · 128 comments · Suleika Jaouad

To do: Add a gift subscription button to any post from the button drop-down menu, or find the option to purchase a gift subscription for any Substack at subdomain.substack.com/gift. Learn more

Special offers

Special offers allow you to provide a discount or free trial, reducing the cost barrier and creating urgency to purchase a subscription, all of which ultimately help you earn more money. Discounts can be offered for the annual billing period or indefinitely, letting subscribers lock in a reduced rate in perpetuity. Our data shows that the higher the discount, the better the conversion. Discounts of 20% drive some of the best conversions and click-through rates, though discounts of 60% and higher also perform very well.

What matters more than the percent discount you offer is how you communicate the offer to subscribers. Depending on your audience, the holiday season might be the right time to share a special offer, or you might time the offer around an event more specific to your topic. For example, a New Year’s sale is a good idea for health and wellness guides as people work on resolutions. You could offer a special deal around the time of a big cultural event you cover, or a discount to celebrate a milestone like your publication anniversary.  

• , a culture writer, offers an annual sale during the “doldrums of winter.” She puts the sale offer at the top of a post that’s typically paywalled to show free subscribers exactly what they’re missing. Anne explains the value of paid subscriptions: “You get access to these monthly links and recs posts, the amazing thread discussions, and the knowledge that you’re paying for the stuff you consume and value—and making this job sustainable.”

Culture Study

Once-a-Year Sale + A Plentitude of Links & Recs

It’s time for our once a year DOLDRUMS OF WINTER CULTURE STUDY SALE!!! This only happens in February — and it really is the only sale. This isn’t J.Crew, where if you just wait around for a few weeks it’ll come around again. So if you want to take advantage of the sale and convert to a paid subscription….now’s your chance. You get access to these monthly links & recs posts, the amazing thread discussions, and the knowledge that you’re paying for the stuff you consume and value — and making this job sustainable…

Read more

10 months ago · 145 likes · 33 comments · Anne Helen Petersen

• , who helps people working in product hone their craft and career, celebrated 100,000 subscribers with a discount on paid subscriptions. He used the moment to reflect on how he got here, and gave people a taste of what they would get if they upgraded with a sample of his AI prompt library.

Creator Economy by Peter Yang

100,000 Subscribers and My Personal AI Prompt Library

Dear subscribers…

Read more

a month ago · 27 likes · 2 comments · Peter Yang

Other great examples: shows the value of the community available to paid subscribers and creates extra urgency by offering a discount for only a few hours. plugs a discount just above the flexible paywall. positions their discount as a “subscription drive,” making it a concentrated moment to rally free readers to become paid subscribers.

To do: Send a dedicated post to free subscribers with your offer, and include a button to redeem the discount. Don’t be shy about following up during the offer period by reminding subscribers in your regular posts or sending targeted emails to engaged free readers using the subscriber dashboard. Learn more 

Celebrating the moment

The holiday season is a time of renewed connection and community gathering. Substack publishers are leaning into the moment in creative ways that strengthen their relationships with subscribers and help them reach new audiences.

• , an artist and educator, hosts a digital advent calendar of “making, doing, and being” to help subscribers “carve out a little more space to just be” during this busy season.

Creative Fuel with Anna Brones

24 Days of Making, Doing, and Being Digital Advent Calendar: 2023 Edition

Hello friends…

Read more

a year ago · 167 likes · 8 comments · Anna Brones

• Harling Ross Anton, Molly Sims, and Arianna are among the many sharing gift guides on Substack. Word of mouth is driving decision-making this holiday season, and people are turning to trusted tastemakers to do their research along the way.

  Gumshoe

  How to Give Better Gifts

  The Problem With Gift Guides…

  Read more

  a month ago · 72 likes · 12 comments · Harling Ross Anton

• took a moment to check in with subscribers in a manifesto-style post, restating her gratitude for subscribers and explaining why she publishes Ask Polly. Remember that newer subscribers may not be familiar with your origin story, goals, or mission. Routinely remind subscribers why you do this work with a strong call to action to upgrade, especially at times when they might be thinking about how they can give back.

Ask Polly

Thank You!

Crested like palms, like waves, they too subsist (1990-91) by Dorothea Tanning…

Read more

a month ago · 108 likes · 16 comments · Heather Havrilesky

What other ways have you seen people use the end of the year to grow their Substack and strengthen their relationship with subscribers? 

Leave a comment

For a year and a half, we’ve been quietly cultivating a powerful new growth engine. It’s the Substack app, and it’s now the number one source of all subscriptions on the platform. 

Until recently, recommendations were Substack’s largest growth driver. Recommendations, through which publishers can promote other publishers to their audience, have generated more than 34 million subscriptions across the platform. Product management expert , whose newsletter is the top revenue-earner in the business category, called recommendations “one of the most impactful growth features in history.”

Recommendations continue to grow, and yet the app has now surpassed them as the top source of subscriber and revenue growth for Substack publishers. In the past month, recommendations drove 2 million subscriptions across the platform. The app drove 3 million. While other social media platforms penalize external links, discovery in the Substack app is now generating about the same number of subscriptions as all social media sources combined.

The bulk of the growth driven by the app is attributable to Notes, the Home feed, and onboarding suggestions. Now that millions of people have downloaded the app and are making it part of their weekly routine, the growth from these sources is only accelerating. 

The Substack app brings together the best of the inbox with the best of social discovery and discussion, giving people the opportunity to go deep with their favorite creators or browse the entire ecosystem. It blends short- and long-form content, casual and formal. After getting a notification and reading a new long-form post, readers might dip into notes, jump over to DMs, or join a chat with fellow subscribers.  From there, they might use search and the leaderboards to find new voices to fall in love with. They can listen to podcasts, watch videos, and join livestreams with top creators and their subscribers. 

Take it from a happy customer, Meg: 

It’s got the dumb memes and shitposts that I love from other social media platforms, but they’re mixed in with thought-provoking posts from newsletters and good discussions. It feels like my favorite blogs have all landed in one place… 

The chat is also a fantastic app feature, depending on how writers/readers are using it. I can connect with folks who have already been vetted to some degree by subscribing to a newsletter that I also find valuable.

Bottom line: the Substack app is largely keeping what’s good about social media and integrating it with a whole new way of consuming media. 

For creators, the app offers the simplest way to publish posts, start new conversations, and post notes to the feed. And it brings creators into closer proximity with one another, particularly through the communities that form on Notes. In these communities, creators can learn from each other and find opportunities for collaboration. It’s a goodwill growth loop.

We’re still in the early days of building the app—there are many features to add and kinks to work out—but the growth results are already so striking that we have decided to accelerate our efforts to bring more people into the system. For example, one trend we’ve noticed is that subscribers who use the app are much more likely to share, like, comment on, or restack your work than before they installed the app (one test put the multiple at seven times likelier). Those subscribers are also much more likely to subscribe to other writers and creators, which means those millions of people act as a pool of high-quality leads for your publication. You can expect to see us doing more experiments around app growth on an ongoing basis. 

The growth of the Substack app ensures that the core principles of creator ownership and autonomy have a home on the internet. On Substack, you own your mailing list, your creative work, and your payment relationships, and you can export them at any time. While the app serves as a growth machine that you can choose to plug into, it does not keep you locked in the system. All the app’s features—from follows to leaderboards to search—are designed to help maximize the number of subscriptions you get (which in turn helps Substack the company grow).

That’s what makes the Substack app unique. Other platforms optimize for content that can entertain the masses for a millisecond; the Substack app is designed to bring talented creators together with an audience that recognizes the value of their work. That makes the app not just a growth engine for creators but a powerful lever in a new economic engine for culture. 

Get more from Substack Writers in the Substack app

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Welcome to the latest edition of the Substack Bulletin, a roundup of product news, resources, and events all in one place. This month, we’re highlighting product updates designed to boost discoverability and convert free subscribers into paid supporters, the ongoing Substack Election Dialogues, and in-person events from Berlin to San Francisco. 

We’re continually striving to improve this series, and we value your input. Please share any feedback or suggestions in the comments.

Leave a comment

News

• Free previews for chat. We’re rolling out a new chat setting that enables publishers to paywall the replies of a thread, functioning like a free preview of a post. When it’s enabled, all subscribers will be able to view top-level chats, but only paid subscribers will be able to view chat threads or send replies. This feature teases the discussions happening in your community and encourages readers to upgrade to participate. Check out how uses it:

• Friends don’t let friends miss out on chats. We recently introduced an invite button to chats in the app, allowing readers to invite their friends to join the conversation. Recipients are prompted to subscribe to the creator to enter the chat. 

• Search notes on mobile. We’ve extended our improved search feature to mobile, making it easier to find notes on your favorite topics in the app.

• Discover the best takes on Substack with related notes. At the bottom of each note in the feed, readers can now find suggestions for related notes, facilitating discovery and connections between like-minded creators. 

Resources

• Enjoy: Substack’s weekly digest now includes more art, multimedia, and notes as a way to better capture the extraordinary variety of work found on Substack. It also has a new name: The Weekender. Read the latest edition here. 

• Consider: Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie explores how the magic dust of the Substack business model can unlock new value for all types of creators, giving rise to an economy where creators, rather than platforms or advertisers, are in charge. 

• Chatbot question of the week: What’s the difference between a note and a post?

  Notes and posts on Substack serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. Both formats are integral to engaging with your audience and can be used in complementary ways depending on your communication goals.

  Notes:

  • Short-form writing similar to microblogging

  • Ideal for quick updates and sharing quotes, images, multimedia, and memes or engaging in conversations

  • Appear in your subscribers’ feed but do not trigger an email notification

  • Can be used to recommend other posts or to tag and reply to other writers

  Posts:

  • Typically longer and more in-depth articles

  • Sent directly to subscribers by email and appear on your Substack publication

  • Used for detailed analysis, stories, or comprehensive updates

Community

• Election Dialogues: The Substack Election Dialogues, an ongoing series of discussions between prominent politics publishers, have been streaming live in the Substack app. Highlights have included and analyzing polls and forecasts, and dissecting the evolution of media, and on the problem of censorship, and and critiquing the media’s blind spots.  

  More fascinating conversations are scheduled in the coming week, including and discussing the latest polling, and exploring the geopolitical impact of U.S. elections, and and breaking down the key issues driving voter behavior. To see more, visit substack.com/dialogues.

• Meetups: Substackers in Berlin met to exchange ideas and build community over drinks—thank you to for hosting. Up next, is hosting a meetup in Edinburgh and is hosting one in Cleveland. Want to host a meetup in your city? Learn more. 

• Around town: We partnered with Sarah Paine and to host a three-part lecture series in San Francisco on international military history and strategy. Read more in Dwarkesh’s post. 

• In the press: Time magazine featured ’s viral dense bean salad. The Guardian included ’s spin on the perfect flan recipe. Byline did a profile on about writing, grief, and weaving the two together in her Substack. The New York Post interviewed about Jones Road and how she reinvented the cosmetics industry, twice. partnered with The Infatuation to curate a list of top restaurants in the Bay Area to eat at with kids. Glamour interviewed about her latest ventures and striving for authenticity after a lifetime of being objectified. Glossy mentioned and Chloe Lee of in its newsletter about Gen Z’s sentiment toward luxury-item dupes. published an article in SSENSE about the history and revival of fashion writing, mentioning Substackers , , , and others who are leading the charge. was interviewed by Business Insider about leaving Vox and finding success on Substack. The New York Times spoke with about bringing her personal diary to Substack after editing New York magazine and the Daily Beast for decades. The Hollywood Reporter, the New York Times, and Deadline, among others, noted ’s departure from the Washington Post and the launch of her own publication on Substack. The New York Times and The Daily Front Row reported on Pratt’s new Substack and what fans can expect from the venture. Town and Country published an introduction to , spotlighting her Substack launch. The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and the Hollywood Reporter, among others, covered James Patterson’s launch on Substack and his search for an unfiltered outlet. 

• Milestones: won an IACP Award, recognizing Robert’s writing on cocktails, food, travel, and culture. ’s work with the Glasshouse, a social enterprise providing second chances through horticulture to women in U.K. prisons, was selected as a featured garden for the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. celebrated his third anniversary on Substack with a reflective post about his creative journey and shared valuable tips for aspiring writers. 

• Writers celebrating book publication: published Crisis Averted, and published Women’s Hotel. 

Celebrating a milestone or press feature? Email milestone@substackinc.com or let us know in the comments.

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Hosting a live video is simple.

1. Build hype. If you have a set time you plan to go live, let your Substack subscribers and social media followers know ahead of time. 

   • wrote a dedicated post to subscribers sharing his plans to go live after the Democratic National Convention with info on how they could tune in from the app.

     Wake Up To Politics

     Going live tonight!

     Hello from Section 320 of the United Center, where I am currently stationed before the DNC programming is about to begin…

     Read more

     4 months ago · 74 likes · 3 comments · Gabe Fleisher

   • , , and leveraged their social channels to promote their upcoming live videos, and included direct links to download the app.

     

   • teased an Ask Me Anything live stream by pre-seeding questions in her subscriber chat. 

     

2. Host your live video.

   • Head to the Substack app, click the “+” button, and tap “Live.”

   • Choose a title, and select the audience. You can go live to everyone, which will notify your subscribers and make your broadcast available to anyone who discovers it. Or, you can limit the audience to subscribers or just to paid subscribers. 

   • Click “Next” and either search for someone to invite to the livestream or bypass this step by clicking “Skip” in the upper right corner.

   • You’ll then enter a preview room where you can ensure participants are all set and then click “Go Live” to begin.

   • You’ll see a red “Live” icon in the upper right corner once you are broadcasting. Note you may experience a slight delay as the live video begins.

     

   • Lifestyle creators and joined forces to discuss the ups and downs of being in your 40s and introduced themselves to one another’s subscribers in the process.

     

   • Cartoonist hosted a live drawing session for subscribers.

     

   • hosts AMAs covering topics like improving overall health and knee pain.

3. Publish the replay. Your live stream is automatically recorded and added to your post drafts. You can publish the recording to subscribers in case they missed it, and continue the conversation in the comments.

   • Garden designer reshared her live video from the first day of autumn in the U.K. with a gardening checklist for the week.

     The Gardening Mind by Jo Thompson

     Live with The Gardening Mind

     For anyone who missed it, here are some clips from this morning’s Substack Live…

     Listen now

     3 months ago · 40 likes · 25 comments · Jo Thompson

   • Political commentator posted her Ask Me Anything and dropped a paywall in the video after a juicy question.

     The Preamble

     Subscriber questions live!

     What’s it like meeting Ken Burns? Can Harris codify Roe? Are you really *that* tall…

     Listen now

     3 months ago · 293 likes · 20 comments · Sharon McMahon

4. Promote on social. Let social media followers know what they missed. Take a screenshot of your live video or use the clipping tool to share highlights to X, Instagram, and notes with a link to subscribe to your Substack.

   • posted compelling clips from her live video with to her Instagram. 

   • After finishing her first live video, teased her next one by asking followers on Instagram what she should discuss next.

There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for live video. The best thing you can do is experiment and learn what resonates with your audience. Depending on your goals, consider doubling down on different strategies.

• If you want to grow your total audience, leverage collaborations and use the clipping tool after you go live to share the key moments on social media. 

• If you want to convert more paid subscribers, give subscribers a backstage pass to your work and publish the replay using the flexible paywall to show free subscribers what they are missing out on. 

Remember: The more consistently you go live, the more potential you have to reach new people and build a deeper relationship with your subscribers.

Get more from Substack Writers in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Disclaimer: Streaming is now available to bestsellers on the iOS and Android apps, with plans to roll it out to all creators in the coming months. If you’re not a bestseller but want early access to streaming, you can request it here.

Questions about live video? Ask us or visit the Help Center.

Welcome to another edition of the Substack Bulletin, where publishers get a roundup of the latest news, resources, and events in one place. This month, we’re featuring product updates that make publishing on Substack easier and faster than ever, sharing highlights from events in New York and Chicago, and showcasing the creative ways publishers are taking advantage of Substack’s suite of tools to engage their communities.

We’re always looking for ways to make this series more valuable for you, so please feel free to share any feedback or suggestions in the comments.

Leave a comment

News

• Explore a new way to connect with Live Video. Publishers can now host events, share hot takes and breaking news, take subscribers behind the scenes, and conduct interactive sessions like AMAs with live video in the Substack app. Subscribers are notified immediately, and creators can paywall live videos for exclusive access. Collaborative livestreams, in which two Substackers go live together, are a good way to cross-promote and reach new subscribers. This feature is currently available to bestsellers, with plans to expand to all users soon (others can join the waitlist here). Here are a few tips for a successful livestream:

  • Give notice. Tell your audience about the live event in advance so they can mark their calendars. And make sure they know they’ll need the Substack app to tune in! Gabe Fleisher’s post is a good example of an announcement about an upcoming livestream.

  • Upsell paid subscriptions. We recommend going live to your entire audience the first few times, so all your subscribers come to understand the value. Then you can transition to offering live events as an exclusive benefit for paid subscribers, enticing more free subscribers to upgrade. Learn more about getting started with Live Video on Substack

• Edit images in posts and notes. You can now adjust photos directly from the post editor. Crop, rotate, filter, and annotate your images with ease. Learn more about editing images on Substack.

  

• Discover new voices via category tabs. Category tabs make it easy for readers to discover relevant posts and notes on topics like sports, technology, and literature, among others. Timely subjects have found a home as well: we have a dedicated tab for the U.S. election, with providing live polling updates. Learn more about category tabs in Notes. 

  

• Android users can now publish posts directly from the Substack app. The mobile editor includes basic text and image publishing, providing a simple way to connect with your subscribers at any time, from anywhere. Learn more about publishing a post from the Substack app.

• Your Substack Summer. We’re marking the end of the season with Substack Summer Recaps, an at-a-glance, personalized recap of everything you read, watched, and listened to in the past few months. The recaps include a user’s top three publications, giving a shoutout to the writers and creators they love most. Don’t miss ’s post where she breaks down her reading habits. Want to see your own? Get your Substack Summer Recap here. Reading this on an Android? Click here to get your recap. 

  

• Explore videos and podcasts in the media tab. Now available in the app for both iOS and Android users, the media tab is powering discovery for Substack’s video and audio creators. We launched the media tab alongside the Substack Originals video series, which showcases a few of the fascinating people who have made Substack their creative home. Learn more about the media tab and Substack Originals.

  

• TK reminders. Substack is making it easier for creators to polish their work before hitting publish. Any “TK” markings in a draft will now be noted in the sidebar, serving as a clear reminder that a section needs attention. If you try to publish without addressing these placeholders, a pop-up will prompt you to review your draft. 

  

• Table of Contents. A table of contents is now automatically generated based on your post headers. This feature helps structure your writing and makes it easier for readers to jump directly to the sections that interest them. It’s a simple way to improve navigation and enhance the reader experience.

Resources

• Understand: We published a how-to guide for Live Chat, sharing tips and tricks for harnessing the power of chat to engage with your subscribers in real-time conversations on breaking news and current events. 

• Innovate: , the bestselling author and host of the 10% Happier podcast, is taking advantage of Substack’s tools to provide a cool and unique experience for subscribers. He’s built a website with a well-chosen theme, hosts livestream meditations in the app, moderates an active Chat, and shares video clips across Notes. 

• Chatbot question of the week: Can you explain what Substack Chat is?Substack Chat is a feature designed for writers to host private conversations with their subscribers. It’s a space where you can engage with your audience directly by sharing updates, photos, and discussion prompts. This feature is intended to make reader engagement more dynamic and personal, with options like image replies and emoji reactions to keep the conversation lively and interactive. You can access Substack Chat both on the web and through the Substack app. If you’re interested in setting it up or learning more about how it works, you can find detailed information here.

Community

• Meetups: Join fellow Substackers , , and in Los Angeles; in Berlin; and in London; and in Paris. Want to host a meetup in your city? Learn more. 

• Around Town: We teamed up with for Shop Rat: Live at New York Fashion Week, an evening of drinks and shared stories about the wild lengths we’ll go to for the items we can’t live without. Check out Emilia’s post about it, and subscribe to receive updates about future events. We also partnered with and to host a Substack Loft at the Democratic National Convention, where political Substackers could relax, socialize, write, and record podcasts or videos. Some of the most essential voices covering the election stopped by, including , , , and . Coming up, Londoners can attend ’s book launch in Bloomsbury Square on Thursday, September 26, or join Anya Leonard of the same day for an online panel discussion exploring the past and present of suppression, censorship, and free speech. 

• In the press: The New York Times interviewed , who reflected on the value of writing a Substack in addition to his novels: he describes Substack as “an atelier where I can think and write in a looser, more improvisatory way.” i-D reported on ’s Secrets Reading event and how Substack writers are creating devoted, cult-like followings. InsideHook profiled and his new CNN comedy show Have I Got News for You, highlighting how he makes an effort to engage with skeptics on Substack. Buzzfeed spoke with about her viral “dense bean salads” and approach to meal prep, noting the overwhelming support she has received on social media and Substack. The Press Gazette covered ’s quest to provide in-depth reporting on London with the launch of . In partnership with Elle magazine, of Shop Rat wrote about our enduring obsession with ’60s fashion, and of Earl Earl wrote about “the life-changing magic of a little black dress.” Traditional media continues to observe Substack’s role as a leading platform for powerhouse fashion journalism: Town & Country interviewed style icons like , , and , while the Washington Post highlighted writers including and . 

• Milestones: Writers celebrating publication include , whose new book, Conversations in Critical Psychiatry, was recently released, and , whose book Some of Our Parts is just out. 

• Sports on Substack: As football season kicks off, sports journalism and commentary is thriving on Substack. New publications, including , , and , are offering original reporting, live chats, film breakdowns, and premium podcasts to subscribers.

Celebrating a milestone or press feature? Email milestone@substackinc.com or let us know in the comments.

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 Android users can now publish directly from the Substack app. 

We introduced the mobile editor for iOS users this summer, allowing writers and creators to publish from anywhere. An in-app editor has been one of our most requested features, and thousands have since published posts from their phones. 

The initial release includes basic text and image publishing, providing a simple way to connect with your subscribers at any time, from anywhere. This is just the beginning, and we’ll continue to make improvements in the coming months. While it will take some time for the mobile editor to match the advanced features of the web editor, our goal was to offer a convenient way to publish whenever inspiration strikes—whether you’re on the move, relaxing on the couch, or capturing a thought you want to share right away.

Learn more: How to publish a post from the Substack app

Since launching the mobile editor, we’ve seen writers and creators use it to post stories, insights, and updates from surprising spots. In honor of the editor’s launch on Android, here are a few of the exotic, quirky, uncomfortable, and homey places where Substackers have pressed “publish.”

Get more from Substack Writers in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Get inspired

On a train in Thailand

Rachel Devenish Ford of captured a photo of her daughter, Kenya, on a train to Bangkok. She meditated on motherhood and their relationship as Kenya prepared to set off on her own for the first time.

The Journey Mama Writings

how it has been 🌱

read more…

Read more

4 months ago · 5 likes · Rachel Devenish Ford

 On a spin bike 

While on a Peloton in Las Vegas, Jess Chermak of reflected on a comically uncomfortable visit to the mortuary following her father’s unexpected death.

Narrative Musings

Grieving a Loss that Doesn’t Feel Like One

My father died unexpectedly yesterday (Sunday, July 21st…

Read more

5 months ago · 7 likes · 8 comments · Jess Chermak

 Attending a fountain pen show 

Baseball writer Joe Posnanski of attended the Washington D.C. Fountain Pen Supershow, exploring collectible pens while sharing his interactions with pen makers and fellow enthusiasts. 

JoeBlogs

Live from the Washington Pen Show

So there is now a way for me to write posts live from my phone. My first thought on this new technology was … why in the world would I do that? And maybe that was the right way to think about it. This post is GUARANTEED to have about a million misspellings and grammatical crimes…

Read more

5 months ago · 114 likes · 40 comments · Joe Posnanski

Getting her first mammogram 

Jenovia of shared her experience at her first mammogram appointment, reflecting on the emotions and complexities of navigating health care as a woman.

JENOVIA'S WEB

Modern Torture Device: Part One

Read more

4 months ago · 39 likes · 42 comments · Jenovia 🕸️

 Enjoying the weather on a summer afternoon

Terry Nguyen of jotted down her thoughts while at Central Park on what she described as “the most perfect July afternoon (windy, sunny with a light cloud cover, low humidity).” She detailed her weekend recommendations, including ’s collection of stories Because They Wanted To.

Vague Blue

Weekender 03: Caked up

Happy Friday! I’m writing this in Central Park, on what might be the most perfect July afternoon (windy, sunny with a light cloud cover, low humidity). If you’re in New York right now, go outside. Other recommendations for the weekend: a Mary Gaitskill essay and story collection…

Read more

5 months ago · 23 likes · 4 comments · terry nguyen

Lying in bed after a back injury 

Will Watson of threw out his back but still managed to post on Substack directly from his bed, sharing a gluten-free banana loaf recipe.

Academy of Self Help

The Fear Of Being Seen & Our Favorite Things

Hey again! If you missed it, earlier this week I released a wonderful interview with Dr. Deniz Ahmadinia in which we discuss the fear of being seen, setting boundaries with people we love, and why it can be so tough to be the cycle breaker in your family…

Read more

4 months ago · 2 likes · 3 comments · Will Watson

Tell us in the comments: Now that the mobile editor is available on Android, where are you most excited to post from? And if you’ve already posted from the app on iOS, what’s the most interesting place you’ve published from?

Leave a comment

Today we’re excited to announce that we’ve begun rolling out live video in the Substack app, making it easier than ever to engage with your audience in real time. 

Live video arrives as more writers and creators use Substack to reach their subscribers while events unfold, often hosting dynamic conversations about breaking news and live events via Chat. With publishers requesting ever-richer ways to connect, live video provides a new way to meaningfully engage with your audience.

Going live from the Substack app will immediately notify your subscribers, allowing you to break news as it happens, share behind-the-scenes footage, bring your audience into exclusive events, or host interactive AMAs. You can even paywall a live video to make it available only for your paid subscribers, creating an intimate viewing event.

Want to expand your reach beyond your subscribers? Try inviting another creator to go live with you. Collaborations are a powerful source of growth for Substack writers, and we expect collaborative live videos will be too. 

Streaming capabilities are now available to bestsellers in the iOS and Android apps, with plans to expand to all Substackers in the coming months. This is just the beginning, and we have more improvements and features on the way. And if you aren’t a bestseller but would like to request early access to start streaming, you can do so here.

Learn more: Getting started with Live Video on Substack

How to use live video

You can use live video spontaneously, but to boost engagement, we suggest telling your subscribers about your upcoming livestream so they can mark their calendars and ensure they have the app downloaded. posted an announcement, which is a good example of how to give your audience a heads-up about an upcoming livestream. 

Once you’re ready to use live video, follow these steps:

1. Open the Substack app, press the orange “+” button on the Home screen, and select “Live video.” Make sure to allow camera and microphone access.

2. Add a title to your live video. Subscribers will see this title when they’re notified that you are going live. 

3. Decide who can access your live video. You have three options: everyone, all subscribers, or paid subscribers only. For your first couple of streams, we recommend going live to everyone or all subscribers. Once your audience is in the habit of joining your streams, live video can be a great paid-only benefit.

4. We recommend leaving the “email my subscribers” toggle on, so subscribers who don’t have the app will be prompted to download it and join your live video.

5. Once you’re livestreaming, iOS users can tap the invite button to invite another creator to stream alongside them. Android users can join a collaborative live video if they are invited by an iOS user, but Android users cannot invite a second streamer just yet. This feature will be coming to Android soon.

After you finish your live video, Substack automatically saves the recording to your post drafts so you can incorporate it into your next longform post. You can even use the clipping tool to share highlights to Notes and other social channels.

Learn more: A production assistant for every show

Wondering how you can use live video? Here is some inspiration from the writers and creators who helped us build this feature.

of the health and wellness Substack uses live video to host AMA conversations with his subscribers. He collects questions a few days in advance via Substack Chat, picks a handful to discuss during his stream, and then uses live video to answer them in real time in front of his subscribers. After using live video twice, Michael described the experience as “invaluable in building connections and strengthening the intimate Two Percent community.”

of uses live video to break news and share timely political analysis directly from the scene. For example, he livestreamed during the Democratic National Convention, giving his audience an insider’s view as events unfolded. Gabe later said, “At the DNC, my readers didn’t need to wait for me to draft an email newsletter to hear what I thought about the convention: they were able to log on to a live video with me right as the balloons dropped, to hear instant commentary from an independent voice, instead of cable news pundits being the only in-the-moment options.”

Gabe also hosted a separate live video session with political commentator of right after the recent presidential debate. Following the broadcast, Chris reflected on the experience of streaming with another person, in the video below:

Try going live with our new video feature to see how it can bring your content to life in real time. Whether you’re sharing behind-the-scenes moments, hosting Q&A sessions, or connecting with your audience in a whole new way, we can’t wait to see how you make it your own. 

What kinds of live videos do you plan to create? What types of videos would you like to tune in to? Share your thoughts with us in the comments and get the app to experience live video on Substack.

Substack Chat is a subscriber-only community where you make the guest list and the rules. While there are infinite ways to set up your Chat, one of the most successful use cases we’ve seen is hosting real-time conversations around live events. 

We’re in a busy season for news and culture: from the U.S. elections to global fashion weeks, movie premieres to sports seasons. Increasingly, people want to hear directly from trusted voices and like-minded communities to help them make sense of these big moments. 

Hosting a live chat around news or events in your field is one of the easiest and most fun ways to deepen engagement. Think of it like a pop-up group chat for you and your subscribers to share immediate reactions, analysis, and conversation.

Millions of messages have been sent through Chat since its introduction in 2022, and we’ve seen that publications with active chats are growing their revenue at twice the rate of publications without them. 

We rounded up inspiring examples of live chats on Substack, plus our best practices for hosting your own.

Get inspired

Emma and Claire use Chat for reality TV and movie releases, plus the latest cultural news.

Politics publishers like Mehdi Hasan are turning to Chat to watch events unfold and break down the ever-evolving news with subscribers in real time.

The college football podcast is among the growing number of sports Substacks using Chat to watch big games together.

The food and beverage Substack breaks industry news as it happens, capturing immediate reactions from their subscribers.

Host a live Chat

from Substack’s product team walks you step-by-step through hosting your first live chat. If promoted well, a paid subscriber chat can be a powerful tool for paid conversion.

1. Set up your Chat. From your settings, enable Chat. By default, only publication contributors can start threads. If you’re just getting started with Chat, we encourage you to keep the default settings.

2. Tell your subscribers about your upcoming Chat. Send a dedicated post about your Chat a few days before the event so subscribers can put it on their calendars. 

   1. Consider whether you want to paywall your Chat space—it’s a great way to add extra value and encourage people to upgrade. If so, include a “Subscribe” button to make upgrading easy. 

   2. Chat is available in both the app and web, but we recommend encouraging subscribers to download the Substack app so they get a push notification when you kick off the live chat. 

   3. You can edit the announcement email template in your chat settings. Check out the examples from The Borowitz Report and Back Row for inspiration. 

Example:

3. Start your live Chat. When the live event kicks off, send your first Chat thread. 

   1. We recommend also sending it as an email to ensure that people join even if they don’t have the app yet. 

   2. If you’d like to paywall your chat, click the lock icon and gate the thread to paid subscribers or founding members. Only that subscriber tier will be able to view and reply.
      

4. Promote the Chat. Show people what they’re missing out on! We recommend you take screenshots or screen recordings that you post to Notes, X, Instagram, or wherever people follow you. You’ll want to emphasize that participation is exclusively for your Substack subscribers.

Example:

5. Close the Chat. Once the event ends, reply in the thread one last time and thank people for joining you. Then long-press the chat thread or use the three-dot menu in the top-right corner to disable replies. 

Want to explore other Chat formats and best practices? Visit our guide to Chat:

Do you plan to use Chat to cover a live event soon? If so, which one? Let us know in the comments!

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As the U.S. sprints to the finish of one of the most consequential presidential races in its history, Substack has become the destination for breaking news, critical analysis, and deep conversations about the election. Now we’re introducing a new way to keep up with what’s trending. 

Beginning today, the new U.S. election tab is available for all publishers and Substack readers on the web and in both the iOS and Android apps. The tab will dynamically collate the latest news, analysis, and discussions from top politics publishers across the platform and across the political spectrum, organized below live updates of the latest polling averages from . 

The U.S. election tab brings together a true diversity of perspectives from expert and original voices, and will allow more readers to discover publishers big and small. With this tab, all followers of U.S. politics can keep up with the day’s hottest topics. Catch up on the latest election forecast, courtesy of ; listen to a podcast from ; watch and debunk mistruths; analyze democracy with ; debate the impact of crime with ; access ’s conversation with former President Donald Trump about the upcoming debate; read ’s latest breaking investigation. There are an abundance of incisive political voices publishing on Substack, but rest assured: you’ll find all of their latest work, and maybe even your own, in the election tab. 

The election tab will appear alongside a dynamic list of categories, including sports, culture, technology, business, and more, allowing readers to dive into a wide range of topics and find new voices on the subjects they care about. Trending topics will also pop up around key cultural moments, including Fashion Week, the NFL season kickoff, and more. This is just the beginning. These pages are in their earliest forms, and they will continuously update with relevant and useful information. 

Ultimately, we hope the tabs function as a destination for engaged Substack readers and a better discovery tool for the entire Substack network. The goal is to surface brilliant writing, connect readers with new publishers, inspire greater collaboration between creators, and link everyone on Substack to topics they care about. Let us know what you think in the comments, and what other events you’d like to see in the tabs.

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Welcome to another edition of the Substack Bulletin, where publishers get a roundup of the latest news, resources, and events, all in one place. This month, we’re reviewing several product updates that make publishing on Substack easier than ever, celebrating new creators who cover everything from fashion to politics to finance, and reveling in the community-building properties of crab. 

Please leave any feedback or ideas in the comments—we’re listening and curious to know how we can make these posts as valuable to you as possible.

Leave a comment

News

• Start publishing in minutes. We dramatically simplified the creation process, which means it’s easier than ever to publish posts, find subscribers, and get paid on Substack—without setting up a full publication. Learn more about getting started on Substack

• Mobile editor on iOS. Our most requested app update is here: You can now write, edit, and send posts directly from your phone. We also recently added the ability to insert buttons and image links. Whether you’re on the go or on your couch, you can reach your subscribers in just a couple of taps. Android is coming soon. Learn more about publishing posts from your phone

Get more from Substack Writers in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

• Search Notes. Finding Notes about your favorite topics just got easier. We’ve added a filter to search on the web so that you can easily explore the conversations happening across Substack. Have any feedback about the results? Let us know in the comments.

  

• New arrivals. We welcomed men’s fashion and lifestyle podcasters , podcaster , actor , political commentator , philosophy and religion podcaster , lifestyle writer , educator and social commentator S. Glaude Jr., business author and podcaster , and financial journalist to Substack.

Resources

• Learn: Since it launched last year, Notes has become one of the most powerful channels to grow a subscriber base. We shared a few examples from Substack creators who have cracked the code on using Notes to substantially grow their publications. 

• Predict: Just in time for the Olympics, Substack introduced embedded prediction markets from Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction platform. 

• Consider: In light of Patreon’s announcement about the impact of in-app purchase fees, our co-founder considers: how should in-app purchases work in the age of the sovereign creator? Join the conversation in the post’s comments.

• Chatbot question of the week: Will using a custom domain break links? 

  Adding a custom domain to your Substack publication won’t break existing links. When you set up a custom domain, all previous links using the Substack subdomain will automatically redirect to your new custom domain. This ensures that your readers can still access your work through old links without any issues.

Community

• Meetups: We celebrated summer in New York by gathering a group of Substack bestsellers, writers, and creators for an evening at Brooklyn Crab in Red Hook. As the sun set on a steamy day, writers and creators mingled with Substack staff and shared cocktails and crab. Here’s ’s post about the event, where he shares his joy at meeting the “ambitious, diligent, creative people [who] are making a real go of it with this thing.” Thank you to the writers and creators who hosted in their cities this past month: in Berlin, in Seattle, and in London, and in San Francisco. Looking ahead, is hosting in Denver and in Los Angeles. Learn more about hosting a meetup.

• In the press: Elle magazine profiled , who reflected on her decision to leave her “dream job” at New York Magazine to start , and the success she has achieved since then. Fast Company interviewed Substack’s own Linda Lebrun for her tips and insights on when to start a Substack. New York Magazine profiled , including how after leaving FiveThirtyEight to build a home on Substack “he is making more money than he ever has in his career.” Nate also appeared on ’s podcast to discuss his new book, risk, and his election model. The Wall Street Journal highlighted the success of ’ Substack while announcing her new cookbook, saying the book “brings the chatty, can-do spirit of that newsletter—think: multitasking meal plans, pantry hacks and endless advice on swaps and shortcuts—off the screen and onto the page.” The New York Times ran a piece on ’ “new media empire,” . “Now Everyone Can Create On Substack, Even Without a Newsletter,” says Passionfruit about our new publishing update. Axios covered the “independent journalist era” that’s been taking off on Substack, with millions subscribing to access original reporting, opinion, and analysis ahead of the 2024 election.

• Milestones: ’s Substack was a recipient of an NLGJA Excellence in Journalism award for 2024, one of LGBTQ media’s top awards. Richard Reeves’ book was included on Barack Obama’s annual summer reading list:

  ---

Celebrating a milestone or press feature? Email milestone@substackinc.com or let us know in the comments.

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Today, Patreon is in the unenviable position of explaining to creators that it must implement Apple’s in-app purchases—along with Apple’s 30% fee—for its app. This means creators will either have to pass on the cost to their subscribers or eat it themselves. Some creators are understandably unhappy about these changes and have been letting Patreon hear about it, in some cases even threatening to leave the platform. 

It’s a tough situation. We’re great admirers of Patreon, which we view as a historically significant company for helping kickstart the creator economy. It normalized the idea that people will happily pay creators and artists directly for their work online. So we feel for the company, which has served its creators well over many years. We know that Patreon and CEO Jack Conte hate to do anything that might upset creators. 

Of course, we also feel for the creators affected by these changes. There are already too many barriers to making a living as a creator. Making any money at all off your creativity is hard, let alone making a living. And this new tax, albeit limited to purchases made in the Patreon app, is a big one. 

But we also don’t think that Apple should be wholly blamed. This unfortunate situation, in which creators ultimately bear the biggest costs, is a structural issue rooted in how the commercial internet has evolved (or not) over the past couple of decades. 

Apple’s in-app purchase system is powerful. It makes online purchases trivially easy, maximizing the flow of dollars from consumers to vendors and keeping both parties happy. It’s a low-friction experience, which can make a big difference in how much a creator earns from their effort. It’s also trustworthy, stable, and private. It has global reach, so consumers can make purchases from almost any country in the world, and it simplifies less visible but important details like settling taxes. And that’s to say nothing of the massive distribution power that app makers get from being in the App Store. 

But creators aren’t Apple’s traditional customers. They’re not app makers or game developers. They don’t actually have a piece of real estate in the App Store. They instead find their distribution through media platforms, including the likes of Patreon and Substack. It might feel weird for someone who publishes a podcast through Patreon, or a publication through Substack, to receive the same treatment from Apple as Netflix. 

The emergence of the creator economy presents an interesting challenge and opportunity for Apple, and some delicate questions for Patreon and Substack. We want creators and subscribers to benefit from the power of Apple’s in-app purchases. In fact, at Substack we have been working with Apple to bring in-app purchases into our app, because we believe that anything that reduces the friction of a subscription is great for creators. We’re doing everything in our power to make the implementation of in-app purchases as creator-friendly as possible. 

How much is the ease of in-app purchases worth to creators? It’s a salient question. We’ve found that creators are comfortable with sharing 10% of their revenue for Substack’s publishing and growth tools. How much might they be willing to share to unlock more revenue from the simplicity of one-tap payments, to know subscribers will feel confident and safe sharing their payment information, and to be able to access potential subscribers from almost anywhere in the world? For Apple’s existing customers, that answer is between 15% and 30%. At first blush, that price seems high. But we have firsthand experience of seeing the potential that can be unlocked when a company gets its model and execution right—we’re grateful for our relationship with Stripe for similar reasons. 

We don’t presume to know what’s justified in this situation. We’d rather work closely with Apple—and all kinds of other stakeholders and partners—to figure out how the commercial internet’s fundamental tools should evolve as the internet itself changes from an era dominated by aggregators (Facebook, Netflix, Spotify) to one that must also accommodate direct relationships between consumers and creators. 

We’re moving out of the era of platforms owning people and into an era of people owning platforms—an era in which creators will rightfully demand more ownership, and more say over their relationships with their communities. It’s the age of the sovereign creator. There is tremendous potential to develop tools that enable that sense of ownership, and to accelerate and amplify creators’ success. Apple has a huge role to play in that future, and so does Substack. 

And so do you. We’re very open to hearing from the Substack community as we embark on this work. Please share your feedback in the comments below. We’re listening.

Today we’re introducing embeds for prediction markets from Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction platform, and marking the launch of its new Substack, .

Polymarket’s prediction markets provide a way to follow news on some of the most hotly debated topics across current events, sports, politics, crypto, and more. By embedding markets in your posts, you can augment and enhance your reporting, making your stories more visually appealing and offering a direct link to a quantitative view of your area of coverage.

To embed prediction data in your post, simply paste the relevant Polymarket link into the Substack editor. On the Polymarket website, open the odds you'd like to embed and hover over a single market. Click the “copy link” button to get the shareable link. Drop it into a Substack post, and it will convert into an embedded widget that automatically refreshes with the latest odds. 

Learn more: How do I embed Polymarket odds into a Substack post?

We’re especially excited to introduce this new feature to coincide with the advent of the 2024 Paris Olympics, on which Polymarket is providing comprehensive coverage. Will Canada win gold in men’s basketball? Is the USA going to take home the most medals? Will Nadal win gold in tennis? Now you can add Polymarket’s dynamic odds for each of those questions to your posts on Substack.

Some of the best coverage of the 2024 Games is already happening on Substack. Pop culture writers of Drinks With Broads have kicked off live chats with their paid subscribers. U.K. political writer of Comment is Freed has been indulging his love for the Olympics with epic previews. And readers can look forward to a play-by-play commentary from Olympics-obsessed sportswriter , who for two weeks has been publishing a 15-part series that breaks down a different Olympic sport every day.

Substack writers have already been using Polymarket’s prediction markets in areas beyond sports, too. You can see examples from politics writers Nate Silver and Gabe Fleisher, crypto forecaster Jay, and business writer Karim Fanous, among many others. 

Welcoming The Oracle to Substack 

Polymarket is also launching its first-ever news site on Substack. At , readers will find insights and analysis gleaned from the thousands of markets that are active on Polymarket’s trading platform. will feature a regular roundup of notable markets and their key statistics, along with in-depth analyses of some of the hottest issues of the day.

“Launching The Oracle on Substack represents a significant step in our mission to help people make sense of the world using the power of markets,” Polymarket’s VP of business development, David Rosenberg, says. “We hope that readers can better understand global events through a probabilistic lens and make more informed decisions.”

THE ORACLE by Polymarket

News and insights from the world's largest prediction market

Are you someone who would find the prediction market embed valuable? Please give it a try, and share your feedback with us in the comments. 

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Today we’re launching a new mobile editor, which allows you to write and publish posts directly from the Substack app for iOS. (Editor’s note: As of September 2024, mobile editor is available for Android devices as well.)

When we first launched the Substack app in March 2022, our goal was to provide a beautiful, focused reading experience for your subscriptions. Since then, the most requested feature from creators has been an in-app post editor. We’re excited to now release the first version of this feature, which makes the Substack app a more useful and powerful part of your publishing toolkit.

This first version of the mobile editor features simple text and image publishing functionality, making it easy to reach subscribers on the go or from the couch. We hope it’ll be a more casual, convenient way to bring your audience into your world: you can share a street sketch like , a food fest dispatch like , or outfit musings like . As beta tester told us: “I found the mobile editor to be a wonderful experience. I was able to write my post single-handed while my nine-month-old napped in my arms.” 

Get more from Substack Writers in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Publishing a post from the app is simple:

1. Open the Substack app, tap the orange “plus” button on the Home screen, then select “Post.”

2. Write your post in the editor. The formatting and embed options are simple to start, with more features to come later. Click the plus button to add an image or divider, or highlight some text to style or link it.

3. Your draft will be autosaved, but you can only edit one draft at a time for now.

4. When you’re finished writing, hit “Next.” Choose your publish and paywall settings, and send it directly to your subscribers.

Because this is an early version of the mobile editor, we’re still working on adding all of the bells and whistles that Substack publishers appreciate in the web editor. For example:

• The editor is now available on iOS and Android.

• Drafts started in the app are only saved to the app. In the coming months, we’ll work on syncing in-app drafts to the web dashboard.

• Published posts can’t be edited in the app yet, but all posts can be edited from the web after they’re published.

• We are working on adding scheduling and post previews to the in-app publish flow.

• You can only create text posts in the app, with video and podcast posts coming soon.

• Most embeds and button types aren’t yet available.

Learn more: How to publish a post from the Substack app

We’re excited to keep improving the mobile editor over the coming months. The capabilities listed above are our top priorities based on what we heard from beta testers. Although it will take some time to match the web editor’s advanced functionality, we hope this simplified experience will make it more convenient to write while on the go—giving subscribers a peek behind the scenes of your life, or sharing quicker updates in between longer posts. 

Try publishing a post from the mobile editor and let us know how it goes. Which additional features are most important to your publishing flow? Can you see this capability making it easier to share updates with your subscribers? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

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In the wake of the layoff, his adult children mentioned that Substack could be an option to explore. “Is that a sandwich shop?” Bob asked. But after a little further investigation and some help from a friend, he decided to give it a shot. 

Bob published a raw piece on his new Substack, , explaining what it felt like to be laid off after five and a half decades of service, and the subscribers started to pour in.  

“My god, it was instant. A giant whoosh,” he says. “I’m so energized. I still don’t understand it.” 

Within the first two months, it was clear to Bob that the move was the “golden opportunity of a lifetime.” He has more than doubled the $26-an-hour rate he had been making at the Davis Enterprise and expects to earn around $100,000 this year. “It didn’t seem like much of a risk to give Substack a try. How could I possibly have known what was just around the corner?”

On Substack, Bob continues to write a daily column about his life and local issues, imbuing it with the trademark familiarity that made him beloved among regular readers. One of his most popular columns, from 1997, looks at the joy and anguish of dropping off your youngest child at college; another details his colonoscopy. 

And although his audience has expanded—on the fifth day after launch, his column was already read in 43 states and 23 countries—his relationship with his readers remains just as intimate. In fact, more so, as readers respond in comments, private notes, and DMs from all over the world. “Thank you for making me laugh this morning, Bob,” wrote one. “I was having an attack of sadness, but I’m now ready to face the world again.” 

Bob’s story is part of a wider movement, where local news can thrive and where traditional media and Substack can work together to build a new and better ecosystem—one where writers own their work and their email list and can create a strong foundation for future revenue growth.

In this Q&A, Bob talks about local newspapers and democracy, the appeal of column writing, and why Substack is an unparalleled opportunity for writers. 

The Wary One

Join Bob Dunning, a highly opinionated columnist with over 50 years of experience, as he dives into a variety of topics with insight, humor and irony. From everyday happenings to family and community issues, Bob discusses the nuances of life.

By Bob Dunning

What’s your Substack about in one sentence? 

My Substack is a highly opinionated column about the meaning of our lives and everything that is happening around us, from family life to politics to everyday dilemmas to things that make us laugh and things that make us cry—a completely different topic with every column.

Has your view on traditional news media changed since leaving? 

People say, well, we still need the local paper because they defend democracy. But that’s a bit of a myth. A lot of these local papers are family-owned, and they have 16 members of the family not writing, just working there. Everyone in management inherited it. The sons are all publishers. They are getting paid way more than I am before I see a dime.

Substack has dramatically changed my opinion about the future of traditional newspapers.  It’s not for everyone, but I already have more subscribers than my former newspaper and am on track to make at least twice my annual salary. 

Newspapers are way too top-heavy with unnecessary management, meaning truly talented writers are looking to Substack to be fairly compensated for their efforts. 

I don’t need tens of thousands of subscribers to be successful. Just 2,000 paid subscribers results in $140,000 a year. No journalist working at a newspaper with a circulation of 2,000 would be making anything near that salary. In fact, no journalist at almost any newspaper is making that kind of salary. Substack’s compensation is not just generous; it’s off the charts. 

How has your life changed since starting The Wary One? 

Every day I look at my bank account, and there’s more money than there was before. It’s like getting a raise every single day. This income has obviously been incredibly helpful. My wife, Shelley, who also works full-time, and I have four kids in college. We have normal debts. We have always lived paycheck-to-paycheck. We don’t plan to change our lifestyle, because happiness is never based on money, but it has given us some welcome breathing room. 

The money is wonderful, but the most meaningful thing for me is the opportunity to continue writing my column on a regular basis and engage with readers all across the country and, literally, the world. This Substack opportunity goes way beyond the financial rewards.

What’s it like to report on the city you grew up in? 

After 55 years at the same paper in a small city, I figure I’ve offended everyone in town at least twice. But I’m consistent. I don’t play favorites. Pretty soon I might be praising one of those politicians who last year I offended.

I make it very clear in my writing that this is my opinion. And you can have your opinion. And yes, I park my car in the driveway—the garage was converted into a bedroom because we have so many kids—and occasionally some angry soul will toss a rock through the back window or toss a rotten egg or two on the porch. Worse things have happened to people who dare to publish their opinions. It’s tremendously counterbalanced by the love and kindness I feel in my hometown.

What made you stick to column writing all these years?

I was offered other jobs—at bigger papers and to be the editor—but as an editor I would have written my last word. The column is what I loved doing. I was a single dad with two young children, and every time I’d get an offer from a bigger paper, I’d take a deep breath and think about it, and ego would get in the way and say this is a great opportunity—but my stomach would just tie up in knots.

I would think about my kids and the wonderful life we had together. My paper allowed me to work from home. It was the 1970s, without the internet, and family was always my first priority in life. Your stomach tells you before your brain does. It didn’t ever quite feel right.

I was able to be the kind of dad I had wanted to be and always dreamed of being. So I stayed. After about 30 years, you begin to realize you’re probably a lifer. 

What’s your best piece of writing advice for other writers here?

Being everyday honest is the best policy. Be honest and consistent, and don’t pull any punches. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Think about your topics and then just say it, without excuse or compromise. I still remember I had to take remedial English in college. You’re always only as good as your last column.

And when the complaints come, if you know you are right, double down. Say it again. But always, be a force for truth and decency and making the world a better place.

Subscribe to by on Substack. This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Disjointed

Traditional media and Substack can grow together

I’m working this week from Washington, D.C, where I come every so often for work reasons but also “my in-laws live here” reasons, and my temporary office is a hot desk situation in a coworking space that just happens to be on a lower floor in the Washington Post building. My position here, in the well-appointed dungeon of democracy’s most storied media …

Read more

6 months ago · 548 likes · 200 comments · Hamish McKenzie

Read more: Getting started with local news on Substack

Brand new to Substack, or just new to Notes? Here are four tips to get started:

1. Post an introductory video: Give potential subscribers a sense of what to expect from your Substack and who you are with a short welcome video. With one click, law and government teacher restacked her introduction video to celebrate the launch of :

2. Preview an upcoming post: Gauge interest in ideas, test formats, and get quick feedback from readers. Venture capitalist teases his monthly content series, Deep Dives, by releasing the table of contents in his notes:

3. Find your peers: People across the Substack network are eager to introduce themselves, pitch their work, and join interesting conversations. Since launching , has discovered 50 contributors and thousands of subscribers by posing questions and amplifying fellow writers in notes:

4. Share your discoveries: Give new followers and subscribers a window into your world by posting links, photos, videos, or observations about daily life.

Fashion writer shares observations and quips:

Beyond his weekly newsletter of 10 things that inspire him, artist highlights thought-provoking ideas from other Substacks:

Utopian researcher and novelist writer shares a snapshot and life update:

Pulitzer prize-winning author jokes about the latest episode of “Love is Blind”:

It may take a moment to find your audience in Notes, but your existing followers and subscribers can help. Let them know on your social channels and in your next Substack post that they can keep up with you on Notes by downloading the Substack app.

Read more: How writers and creators are using Notes to reach more subscribers

Get more from Substack Writers in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Notes is a casual place for experimentation and to build a relationship with your readers. Get started here:

Post your first note

Since we launched Notes last year, we’ve seen it become one of easiest and most powerful channels to grow your subscriber base. Notes is a unique way for ideas and discussion to travel through the Substack Network. The stream of new ideas spread here can spark contact of the best kind with other writers and creators. Writers and creators who post three or more thoughtful notes during the week they launch their Substack gain 50% more total subscribers than those who don’t.

Since the Substack app and network drive 50% of all new free subscriptions, and 30% of all new paid subscriptions, it’s worth learning how Notes can be used to introduce your work to new audiences and collaborate with other creators.

In this guide, we share some of the latest tips from writers and creators who are using Notes to launch and grow their publications.

Writing your first note

Law and government teacher created a short video to greet her followers from other digital platforms, introduce herself to potential new subscribers, and provide an overview of what to expect from . With one click, she restacked her introduction video to celebrate her Substack’s launch.

Read more: Creators go live with video on Notes

To generate excitement about her upcoming launch, cookbook author shared the news on Instagram and offered free subscriptions to people who had supported her career to thank them for their help over the years. When 40 Ingredients Forever debuted in Notes, Ali’s community liked, replied to, and restacked the note, which appeared on their readers’ homepage and took it beyond her immediate network. Community amplification of Ali’s note generated over 1,900 subscribers within the first month of launch.

Read more: What is a restack on Substack Notes?

When subscribers interact with your note, which shows up on their home feed, the note can be surfaced with their followers who might enjoy your work, but have yet to discover it. After you post a note, it’s good practice to circulate it with your existing social media followers and encourage them to join you in the Substack app.

Here are three simple tips to try:

• Share links and preview images of your notes to bring your Substack to your followers on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube.

• After you post your first note, customize the announcement template that is automatically created in your drafts to let your subscribers know that they can hear from you in the Substack app.

• Include a call to action at the end of each post to remind your subscribers to continue the conversation with you readers on Notes.

Ways to keep the momentum going

There are many ways creators are leveraging Notes to strengthen their relationship with their community and continue to reach new subscribers beyond their first note:

Notes as a testing ground

Notes makes it easy to experiment and get immediate feedback on ideas, topics, and formats before investing time in a full post, series, or subscriber benefit.

uses Notes to gauge interest in topics that she’s exploring for full essays. Her followers and subscribers act as a built-in focus group, making it easier for Michelle to create Stir the Pot posts she knows subscribers will value. Seeing her community’s reaction to a note featuring Oreo Sour Patch Kids ultimately led to Michelle writing a full post about ultra-processed foods. She says:

“I share recipe ideas, favorite essays, thoughtful excerpts from other authors, and posts that make me laugh. The feedback is immediate. This helps me figure out which ideas in my head are also floating around in the zeitgeist and which are better kept to myself.”

Venture capitalist solicits reader input to help him quickly iterate on his monthly content series, Deep Dives, by releasing the table of contents in his notes. His latest preview built up anticipation and encouraged readers to subscribe ahead of the post.

hosted a live AMA (ask me anything) in her notes and welcomed questions from her followers about the triumphs and disasters she experienced as a fashion writer.

Notes as a collaboration space

People are eager to join interesting conversations. Notes makes it easy for publishers to develop continuing relationships with subscribers, other publishers in your category, and discover some of the brightest minds today.

After receiving an overwhelming response to a question he posed on Notes, spun up a new Substack entirely written by guest writers, many of whom contributed to that first note thread). Since launching , M.E. has hosted more than 50 guest writers and attracted several thousands of readers to his publications by amplifying fellow writers in his notes. He says:

“My favorite thing about Notes is discovering so many excellent writers—many of whom have contributed excellent pieces to BTMU, which wouldn’t exist without Notes. It feels like we are all building a community together in real time. It’s been doubly pleasing to hear that the features have resulted in subscriber growth for every single writer who has written for us.”

Photographer asks photographers across the Substack network to introduce themselves, pitch their work, and share tips and opinions about the world of photography in his notes. He responds to each comment, making each person feel seen and heard.

Notes as an introduction to new subscribers

Publishers use Notes to give new followers and subscribers a window into their world. Whether that’s observations on daily life, travel photos, or a favorite quote from a recent Substack post they enjoyed, Notes is a tool that builds trust and familiarity with readers.

Fresh off her writing debut in the New York Times’ Modern Love column, modeled the type of vulnerability she wanted to experience with other bereaved parent in a note. She was met with a groundswell of compassion and a spike in subscribers who were eager to process their grief in community. She says:

“The day the article came out, I wrote a note with a catchy first line: ‘I am a Substack nobody.’ It was an honest expression of my feelings at the moment. I was new and I only had a few subscribers, so I wanted to share my astonishment at the sudden opportunity for meaningful connection that was coming to me via Substack. My goal in Notes is to interact in the same way I would if I were meeting a friend in real life.”

Pulitzer prize-winning author candidly offer up parts of his life that normally remain unseen. He views Notes as a welcoming space to commiserate with others about the challenges and joys of being a professional writer and give back to the writer community. He says:

“If my Substack is the open studio I’m hosting, then Notes is the bench or the park in front of the studio where the work of the studio spills out and mingles with the world beyond. It is an invitation for contact of the best kind.”

Notes’ informal nature creates a low-pressure, low-stakes environment that makes room for Junot to delve into topics beyond writing, showing followers what makes his voice and perspective unique.

Artist sends out a weekly list of 10 things that inspire him, ranging from movies to interesting articles. He extends that amplification by highlighting thought-provoking links, photos, quotes, and videos from other Substacks in his notes. These personal shares give his subscribers a more holistic view of who he is as an artist.

Feeling inspired? Say hello to the wider Substack network on Notes today:

Visit Notes