Hi Astrid, I was so grateful to find you through Google when I decided to move my newsletter to Substack, your advice and experience was insightful and invaluable, thank you.
I have two questions:
1) How do you sync your subscribers between Flodesk and Substack? For example, when someone signs up for your free course on your website, how do you move them across to your substack?
2) I was thinking about offering a monthly live event or a Q&A thread and was wondering what you sense the best practices are?
1. When I moved my regular newsletter from Flodesk to Substack, I imported the entire list through the import-function here on Substack. When people sign up for the email series now, I import them manually (...), which is not ideal, but right now just the way it is.
2. Both the monthly live event and the Q&A thread sound like a great idea! If your list is still new, or if you're planning to offer these for paid subscribers only, I'd recommend doing the first event or Q&A-thread free, so that people know what they get (and so you can link to it as an example when you start offering these paid). Depending on the size and responsiveness of your community, a Q&A-thread might be a good way to start before a live event--generally, people seem to be less shy about threads than live events, I'd say. As far as I know, Substack doesn't enable live streaming, so if you'd want to do something with live video you'd have to offer a link to YouTube or similar.
I hope this helps, and do let me know if you have any further questions! Happy writing :) x
Thank you so much Astrid, I really appreciate it! I've been nurturing my list more consistently for the past 6-months and I have a 45-50% open rate, hence I've decided to move to a paid option and to give more focus to my writing.
I was sensing to offer a low monthly subscription fee, and then a higher fee for annual which would include a monthly gathering on Zoom as I know my community would benefit from this.
But, I like your idea of offering one live session or thread to my free and monthly subscribers, so they can have a taste and then decide to upgrade.
I'll sit with this a bit more and see where it takes me :-) Thanks again xx
Just a quick update, I've decided to go ahead with a 'founding member' plan which I will open the doors to twice a year, which includes 12 Group Coaching Sessions (1/month) for a super low price :-) It always amazes me what comes through in our dreams.
May I ask whether moving to Substack impacted your open rates? I always get another 5-6% who open them when I resend mid-week.
That sounds like a great idea Nicola! Combining the founding member plan with coaching sessions sounds like a great fit. My open rates have not been affected by moving to Substack--they've stayed pretty much the same, although I do notice that the bigger my list grows, the lower the rates get (not by a whole lot, but by percentage points only, which makes sense). x
Hello Astrid: I started a newsletter last year and am now up to 700 subscribers which is amazing! My website was built through WIX, and the premium/ unlimited plan was chosen because I could send up to 1000 free emails a month. Unfortunately WIX has pulled a a bit and switch and changed their email marketing plans on me (and everyone else). They now want an additional $30 a *month* to send anything over 200 emails. I am livid, to say the least. (I already pay them $200 a year for the website).
I was already contemplating substack as a platform (I really like the app). So now I’m wondering if I should move everything over to substack and run my newsletter content more like a blog. Have you run into anyone else struggling with these new changes at WIX?
Wow, that is quite a change on the side of Wix! I've not heard this from anyone else, though in the past I've heard people be less than excited by Wix in general. Most people I speak to use either Squarespace or Wordpress.
Moving to Substack, especially if you want to make use of the community features and/or offer paid subscriptions along the line can be a great idea--or indeed, move the newsletter to a free newsletter service.
Yes it's been quite a nasty surprise for a lot of WIX customers. Thank you for your input. I stumbled upon you when searching the topic "should I move my newsletter over to substack" - so your google results are working! I've signed up for your newsletter to.
Hi Astrid, how would substack differ from a newsletter (or should I pick one or the other?). And what's the key bit of advice you'd give to someone starting from scratch? I am set up and ready to go under wild Heart, Creative Soul as my substack name. Thanks!
Hi Kelly, thank you for asking! You don't have to choose, of course, but for me it made most sense to move my business newsletter completely to Substack as I wanted the opportunity for people to comment and ask questions, as well as to add paid subscriptions as an income stream to my business. Another difference is that unless your Substack is private people can, in theory, read it without subscribing, so it might feel less 'exclusive' than a newsletter (especially if you're using a newsletter for exclusive discounts, previews, etc.).
The key bit advice would be to be really clear what your aim is with your Substack in one sentence: what are you offering people? I think the name 'Wild Heart, Creative Soul' sounds really intriguing! Adding a short description can make it clear to potential readers what you're all about--like this one that I formulated: "The online place for small business owners and freelancers who refuse to hustle. Resources, strategies and community to empower and inspire you."
Thanks Astrid! Are you noticing any ad funnels to newsletters? And what do you think of adding value with courses, meetups, 1:1 work with newsletter paid subscriptions? I have worked with clients who built their entire email list with a SLO funnel instead of a freebie. Could a newsletter be a paid perk to a small course?
I love those ideas Janelle! I think the paid subscription model is great for experimenting with all kinds of bonuses/perks, like indeed meet-ups and potential 1:1. I know that some other Substack newsletters offer book groups, meet-ups and more to paid subscribers (off the top of my head, Alice Vincent's savour, Emma Gannon's the hyphen and Sow, Grow, Harvest, Rest).
Right now I'm only offering 1:1 as a bonus/perk for founding paid subscribers, but I especially like the idea of adding a mini-course or something for paid subscribers >> I'll be doing something like that with my quarterly guides, but I'm also planning a paid evergreen workshop this spring and am looking forward to playing with the evergreen workshop format.
I've not noticed that many ads for newsletters, with the exception of Elle Griffin, who I discovered two years ago or so through an ad in a book-newsletter ;-) She explains her strategy here: https://ellegriffin.substack.com/p/full-send-summer Quite interesting!
Thus far building new relationships with writers here, having a clear name and niche for my newsletter, and sharing about it individually with family and friends has worked. Thank you for the other suggestions and recommendations! I will check them out. Very helpful Astrid!
I subscribed to Substack after your interview with Alice Sheridan so I'm very new to it and still learning the ropes. My intention is to create community, make contacts, get to know more people. I send a monthly newsletter through AWeber. My questions here are: how to best navigate Substack for the best viewing of newsletters (i.e., how will my newsletter not get mixed with a thousand other articles); how to direct it to specific interests; best length; I take it that the subject line here is as important as anywhere else. Also: why would Substack be better than AWeber? Because it gets seen by more people and not just by my list (as in AWeber?)? How do I know who is seeing it? Do I have any control as to who should see it? Apologies for the onslaught. Thanks much.
As a reader, the way I most enjoy reading Substack posts/newsletters is through the app on my phone/iPad or through the web app, which shows a chronological overview of the new posts by the publications I subscribe to. No algorithms that decide what comes first! I haven't gone that deep into how many people read my posts but *aren't* subscribed: the people that are subscribed automatically get it in their inbox and/or the app, but of course some people could just read a few posts when they're linked by someone else. I've got some more info on reading Substack in this blog post: https://astridbracke.com/how-to-use-and-enjoy-substack/
I don't think there is necessarily a 'best length' for posts: as with everything, I'd say go with a format/length that works for you, though I've heard people say that occasionally switching up the length can be good (I'm not good at that 😅).
Subject line is indeed important as everywhere: I like to use this tool (I use the free version): https://headlines.coschedule.com/headlines and whenever I come across someone else's headline that really strikes me I write it down for inspiration.
Substack can be better than AWeber or Mailchimp, Flodesk, Mailerlite etc. if you want to do more with your newsletter I'd say: for me it was the ability to build community around my newsletter, like with these threads, and adding paid subscriptions that made me make the move. I've outlined some more things to keep in mind here: https://astridbracke.com/should-you-move-your-newsletter-to-substack/
I don't think you can control who is seeing your newsletter other than making it private or not. In the stats that Substack offers you can see how many people read your posts, where they came from in terms of links, where they're based roughly geographically. For subscribers you can also see open rates etc.
I hope this helps! Substack also has a great resource centre with lots of answers and guides. Have a lovely rest of your day!
So much to learn. Thanks so much for taking the time. I will check out the links you provided. I also promise to keep quiet from now on so you can rest a bit.
No worries Bela! I only check and reply to these comments when I have the time and energy to do so :) I'm glad this was useful, and have a really lovely weekend! x
As you can tell I speak some "marketing" after more than 12 years of doing it as a day job some of the lingo stuck. :-) Inspired by your talk on Art Juice I am re-launching my newsletter. I used to have a lead magnet (sign up and get this PDF on how to XYZ) but it feels out of date and, if I'm honest, kind of blah.
So my question is, is receiving my newsletter (called Photographs & Stories) enough of an incentive? Below is a description:
As the name suggests, these monthly emails are Photographs and Stories. Topics include:
Thank you for your comment Ana! I should say that I used to have more lead magnets--the only one I still really have, and which more or less markets itself, is my free email series on marketing your business without social media which people frequently sign up for (https://astridbracke.com/move-your-business-away-from-social-media/).
But a lot of people sign up indeed without the promise of a lead magnet. :)
I love the name of your Substack, and from the description it does what it says on the tin, which is great! Substack really recommends also having a tagline of kinds to describe your Substack. This is mine: "The online place for small business owners and freelancers who refuse to hustle. Resources, strategies and community to empower and inspire you."
If you can summarise your Substack in one sentence this can be really powerful.
Do let me know if you have any more questions :) Thank you for reading!
I should clarify that I plan on continuing my newsletter in Mailchimp for now. While I don't have plans for a subscription I read your post on moving my newsletter to Substack and really like the idea of building community... I also think it would be easier to be "seen" here than on social media which could help me grow my audience and expand my reach.
Thank you for clarifying! My comments, I think, are still valid: your description sounds very interesting, and adding a short description to it on your newsletter sign-up page/landing page will draw people in more easily I'd say. :) Good luck and enjoy! x
Like you I love Substack, but I only use it for my personal musings, like the blog I used to have in the old days. In fact, to me Substack is mostly a blogging platform with awesome subscription, podcast and video features. For my business newsletter I still prefer to use the program that's built into my website. This way it's brand consistent and I have easy access to all of my assets, like blog posts, products, images etc. Plus, it's just an email and not also a post that is hosted on a public domain like Substack. For my business that makes sense.
I am not so sure about the subscription model for everyone. While $5 a month is not a lot on its own, it adds up quickly when I have to pay for everyone now whose newsletters used to be free. I can see that this is a good revenue stream for writers and authors, as writing is their business. So far I have not considered charging for my business newsletter because I have other products that I am selling and the newsletter is a communication rather than an income tool. I think what you are doing sounds very interesting though! It's a different way of looking at how we run our businesses and how we monetize our wisdom and expertise. So I am definitely cheering you on for this! xo
Thank you for reading and commenting Kerstin! Your choice to keep the newsletter tied in with your site and ensure brand consistency makes absolute sense, and I also think that Substack is definitely not for everyone/all business owners (see here: https://astridbracke.com/should-you-move-your-newsletter-to-substack/)
What I like about the subscription system is being able to add bonus resources that I otherwise wouldn't have time or energy to write next to my mentoring work, while still seeing the regular newsletter free. But I agree with you, €5 is not a lot for one newsletter, but if you subscribe to many paid subscriptions it can add up. I see it as subscribing to something like a magazine, which I'd also pay €120+ a year for.
Thank you again for reading and commenting, and have a good weekend! x
I wish there was a magazine type subscription option actually. With a magazine you get multiple authors but if I add up just 10 individual newsletter that I really like, and if they all charged $50 a year (more if it’s EUR or GBP) it would be $500 a year. I also distinguish between supporting a writer because this is literally their job, and paying for added content in which case I have to decide it that is something I really need. Subscription models are interesting and have of course been around for a long time, and I have no issue with paying for valuable intellectual property. It just means that I have to be more discerning about what I consume if I want to avoid subscription creep. And that is not a bad thing at all. Thanks for this vibrant discussion 😍
You're welcome Kerstin! That is an interesting distinction (between writers and those adding 'bonus' content), and one that I'm interested to see play out on Substack more--originally it's been so much more aimed at writers, and is moving now more towards other people too, that I'm curious to see whether subscribers/readers start to behave differently too, if that makes sense. x
I started my Substack with an existing (albeit pretty small) existing newsletter, so I didn't start completely from scratch. Some things other than sharing in online communities that I'm part of that have helped me grow it:
* podcast interviews, especially the recent interview on Art Juice with Alice Sheridan
* guest blog posts
* specific to Substack: simply engaging with other people who comment on posts (i.e. by other people) I enjoy has led to new sign ups as well
* sharing the sign-up link *everywhere*: on my website, in the blogposts that are pinned to Pinterest, in my email signature, etc.
Thank you for reading and have a lovely end to your week! x
I listened to your January conversation on Art Juice this week. It was very useful and insightful.
I’m interested in your invitation to “ask me all your newsletter questions”. I’m working on a newsletter related to a niche small business/startup audience. What methods and channels would you recommend to market a newsletter of that type?
Thank you Mike for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the podcast episode.
As for your question, I'd start by brainstorming the people you already know that the newsletter might be useful to. Sending an email to people in your own network or community to share that you're setting up the newsletter is a great first step (as is inviting them to share it with others). If there are people who do work that could be inspiring to your readers, you could also consider asking them for a mini-interview, maybe three short questions: you can include this interview in your newsletter, and ask them to share it with their own readers/audience as well. This kind of 'community marketing' has been working well for me, as have podcast interviews (you could pitch to a podcast you enjoy to talk about your own work and/or newsletter).
Growing a newsletter usually takes a while (and numbers aren't everything) so keep going! ✨ Thank you for reading :)
Hi Astrid, I was so grateful to find you through Google when I decided to move my newsletter to Substack, your advice and experience was insightful and invaluable, thank you.
I have two questions:
1) How do you sync your subscribers between Flodesk and Substack? For example, when someone signs up for your free course on your website, how do you move them across to your substack?
2) I was thinking about offering a monthly live event or a Q&A thread and was wondering what you sense the best practices are?
Many thanks x
Thank you for your kind words Nicola!
As for your questions:
1. When I moved my regular newsletter from Flodesk to Substack, I imported the entire list through the import-function here on Substack. When people sign up for the email series now, I import them manually (...), which is not ideal, but right now just the way it is.
2. Both the monthly live event and the Q&A thread sound like a great idea! If your list is still new, or if you're planning to offer these for paid subscribers only, I'd recommend doing the first event or Q&A-thread free, so that people know what they get (and so you can link to it as an example when you start offering these paid). Depending on the size and responsiveness of your community, a Q&A-thread might be a good way to start before a live event--generally, people seem to be less shy about threads than live events, I'd say. As far as I know, Substack doesn't enable live streaming, so if you'd want to do something with live video you'd have to offer a link to YouTube or similar.
I hope this helps, and do let me know if you have any further questions! Happy writing :) x
Thank you so much Astrid, I really appreciate it! I've been nurturing my list more consistently for the past 6-months and I have a 45-50% open rate, hence I've decided to move to a paid option and to give more focus to my writing.
I was sensing to offer a low monthly subscription fee, and then a higher fee for annual which would include a monthly gathering on Zoom as I know my community would benefit from this.
But, I like your idea of offering one live session or thread to my free and monthly subscribers, so they can have a taste and then decide to upgrade.
I'll sit with this a bit more and see where it takes me :-) Thanks again xx
You're welcome Nicola! It all sounds very exciting :)
Just a quick update, I've decided to go ahead with a 'founding member' plan which I will open the doors to twice a year, which includes 12 Group Coaching Sessions (1/month) for a super low price :-) It always amazes me what comes through in our dreams.
May I ask whether moving to Substack impacted your open rates? I always get another 5-6% who open them when I resend mid-week.
With Love & Gratitude xx
That sounds like a great idea Nicola! Combining the founding member plan with coaching sessions sounds like a great fit. My open rates have not been affected by moving to Substack--they've stayed pretty much the same, although I do notice that the bigger my list grows, the lower the rates get (not by a whole lot, but by percentage points only, which makes sense). x
Hello Astrid: I started a newsletter last year and am now up to 700 subscribers which is amazing! My website was built through WIX, and the premium/ unlimited plan was chosen because I could send up to 1000 free emails a month. Unfortunately WIX has pulled a a bit and switch and changed their email marketing plans on me (and everyone else). They now want an additional $30 a *month* to send anything over 200 emails. I am livid, to say the least. (I already pay them $200 a year for the website).
I was already contemplating substack as a platform (I really like the app). So now I’m wondering if I should move everything over to substack and run my newsletter content more like a blog. Have you run into anyone else struggling with these new changes at WIX?
Wow, that is quite a change on the side of Wix! I've not heard this from anyone else, though in the past I've heard people be less than excited by Wix in general. Most people I speak to use either Squarespace or Wordpress.
Moving to Substack, especially if you want to make use of the community features and/or offer paid subscriptions along the line can be a great idea--or indeed, move the newsletter to a free newsletter service.
Yes it's been quite a nasty surprise for a lot of WIX customers. Thank you for your input. I stumbled upon you when searching the topic "should I move my newsletter over to substack" - so your google results are working! I've signed up for your newsletter to.
Oh, that's great to hear! Always nice to know when SEO actually works 😅 And thank you for signing up :)
Hi Astrid, how would substack differ from a newsletter (or should I pick one or the other?). And what's the key bit of advice you'd give to someone starting from scratch? I am set up and ready to go under wild Heart, Creative Soul as my substack name. Thanks!
Hi Kelly, thank you for asking! You don't have to choose, of course, but for me it made most sense to move my business newsletter completely to Substack as I wanted the opportunity for people to comment and ask questions, as well as to add paid subscriptions as an income stream to my business. Another difference is that unless your Substack is private people can, in theory, read it without subscribing, so it might feel less 'exclusive' than a newsletter (especially if you're using a newsletter for exclusive discounts, previews, etc.).
The key bit advice would be to be really clear what your aim is with your Substack in one sentence: what are you offering people? I think the name 'Wild Heart, Creative Soul' sounds really intriguing! Adding a short description can make it clear to potential readers what you're all about--like this one that I formulated: "The online place for small business owners and freelancers who refuse to hustle. Resources, strategies and community to empower and inspire you."
I've got some more things to keep in mind when you're considering moving to Substack in this post: https://astridbracke.com/should-you-move-your-newsletter-to-substack/
Hope this helps!
Great, clear answer. Very helpful thank you.
Thanks Astrid! Are you noticing any ad funnels to newsletters? And what do you think of adding value with courses, meetups, 1:1 work with newsletter paid subscriptions? I have worked with clients who built their entire email list with a SLO funnel instead of a freebie. Could a newsletter be a paid perk to a small course?
I love those ideas Janelle! I think the paid subscription model is great for experimenting with all kinds of bonuses/perks, like indeed meet-ups and potential 1:1. I know that some other Substack newsletters offer book groups, meet-ups and more to paid subscribers (off the top of my head, Alice Vincent's savour, Emma Gannon's the hyphen and Sow, Grow, Harvest, Rest).
Right now I'm only offering 1:1 as a bonus/perk for founding paid subscribers, but I especially like the idea of adding a mini-course or something for paid subscribers >> I'll be doing something like that with my quarterly guides, but I'm also planning a paid evergreen workshop this spring and am looking forward to playing with the evergreen workshop format.
I've not noticed that many ads for newsletters, with the exception of Elle Griffin, who I discovered two years ago or so through an ad in a book-newsletter ;-) She explains her strategy here: https://ellegriffin.substack.com/p/full-send-summer Quite interesting!
What have you found works for your newsletter?
Thus far building new relationships with writers here, having a clear name and niche for my newsletter, and sharing about it individually with family and friends has worked. Thank you for the other suggestions and recommendations! I will check them out. Very helpful Astrid!
I subscribed to Substack after your interview with Alice Sheridan so I'm very new to it and still learning the ropes. My intention is to create community, make contacts, get to know more people. I send a monthly newsletter through AWeber. My questions here are: how to best navigate Substack for the best viewing of newsletters (i.e., how will my newsletter not get mixed with a thousand other articles); how to direct it to specific interests; best length; I take it that the subject line here is as important as anywhere else. Also: why would Substack be better than AWeber? Because it gets seen by more people and not just by my list (as in AWeber?)? How do I know who is seeing it? Do I have any control as to who should see it? Apologies for the onslaught. Thanks much.
Thank you for your comments and questions Bela!
As a reader, the way I most enjoy reading Substack posts/newsletters is through the app on my phone/iPad or through the web app, which shows a chronological overview of the new posts by the publications I subscribe to. No algorithms that decide what comes first! I haven't gone that deep into how many people read my posts but *aren't* subscribed: the people that are subscribed automatically get it in their inbox and/or the app, but of course some people could just read a few posts when they're linked by someone else. I've got some more info on reading Substack in this blog post: https://astridbracke.com/how-to-use-and-enjoy-substack/
I don't think there is necessarily a 'best length' for posts: as with everything, I'd say go with a format/length that works for you, though I've heard people say that occasionally switching up the length can be good (I'm not good at that 😅).
Subject line is indeed important as everywhere: I like to use this tool (I use the free version): https://headlines.coschedule.com/headlines and whenever I come across someone else's headline that really strikes me I write it down for inspiration.
Substack can be better than AWeber or Mailchimp, Flodesk, Mailerlite etc. if you want to do more with your newsletter I'd say: for me it was the ability to build community around my newsletter, like with these threads, and adding paid subscriptions that made me make the move. I've outlined some more things to keep in mind here: https://astridbracke.com/should-you-move-your-newsletter-to-substack/
I don't think you can control who is seeing your newsletter other than making it private or not. In the stats that Substack offers you can see how many people read your posts, where they came from in terms of links, where they're based roughly geographically. For subscribers you can also see open rates etc.
I hope this helps! Substack also has a great resource centre with lots of answers and guides. Have a lovely rest of your day!
So much to learn. Thanks so much for taking the time. I will check out the links you provided. I also promise to keep quiet from now on so you can rest a bit.
No worries Bela! I only check and reply to these comments when I have the time and energy to do so :) I'm glad this was useful, and have a really lovely weekend! x
An email signup form without a lead magnet???
As you can tell I speak some "marketing" after more than 12 years of doing it as a day job some of the lingo stuck. :-) Inspired by your talk on Art Juice I am re-launching my newsletter. I used to have a lead magnet (sign up and get this PDF on how to XYZ) but it feels out of date and, if I'm honest, kind of blah.
So my question is, is receiving my newsletter (called Photographs & Stories) enough of an incentive? Below is a description:
As the name suggests, these monthly emails are Photographs and Stories. Topics include:
-Photography and travel locations
-Resources for art lovers and artists
-Books, podcasts, and other interesting finds
-New and in-progress work
-Business tips for creatives
I'd love to know your thoughts!
Thank you
Thank you for your comment Ana! I should say that I used to have more lead magnets--the only one I still really have, and which more or less markets itself, is my free email series on marketing your business without social media which people frequently sign up for (https://astridbracke.com/move-your-business-away-from-social-media/).
But a lot of people sign up indeed without the promise of a lead magnet. :)
I love the name of your Substack, and from the description it does what it says on the tin, which is great! Substack really recommends also having a tagline of kinds to describe your Substack. This is mine: "The online place for small business owners and freelancers who refuse to hustle. Resources, strategies and community to empower and inspire you."
If you can summarise your Substack in one sentence this can be really powerful.
Do let me know if you have any more questions :) Thank you for reading!
Thanks, Astrid!
I should clarify that I plan on continuing my newsletter in Mailchimp for now. While I don't have plans for a subscription I read your post on moving my newsletter to Substack and really like the idea of building community... I also think it would be easier to be "seen" here than on social media which could help me grow my audience and expand my reach.
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Ana & Bodhi (the pup in the photo)
Thank you for clarifying! My comments, I think, are still valid: your description sounds very interesting, and adding a short description to it on your newsletter sign-up page/landing page will draw people in more easily I'd say. :) Good luck and enjoy! x
Like you I love Substack, but I only use it for my personal musings, like the blog I used to have in the old days. In fact, to me Substack is mostly a blogging platform with awesome subscription, podcast and video features. For my business newsletter I still prefer to use the program that's built into my website. This way it's brand consistent and I have easy access to all of my assets, like blog posts, products, images etc. Plus, it's just an email and not also a post that is hosted on a public domain like Substack. For my business that makes sense.
I am not so sure about the subscription model for everyone. While $5 a month is not a lot on its own, it adds up quickly when I have to pay for everyone now whose newsletters used to be free. I can see that this is a good revenue stream for writers and authors, as writing is their business. So far I have not considered charging for my business newsletter because I have other products that I am selling and the newsletter is a communication rather than an income tool. I think what you are doing sounds very interesting though! It's a different way of looking at how we run our businesses and how we monetize our wisdom and expertise. So I am definitely cheering you on for this! xo
Thank you for reading and commenting Kerstin! Your choice to keep the newsletter tied in with your site and ensure brand consistency makes absolute sense, and I also think that Substack is definitely not for everyone/all business owners (see here: https://astridbracke.com/should-you-move-your-newsletter-to-substack/)
What I like about the subscription system is being able to add bonus resources that I otherwise wouldn't have time or energy to write next to my mentoring work, while still seeing the regular newsletter free. But I agree with you, €5 is not a lot for one newsletter, but if you subscribe to many paid subscriptions it can add up. I see it as subscribing to something like a magazine, which I'd also pay €120+ a year for.
Thank you again for reading and commenting, and have a good weekend! x
I wish there was a magazine type subscription option actually. With a magazine you get multiple authors but if I add up just 10 individual newsletter that I really like, and if they all charged $50 a year (more if it’s EUR or GBP) it would be $500 a year. I also distinguish between supporting a writer because this is literally their job, and paying for added content in which case I have to decide it that is something I really need. Subscription models are interesting and have of course been around for a long time, and I have no issue with paying for valuable intellectual property. It just means that I have to be more discerning about what I consume if I want to avoid subscription creep. And that is not a bad thing at all. Thanks for this vibrant discussion 😍
You're welcome Kerstin! That is an interesting distinction (between writers and those adding 'bonus' content), and one that I'm interested to see play out on Substack more--originally it's been so much more aimed at writers, and is moving now more towards other people too, that I'm curious to see whether subscribers/readers start to behave differently too, if that makes sense. x
this sounds great Astrid! Where are you sharing your Substack beyond Substack and our lovely community?
Hi Laura, it's lovely to see you here!
I started my Substack with an existing (albeit pretty small) existing newsletter, so I didn't start completely from scratch. Some things other than sharing in online communities that I'm part of that have helped me grow it:
* podcast interviews, especially the recent interview on Art Juice with Alice Sheridan
* guest blog posts
* specific to Substack: simply engaging with other people who comment on posts (i.e. by other people) I enjoy has led to new sign ups as well
* sharing the sign-up link *everywhere*: on my website, in the blogposts that are pinned to Pinterest, in my email signature, etc.
Thank you for reading and have a lovely end to your week! x
now following thought I was before as your substack was definitely coming up! It's fab x
Hi Astrid,
I listened to your January conversation on Art Juice this week. It was very useful and insightful.
I’m interested in your invitation to “ask me all your newsletter questions”. I’m working on a newsletter related to a niche small business/startup audience. What methods and channels would you recommend to market a newsletter of that type?
Thank you Mike for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the podcast episode.
As for your question, I'd start by brainstorming the people you already know that the newsletter might be useful to. Sending an email to people in your own network or community to share that you're setting up the newsletter is a great first step (as is inviting them to share it with others). If there are people who do work that could be inspiring to your readers, you could also consider asking them for a mini-interview, maybe three short questions: you can include this interview in your newsletter, and ask them to share it with their own readers/audience as well. This kind of 'community marketing' has been working well for me, as have podcast interviews (you could pitch to a podcast you enjoy to talk about your own work and/or newsletter).
Growing a newsletter usually takes a while (and numbers aren't everything) so keep going! ✨ Thank you for reading :)
This is helpful. Thanks. I like the idea of a mini-interview.
Thanks Astrid - that's very helpful.