🧰 All the Best Tools, Experts, and Other Resources for Substack Publishers
Including a revenue estimation template and launch checklist for new publications.
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Welcome back to Really Good Business Ideas. We’re spending several weeks exploring Substack as a business opportunity.
So far, we’ve analyzed the most expensive publications, the most popular publications, and the highest-earning publications.
This week, I’m sharing all the best resources to help Substack publishers be successful.
Table of Contents
1. Substack Education 📗
Publications and blogs where writers share their Substack expertise to help other publishers succeed.
The Author Stack
What it’s about: Written by a well-published author, it covers making an income as a writer, including with Substack.
Interesting fact I learned: Many writers benefit from considering multiple income sources like Substack, Kickstarter pre-sales, teaching courses, and speaking at conferences. This is similar to the examples we examined when discussing different ways to monetize Substack publications.
What to read first: Looking to begin, grow, and/or monetize your Substack? Start here is the perfect way to start exploring this publication.
Blogging Guide
What it’s about: Making money as a blogger, including using Substack.
Interesting fact I learned: When you publish on Substack, you grant Substack a limited license to use your content. But you still own the content and can do whatever you want with it. This is good because it means you can also publish your content elsewhere (like on your personal website) and if you ever decide to leave Substack, you can take your content with you.
What to read first: Substack FAQs and Tips offers a treasure trove of detailed information about Substack for anyone considering getting started.
Substack Writers at Work
What it’s about: Writing and publishing on Substack, including lots of audio and video content.
Interesting fact I learned: You can cross-post an article from another publication as long as they have this feature enabled. Cross-posting allows you to share a post on your publication website, send it to your subscribers by email, or both. This opens up interesting opportunities for publications focusing on curation rather than creation.
What to read first: 🎧 Taylor Swift’s Business Plan for Substack Writers is a fun and spot-on take on how to stand out.
Substack Course
What it’s about: Using the Substack platform (but it’s not actually hosted on Substack).
Interesting fact I learned: Substack allows authors to archive content, hiding it from the public while maintaining access for subscribers who have the link. Archived content can also be reinstated later. This is a great feature for managing seasonal content that you may want to republish again in the future.
What to read first: How to Create a Substack Newsletter is a great primer for creating a new publication.
PubStack Success
What it’s about: A first-hand account of starting a profitable Substack publication from someone who has done it.
Interesting fact I learned: You can pin a post to your homepage to ensure new visitors always see something specific at the top rather than your latest post. New readers won’t have all the context your existing subscribers have so this is a great way to help them learn about your publication and subscribe.
What to read first: How to Get More Subscribers with a Hero Post explains how to create an effective intro post to pin on your homepage.
Kristina God’s Online Writing Club
What it’s about: Making money by writing online with an emphasis on Substack and Medium.
Interesting fact I learned: Although it’s still a young publication, Kristina God’s Online Writing Club already gets 28% of its growth from Substack recommendations. As we discussed previously, recommendations are a key driver in Substack’s network effects,
What to read first: How to Start Writing on Substack in 2023 (Beginners Guide)
On Substack
What it’s about: Product updates, how-to guides, and success stories, written by Substack employees.
Interesting fact I learned: When you upload a video to Substack you can add paywalls, generate transcripts automatically, and viewers can generate custom sharable clips that will link back to your publication. Adding video just for the clips could be really useful for reaching a wider audience through social shares.
What to read first: A guide to growth with subscriber referrals details how to leverage the referrals feature effectively.
Substack FAQ
What it’s about: Tips and tricks for Substack success, written by Substack employees.
Something I learned: You can publish anonymously on Substack, and some people do. This is a great option for people sharing an insider perspective that need to remain anonymous due to confidentiality agreements (like someone working as a high-level exec in a public company), or people who want to write about a specific topic without having their name attached to it because it’s so different from their current personal brand.
What to read first: How to make money with your writing using Substack is a nice overview of Substack's benefits and inspiring case studies.
2. Newsletter Directories 📋
Substack publishers can submit their publications to newsletter directories to get discovered by new readers, gain backlinks that help with search engine optimization, and discover cross-collaboration and sponsorship opportunities.
3. Really Good Substack Templates 📐
I’ve created some templates based on my Substack experience that make launching a new publication easier—and now I'm sharing them with you!
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