Why Substack is great for your first newsletter?
- Zsanett Czifrus
- Jul 26, 2023
- 4 min read
You're thinking about sending your first newsletter. You built up an email list, and you wonder which platform should you use? How to choose the right one? Then you pick one and realize that learning how to use the platform takes time and you might end up with a half-written newsletter that sits as a draft for weeks, months or even for years.
When I first got started, my coach suggested me Substack. It was so easy to use that I sent my first newsletter on that week when she first mentioned it to me. Ever since I kept sharing news, articles and content to my growing mailing list subscribers. The Substack platform is so simple that I did not have to think about formatting or how-to-setup my next newsletter, and it helped me enormously to gain confidence in simply writing.
Here I collected eight reasons + some more #foodforthought why Substack can be a great option to get started with a newsletter. Remember: if at some point you want to transfer to a more robust digital marketing platform, you can. You're not marrying a platform. You're getting started!
Happy writing!
What are the benefits of Substack vs. other newsletter providers?
1. It is super SIMPLE
You create an account, start writing and that’s it. You don’t have to bother with setups, interpreting the platform, or navigating between the various functions. It’s also ideal when you’re just getting started and you simply want to have a newsletter to send out news or articles to your small audience. You can focus on writing instead of editing or trying to figure out how the platform works.
2. It has a paid function
If at some point you’re considering turning your writing into a professional publication, you can easily do that with Substack. You can create paid newsletters where you’ll have income from your writing.
3. It’s fun!
I write a lot. I write every single day. I write on paper, I write on mobile, and I write on laptop. I write in Doc, in Notes, emails, social etc. I have different style depending on where I write. The environment creates you and it brings forth a different part of me. Somehow when I come here to Substack, my writing flows and I really enjoy the creativity and style that is evoked when I use Substack. It’s mostly due to the simplicity of the platform. I noticed that I can write more easily if I don’t have to think a lot about fonts, editing, and formatting (that’s the reason I write most of the things in Notes first) and it leaves mind space for writing itself.
4. It’s more like a community
People can like, comment and interact with your content, and in my experience they somehow even more willing to respond to my emails. Even when I only had about 20-30 subscribers, I received replies and that is like gold for a beginner! It actually means that someone is reading your newsletter! 🥲
5. Substack Stats & Subscribers’ data
It has a comprehensive view of my subscribers’ data and email stats. I can see who are my avid readers, and who is less engaged. I see the top sources, how each issue performed and a lot more. My open rates are between 50-65% (occasionally even more) that I consider pretty high - and makes me proud! :-)
Substack Stats Examples
6. It’s like a website with post history
It has a domain with your name and your readers can visit and read the old issues like on a blog. It serves a double purpose in this way: blog and newsletter at the same time.
7. It helps me overcome perfectionism
On this platform I don’t feel like I have to create ‘perfect’ newsletters. Substack’s simplicity and ease of use has a sense of freedom and it liberates me from focusing on what my newsletter looks like. It also saves me time, and I produce newsletters much easier and quicker. I just sit down, start writing and sometimes I finish the first draft within 20-30 min. Later I pick it up again, I edit it, add links and images, play with the formatting and it’s ready to go!
Further notes on Substack Newsletters
👁️ Other opinions
I saw this article (on Substack oc) from Robert Glazer recently who also shared about why he moved his 100k+ audience to Substack. Check it out!
🧑💻 Substack writers’ profile
It feels like that Substack is still more popular among entrepreneurs, subject matter experts, creatives and obviously among writers. If you are addressing a corporate crowd they might appreciate a traditional, or rather familiar platform more.
🇺🇲 Geography
Substack was born in the USA and it still has the biggest audience on that continent. You can read cool stats about it here. Unless you want to gain followers from the platform itself, this geographic data doesn’t really matter because you’ll build your own audience from elsewhere anyway.
On the other side, if you analyze your audience, you can get ideas about how you want to position your Substack. There is also an opportunity to create a publication within your newsletter that is targeting a specific group of your subscribers.
Questions to consider
What is your goal, what use cases do you have and what functions could best satisfy that need? Eg. do you need landing pages, and CRM or you just want to send out newsletters once a month? How important design is for you? How much do you want to interact with your subscribers?
Other email marketing platforms:
If you need help navigating your business, my 1-1 partnerships can help you gain confidence and accelerate your journey. Book a free intro call to explore how it could serve you.
111