Substack Post

A Substack post is a published content, usually in the form of articles and newsletters. Substack posts are shared through subscriptions, where the publisher may post content for their subscribers on the Substack. Posts on Substack can be public or private, depending on the publisher’s discretion. Private posts mean that only paid subscribers may have access to the post. As of the release of this webpage, a Substack post may include text, images, lists, quotes, buttons, media embeds, polls, audio, and files. There are no limitations in terms of a word count or character limit for Substack posts.

Substack is a publishing platform often described as both a social media platform and a newsletter platform. Users may publish their content as a post directed towards their audience. Substack is an excellent platform for users to establish a subscription-based audience. Substack provides tools for users to create and distribute content through newsletters, articles, videos, podcasts, and many more options. Users can control the visibility of their posts and determine their pricing for their subscription prices.

Why Businesses Should Make Substack Posts:

• Direct Publishing: Users can release their content directly to their subscribers without needing any middlemen
• Monetization: Substack publishers are in complete control of their subscription pricing. Even allowing users to publish content for free, allowing publishers to have autonomy in regards to profits through their work
• Audience Engagement: Through email newsletter and comments, Substack is an excellent platform for users to connect and build relationships with their audience
• Content Control: Users are able to control their own content and intellectual property
• Variety of Content: Substack supports the publishing of varying types of content, including articles, essays, videos, and other multimedia content

Why Use Substack?

Substack creates deeper connections between creators and their subscribers; it utilizes the profitable aspects of social media and newsletter platforms—the function of Substack scopes beyond just a publishing platform. Subscribers are able to feel a sense of community built by the creator while emphasizing meaningful interactions and connections. Businesses and users may profit off of the key features that Substacks offers such as the customization of Substack settings regarding the frequency of private posts and price of their own subscription.

How much does it cost to post on Substack?

Substack operates on a freemium model, meaning that it is free for users to create a Substack account and to start posting on the platform. Substack does not charge their users a fee to post on the platform even if the user has a paid subscription base. Substack profits by taking a 10% commission on the earnings of their publishers. The prices will vary depending on the revenue and the subscription price set by the Substack user. Substack allows users to publish free and premium content.

How to post on Substack

Posting on Substack for the first time might be scary for users. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to post on Substack:

1. Head to the Home page and then press the ‘New post’ where users will be prompted to select what kind of content they want to publish. The options are ‘Post,’ ‘Audio,’ ‘Video,’ ‘Thread,’ and ‘New note.’
2. After selecting ‘Post’, users may begin to write and draft their post using Substack editor. In addition the user can add headers, images, lists, quotes, media embed, poll, audio, files, and other media they would like.
3. Once satisfied with their post, the user can publish their post by clicking ‘Continue’ at the top to review the post settings before being published. The user has options for paywalling, scheduling, and editing the preview of the post.
4. After posting, users should share their work with the world through other social media platforms or through emails.

Types of posts:

• Standard text-based posts –These posts could range from personal essays to newsletters.
• Discussion threads –These posts have comments enabled by default, as the purpose of discussion threads is to encourage conversation between Substack users.
• Podcast/audio posts –Solo podcasts are usually shorter, typically being 15-45 minutes. Interviews and podcasts with co-hosts where there are more back-and-forth conversations can run for 45 minutes to three hours.
• Video –Users are only able to upload one video per post. The recommended maximum for the upload is 20GB.

How do you monetize a Substack post?

Monetizing a Substack post would involve the user to implement a paid subscription model for their content. Users have the option to make some posts available to all subscribers and some specific posts available to their paying subscribers only. To set up a paid subscription model, users can enable paid subscriptions through the Substack settings. When users can choose their subscription prices, it is essential for them to build a strong relationship with their audience so that they are enticed to pay for their content. Users should understand that their monetized content needs to be held to a higher standard to justify their audience paying a premium for their content.

Average income from a Substack post

The average income from a Substack post will vary depending on the frequency of the user’s private posts, the number of subscribers, and the price of their subscription. Substack allows the user to set their subscription prices, with the platform taking a 10% fee from the earnings. It is essential for new Substack users to note that not all users charge for subscriptions. Users might choose to initially offer free content to build a loyal following before implementing paid subscriptions. The average subscription price ranges from $5-$10 per month.

Example of Income Calculation from Substack Publishers:

If a user with 1,000 subscribers decided to have a subscription price of $8 per month they could earn potentially $8,000 per month, or $96,000 per year, before subtracting Substack’s fee. In addition, there may be credit card processing fees which are typically around 2.9%. These are deducted before the earnings are transferred into the user’s account. However, the average income is very fluid as it is dependent on the user’s ability to attract new subscribers and retain the attention of their current subscribers.

Pricing is at the time of this writing and is up to date as of July 5, 2024