You’ve probably noticed it.
Like how you notice a new word you just learnt. Popping everywhere like it’s having a party.
Its Substack, buddy. And every corner you turn, it’s there, waiting for a silky tap that’ll suck you into the Substack abyss.
Substack has been around for three years, and in that time, It already has some 250,000 paid subscribers with its top 10 publishers raking in some $7 million annually.
Impressive numbers if you ask me! So what’s the big deal with Substack anyways?
What Is Substack?
Substack is a website + newsletter cramped into one. It’s a minimalist platform that allows you to publish written and audio content as a blog and a complete newsletter. Huh?
Let me explain =>
Once you hit publish on Substack two things happen :
1.) Your content gets published on your customized Substack domain (e.g., emailtech.substack.com), much in the same way you’d post on a blog.
This “blog” then becomes automatically accessible to external traffic, including your subscribers, those who got a link to this particular content, and those who directly visit your domain.
2.) Speaking of subscribers, the entire “blog” [in the exact way it is formatted on your custom “.substack.com” domain] is sent as a mail [more like a newsletter] to people who subscribed to join your list.
In other words, what you get once you start using Substack is; a website and an email newsletter service. And trust me, it’s as good as it sounds.
Which brings me to why leveraging Substack would be a beautiful addition to your email marketing efforts.
Why Should I Join Substack?
…once or twice you’ve maybe asked.
Perhaps you wonder if this will be another fad that dies down after a couple of months.
And while that may be true [although, really unlikely]; It helps to know that just 19 months ago, Substack secured a 15.3 million dollar funding which could only mean;
- Not just the thousands of users … many big guns believe in the future of Substack.
- Besides the sheer belief, they are funding its way to more successes.
With that said, here’s why joining this newsletter startup will help your email marketing efforts.
It’s The Trend
Yep. I know it. You Know it. Everyone seems to be joining the Substack frenzy.
With such a growing social acceptance rate, publishing content on the site ensures more eyeballs to your content. And that can only mean one thing => an additional means for attracting new prospects to your offers.
The best part? You’d be getting this at no cost whatsoever.
So let’s do the Maths. More traffic means more potential signups to your newsletter, which translates to an increase in your overall email list volume [When you add the Substack list to what you have already].
And that my friend, improves your chances of a more significant email ROI. Sweet!
It’s Optimized for Collecting Email addresses
Because one of the significant features of Substack is its newsletter functionality, it only makes sense that the platform is optimized for collecting email addresses.
Which is why the platform is stacked with prominent and subtle features to make collecting email addresses, a breeze. Features like;
Feature #1
A “Subscribe” button that can be added to any part of your content allows you to collect the email addresses of prospects interested in your content in 2 clicks. 👇
Feature #2
Two permanent ‘Subscribe’ buttons on your subdomain homepage. Quick live example, check it out on our Substack page 👇
Feature #3
Two permanent ‘Subscribe’ buttons, one at the top and one at the end of the content you published. 👇
Feature #4
Prefilling the subscribe field with your visitor’s email address so that the next logical thing to do is just to hit the “Subscribe” button.
With all of these Subscribing opportunities, you massively improve your opt-in rates making your list grow faster than many other popular platforms.
You Own Your List On Substack
Now here’s where things get interesting. For the longest time, being in full control of your email list was an exclusive perk of owning your website.
Not anymore, friend.
With Substack, you take full charge of your list, doing anything you want with it … like importing your contacts to an Email Service Provider for example.
With this functionality, the possibilities are endless! Besides, all of your efforts on the Substack channel won’t go to waste. It’s a Win-Win friend.
Test Out Ideas
If you publish on platforms where testing out new ideas is not feasible or could come with dire business consequences, using Substack is a great place to test the waters.
Substack is free with zero maintenance costs, so testing on the platform comes easy with an audience that would provide valuable feedback – a crucial step, before rolling out your well-formed ideas everywhere else.
And since you are more than likely to get subscribers who are witnessing your journey from scratch, you indirectly create loyal fans who know your origin story.
Fans who are more likely to open your emails, boost your click-through rates and give valuable feedback – even when you leave the Substack platform.
And that my friend, is a triumph for your email marketing and more importantly, a victory for your business.
Sell Directly On Substack
Substack’s model is built so that writers and others can monetize their craft by selling monthly subscriptions for access to exclusive content.
If you offer a service that fits this model, then Substack is a platform to consider. Like I mentioned already, this is no big deal. There are already over 200,000 paid subscribers on the platform.
But keep in mind that you own 90% of every sale you make while the other 10% goes to Substack.
. . .
There are probably even more reasons to jump on the Substack train. Perhaps you’ll discover even more when you start publishing on the platform.
So with all these merits, getting started on the platform must be a tad complicated right?
Wrong! It’s as easy as easy gets. Keep reading to find out how ⬇
How To Get Started With Substack
To get started on Substack, all you need do is follow these steps;
1.) Go to the Substack website.
2.) Click on “Write on Substack”
3.) Then tap “Start Publishing”.
4.) You are given the option to connect with Twitter or skip. Tap “Skip” for now. You can always link your account Twitter later.
5.) When you “Skip” you’d be presented with a field to input your email account and accept the “Publisher Agreement”. Enter your functional email address.
6.) Next, you’ll be required to input: *Your Name* and *Your Bio* and to upload your desired *Photo* 👇
7.) Next, you’ll be asked to create your publication by filling these fields: *Publication Name * * What’s it about?* and *Web URL* 👇
8.) You’ll then be asked to import an email list to the platform or “Skip”. Let’s “Skip” for now.
9.) It’s done, your Substack is ready. You can now customize as you wish and start publishing. Cheers! 👇
Substack is a free publishing platform that erases the hassles of site maintenance. Plus it is tremendously optimized to collect email addresses and give you complete control over your email list.
I recommend you join the platform to boost the results of your email marketing efforts significantly.✌️