How to start your own Substack newsletter

sub stack is an email/blogging platform that allows you to create blog entries and email them to established mailing lists.I recently set myself up substack newsletterNow let’s take a look at the steps.

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The main reason I chose Substack is that both Jason Perlow and Ed Bott use Substack for their newsletters. Jason and Ed, here at ZDNET he’s been a longtime colleague and probably two of the most trusted technology writers I’ve ever met. I thought that if they liked it, I would like it too.

How to get started with substack

Before going into more detail about the process of setting up your own Substack, I recommend reading Jason and Ed’s News to get an idea of ​​what the Substack newsletter is all about. Also, take a look at mine.

I did a little due diligence myself and liked what I found. Substack newsletters do not contain advertising. Substack does not appear to be spammy. Many Substack users charge for content, but if you want to set up a newsletter without charging your readers, you can.

Substack is also free to use. If he charges for the newsletter, the company takes his 10% cut. However, if you’re like me and want to do something just to connect with your readers, there’s no charge. There is no charge for managing the list or emailing the list. There is also no charge for hosting content. I love that.

Next, create an account. If you provide your email address, we will send you an email message with a coded link to log in. If desired, the account can be converted to a traditional email/password login later.

Next, you will be asked to enter your profile. All of these can be changed later, so I just pasted the instructions from ZDNET. I adjusted it after setting up my account.

After that, you will be asked to name the publication. Again, I gave myself a name. I ended up changing it to “Advanced Geekery”, the same name I use on my YouTube channel. Because… it’s branding.

Come on. Then customize your newsletter.

Once your account is created, you will see the main screen. This is what it looked like after registration.

highlighted with an arrow[ダッシュボード]Click the button. This will bring up the dashboard itself.

As you can see, there is a check-off list that guides you through the steps you need to complete. On the one hand, it helps. However, I don’t want to charge my subscribers, so I’m going to permanently display a “turn on charging” prompt in my backend dashboard. I wish Substack had an option to permanently delete checklists. Oh, if that’s my only gripe (and so far it is), it’s a win.

At the top of the screen, follow the red arrows to[設定]Choose.

As you can see, there are many options. Just follow them in order and you are ready to go. I customized the publication name, added a short description, uploaded some graphics, and set up an About Me page.

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I kept the About page very simple, just explaining what the newsletter was trying to do.

I posted a picture, told a little about myself, and then explained my plans for the newsletter.

Subscribe to get quick links to my latest articles. ZDNET.comrecommendations for great YouTube videos, and links to articles that we think are interesting enough to share.

I’ll also keep you up to date on my latest projects, sometimes share personal insights, sometimes recommend merch and products I’m excited about, and sometimes share adorable Pixel pics. sometimes.

that’s all. Now people know what it is.

From your dashboard,[新しい投稿]Click.

By default, a new text post is created as the basis for the email you send. However, you can also create and host other media types on Substack by clicking the drop arrow.

But I’ll try to make a quick post.[新しい投稿]Immediately after clicking , the page looks like this:

Go ahead and write your post.can visit my substack look the format i’m using, mostly prose with links. However, like most blogging tools, you can include basic text styles, links, and media.

Once done, you have several options. Please see the following screenshot.

(1) You can change the newsletter settings for the post you are working on. Here you can add tags, get a secret link to share your post before it’s published, and decide whether to allow comments.

(2) Click Preview to preview your post on both your mobile device and desktop. It’s good to have this checked as using something too wide will not look good on small mobile screens. A five minute double check can save you a lot of embarrassment.

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Finally, when you’re ready to publish, (3)[続行]Press This will display a subset of the configuration options shown in (1) above. But more importantly,[今すぐ全員に送信]button. Press it to send the newsletter.

It’s that simple. Feel free to comment below or drop me a comment if you have created a great substack. I would love to see what you are working on.

Can I import an existing list?

Yes, but Substack is a pain. Only import lists where you can verify that all email addresses have previously opted in.

How do I turn off pledge or subscription fee requests?

Took me a few minutes to find this.of the dashboard[設定]back to[支払い]Scroll down to[読者に購読の誓約を許可する]uncheck the These payment/pledge requests will no longer be visible to new subscribers.

How does Substack make money?

The company takes 10% of the subscription fee. Therefore, it is in the site’s best interest to have a successful substack and drive subscription purchases. Of course, that means newsletters like mine will probably always be free and don’t contribute to the company’s revenue model.

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It remains to be seen if that will adversely affect the visibility of non-monetized Substack users. For me, it’s so hassle-free that it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

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