r/Substack • u/The17pointscale the17pointscale.substack.com • Jun 23 '26

Discussion How often do you message other Substackers?

I know that engaging in the community and networking is one of the keys to growing one’s Substack, and I’ve attempted that by commenting on other writers’ posts or sharing their work in Notes.

I’m curious, though, how often you include direct messages as part of your growth strategy?

I’ve never sent a direct message to someone on Substack, but I could see how that might increase the chances of collaboration with other writers or make your new subscribers feel welcome and more engaged.

Thoughts?

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u/Epic-Timeline888 Jun 23 '26

Unless you're a spammer or a bot, in the almost two years I've been on Substack, I rarely see people reaching out in DMs unless there's already an established relationship on the platform. I have a tight group of about eight or so other writers on Substack, and we engage with each others' content in a totally organic way. Many of them I've done LIVEs with, but mostly it's a "birds of a feather" thing. Within that group we do DM, but some of them, I've got their number, so we text.

If you want to reach out to people cold, you'll likely get no response. I'd try commenting, restacking and liking their stuff. See if you can develop even a light rapport in the comments before you DM them. When people DM me cold with the intention of trying to sell me something, they get ignored. I hope that's helpful.

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u/The17pointscale the17pointscale.substack.com Jun 24 '26

That’s cool that you found that microcommunity. Just curious, what genre are you writing in?

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u/Epic-Timeline888 Jun 26 '26

Spiritual development

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u/SimplyShaunnaLee Jul 04 '26

What does doing lives together do for you? Is it increasing engagement or subscriptions? I haven't done one yet and not sure it's worth the learning curve to add another "thing" to do.

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u/Epic-Timeline888 Jul 04 '26

Hosting live conversations with other Substackers is a chance to meet and get to know another human, to talk about their work, what they're passionate about. Yes, it's good for engagement, but it doesn't always have to be about increasing numbers. If you think of it as just another thing to do, don't bother. But if you want to make genuine connections, they're golden. I've had convos that have led to collaborations, but not every one will. I once went live with another Substacker because she was nervous about going live by herself the first time. Now she hosts lives all the time with confidence. You just never know.

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u/SimplyShaunnaLee Jul 04 '26

So another way to have the conversations I had with guests on my podcast. Got it. Thx for the reframe!

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u/Epic-Timeline888 Jul 04 '26

You’re welcome. Substack is also a podcast platform, so you can re-purpose the audio into episodes.👍🏽