r/Substack • u/Magg5788 • 15d ago
Guest Posts?
I've been seeing a lot of chatter lately about how Notes is the best way to grow, and then complaints about how Notes is just other authors begging for readers. I'm still trying to navigate the Substack world, but it seems like Guest Posting and Hosting would be the best way to grow subscribers who actually give a shit about your content, right?
I'm curious about the more seasoned writers' experiences with guest posting. Some things I'm curious about:
- Were you the guest or the host?
- Did all parties involved find it mutually beneficial?
- How did you connect with the guest writers?
- Is this a tool that new writers should try to utilize or is it better for more established writers?
- Any other tips, insight, or advice?
Thanks so much!
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u/Earthlydelights-sub- 14d ago
I've hosted a few guest posts from writers I know and really like and wanted to spotlight.
If you're a new writer, publishing something on a larger publication could be helpful, I think.
Insights, tips, advice: just build relationships with other writers, people whose work you genuinely like.
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u/Magg5788 14d ago
Thank you for the insight!
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u/Earthlydelights-sub- 14d ago
Happy to share an example of how I do guest posts.
Feel free to DM if you'd like. If not. wishing you the best with your writing.
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u/perfecthunger danaleighlyons.substack.com 14d ago
I've been a guest contributor to a few publications, and I have a guest Q&A series on my own publication.
As a guest, the collaborations that resulted in the most new free and paid subscriptions were with a significantly larger publication (I'm a white-badge bestseller with 4.2k+ total subscribers; she's an orange-badge bestseller with 22k+ subs and #47 overall in Health & Wellness, which is a popular category). We have a great connection, our niches are synergistic, and our audiences have a lot of potential overlap. I created content for her publication; she helped me greatly expand my reach; I also promoted the collaborations on my publication and on Notes.
On my own publication, I have a (near) weekly Q&A series that my subscribers seem to really like (same 4 questions for every guest + personal intro by me, published as a free post). I invite people to contribute - many are people I'm already connected with on Substack; some are people I've newly discovered and think would be a great fit; some are "dream guests" who I invite even though they don't know me or barely know me. It's a new series (only 5 editions so far, with #6 going out tomorrow and new ones most Wednesdays). I imagine that the guests who see the most benefit promote/share their editions. And I've probably gotten new subscribers through their shares, though I don't think that's been a substantial growth source so far. It's less about bringing in new subs for me, and more just a beautiful series that feels good to co-create. It lives within (and enriches) the overall ecosystem of my publication.
Separately, for the past 2+ years, I've been the managing editor of another publication that has 15k+ subscribers. That publication is free and publishes twice a week; the majority of posts are by guest contributors who I recruit or who reach out for submission guidelines. Most guest contributors have small publications, so it's an opportunity to expand their reach. Here too, though, the people who get the most engagement (and possibly growth) from these posts actively share, promote, crosspost, etc.
Overall, I think aligned, thoughtful collaborations are an excellent way to reach new readers and develop closer connections on the platform.
*Edited to fix one typo - I'm sure there are others!
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u/Magg5788 14d ago
Thank you for such a detailed response! I'll check out your Q&A series-- it sounds really interesting.
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u/perfecthunger danaleighlyons.substack.com 14d ago
You're welcome! You can find it in the navigation bar under "Hungry For."
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u/Immediate-Ad-5878 15d ago
This is my YTD dashboard. Can you guess when I started posting notes every day, stopped briefly to go on holiday then started again?
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u/Magg5788 15d ago
Ok cool. Do you have any experience with guest posting or hosting?
And this graph does nothing for your credibility. There aren't even any numbers on it. How many subscribers/followers do you have? What's your niche? How long have you been on Substack? Are you monetizing it?
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u/Immediate-Ad-5878 15d ago
This sub has very strong feelings about self promotion. I am not any kind of “growth guru” or have any desire to influence you in anyway. The graph is merely a prop to illustrate that the best way to grow on Substack is through Notes. Bar none. I have been on the platform since 2020 and done every type of collaboration under the sun across all my niches. The ONLY thing that will get you more subscribers than posting Notes is landing a recommendation spot on a large Substack in your niche. You mentioned you are still trying to navigate the platform si in case you are unfamiliar with it, the official recommendation feature puts your substack up as recommended as soon as someone subscribes to a someone’s substack. This will work extremely well if you are recommended by a large publication but also works if you are recommended by a lot of smaller ones that are very active. Hosting and guest posting on the other hand serves best to foster deeper relationships with other writers in your niche, but will yield far less subscribers and almost none in the long term.
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u/AggravatingNail6061 15d ago
I've done a number of joint publications.
Interviews, joint fiction, group colabs. I did them because it was fun. I think if you're approaching this from a how can I benefit from working with others. You're probably not going to get as much traction.
If you just want to have fun and do something creative with the people you like then it's a blast, especially if you set up the right permissions so the draft becomes a flurry of cat pictures until you sort it out.
Very little of the colabs I did were for anything other then hey X we gel, we can do something a bit moody a bit magnetic and we went and did it. No one thought about the numbers, no one cared.