It’s our very first repeat guest, and we couldn’t be more honored to have her back on the pod! Introducing the one and only Sara from Between The Lines Copywriting. Sara first joined us on episode 12 to chat all about writing copy that converts. If you are a part of Sara’s weekly newsletter, Tuesday Table of Contents (link at the bottom to subscribe!), then you know she is not only amazing at writing copy that sells, but she is also an incredible storyteller.
We love sourcing new topic ideas from our listeners, aka you. And one of those topics was all about Substack. Our brains immediately thought of Sara, and you’ll soon find out why. If you don’t know what this is, don’t worry – we will get into all that goodness with the email marketing queen Sara.
What you’ll hear in this episode
- What is Substack?
- How do you use Substack for your business?
- What was the biggest driver of why you decided to move your newsletter over to Substack?
- How can Substack help grow your business as an entrepreneur and content creator?
- Let’s talk about Substack and SEO… are there any benefits?
- How does someone get started with Substack? What’s the signup process like?
What is Substack?
Substack is like that friendly neighborhood cafe for writers. It’s a cozy corner on the internet where long-form content creators can share their newsletters, stories and blogs, all while having the option to earn a little something from their readers through subscriptions. Whether you’ve got a paid or free model in mind, getting started is a breeze. This is likely why many people opt to start with Substack rather than building a website.
Sara puts it beautifully: think of Substack as a go-to blogging platform for those who might not have their own website or simply want a fresh space for their writings. At its heart, Substack is all about diving deep into long-form content and connecting writers directly with their eager audience. It’s less about the formalities and more about the stories and the community.
Is Substack Right For You?
So you might be thinking, “I’ve got a website, why would I need Substack?” Well, Sara offers a little peek into her world. She uses Substack as a neat little archive for all her newsletters. It’s her clever way to keep things tidy. Instead of overwhelming her main blog with every newsletter she crafts, she gives her readers a separate, organized space on Substack to dive into her updates. It’s like having an extra room in your house just for your favorite books.
The beauty of Substack lies in its simplicity and the ability to repurpose content. Think of it as a secondary platform to engage with your audience on a deeper level. Not to mention, it gives your newsletter content a much longer lifespan. It’s a tool that can easily be integrated into your content strategy with an extra 5-10 minutes. So, if you’re juggling tons of content and seeking an effortless way to categorize and share, Substack might just be the platform for you.
Does Substack Boost Your SEO Game?
You might be wondering, “With an optimized website in place, what does Substack bring to the table in terms of SEO?” Let’s break this down:
- Visibility on Search Engines: Substack posts are public and can be indexed. So, when someone’s scouring Google for a topic you’ve covered, there’s a chance your Substack article could make an appearance— your email newsletter alone won’t do that for you!
- User-Friendly Design: Substack’s minimalist design is not just appealing to readers but also aligns well with search engines’ preference for clear, user-centric layouts.
- Built-in Readership: While not a direct SEO benefit, Substack’s inherent audience can drive initial traffic to your content, indirectly boosting its search engine appeal.
- Customizable SEO Basics: Substack allows writers to personalize the SEO title, meta description, and URL slug for each post, offering a blend of simplicity with essential SEO tools.
- Domain Considerations: Your content on Substack resides under the substack.com domain. This means you’re contributing to Substack’s domain reputation, not building your own.
- Potential for Backlinks: High-quality Substack articles can attract backlinks from other sites. These are great for visibility, but they primarily elevate Substack’s domain stature. Not the end of the world because this can still drive great referral traffic for you!
In summary, while Substack provides an intuitive space for writers to share their craft, it’s crucial to recognize that you’re cultivating an audience on a third-party platform. Owning your website and domain remains a pivotal step in nurturing and truly owning your dedicated audience. Not to mention growing your own domain authority, traffic and overall SEO.
Getting Started with Substack: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Sign Up & Profile Setup: Begin by creating your account on Substack. This will be your new digital home for your long-form content.
- Drafts & Templates: Substack provides drafts and templates to help set the tone and style of your newsletters.
- Posting Content: Do you have your content ready to go like Sara? Posting can be as simple as copy-pasting, especially if you’re repurposing from another source like your email newsletter.
- Archiving & Categorization: One of Substack’s strengths is its ability to neatly archive and categorize your work. It’s perfect for newsletters or in-depth articles, giving them an organized space.
- Engage Your Audience: With your content neatly presented, it’s easier to drive deeper engagement with readers by simply linking your content in your preferred platform— Instagram stories, email newsletters, blog posts and more.
Substack offers a streamlined platform for content creators. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned writer, it’s a platform worth exploring to elevate your content journey. Plus, like Sara said, it only takes and extra 5-10 minutes to repurpose your content here and give more life to your hard work.
About Sara Noel
Sara Noel is a Website Copywriter + Marketing Mentor for business owners who want to craft compelling narratives and build better connections with their ideal clients and customers. Through copywriting, marketing strategy, and mentorship, she helps creative brands, founder-first businesses, and freelancers create, tell, and sustain their success stories—with an emphasis on embracing their authenticity + attracting their ideal audiences.
When Sara’s not drafting website copy, teaching her students about content marketing, or sending an excessive amount of audio messages in response to a mentee’s question, you can find her nose-deep in an Elin Hilderbrand novel, dreaming up her next project, impulsively getting another new tattoo, or entranced in a stranger’s life story (because, yeah, she has that “tell me about your whole life!” face).
To get to know Sara—and learn from her tons of free marketing tips—visit her online at…
Website: www.betweenthelinescopy.com
Newsletter (free copywriting tips): www.betweenthelinescopy.com/subscribe
Email marketing course: www.btlcopy.thrivecart.com/email-chapter
Freebies: www.betweenthelinescopy.com/free-stuff
Website copy template: www.betweenthelinescopy.com/web-copy-guide
Instagram: www.instagram.com/btlcopy
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts, educators, and co-founders of boutique marketing agency Duo Collective, which specializes in SEO, social media strategy, and branding for small business owners and creative entrepreneurs. To learn more about Duo Collective, or to inquire about working with our team, head over to www.duocollective.com.
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