Pinned Post and Welcome Emails
Part 3 of 'Your Publication Needs Work, but Where to Start?'
Hi,
Last month I started a series called Your Publication Needs Work: But Where to Start? The series is designed to help you make sure your publication has all the basic elements it needs for a solid foundation.
Reminder: in part one of the series we went after two quick wins: the publication description and in-post context.
Part two of the series was all about About pages.
This week is about pinned posts and welcome emails.
What is a pinned post?
Also called a ‘Hero Post’
A pinned post is one that is ‘pinned’ to your Substack publication’s homepage. I often refer to it as a ‘Hero Post’, because Substack used to offer a ‘hero’ layout in their webpage customization options.
How to make an awesome pinned post
Below is a link to my detailed instructions for making an awesome pinned (hero) post, including how to actually pin it to your home page. Click the preview box to view it.
What’s the difference between a pinned post and an About page?
Apart from their location, there’s not much difference between an About page and a Hero Post. The About page doesn’t appear on your publication’s main page, so a new reader has to actively seek it out. The pinned post is front and centre on your home page and should entice new readers to click.
For my publications, the pinned posts get more views than the About pages.
Content-wise, pinned posts and About pages can be very similar. It’s perfectly fine to duplicate the content because not many people will see both pages.
Pinned posts should be optimised for new people who are curious about your publication. Make your headline clickable and your image compelling. Focus on the mission of the newsletter (why does it exist, what will the reader get) and work hard to encourage people to subscribe.
About pages should also address the publication’s mission and reader benefits. In addition, they also need to contain specific details a subscriber might want to know, as well as the touchy-feely mission stuff.
About pages are places people go when they are looking for specific information about you and your publication. Details like: what is your expertise or background, how much does a subscription cost, is there another way to pay for a subscription, do you have group discounts or special offers, how to get in touch with you, how often do you send emails… that kind of thing. Be sure your About page answers these questions. The pinned post doesn’t need all those details.
Checklist for your pinned post
Use the checklist below to make sure your pinned post is doing the best possible job for you and your publication.
Do you have a pinned/hero post?
Does it have an obvious headline?
Does it have a compelling image?
Does it convey the purpose of the publication?
Does it include CTAs which tell readers to subscribe?
Welcome emails
Why put effort into a welcome email? Once someone has subscribed, your work is done, right?
Wrong.
Your welcome email is probably the most important interaction you will have with each of your readers. To do well on Substack you don’t just need to convert more readers into subscribers, you also need keep your current subscribers happy, so they (1) don’t unsubscribe (2) become raving fans and spread the word about your newsletter.
A welcome email exists to make your new subscribers feel fantastic.
When a new subscriber receives your welcome email you want them to feel…
Happy they subscribed (“I did the right thing”);
Relieved that they have given their email address to someone who will treat it with respect;
Excited to check out everything you have to offer;
Ready to share your publication with their friends or colleagues;
Ready to pay or purchase from you if you ask.
You also want them to reply. More on that below.
How to edit your welcome email
Edit your welcome email from your publication settings.
Publication dashboard > Settings > Branding > Welcome email > Edit (button)
Elements of a high-performing welcome email
Subject line
The ‘heading’ of the welcome email editing page becomes the subject line in your reader’s inbox. Don’t try to be smart with your welcome email subject line, make it crystal clear that it is a welcome email. Something like “Welcome to [publication name]” or “Thank you for subscribing to [publication name]” or “You just made my day by subscribing, thank you”.
Keep the subject line word count low, because long subject lines are often truncated in inboxes – especially for people who access emails from their phone. I recommend around eight words.
Sender name
The sender name for your emails can make all the difference between someone opening it or ignoring it. Fact: 42% of Americans look at the sender name first when deciding whether to open an email.
An optimised sender name shows trustworthiness (“this sender isn’t a spammer”) and promotes recognition (“I’ve heard of this person/newsletter”). Trusted and recognised sender names lead to higher open rates. The more new subscribers who open your welcome email, the better your chance of building solid, long-lasting connections with your readers.
To promote trustworthiness and spark recognition, I recommend you use your name, followed by your publication’s name. If your name is short, use your first and last name. If it is longer, use just your first name, because sender names longer than 25 characters will be truncated in some inboxes.
Check or change your sender name from your publication settings.
Publication dashboard > Settings > Publication details > Email sender name
Tone and voice
Make sure your welcome email speaks directly to your new subscriber. Write in first person, using the word “I”, even if you have a professional business publication. You want your new subscriber to feel like you are a real person, not a faceless corporation.
Advice from the trenches
Paul Macko of Deplatformable says your welcome email is the most important interaction you have with readers.
“Write your welcome email as if you are sending it to your best friend. Personalize it in your own “voice“. Use your real name. Use “I”, instead of “us” and “we”.” (Paul Macko from Deplatformable)
Content
Thank your subscribers for joining you, tell them why you created your publication – they might not have seen your About page – and let them see how excited you are to have them on your journey with you.
You don’t need to go into a lot of detail about who you are or what your mission is but do include one or two sentences about why you created your publication.
Make sure to tell your subscribers what to expect from your publication. The absolute minimum you must tell them is how often you will email them and what topics you cover.
If you have a paid option, be sure to explain that you have one and what the benefits are, even if that is described elsewhere. Don’t assume that new subscribers have already seen your other pages.
Add ‘social proof’ to the welcome email if you can. Social proof means showing your new subscriber that there are many other people who already like your work. In doing so, you are helping them believe that they have done the right thing by subscribing.
Example of social proof:
“You’re in! You just joined hundreds of other readers who love nerding out on the history of Russia each week.”
Calls to action
There are three things you want people to do when they get your welcome email: mark your emails as ‘not spam’, click a link in your email and reply to your email. Each of these actions tells email systems that your newsletter is not spam, and keeps it from going to ‘junk’.
Tell your new subscribers to add your emails to their primary inbox (Gmail) or VIPs (Apple Mail). If your subscribers are not likely to be tech-savvy, you could even include instructions about how to do this.
Another way to signal to email servers that your newsletters are not spam is to include a link for your readers to click. You can tell them to check out your post archives, a recent popular post, or a ‘best of’ post, and include a link.
The best way to teach email systems that your newsletter is not spam is to get your new subscribers to reply to your welcome email. To do this, give them a prompt of some kind at the end of the email. For example, ask them to reply and let you know how they found out about your publication, or tell you their favourite song/recipe/movie/travel destination is or their biggest career challenge.
Asking for replies is an excellent way for you to learn more about who your readers are and a good way develop real relationships with your readers. It’s rare for email newsletters to involve genuine one-to-one conversations with creators, so asking for a reply (and promising to read every reply) will show that you are different and that you care.
Good to know: Your readers can reply to any Substack email just as they would to any ‘normal’ email, by hitting the ‘Reply’ button in their email software. Substack automatically forwards replies to your email address. Some publication owners also share their personal email address in their welcome emails. Readers love this because it makes them feel trusted and like they are part of a special private group.
Sign off or signature
Sign off from your welcome email with your name. You could even use an image of your signature, because it feels human and authentic.
Post script (‘P.S.’)
Welcome email post scripts (‘P.S.’) are a great place to add a call to action. Examples: “Check out my best posts in the archive (include a link)”; “Follow me on socials (include links)”; or “By the way, I also have a popular online course…”
Hint: After updating your welcome email, send a test email to check that any downloadable files and external links work as expected.
Checklist for a welcome email
Use the checklist below to check your welcome email to make sure your subscribers are excited to be with you, and ready to receive your emails.
Is the headline (subject line) clear and compelling?
Does your sender name promote trust and recognition?
Does the email start with a greeting (“Hi”; “Hello”, “Well hey good lookin’!”)?
Does it thank the person for subscribing?
Does it say who you are?
Does it explain what they should expect as a subscriber (your topics, your posting frequency)?
If you have a paid option, have you mentioned that and explained what the difference between free and paid subscriptions are?
Is the email written in first person, using the word “I”?
Does it contain your authentic voice and some of your personality?
Does it ask the reader to reply, tell them how to reach you and remind them you read all responses?
Does it include your lead magnet (freebie) if you promised one?
Have you checked that links and downloads work correctly?
Okay, that’s it for this week.
If you need more guidance than you can get in a simple post, check out my video program, which explains how to review and upgrade your publication, so you can get the best results for your efforts.
Until next time,
Enjoy!
Karen
Dear Karen, could you do an Article how us newbies can montenize our Substack Newsletter? And what is the difference between a Newsletter and an Article, or are they the same?
Great post Karen, thanks for sharing I've just updates my emails.