Engage Every Type of Reader: A Guide to Mapping Your Substack Audience

And how to write Notes, headlines and email header/footers with each in mind

💡 This piece is part of The Editing Spectrum’s Publishing Foundations — tools for the early days.

I’ve made it freely available as part of my ongoing experiment with reader-supported publishing. If it sparks something for you, and you want to support this kind of work, please reshare it with your Substack community.

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One of the most impactful things we can do as Substack creators is to put our readers into context. By understanding where they are in their journey and how they engage with our newsletters, we can craft messages that meet them more authentically and inspire them to come along for the ride.

But how do we know who’s reading what and in what context?

How do we know what motivates them?

In this essay, I’ll explore three key types of audiences on Substack—Strangers, Friends and Readers—and offer publishing strategies for writing Notes, headlines and email headers/footers that take each group into consideration.

Strangers are people who have no prior connection to you or your work. They might stumble upon you through the Notes you publish, how you engage with others in comments or how your work is shared by others. For these readers, first impressions matter—they’re formed by how you show up in public spaces and the reputation you’ve built through your interactions. Whether it's through the way you respond to tags, how you restack essays or how you’re recommended by others, every touchpoint is a chance to turn a stranger into a friend.

Friends know who you are but haven’t yet taken the step to subscribe to your Substack publication. They may follow your work through shared communities, see your name in comment threads, or come across your guest essays or podcast appearances. They’re familiar with your presence but haven’t committed (signed up for your Substack) yet. This group requires consistent value and trust-building—showing up authentically in shared spaces, offering insights and making it easy for them to see why subscribing to your publication is the next logical step.

Readers are folks who have signed up to receive your publication, but their level of engagement can vary widely. Some are “interested”—they read occasionally and might comment or share your work now and then. Others are “engaged”—they interact with your work regularly, comment frequently and may even be paid subscribers. These relationships take time to nurture, and understanding these nuances allows you to put shape to your publication in a way so that your writing plan and nudge cycles keep these readers connected, invested and excited about what you have to say.

Take a moment to think about your own Substack audience. How do you see these categories playing out? Do you have more “strangers” or “engaged readers”?

Keeping audiences in mind on Notes

Based on anecdotal observations as well as data in the subscriber Stats section on Substack, it’s worth assuming that Strangers are your primary audience on Notes. (Fifty percent of my subscribers came through either a Note or the app directly! Click this footnote¹ for directions on how to check your stats.) Strategically speaking, this means that what you post on Notes should be focused on staying within the theme of what you offer in your Substack experience. You could use Notes to:

• Publish substantive reflections not mentioned in your latest essay;

• Share anecdotal observations about the industry you live in or theme you write about;

• Let folks know about an event you’ll be joining/hosting;

• Ask big-picture questions that people can answer without needing a ton of context; and

• Experience-focused posts.

BONUS: Your approach to Notes could also follow the ethos of a click-free marketing campaign. Maybe you could try it for a month and see what happens! Here’s the idea: when you post a Note, don’t ask someone to click through to learn more, read more or do something for you. Just share a helpful, original, insightful, funny or engaging Note — just be sure the message connects in some way back to the work you do in your Substack. This way, if a stranger discovers that Note and decides to click your name or publication to learn more, you have the chance of making a more cohesive first impression. Read here for a framework for polishing your first impressions on Substack.

Now that you’ve read through a few types of Notes that resonate with different audiences, draft a Note that you think would appeal to “strangers.” Share it on Substack and tag

Amanda B. Hinton

so we can all see!

Keep audiences in mind in headlines

Writing headlines is somewhat of an art form. It is not the same as writing book chapters or titles for a literary magazine. Writing newsletter headlines should never assume readers are already invested in what you have to say next. Here, we are focused on specificity.

The more specific, engaging, compelling or distinct a headline, the better that post’s chance of engaging strangers, friends and readers. We’re all quite busy — and we’re all looking for a compelling reason to slow down and read something that will make our days brighter, more interesting or exciting. Sometimes it can be helpful to look at examples of what NOT to do in order to give our creativity permission to burst through the surface.

Here are some examples of vague headlines, organized by category, that are so vague we’d have no idea who you are or what you’re giving readers in your Substack. I’ve added one alternative headline to give you something to start simmering on, too.

Fiction

• "A Story About Life"

• "A Journey You'll Never Forget"

• "New Chapter, New Adventures"

Headline alternative: What happens when a 20-something gay man gets shipped overseas

Creative Essay

• "Thoughts on Life"

• "Why This Matters"

• "An Important Realization"

Headline alternative: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and me: What happens when you’re rescued from a mental bunker 

Learning-Based

• "Something You Should Know"

• "A Topic Worth Learning"

• "Tips for Success"

Headline alternative: I just discovered these 3 things about SSRIs last month (and I’m a doctor!)

Serial / Installment

• "The Next Installment"

• "Where the Story Goes Next"

• "A New Twist in the Tale"

Headline alternative: After dinner plates crashed last week, Tricia braces for an unwelcome visit from an old friend

Nicheless

• "Random Thoughts"

• "What I’ve Been Thinking"

• "Another Idea for You"

Headline alternative: Another $5 Day: How I’m trying to spend less to break a pesky shopping habit

Keep audiences in mind in emails

The same rules of headline specificity apply in stand-alone emails. The subject line is the “make it or break it” moment when sending emails to your readers. 

To keep things focused on the tools Substack makes available to us, let’s talk about how we can get more focused through the email headers and footers we write for free versus paid readers. Though, I caution using both headers and footers in a single email, as this can get visually muddled in email layouts.

In order to make the best use of email headers and footers, try to make them short, succinct and visually distinctive from the main message in your email. These are spaces I like to selectively use emojis to catch reader attention, too.

For free readers, here are some things you might consider:

• Link to a special coupon offer;

• Quote a testimonial and link to your subscribe page;

• Highlight paid reader anniversaries with a tag + thank you;

• Highlight top-active readers with a tag + thank you;

• Preview what’s coming soon for paid members; or

• Link to a product or event with one-time pricing.

For paid readers, here are some things you might consider:

• A heartfelt “thank you” message;

• Invitation / link to an open Chat thread; 

• Exclusive sign-up access to an event or publication/submission opportunity;

• Summary of how their paid subscription makes things possible;

• Calendar reminder of what’s coming this week;

• Link to a product or event with one-time pricing OR special paid member pricing details; or

• Behind-the-scenes commentary about the piece below.

Another guiding principle I urge all Substack publishers to follow is to keep email headers and footers consistent — but not predictable or boring. That means if you want them to be a place that always has surprising information, then make sure you rotate through new or interesting announcements/links regularly — don’t let them get stagnant.

Alternatively, if you can set a strategy for information that readers rely on like dates, log-in information, event access, headers can footers can be a great way to provide consistency in your Substack experience. The whole point of being consistent is to create a cohesive publication experience for readers. The more cohesive, the more likely readers are to engage and connect.

Now it’s your turn…

Whether you're reaching out to strangers, nurturing friendships or deepening connections with your loyal readers, the key is to meet them where they are, with messaging that resonates and encourages further engagement. As you refine your approach, I encourage you to put these ideas into practice. Think about how you can craft your next Note, headline or email header/footer to connect more deeply with your audience.

1. Go to your publisher dashboard, click Stats and then click on “Network” to see what percentage of strangers or friends became readers through the Substack app features.