Substack for Nonprofit Communications | Nonprofit Tech for Good

By Joe Fuld, Founder and President of The Marketing campaign Workshop – the go-to strategic associate for anybody who’s making the world a greater place.

What’s Substack?

Substack is primarily a e-newsletter and running a blog platform. Consider it as a extra user-friendly model of Medium that has garnered a big following. Many individuals usually submit on Substack. Initially, Substacks primarily targeted on branding, group, and meals, however the platform’s political content material has grown, and now there are a lot of notable political Substacks.

Why must you learn them?

Many writers and podcasters have transitioned to Substack to have interaction readers and convert listeners into paid subscribers. It’s an efficient strategy to entry constant content material on matters you care about.

Do you have to create one?

Utilizing Substack for nonprofit communications is an efficient possibility. Nonetheless, like several platform, it comes with its professionals and cons.

The Advantages of Utilizing Substack

1. Not Twitter/X: For now, Substack is an area for considerate discourse, and long-form posts encourage deep thought and engagement.
2. Monetization: Getting cash from content material is difficult, and Substack offers a seamless strategy to do it.
3. Constructed-In Readership: Substack has a rising readership on comparable matters to yours. Recommending comparable newsletters will help you achieve readers.
4. Listing Constructing: You may construct sign-ups, entry the listing, and obtain referrals from like-minded writers to develop your viewers.
5. Steady Expertise:The content material is technically stable, has lots of funding and straightforward to navigate.
6. Versatility: Substack is an efficient possibility for running a blog, however it may be used for extra. You may promote and home books, notes, podcasts, and extra on the location.
7. Smaller Posts:Substack began as a long-form platform, however with Substack Notes, you should use it for smaller kind posts to have interaction your subscribers.

By creating high quality content material related to readers, Substack can flip anybody into frequent customer, and the extent of readership they’ve constructed is spectacular.

The drawbacks:

1. Not your Platform: Regardless of being higher than most platforms, Substack remains to be rented land, that means you don’t have management over the platform, adjustments, or insurance policies. No exterior platform is an oasis. Sure it’s so a lot better than twitter however all tech platforms have issues and because it grows in recognition there can be extra.
2. Different content material you received’t approve of: Digging into this extra like X, Meta, and so on. Substack has of us on the platform you’ll not like and who will write horrible issues. For this reason housing content material by yourself web site is sweet possibility – however in order for you fast visitors will increase it’ll be onerous to do this organically.
3. Not your key phrases: You miss out on the advantages of key phrases that drive repeat guests to your individual web site.
4. Competitors: There the danger of dropping visitors and guests to competing content material and creators on the platform.
5. For dedicated creators solely: It’s a dedication, and whereas the perfect writers thrive, inconsistent creators might battle.
6. Clunky navigation: Shifting from one Substack to a different on cell might be clunky and never the perfect consumer expertise.

Options to Substack: 

Substack might not swimsuit everybody and earlier than you add a platform think about these alternate options:

1. Web site Content material: Concentrate on rising and constructing  your group’s web site for search engine optimization and engagement first.  Content material like blogs, eBooks, white papers, and infographics needs to be housed by yourself web site needs to be what you do first however it’s onerous work however it’s what The Marketing campaign Workshop The advantages of constructing your individual web site are that you simply personal the key phrase visitors and have management over what’s in your web site. This strategy takes lots of time however can repay in the long run.
2. LinkedIn Publication: Have interaction along with your LinkedIn connections persistently to increase your viewers and reinforce your message with a LinkedIn based mostly e-newsletter. You doubtless have a built-in viewers on LinkedIn a e-newsletter permits you increase you viewers to different LinkedIn customers. The cons are that you simply get restricted information and it’s onerous to maneuver your viewers off of LinkedIn (frankly that is worse than Substack in that regard).
3. Medium: If you happen to lack a superb place to drive visitors and received’t be persistently running a blog, Medium is an efficient selection. The downside of medium is that the content material is extra quick kind and the strategy to content material is extra click on bait than Substack.
4. Ghost: Many of us who’ve moved off Substack have gone to Ghost which is an open-source platform with comparable performance. The professionals are that you’re on a smaller, much less, ubiquitous platform with decrease charges, there’s extra transparency on information and the power to create your individual integrations. The cons are that Ghost has much less customers and funding which implies there could also be much less alternative to create neighborhood and increase attain.
5. ConvertKit: Is extra of a pure e-mail, e-newsletter platform than Substack. The professionals are that it’s a straightforward stunning e-mail platform and makes creating participating emails easy and straightforward. It has strong e-mail automation and is a less expensive price than Substack. The cons are the shortage of a giant neighborhood to increase attain.

Notable Substackers

For these unfamiliar with Substack, right here’s an inventory to get you began. This listing is targeted on long-form Substacks steadily publishing content material. The writers on this Substack listing cowl nonprofit management, academia, and different intriguing topics.

Politics:  

Tusk by Seth Masket – Seth writes about politics, political events, and campaigns. His Tusk e-newsletter has primarily targeted on the Republican primaries. You may additionally know him from Misfits of Factions. He makes all types of political and wonky matters straightforward to grasp and entertaining, like evaluating a Trump rally to a Grateful Useless present. Take a look at his podcast there as properly.

So What – Chris Cillizza is somebody who has been writing for a really very long time. CNN’s loss is everybody else’s achieve; his e-newsletter provides nice, constant political perception from one of many nation’s greatest political reporters.

Kibitzing with Lincoln Mitchell – Lincoln Mitchell mixes native politics, nationwide politics, international affairs, and baseball content material.

What I’m Studying by Phil Lewis – Phil is a reporter based mostly in Detroit whose Substack e-newsletter shares participating and informative information tales concerning the Black expertise in America.

Major College – It’s a collaboration between Nick Tagliaferro and Opinion Haver. It’s a very strong roundup of major races across the nation.  The authors intention to “filter out the gunk within the system and transfer the celebration left.”

The Message Field by Dan Pfeiffer – It’s a e-newsletter about political communications and message technique. They do frequent deep dive into messaging that’s within the information – price a learn.

FWIW. By Kyle Tharp – FWIW is a e-newsletter monitoring digital spending, technique, and tendencies in our elections. It’s a good useful resource for monitoring political spending and testing spending tendencies from main campaigns and IEs.

Ctrl Alt-Proper Delete – It’s a weekly e-newsletter by Melissa Ryan dedicated to overlaying the rise of far-right extremism, white nationalism, disinformation, and on-line toxicity.

Marketing campaign and persuasion ways:

Dave Fleischer – In case you are taken with deep canvasing or voter persuasion, David’s perception is nice and value a learn. Dave has unbelievable insights into voter engagement at present.

Writing and observations:

The Experiment by Jason Stanford – An writer and former political advisor, Jason has perceptive observations on music, politics, and writing. His Substack, The Experiment, is a enjoyable, no-cost learn and certainly one of my favorites.

Hopefully Yours by Connie Schultz – It is a enjoyable, well-written piece of compelling content material by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who occurs to be married to a U.S. Senator.

Black By Common Demand – Kwame Mbailia is an writer and author whose Substack e-newsletter, Black By Common Demand, is a weekly listing of books by black authors.

Historical past:

Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson – This Substack includes a historical past professor within the distinction of picture and actuality in American politics.

Advertising and marketing:

Class Pirates – Created by Eddie Yoon, Christopher Lochhead, and Katrina Kirsch, this content material was the primary e-newsletter I subscribed to on Substack. The podcast and books are additionally nice. This article offers thought-provoking and insightful content material about class design/area of interest advertising.

Tech and AI:

Technically Optimistic by Raffi Krikorian, the Chief Expertise Officer at Emerson Collective – His e-newsletter, Technically Optimistic, retains you up to date on the problems, improvements, ethics, and laws round A.I. You can too hearken to his podcast there.

Group:

Granted by Adam Grant – His Substack, Granted, is an impressive addition to his parade of content material. The Substack continues his observations on organizational psychology and firm tradition.

Labor:

Jason Stahl is the Government Director of the Faculty Soccer Gamers Affiliation and writes about organizing and school sports activities.

Robert Reich – Robert’s considerate, constant writing is at all times thought-provoking. You can too discover his podcast and course on wealth and poverty right here.

Labor Politics by Eric Blanc – Eric offers a compelling tackle Labor and politics, and his Substack, Labor Politics, provides perception into the labor motion. He’s an Assistant Professor at Rutgers and a former Bernie Sanders surrogate.

Public Well being:

Your Native Epidemiologist by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina – Dr. Katelyn has a Grasp’s diploma in public well being and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She is a scientific advisor to organizations, together with the White Home and CDC. Her principal purpose is to translate the ever-evolving public well being sector so that folks can be well-equipped to make evidence-based selections.

Meals:

Peeled – Lisa Elaine Held is a Baltimore-based freelance journalist who studies on agriculture and the meals system by the lens of sustainability, equality, and well being.

This Wants Sizzling Sauce by Abigail Koffler – She writes considerate posts by her e-newsletter This Wants Sizzling Sauce about meals and has performed distant cooking lessons for The Marketing campaign Workshop. Her e-newsletter is a enjoyable, distinctive learn.

Dinner: A Love Story – Jenny Rosenstrach writes this article, web site, and e book sequence dedicated to the household meal; nevertheless you outline household & meal.

So, ought to my nonprofit group quit its weblog for Substack? Substack is an efficient platform. In case you are beginning a weblog or podcast and wished an on the spot viewers or need to begin a weblog or podcast on a unique matter, it may make sense to begin right here. Nonetheless, as a result of you’ve gotten invested time in your web site to host your weblog and podcast, you shouldn’t change to publish your core work.

Substack is a market for constant content material – in case your content material isn’t that good or constant, it’s easy for people to seek out different content material on the platform or elsewhere.

Substack Suggestions for Nonprofits

No Marketing campaign Workshop submit can be full with out some strategic tips about learn how to use Substack for nonprofit communications. In case you are beginning on Substack, greatest practices embody:

• Create content material persistently.
• Have objectives and monitor metrics for customers.
• Promote Substack steadily to your listing
• Community with different Substackers. Utilizing the referral neighborhood, is a strategy to develop quick.
• Use CTA buttons – A name to motion maters so you may get actual engagement!
• Encourage of us to remark.
• Ask individuals to ahead the Substack to others who could also be .

So, the bottom-line conclusion right here is that relying in your objectives utilizing Substack for nonprofit communications might be a superb possibility however keep in mind beginning on a brand new platform is a dedication. Preplanning and constant writing is vital to having a profitable Substack.

Have questions on utilizing Substack for nonprofit communications? Drop us a notice!

In regards to the Sponsor

At The Marketing campaign Workshop, we imagine shoppers ought to count on extra from their membership, advocacy, and political consulting agency. We take satisfaction in our hands-on strategy to technique, coaching, digital promoting, and political junk mail. We’re the go-to strategic associate for anybody who’s making the world a greater place. We care, hearken to, and know our shoppers. We go above and past to construct artistic communications, methods, and execution that you may be happy with.