What Readers Really Want: Publishing Cadence, Connection and Valued Essays

Survey data reveals key factors that inspire readers to subscribe, engage and stick with your newsletter

Today, we dive into another set of results from my recent Substack Reader Survey, focusing on arguably the most foundational aspects to writing a newsletter — readers’ connection with you and your work. We'll explore key questions on the minds of many Substack creators, including a common query: How often should I be publishing on Substack?

We’ll look at readers’ responses to:

• What inspires you to sign up for a paid subscription?

• What makes you feel most valued by a creator on Substack?

• When you become a paid reader of someone’s publication, what do you expect to receive?

• When you’re busy in the middle of the day but hop onto Substack anyways, what are you most likely doing?

• What gets your attention first on Substack?

• When a creator needs to take a vacation, what do you prefer?

All of these questions were designed to help creators in specific situations navigate what is best for them, their publication and their creative vision. We’ll dive into all of these, plus I’ll be offering a quick analysis and a few calls to action for creators who are eager to put these insights into practice now.

When you’re busy in the middle of the day but hop onto Substack anyways, what are you most likely doing?

Quick Analysis: With this question I wanted to create the context I think most readers find themselves in: incredibly busy but carving out time to read/explore Substack anyway. Where do they head first? The answer is: they’re here to do one of two things: They’re either coming to find YOU, the trusted publication they know or they’re coming to be distracted on Notes. They’re either reaching for a trusted relationship or hoping to find one. 

Let’s say you’re on Substack to do a little reading. What gets your attention first?

Quick Analysis: This is a question that I’d like to watch for year-over-year trends. Because, honestly, I think over time we’ll see this evolve as Substack continues to grow and bring in readers who are looking for mixed-media experiences. So, with this question, readers are clear: they’re coming to find you (again). This tells me a few things: 1. We shouldn’t underestimate the value in a free reader’s subscription; you’re among a trusted cluster of publications; and 2. Nearly 18% of readers said visuals and titles are what count for them — are you making them as specific, distinct and compelling as possible? Do readers know what they’re getting when they click? If a consistent publishing schedule isn’t available to you right now, this could be even more of a reason to start exploring what one might look like.

What inspires you to sign up for a paid subscription?

Quick Analysis: The response to this question sends me an incredibly strong message for all of us creators: readers are moved to action because they know who you are. That because of who you are, how you share your perspectives, writing, insights, knowledge, experience — in essence, how you let readers in and invite them in simultaneously — is a primary motivating factor. In the autistic and broader neurodiverse communities, there’s this basic understanding that as adults, we often don’t see a clear path to being our true, relaxed selves. Not just in public-facing capacities, but even inside ourselves. That undoing a lifetime of masking (or dissociating) takes a lot of work. I see themes around identity pop up a lot even among neurotypical conversations on Substack. Who we are as people matters — it is a pillar of sustaining our creative light and, as readers are telling us here, it is the driving factor in supporting a creator’s work. If you’re afraid to bring your full self to your newsletter, let this be a nudge to consider what’s possible if you do it anyway.

How often do you enjoy hearing from your favorite publications?

Quick Analysis: Here it is, folks. The voice of the collective telling us what they want in a publishing cadence. The majority (54.8%) said once a week is all they can handle. But a not-too-shabby 30.5% said if they receive something top notch, multiple times a week isn’t a deal breaker. Does this surprise you? What is your gut instinct after reading this after all the arguments about publishing more or publishing less? (At the end of the survey results today, I’m going to offer some next steps for you based on where your publication is currently.)

When a creator needs to take a vacation, what do you prefer?

Quick Analysis: This question tells me so much about how readers feel about the publications they support. I feel an incredible sense of trust coming to us from readers here. In a world where we’ve all likely had demanding, unreasonable bosses or critical colleagues or overbearing deadlines, the creator-reader relationship can become what we make of it. Readers might be selective (and they do want top notch experiences), but they aren’t a cruel, demanding overlord. This gives me so much hope that the basis of the relationships we’re creating on Substack really can be reciprocal, supportive and built on mutual trust and respect. Sure, 36.1% of readers might enjoy it if you lined up a few replays from the archives while taking a break. But for the most part, there is trust to take a vacation and come back refreshed. I also want to use this question to extend an invitation to explore something more deeply: What would it take for creators to feel, receive and create from that place of reciprocal trust?

What makes you feel most valued by a creator on Substack?

Quick Analysis: When I first joined Substack back in 2022, I remember thinking their tagline ought to be, “Come for the writing, stay for the comments.” And the fact that the comments still seem to be a primary driver of value and connection for readers is so powerful to me. I also think the responses here are a reflection of the true connection void that exists on legacy social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (ugh, X). Readers are hungry for connection. That second highest response (37.5% who would like to have a creator subscribe to their newsletter—though since many folks who took the survey identified themselves as readers AND writers, this could be a little skewed) does present an opportunity. My first instinct is to want to remain genuine in the newsletters I subscribe to — and preserve my reading energy for publications I feel a deep connection with. But perhaps there’s a middle ground to feel out? Do you subscribe in large quantities to any of your readers’ newsletters? I’d love to hear how this has worked and how you manage your inbox reading.

When you become a paid reader of someone’s publication, what do you expect to receive?

Quick Analysis: When someone goes from being a free reader of your publication to a paid reader, there is an inherent change in the relationship. It might be subtle. It is most likely subconscious. But once money is exchanged for a service or good, we all have expectations. We expect to receive something in return. I hand you money, you hand me something I haven’t had before. As an editorial strategist, this result is challenging some of my assumptions (and some of the very popular advice I’ve read) about what readers need in order to sign up for a paid subscription. If the majority of readers just want more of what they were getting in the first place, then maybe this is a call to action around increasing the value, the elements of connection or the access to you, in what you offer behind the paywall, not necessarily that the paywall needs to be the barrier between Kansas and Oz. Does that make sense? I’m gonna be honest here, this one still has me scratching my head and I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Takeaways and next steps for your publishing rhythms

I want to wrap up today’s essay by offering specific feedback on publishing cadences. 

A quick refresher: 54.8% of respondents said once a week is all they can handle hearing from publications; but another 30.5% said if they receive something top notch, multiple times a week is fine. 

Here’s how I would advise applying this feedback to your writing, based on how long you’ve been publishing on Substack.

If you are just starting out with your publication, if you’re in the middle of Substack community building, I would advise you that publishing an essay once a week is more than enough (you could probably go down to twice a month, if energy/personal sustainability is a concern!). The reason I say this is because the energy you use to build those special Substack connections is just as valuable as publishing regularly. Plus, there is a genuine learning curve on the Substack publishing minutiae. I want to see you laying the groundwork for a fruitful connection to your work, your energy reserves and others in the Substack community. They’re all interconnected and nourish one another.

If, however, you’ve been here a while, you have a robust archive of writing, videos, drawings, podcasts or other kinds of creative offerings, I would urge you to listen to that 30.5% of readers who say they wouldn’t mind hearing from you a little more. This may not mean publishing more long-form posts or deep dives. But this could mean applying some creativity around how to connect with readers outside your main posts using a different vehicle, but still staying inside your publication’s theme. It could be a chat invitation, a short email with a funny anecdote (something that doesn’t post to your home page), a short post, an intentional cross-posting of another Substack publication (with an intentional explanation of why it made you think of your readers). 

In light of what you’re doing on Substack, what’s next for you?

As with all data, the context in which it’s applied is really what matters. How can these insights be applied to your own publication strategy? Here are some questions to help you reflect and take action:

• Based on the survey results, how often do you think you should publish to align with your readers' preferences?

• What types of content do your readers find most engaging, and how can you incorporate more of this into your publication?

• In what ways can you make your readers feel more valued and connected to your publication?

• What are some strategies you can implement to maintain reader engagement even when you need to take a break?

• How can you use visuals and compelling titles to attract more attention to your posts?

• How can you use the survey results to refine your newsletter strategy and better meet your readers' expectations?

Your thoughtful application of this data can help you build stronger connections with your readers and grow your publication. Share your thoughts and plans in the comments — let's learn and grow together!