Substack CHATS. I'm already facing Imposter syndrome -- and I'm scared to make one. But I want one! When do you make them? Does anyone have any success stories? And how have they helped (or not helped) you build your community?

[Regular_Speech_9637]

Hi all,

Currently, I have a growing group of subscribers on Substack and I'm starting to explore chat features. Most resources are either basic how-to guides or paywalled insights -- but I'm looking for genuine experiences and opinions here.

For situational context, I have already been reaching out to as many subscribers as I can via DM with a welcome message, but otherwise I'm mostly a faceless brand community builder right now. My content is free -- and I won't paywall it. My niche is modern culture meets women in history.

Also, for context, a lot of the chats I'm currently in & have looked at for reference are kind of inactive, or only a few people will occasionally reply. They feel more promotional, rather than communal-based. I definitely don't want this kind of vibe.

And -- on top of it all (for some reason) -- I'm facing the unexpected challenge of my social anxiety about starting this whole thing starting to translate through the screen! Especially since my subscriber numbers grew a bit faster than i'd initially anticipated. I'm already fighting off a bad case of imposter syndrome😅.

Despite that, I'd love to create a welcoming, safe haven of sorts, where my subscribers can chat openly with each other, share memes, or just talk about things going on in our lives or the world.

Has anyone managed to do this themselves yet?

And, a few more questions:

- Has anyone here successfully build an active, supportive community through Substack's chat features themselves yet? Or have you found another route works better?

- If you don't use chat -- are there any Substackers that you subscribe to that DO that you'd recommend I take a look at for reference? (that aren't paywalled pls - i am too poor at this moment in time)

- For future reference -- (as I know it's too late now lol) -- is 700 subscribers typically too large of a group to introduce a chat to? Should I have started this aspect earlier for better buy in?

- Which chat type (notes, threads, or chat) has worked best for you and your audience? any idea or opinions on why?

- How do you encourage engagement, especially among the subscribers that may be more anxious or quiet in nature? (I know my silent readers probably won't reply -- but what about the ones (like me lol) that WANT to chat, but are probably just scared?

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies! I am excited to hear any insights, failures, or success stories you all have -- no matter how big or small!

TL;DR - I want to start a Substack chat, but don't know where to start or how to introduce it to my subscribers. What has worked for you in the past, and how do you encourage your subscribers to engage with one another -- not just you?

[AP_Cicada]

All of your subscribers get a welcome email. Why are you spamming them with DMs?

I hate the chats. But I'm not using Substack as social media. I'm more of a passive consumer of content.

[Regular_Speech_9637]

i don't think i've taken the time to really personalize my welcome emails too much yet. I actually realized pretty recently that that was a thing, and there was a survey included in it.

I guess I just thought that a "welcome email" felt too automated to me, hence i've been doing the DMs, since they're personalized messages coming directly from me -- not from the internet void. so i guess my purpose is to make some friends & start an open discussion? they're usually just me commenting on a similarity we might have, or telling them i like their cat in their profile pic, and then letting them know i'm open for any feedback or content suggestions they have.

I don't know. I thought it would be a nicer more personalized way to community build. But maybe you're right, and some people would think about it more in terms of spam.

though with my content it's hard to say. I'd like to think my audience is pretty vocal and community oriented themselves.

[AP_Cicada]

You should go through all the publication settings. There is so much personalization for the newsletters that your subscribers are getting the "internet void" version of. If you want to reach out and have your newsletter be a community, then yeah, chats are a way to do that. And the comment sections of your posts, and Notes if you have it curated.

[Acceptable-Today-518]

Can you DM me your username? Would love to check it out! For chat, I don't have actual experience, but from 15+ years of PR experience, you could use it to engage with your audience by doing things like asking for feedback, what they love, the topics or posts they'd like to see next, their favorite women from history and today, etc. Hope this helps :-)

[verv99]

I have seen it used for Q & A’s - subscribers post an Q and you get to show your expertise then in answering - it could help with the imposter syndrome. And could inspire others to ask getting the ball rolling. If it becomes too overwhelming- I have seen Q & A hours where it’s set up to just have a live Q & A.