A simple guide to staying sane with Substack
I moved my email list to Substack with a bit of trepidation: Would people be bothered by the change? I published my first post after hesitating for nearly a month: Would my listeners be interested in reading my words? Judging by my subscription numbers, the answers have apparently come in: No and Yes!
However, it has taken some getting used to. So here’s a guide for my readers who may be a little confused. If you’re just loving Substack and don’t need this help, carry on!
Step 1: Visit your settings page
Here is a link to Substack’s full settings page on the web. You can start there, but then keep reading because we’ll drill down on the details below. Note that if you are getting emails but you have not yet established an account, you have to establish an account to set your preferences.
Step 2: Choose your adventure
1. If you like getting email in your inbox
Carry on. Substack automatically sends you an email with each post. Substack writers can choose whether or not to send their subscribers their notes as well—I’ve chosen not to. I can’t imagine you want to hear my every* waking thought and responses to other writers.** (Though you can read my notes anytime you want here.)
If you want to tweak where your email goes because your inbox is overwhelmed, skip to Step 3: If you like email but you’re getting too many Substack emails in your inbox.
2. If you are annoyed by email and like apps
Download the Substack app onto your device. Log in. Then immediately go to your Settings and FIX them. Otherwise, you will be notified of my every* waking thought and responses to other writers.**
How do you fix your app settings?
On Android: tap your profile picture, then tap Settings
On iOS: tap your profile picture, then tap the gear icon on the lower right
Under Notifications:
Turn off all notifications if you want to receive nothing.
On Android, you can take the further step of clicking “settings” in the Push Notifications box to disable all notifications from the app.If you want to receive some notifications, leave some of them on.
Under Notes:
If you want to be notified of every Substacker you follow’s every* waking thought, leave them on.
If you don’t, turn off everything!
Under Newsletter Delivery:
Choose “Prefer push” if you want to get notifications but not so many emails.
Choose “Prefer email” and you’ll still get emails and few notifications.
For more info: Full instructions on using the app
3. If you like email but you’re getting too many Substack emails in your inbox
You need rules. You need tools. You need filters. Oy, it’s so complicated!
It’s not complicated:
First, create a new folder in your email called something like “Substack” or “News.”
Next, click on this Google search link and then add the name of your email program to the search. If you are allergic to Google search, type HOW TO SET RULES FOR INCOMING EMAIL [APP-NAME] into your search engine.
Finally, follow the instructions. It’s easy-peasy in Apple mail and Gmail, I know for sure.
I’ve got a rule in my email that sends all email from Substack (and all the other publications I read) into a single folder. I check that folder once or twice a day. My inbox remains calm and focused on family and business.1
Remember: A little time will save you a lot of time. Do it today!
**If you want to hear my every waking thought and responses to other writers
Follow me.
How do you do that?
On the web, go to https://babblery.substack.com/notes, hover over my name, and choose “follow.”
In the app, tap the 🔍 at the bottom, type SUKI WESSLING, then tap “follow” by my name.
*If Substackers actually published their every waking thought, Substack would likely crash, and you’d definitely unsubscribe
So I promise not to do that. I hope this was helpful!
Carry on.
My email remains calm and focused except when someone decides that I need to increase the size of one of my body parts or solve a problem I never knew was a problem, but that’s another story.