This is great, Paul. As a former journalist and editor in a previous life, I was more or less trained in these practices. I apply them now to "Quoth the Maven." Headline writing is an art, as is layout. Unfortunately, Substack's design tools and layouts are limited. Such is the nature of this beast ...
However I'll confirm ...
* Headlines are probably the most important part of publishing
* Using eye-catching artwork as the lead-in
* Subheads also help enormously to break up the body of your piece
* Like subheads, use photos and artwork to break up the body and enhance a point
* Pull quotes work great, too
* Better to break up body into shorter, more readable paragraphs. Write like it would appear in a newspaper
* Link key words that you think your audience may not know a lot about, or might be interested in further exploring.
Key: Avoid huge blocks of type. I've seen way too many Substack pieces that have 250-word paragraphs. Many readers use their phones. Reading long paragraphs is an instant turnoff
Good stuff. I have a growing collection of Paul Makko bookmarks. -- Jim
Jim ... love this confirmation post ... curious though about "bookmarks" ... is that something on Substack I've missed or do you have a special process for bookmarking?
So funny, I was just writing about “above the fold” this morning in reflecting on the death of a famous person years ago and the newspaper on that day.
Great, useful metaphor: Above the Fold, combined with clear examples make this a high-payoff post and I look forward to more. I'm on a similar path of putting together examples from Substack and will be following your lead and referring back to your posts. Thanks!
Paul ... I'm still curious about your name ... when I use the Substack search bar, your name doesn't show up. Perhaps related to the graphic rendition? Thanks for all the value you share.
Thanks. It seems like Substack has a dual branding bent: name and Substack title ... do you think new writers who haven't already branded their names should also focus primarily on their title? I'm flip flopping around on this one.
Because a title is descriptive, it is something other people will remember more than a name. But either will work for a newsletter. For a company name, then you absolutely should use a brandable name and not a person's name.
This is great, Paul. As a former journalist and editor in a previous life, I was more or less trained in these practices. I apply them now to "Quoth the Maven." Headline writing is an art, as is layout. Unfortunately, Substack's design tools and layouts are limited. Such is the nature of this beast ...
However I'll confirm ...
* Headlines are probably the most important part of publishing
* Using eye-catching artwork as the lead-in
* Subheads also help enormously to break up the body of your piece
* Like subheads, use photos and artwork to break up the body and enhance a point
* Pull quotes work great, too
* Better to break up body into shorter, more readable paragraphs. Write like it would appear in a newspaper
* Link key words that you think your audience may not know a lot about, or might be interested in further exploring.
Key: Avoid huge blocks of type. I've seen way too many Substack pieces that have 250-word paragraphs. Many readers use their phones. Reading long paragraphs is an instant turnoff
Good stuff. I have a growing collection of Paul Makko bookmarks. -- Jim
Jim ... love this confirmation post ... curious though about "bookmarks" ... is that something on Substack I've missed or do you have a special process for bookmarking?
Not a Substack bookmark. I don't know that such a thing exists. Just a browser bookmark in a Substack folder.
Thanks. Now I actually want a Substack bookmark! ;-)
You can make a folder, then keep them all in there...
Thanks, Mitchell ... Readwise is one of my favorite apps but I hadn't thought about using it with Substack. Off to check it out!
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! (as usual), Jim!
Thank you. Such a lot of great information to work through!
👍
So funny, I was just writing about “above the fold” this morning in reflecting on the death of a famous person years ago and the newspaper on that day.
Rich post! Love the ideas and breakdown.
Love serendipity...thanks for the comment!
Great, useful metaphor: Above the Fold, combined with clear examples make this a high-payoff post and I look forward to more. I'm on a similar path of putting together examples from Substack and will be following your lead and referring back to your posts. Thanks!
Thanks for commenting, Joyce!
Paul ... I'm still curious about your name ... when I use the Substack search bar, your name doesn't show up. Perhaps related to the graphic rendition? Thanks for all the value you share.
Hi Joyce. I have been branding "Deplatformable". My name won't mean anything to anyone regarding the newsletter.
Thanks. It seems like Substack has a dual branding bent: name and Substack title ... do you think new writers who haven't already branded their names should also focus primarily on their title? I'm flip flopping around on this one.
Because a title is descriptive, it is something other people will remember more than a name. But either will work for a newsletter. For a company name, then you absolutely should use a brandable name and not a person's name.
Excellent pointers Paul. Thank you!
Thanks, Frederick!
Good answer. Thanks, Mitchell!