Substack Chat is available on the web and the Substack app.
Chat is a subscriber-only community space for Substack publications. Writers can host conversations with their subscribers or allow readers to talk in an open forum.
There are three easy steps for writers to set up a publication chat:
- Start your first thread
- Set up your subscriber permissions
- Invite your readers to join
Start your first thread
On the web, go to your publication’s Settings page. Click on Chat in the left navigation bar and click "Enable Chat". Select who can start conversations: everyone, paid subscribers, or founding members.
You can now set up subscriber permissions for your chat:
- Enable chat paywall: Paid publications can paywall access to the entire chat space or individual thread-by-thread basis. Free subscribers and non-subscribers will be prompted to upgrade to view or send replies in the chat.
- Allow photo and video sharing: This lets subscribers upload images and video in your publication's Chat.
- Notifications: Send email and push notifications to your subscribers for all new threads or only threads started by publication contributors.
On the Substack app, tap the Chat icon on the right side of the bottom bar. Then look for an empty row for your publication (it may be at the bottom of the list if you have other active chats).
Tap in and write your first chat thread in the message box labeled “Start a new thread.” Each chat thread you start can include text, links, video, or up to six images. Tap the blue arrow to send it; the first chat thread will notify all your subscribers.
Learn more on how to start a chat thread on Substack.
Invite your readers to join
The most important step in launching your Chat is personally inviting subscribers to join the community.
Go to your chat settings, then open the “Getting started” section. Next to “Tell your subscribers,” we’ve included an editable post template that makes it easy to instruct subscribers how to join your Chat.
In addition to the template, we recommend adding a personal note about how you hope to use the chat. For example, you can specify if the chat is restricted to paid subscribers, if you plan to host AMAs, or if readers can start their chat threads to discuss shared interests.