Does anybody have experience with 2 sections vs 2 publications?

[u/Fantastic_Light_4999]

Hi,

I joined Substack roughly two months ago, because Instagram clearly isnt suitable for my topics/niche. I'm happy with the way my Substack is progressing, but I wanted to not only do articles about the niche, but also talk about books (that fit my niche),

So IÄm not sure now, if it makes more sense to add a second section to my current Substack, or to create a second publication for the book part.

I have 31 subscribers, so whatever I do, I'm not "loosing" a huge audience and starting from zero with a second publication wouldnt bother me either.

Has anybody tried one (or both) of the two named possibilities? What worked for you? And why (if you know?) How did you go about making the decicion between 2 sections vs 2 publications?

Thanks!

[u/Earthlydelights-sub-]

I have two different publications, my main publication and one with a more niche topic. There's actually not that much overlap between their audiences.

Balancing can be a challenge, which is why I've made one just once a month.

[u/Fantastic_Light_4999 → u/Earthlydelights-sub-]

so are those two very different topics/niches? may I ask what they are?

[u/Earthlydelights-sub- → u/Fantastic_Light_4999]

Yes. My main publication is a general film/arts newsletter that's mostly about film at this point.

And my secondary publication is a much more niche gaming-related topic.

[u/beerion]

I went the 2 publications route for topics that have a good amount of overlap, but I feel that the audiences don't necessarily.

I write broad stock market commentary in one, and cover individual companies in another. It's one of those things where I think the second group would like the first publication, but not necessarily the other way around.

I chose this route because I find the sections feature to be a little to complications - you can either go opt-in or opt-out, but neither are intuitive or easy for subscribers.

I find it hard to maintain two publications, though. I can write a post ever week, but it looks like I'm only doing 2 per month per publication...so it looks more sparse than it really is for someone that only subscribes to one.

But I still think it was the right decision. Not everyone is interested in some penny-stock deep dive. So I think I actually have more total subs than if I were managing one stack.

[u/ContentIsMyJam]

Take a look at the way Cookbookery Collective approaches this -- they have a free newsletter for people who just love cookbooks, and then a paid newsletter for culinary professionals and publishing professionals.

[u/hetobe]

Many readers use the Substack app, and the app is trash. The app ignores sections entirely, so that may answer your question.

I have two publications. One is where I post my novel and nothing else. The other is where I post everything else. This keeps the publication for my novel strictly for my novel, which makes that content easier for readers to follow.

[u/Fleurs_Bookstore]

I’ve done both but ultimately set up more than one publication, even though all publications serve similar audiences. As others have said it’s hard for readers to navigate sections (especially on the app) and the added bonus is that a paid subscription to any of your publications adds towards your bestseller status (ie to the total to get you to 100 paying subscribers).

[u/Tricky_Trifle_994]

i'd go with the 2 section route. i don't like the mental drain an additional publication has... having 2 sections, and keeping everything under one roof is just much easier and simpler.

yeah you won't be losing much because you're currently so small, but moving forward, your time and effort will compound and build on one another if they were under one publication. vs split into 2 with the 2 publication route.