A small favor that determines whether this work reaches anyone new
A small favor that determines whether this work reaches anyone new
Most newsletters die quietly.
Not because the writing gets worse.
Not because the ideas stop mattering.
But because the platform stops showing them to anyone new.
I want to be transparent with you about something important…because if this work matters to you…a few small changes in how you interact with it will determine whether it continues to reach other people who need it.
Here’s what changed
Substack no longer operates like a simple email tool.
It now behaves more like a social discovery platform.
That means it decides what to promote based on visible, on-platform activity…not email opens…not private replies…not silent reading.
In plain English:
If engagement happens outside Substack…Substack can’t see it… and it assumes nothing happened.
Why this matters
When Substack sees readers:
Open posts in the app
Comment
Restack
Follow
Click around to related posts
…it pushes that work to more people.
When it doesn’t see those signals….distribution quietly shuts off…no announcement, no warning.
The work still goes out to email.
But discovery dies.
What I’m asking you to do (when it’s appropriate)
I’m not asking for constant engagement.
I’m asking for intentional engagement when something resonates.
Here’s what helps…massively:
When you see “View in app,” tap it
Reading inside Substack (app or web, logged in) matters more than reading in email.Leave a short comment when a post hits
Even a sentence. Even “This tracks.”
Comments tell Substack: this sparked thought.Restack occasionally if you want others to see it
Restacks are the strongest signal Substack uses to decide what spreads.If you’re in the app, poke around
Reading a second post or tapping the profile tells Substack this work has gravity.
Why I’m telling you this
Because I don’t want to play games, and I don’t want to pretend this is “organic.”
Platforms reward observable behavior.
Readers who care can shape that behavior.
And this community…is the reason the work exists at all.
If you value the analysis…the connective tissue…and the clarity this newsletter tries to provide…this is how you help keep it visible.
Not louder.
Not more frequent.
Just more visible where it counts.
Thank you for being here…and for being part of how this grows.
-Jack
Wow, I didn’t know that. I just always read it from the email and commented. I will now always read it from the app. Thanks for the info cause I will now do that for others I follow.
I am very grateful for Substack because a lot of the news and commentary on it Is in one place. Frankly it is hard to keep up with all that is happening so I am grateful for this platform. Thanks Jack.