Given Twitter‘s change of management, you may be considering flapping your tired little wings over to another platform. There’s no one-for-one copy of Twitter, but apps like Mastodon have been trying to fill in the gap.
Substack has tried to position itself as an alternative, and have even set up a page at substack.com/twitter to help you move your Twitter following to Substack. The site has a history of free speech and misinformation controversies (sounds familiar?) but is an especially apt alternative for journalists, writers, and super-users who tweet their takes multiple times a day.
The Twitter-focused signup process isn’t too different from the normal one, but there are some key differences. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how it works:
Step 1: Grant access to your Twitter account
Give Substack limited access to your Twitter account so that it can see your followers and tell them about your new posts.
Step 2: Create your Substack account
Create your account by signing up with your email address.
It’s important to note that you have the option to keep your Substack from being shared with your Twitter followers at this step. Simply uncheck the blue box below the email address field. If you don’t, an email will be sent to Substack readers who follow you on Twitter alerting them that you now have a Substack they can subscribe to. You can learn more about that feature by clicking this link.
Step 3: Set up your profile
Add your display name and a brief bio that will live on your Substack.
Step 4: Create your publication
Choose a name for your newsletter and pick a URL.
Step 5: Tell your Twitter followers about your Substack
Substack will offer you the option to tweet out your new newsletter to followers. Click « tweet » and a draft tweet will open in a new tab.
Now you’re all set! Write up and publish your first post to have it shared with followers,
