All 15 ideas at a glance
Why LinkedIn works for substack writers
LinkedIn is where people in your field already read, and where new subscribers often find you first. Early on, many of your first subscribers will come from your existing network, not from Substack's own recommendations. Substack's guidance is to put a link to your Substack on your LinkedIn profile and say in the bio that you write a newsletter, so visitors know what they will get.
LinkedIn also has its own newsletter feature. When you start one, your connections are invited to subscribe, and each new edition sends a notification and an email to subscribers. Use the Substack issue for the full argument and LinkedIn for the pieces that send people there.
- Native video, vertical 9:16 or 4:5: You can film at your desk on a phone. Feed videos often play with the sound off, so a writer's talking-head clip needs captions and on-screen text in the first second. LinkedIn accepts MP4 videos up to 15 minutes long.
- Document carousel (PDF): A carousel turns one issue into swipeable slides. LinkedIn takes PDF documents up to 100 MB and 300 pages, and PDF is the recommended format.
- Text post with the link in the first comment: Good for opinions, reader replies and milestones, where the words carry the post. Leave the Substack link out of the post body and put it in the first comment, and say in the post what the reader gets from it.
- LinkedIn newsletter edition: A long-form edition that goes to subscribers by email. Use it as a teaser for your Substack issue, with the opening section on LinkedIn and a link to the rest.
15 LinkedIn content ideas for substack writers
Pull pieces from this week's issue
These ideas use what you already wrote, so each one takes minutes rather than a new draft.
Native video, under 60 seconds
1. The paragraph I cut from this week's issue
Why it works: Every issue has material that did not make the final draft. Filming it from your desk is quick, and it shows new readers how you decide what goes in. People who already read your work will ask what the cut part was.
Document carousel (PDF)
2. [Issue title] in six slides
Why it works: An issue already has a shape: a problem, a story, the argument and a takeaway. Each slide holds one of those parts, so a reader gets the point before they commit to 2,000 words. The last slide sends them to the full issue.
LinkedIn newsletter edition
3. The LinkedIn edition that sends people to my Substack
Why it works: Subscribers to a LinkedIn newsletter get each edition by email, so the teaser reaches people who have already chosen to follow you. Readers who want the rest click through to your Substack, where the full issue and the paid section live.
Your desk and your weekly routine
Readers want to see how a newsletter gets made. These ideas show your setup and your schedule, which costs nothing to film.
Native video, under 45 seconds, one take
4. What is on my desk while I draft an issue
Why it works: A writer's desk is visible and specific: a notebook, a second screen, a mug. Viewers who write newsletters themselves recognize the setup and stop to look. It also shows the real tools behind the writing.
Text post
5. How long one issue takes me, day by day
Why it works: Other writers want to know how long an issue takes and when it gets written. A plain schedule is useful to a newsletter writer weighing whether to start, and it makes your own routine look reasonable to someone with a full-time job.
Document carousel (PDF)
6. My publish-day checklist for a Substack issue
Why it works: Subject line, preview text, the first paragraph and the post link are the parts of a send that decide whether people open it. Showing the list makes the send feel less mysterious to writers who are still learning it.
Text post with the list in the first comment
7. The tools I use to write, record and publish a newsletter
Why it works: Newsletter writers often ask what tools other writers use. A list tied to specific jobs, like planning, recording and transcripts, helps someone decide what to try next, and each named tool is a reason to comment.
Reader replies and questions
Conversation posts work when they come from real replies. These ideas turn your inbox and comments into posts, with the reader's permission.
Text post
8. A reader sent me a better example than mine
Why it works: Readers who send a better example feel seen when they are named or quoted, and other readers see that you change your work because of their feedback. The post also shows the topic without a sales pitch.
Text post with a LinkedIn poll
9. Which topic should I write next?
Why it works: Subscribers and connections like being asked for a choice. Three topics you already have in your notes give people an easy way to comment, and the winner becomes your next issue.
Text post
10. Common writing advice I disagree with
Why it works: Newsletter writers hear the same advice from courses and threads. A post that names one piece of it and gives your reason for doing otherwise invites people who write to argue, which is the kind of comment that brings readers to your profile.
Native video, under 60 seconds
11. The question every new subscriber asks in their first week
Why it works: New subscribers ask the same question in their first week, and the answer tells the next viewer what kind of newsletter this is. Answering it on camera gives people a reason to follow along.
Proof, milestones and recommendations
Results posts build trust when they show the work and the numbers behind them. These ideas use your own counts and your own sends.
Document carousel (PDF)
12. Where my last [number] subscribers came from
Why it works: Writers want to know which channel works for a newsletter like theirs. Showing the split for your own subscribers gives a plain answer, and LinkedIn is often one of the sources a writer can see clearly.
Text post
13. [Number] subscribers in [number] months: what I did, in order
Why it works: A timeline with the count in the first line tells a writer at the start of the journey what to try and when. Each month is a step they can copy, and the post stays useful long after it is written.
Text post, tagging the writer
14. A newsletter I recommend, and why readers should start there
Why it works: A recommendation tells a reader that another writer's work fits with yours. Naming a writer and the issue to start with gives that writer a reason to share your post back, and it puts your name next to theirs in front of your network.
Document carousel (PDF) or text post
15. I analyzed my last [number] Substack Notes
Why it works: Notes are the short posts on Substack, and many writers post them without checking what gets replies. A count of your own Notes, with the three that worked and why, shows real data from a newsletter writer and gives people a method to copy.
Best practices for LinkedIn as a substack writer
How often to post
Start with three LinkedIn posts a week and one link to a new issue. One established writer posts almost daily on LinkedIn and links to their Substack only about once a week, so the link does not need to be in every post. Keep one rhythm for eight weeks, then keep the ideas that got replies.
Tools that help
- Sycamore: Adding word-synced captions to a short desk video before you export the MP4 for LinkedIn, since feed videos often play with the sound off.
- LinkedIn newsletters: Publishing a teaser edition of your issue, so subscribers get it by email and your connections get invited to subscribe.
- Any slide tool that exports PDF: Building the six-slide issue carousel and the checklist carousel, then exporting as PDF, the recommended format for document posts.
- Substack Notes: Testing short ideas before they go on LinkedIn, so you post the version that already got replies.
- A phone camera on a desk stand: Filming the desk clips and cut-paragraph reads in one take. Keep the desk and your face in the middle of a vertical frame.
Do
- Ask the reader before you quote their reply or email, and remove their name unless they say yes.
- Add your Substack link to your LinkedIn profile website field and say you write a newsletter in your bio.
- Film the part of the issue you cut, since it shows how you decide what goes in.
- Reply to every comment by name, the way you would reply to a reader email.
- Put the important on-screen text in the middle of a vertical frame, away from the edges where the interface sits.
Don't
- Don't post only links to new issues. Connections scroll past them and stop engaging.
- Don't post a reader's words without asking, even if you remove the name.
- Don't post about a politically or professionally sensitive topic without checking your employer's rules, since a post can reach your manager.
- Don't post a video without captions. Write them in the first second so the point lands with the sound off.
- Don't reuse an Instagram or TikTok clip without cropping it to the LinkedIn frame first.
More content ideas
More LinkedIn ideas: Web3 Founders, Accountants, Business Coaches, Cohort-Based Course Instructors, Lawyers, Management Consultants