10 Substack Newsletter Ideas For Photographers
Simple Ideas That Will Help You Express Yourself Online
So I Guess We All Hang Out Here Now…
Well it seems that Substack is most certainly the place to be for a lot of people but certainly photographers.
Since we are all here and wanting to share and express ourselves in a meaningful way I wanted to jot down some ideas and jumping off points that you can use to inform or inspire your next (or first) newsletter!
First of all let’s tackle something you might be feeling stuck on…
You keep telling yourself you’re not a writer
Look, neither am I really, I just enjoy sharing my feelings and I write in my tone of voice which is very casual. I believe there are no rules for writing (obviously there are some rules like grammar etc.) just as there are no rules in art.
As long as you are interesting, sharing ideas or knowledge or just having fun with it then there will be people who will read your newsletter and stick around.
Side Note
Whilst I’m sharing advice and tips on all things Substack this doesn’t mean that numbers and growth should be the focus here. We’ve all seen what that does to a platform and it’s users….looking your way IG.
Instead we should focus on the connections we have here in the comments and DM’s as well as the community aspect of restacking and supporting the creatives that we enjoy hearing from.
My 4 year old son and I have battles with his toys sometimes and he always says the biggest one will win, fair enough right?
Being a lover of the underdog I always opt for being the smaller toy and point out that despite his size he could still win…
He is small but mighty. Just like your audience on Susbtack right now.
Focusing on how sharing here makes you feel and what kind of interactions you are having rather than worrying about the growth or comparing yourself will actually probably lead to more natural growth.
Down the track Substack might become a part of your career or it might be something that you want to monetize and that’s really cool. I’m all for side-hustling with your creative pursuits and have seen first hand how that can snowball and change your working life.
But just know that it doesn’t have to be that or be anything you don’t want it to be.
Below are 10 ideas of types of posts you could make here on Substack via the newsletter function. They are broad enough for you to take them and make them your own but they are more specifically for photographers sharing on the platform.
I’m excited to see what you all post in the coming weeks and let me know of anymore questions you have around Substack, or anything else, below.
Also…if you like these 10 ideas and you are hungry for some more you can grab my 52 content ideas for creatives PDF which is currently on SALE for only $7!!! This round up of ideas is applicable to any platform and allows you to put your own stamp on things in terms of how you share them. They are all simple and are things I pull from all the time and see success and engagement with. This is the perfect place to start if you are feeling lost expressing yourself online.
Introduce Yourself Please
Who are you?!? This seems like a logical place to start and gives your new and future readers a good idea of whether or not you’re a good match for their inbox. Don’t over think it though, just share naturally who you are and what lights you up. Below are some bullet points to consider if talking about yourself and your art makes you want to vomit. Lol.
A simple Who, What, Where of you is wonderful. I suggest keeping it brief to begin with, you can always expand on these in future letters when you have garnered more of a readership and people are ready to hear more in depth about you.
Share your photography…duh. Peppering in images is a great way to keep people engaged period, but in this case seeing your work alongside tid bits abut you gives us the whole picture. If you are not a wordsmith then leaning more photo heavy here will help.
If you have a solid idea of what you will be focusing on then give people the low down on that. If you don’t then share your intentions on the platform or why you joined and feel called to start this newsletter.
Origin story - this is a good approach if you have a penchant for storytelling in an engaging manner and you can share your photography origin story in a fun, interesting or unique way. If you feel your story is something that people would resonate with and connect too, and it’s important to you, than I would go this route. If not then stick to the first bullet point and keep it snappy and brief. Below is a great example of a first post that kind of ticks all these boxes and gives us a strong sense of the author and the photographer, and what we can expect to see from them in future. Nice one Luke!
A Recent Experience + What You Learned
Really this is what I share most weeks in my newsletter - you just might not have realized it. This type of topic is endless too, which makes it a great one to circle back to time and time again.
So what do I mean by experience?
This could be a photography adventure you went on or a specific event/person/place you captured or it could be something less grand and everyday (this is what I normally go for) like my recent newsletter on how I took 2 photos in the library which sounds really boring but it had a great reception because I was able to expand on more than just the photos themselves.
It could be an experience you’ve had online or IRL chatting to someone. Basically it’s turning everyday life into a newsletter! Draw from those thoughts you have in the shower or fleeting encounters with strangers.
Often simple is better and we trick ourselves into thinking we need to share something profound and grand every time we post but life is made up mainly of these smaller moments and that is far more relatable to the everyday person.
If you can round this off by sharing what you learned from this it’s a brilliant way to organically offer value to people too! My most well received pieces of content are always things I’m just mulling over and wondering “do other people feel this way too?”
Below is my last newsletter that is a great example of this type of topic. Turning nothing into something is how I like to think of it.
Curation & Recommendations
I have this prediction that in the future “curation of the internet” will become this paid skill/job/sought after thing/or just an extremely popular way of sharing online.
Yes, we have the algorithm, but it’s not the same as this online word of mouth style recommendation. A song that plays off the back of another on Spotify (even if it’s a banger) is not as valued or impactful as one that a friend or noted/trusted person puts me on to. This is actually a great newsletter topic so I’m putting it into my ideas list now….see ideas come all the time even when you are literally writing about ideas!
Regardless of all this it’s a tried and true formula online and people are busy AF right now and they will appreciate you rounding up a bunch of cool recs for them to enjoy and saving them the hassle of tracking them down.
It’s like you’ve put the screen time in for them to reap the rewards. You’re hunting and gathering and then feeding your community the goods. They will love that!
An example below is Lux Lumen’s latest music recs newsletter - a perfect example of this style of content. Nice one babe!
Photo Only
There is nothing stopping you from being a mostly photo based newsletter despite being on a writing platform!
I personally would encourage you to add some footnotes or an intro or something but you don’t have to. I would say that the growth may be slower sharing this way as you are just showing images and not inviting people in wit words and stories, but it’s a cool arty way to share and it’s kind of like an online photo book I guess.
Photobooks might have some writing but normally it’s all about giving big beautiful space to the images and letting them speak for themselves.
Maybe you alternate and do one week just photos and the next week more long from writing…you do you.
An example below here of a publication that is largely photos and nothing else. Japan looks good doesn’t it!?
Photography Adjacent
We are complex beings and not defined by just one pursuit, at least that’s how I feel. I find it so hard to believe that all photographers are not also cinema obsessed as it’s just a natural progression from still image to moving…
Whether it’s movies or music, fashion and style or painting it’s easy to draw a line from one to the other, so why not do that!?
Just ensure you are drawing it back and not going totally rouge and sharing your best pasta recipe to an audience full of photogs who might not all care about cooking.
Spread your wings and use other hobbies and interests to convey points about photog related stuff and also to deepen the bond with your audience by showing them you aren’t just the photo gal or guy, you’re so much more!
I can’t find an example of this - I have my own examples but I don’t want to keep sharing my own Substack newsletter like a total wanker.
How To…Tips + Tricks
So this won’t be everyone but then again it could be really because we all have specific knowledge in one area even if we don’t immediately think we do. My mum is the only person I know who can perfectly fold a fitted bedsheet - I’m sure plenty of Martha Stewart loving neat and tidy obsessives would like to learnt that skill.
So what do you know that you can share?
It might be technical stuff or it might be creative stuff.
It might be mindset advice or it might be how to break into an industry.
Everyone can learn from everyone, which means someone can learn from you.
The Substack king Wesley Verhoeve shares this type of content often and it’s hugely helpful to so many of us. He also sets it out wonderfully and has an incredible level of consistency here on the platform. Go Wes!
Interview a Fellow Substacker
I used to do this very often for about a year when I started my Substack and I really enjoyed it. Collaboration is a wonderful way to grow but also connect and diversify your content.
We all curious about others and this style of interview or highlighting an artist you admire can be a great series and help to provide accountability for those of you who struggle to keep to a frequent upload schedule.
It’s also very helpful for those of you who might not want to be in the spotlight yourselves but want to share online. This could be done as a once a month thing or be the basis of your entire newsletter. Just be mindful that you keep systems in place around how you coordinate with the interviewee so you don’t make it too much work for yourself, and them, and end up loosing momentum.
You could also invite a guest writer or have someone do a takeover of sorts! I will be having a fellow movie buff and newly joined Substacker contributing a movie review in my newsletter soon. Keep an eye out!
Below is an example of a take over of sorts where a guest curator comes in and shares work etc. If you don’t follow FlakPhoto Digest it’s a great one to keep up with.
Project Development or Challenge
We all love to see progress and watch someone or something bloom and change.
Many photographers have long term projects they are working away on and it’s motivating to share where you’re at with it all so I think documenting this process here on Substack is a great topic to build on.
You may find it’s a slow burn but with consistent content around your project and how it’s evolving you’ll find that people will start to comment and enjoy seeing how you are travelling. Mix this up with the previous topics of sharing what you’ve learned etc. and you’ve found an effective and engaging way to write about and share your work!
A challenge is also a fun one to document. This could be a photo a day or black and white for a month etc. try and get creative here and do something that will allow you reflection at the end so you can round it off in your newsletter with what you’ve gleaned from this challenge. Maybe invite others to join even?
Ali from One Month Two Cameras did a dry January for socials and wrote about it on Substack - it can be anything really it doesn’t have to be just about photography, just be mindful to link it back.
An Honest Struggle
We are all a bit cagey when it comes to sharing our less than perfect moments, especially online, but I believe this is where true connection is born.
If you are reading this and you haven’t photographed a single thing for a few months because you feel uninspired or in a rut, SHARE THAT HERE!
We feel we can only show up and share when we have amazing photos but tbh it’s kind of annoying when people do that as it’s not a true depiction of what any normal person with a job and a family/busy life is really experiencing when it comes to being creative.
You will likely make someone else feel so seen by sharing a vulnerable newsletter that is honest vs just flaunting images you took on some lush trip or waiting to share only that type of post!
I’m here for your lush trip photos of course but I also wanna see the two shit photos you took in the library on a Saturday with your child because hey, that’s life!
A great example of this is below - an honest account of a photographer with a 9-5 just trying to make some time for photos, no matter how special the results are.
Alright Substackers, those are my ideas and I truly hope this has shown you the breadth of what type of content you can share here. I’m excited to see what you all come up with in the next few weeks and a big thank you to everyone for reading!
Love Lucy x
I just posted my first Substack, inspired by this post! 💪
Great ideas and insight, Lucy! Thank you for sharing all of this for us newbies to Substack. I'm about to launch my first Newsletter here. Wish me luck! :D