Get More Subscribers With Substack's New QR Code

You can now generate a QR code for your Substack in your Settings Page to give people a super easy way to sign up for your Substack.

I think anything that can make it easier for your readers to sign up is a win. Your readers simply point their phone at it, and they are taken straight to the newsletter publication you want them to go.

So how to generate a QR code for your Substack publication?

And where to put it?

Of course, you have to put it right in the center of your forehead—stamp it to your forehead 😂

There are so many other funny writers.

Arielle Velarion

, for instance, shared this:

Arielle VelarionJun 15

One guy asked me for my Insta I made him sign up for my Substack instead😁🧚🏼‍♀️✨🦝

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So, my idea is that you're..

• going right now in your Settings

• then you go on Branding

• on QR code

Then you can use this QR code to share your publication. No typing required.

Having an avatar incorporated increases the hit rate

What I love about Substack's new QR code is that from a marketing standpoint, I think some people are suspicious of clicking on random QR codes if they are unsure what it might do to them or their data.

So having an avatar incorporated certainly increases the hit rate, I think. So here with me in the middle, I think this is awesome to have this avatar here.

My recommendation: generate your QR code right now.

In the past, I know that writers used, for instance, QR Code Monkey, or Canva, where you can also generate QR codes for free.

But I think having it native to Substack is a way better idea.

Where to put Substack’s new QR code?

And there are a couple of places to add your QR code.

For instance,

• as a tattoo, or you can staple it to your forehead 😂

• You can put it on your YouTube videos.

• You can put it on stickers, stick it to coffee shops.

• You can create business cards as

  Simon K Jones
  did, but Simon did it with a QR generator. Now he's also pretty happy that we now have this opportunity here.

• There are physical flyers as

  Daniel Eve
  is using it for.

• Integrate your QR code into your book!

How other Substack writers are capitalizing on the new QR code on Substack

Ishita Singh

said:

"Super cool! I also love the comparison of underground mag/zine with Substack. I write an underground mag here. Scan it! I can see myself doing this to friends of friends at parties. “

Which I love and shows the philosophy and spirit of Substack writers.

Then we have Simon again. I asked him about how he is using his QR codes. I asked him about book fairs. He said that you should use it for book fairs, but he seems to use it for workshops, panels, talks. And also, he’s been “known to mysteriously leave them in cafes and stick them up on pub notice boards just to see what happens," which I love.

So, a lot of inspiration coming from Simon.

There are so many people excited about this new feature.

And, for instance,

Nick Makris

had the great idea to put his QR code on a mug for the world to see and scan.

How my hubby is using his merch

My hubby has about 66,000 subscribers now on YouTube, and he's at a point in his creator life where he's also having some merchandise and swag for his fans. He has a cap and a mug for his .NET Web Academy.

So, this could be something, as

Nick Makris

shared here, that we then would have this QR code on our mug.

The platform that Patrick is using is called FourthWall. "Launch your brand on your terms." You can see many familiar faces and also some great examples, when you’re accessing the page.

The state of QR codes (on Substack)

If you're still here with me, let's talk about the state of QR codes just for a sec.

As I shared, I think anything that can make it easier for your readers to sign up is a win.

Did you know that QR stands for "quick response" and that they have been around for ages? They were invented in Japan back in 1994, and the idea was that they should replace the humble barcode.

And now we have these QR codes, and as I said, we can just use our phones, and then people can directly go to our publication.

I love that Substack is constantly improving. We've been getting all the updates we wanted as of late.

So, the thing I am now, of course, most interested in is:

🤔Where will you put your Substack QR? Tell me in the comments. 🤔

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Kristina GodOct 1

❤️ 💜

Found this on our family hike yesterday with Grandma.

Family is where love begins and never ends.

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All premium subscribers get a bit deeper and have access to my “Online Writing School” membership with the Substack School.

Be a part of it and join a lovely and vibrant community of more than 290 wonderful aspiring writers.

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Make sure to subscribe, like, and see you in the next short and sweet Substack School video post.

Hugs🤗,

P.S. 👻We’re also gonna have a Halloween Party on October 30! Will you join us or would like to teach something spooky (draw a spooky pet, design a spooky Canva design, write a spooky memoir)? Tell us in the comments.👻

From Kristina God’s subscriber chat

Kristina God

I love Halloween. I met my hubby on a train on halloween… soooo… What about a Substack HALLOWEEN PARTY? - Oct 30 - free - costumed ('I’ll be a witch) - LIVE - online What time would be best for all? I typically meet my community at 1pm EST but I guess later would be better. 4/5pm? We can wear costumes and learn from each other. Would you like to take part and/or present something (spooky)? I could imagine a drawing class, cooking class, music class, writing class, stitching class, pep talks, networking session ^^ (10-15 min each session)

31 replies