With Substack, UK regional publisher Reach wasn’t just looking for another newsletter provider.

“We already connect with 3.4 million people a month via hundreds of newsletters across our 50+ titles,” says audience director (strategy & engagement) Jenna Thompson in an INMA Ideas blog.

“What we were interested in was the communities spending time on Substack.

“As a result, Reach approached its Substack initiative not as another newsletter, but as a form of social media to reach communities spending time on the platform.”

After some early experiments on the platform, the publisher decided it was time to expand.

Rather than a top-down mandate, we invited journalists to pitch ideas based on their genuine passions, even if those were outside the topics or places they covered in their core roles. Through a pitching process, we worked with more than 50 writers who were interested in owning their own newsletter. To support them in developing creator skills, we provided time and training to move beyond link sharing toward genuine community building.

A dedicated editor was brought in to help authors develop unique formats and distinctive identities. While the content and brands were tailored for different audiences, a standardised approach to launches and close relationships with our marketing teams allowed us to scale effectively and efficiently.

We worked with writers on finding their tribe on Substack, taking full advantage of features like recommendations and commenting, and harnessing the power of our existing network to promote our new products to interested audiences.

“To build relationships, our writers actively seek feedback from their communities, allow them to shape coverage through suggestions, and get involved in the conversations which develop from their content,” says Thompson (pictured).

“Our launches took two distinct approaches, but had one thing in common: we saw them as opportunities to build communities rather than as straightforward newsletters. The Drop brand was used for local and passion-based launches, such as The Sheffield Drop. Extending existing Reach brands like the Liverpool Echo’s Blood Red and the Chronicle’s Everything is Black and White allowed us to deepen engagement and increase audience touchpoints.

The success of these standalone brands has inspired expansion too – with print editions and podcasts following suit.

"Twelve months on, we now have 24 brands on Substack covering a wide range of locations and topics. With tens of thousands of subscribers and above-average open rates of 60 per cent, we have demonstrated the true value of combining passion and community."