Substack new-reader survey in the welcome sequence
Keep the new-reader survey or an explicit reply ask inside the welcome sequence so the first email learns why the person subscribed before the second email starts guessing.
Why this can grow a startup
The first welcome email is usually the cheapest moment to learn intent. Substack bakes that into the default flow by including the new-reader survey in untouched free and paid welcome templates, then its own guidance goes further and suggests asking readers to reply or take a survey about why they signed up. That turns onboarding into research. Instead of inferring motivation from opens alone, the publication can collect language, use cases, and upgrade cues while attention is still fresh.
Source-backed example
Substack says the New Reader survey is included by default in unedited free and paid welcome emails, and recommends asking readers to reply with why they signed up or to take a survey.
Source-reported evidence
Source: Substack Support: How do I set up welcome emails on Substack?
The New Reader survey is included by default in Substack's free and paid welcome-email templates until the publisher edits them.
Attributed to the cited source; GrowthDex has not independently verified it. Use this as context, not as a forecast, benchmark, or recommended target.
Evidence scope: claims and metrics are attributed to the linked source; GrowthDex has not independently replicated the reported result. Check the original context and validate fit before applying it. Read the evidence methodology.
When to use it
Use this when Email, Research, Substack is relevant to substack, reader research, welcome email and you can run a bounded test with a free budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
How to do it
- Choose one target segment and define the exact next action this tactic should prompt.
- Adapt the tactic to Email and Research, using evidence from Substack Support: How do I set up welcome emails on Substack? as context—not as a promised result.
- Record a baseline for: Target users who complete the tactic’s intended next action. Set a guardrail that would make you pause the test.
- Run a narrow pilot and choose a test window that fits the normal decision or use cycle; do not scale before you have observed the full cycle.
- Compare the signal with its baseline. Scale only if the intended action improves without crossing the guardrail; otherwise revise one variable or stop and record what you learned.
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