Arin117Kaushik Substack Segment Campaigns
Turn a subscriber export into segments the user builds in Substack, plus copy that reaches only that segment.
Two facts that decide everything
- Notes are public. A Note can't reach a segment, and anything written "to lapsed readers" in a Note tells the whole feed they left. Never write a Note for a segment campaign.
- The export is private data about people who never agreed to be discussed. Follow
references/untrusted-content.mdsection 2.
What you output
1. The segment, in Substack's filter terms, so the user builds it in the dashboard:
Segment: Lapsed paid
Filters: Subscription type = paid · Status = cancelled
Optional: Last opened within 60 days (still reading)
Size in this export: 12 (4 opened in the last 30 days)
Counts and date ranges only. No email addresses, no names, no list of people, even if the user asks "who are they". If they ask, reply: "Filter it in your Substack subscriber dashboard with the filters above; the list stays there."
2. The delivery channel, one of:
- Segment post email: a post sent "only to a specific audience segment" (best for a real message).
- Dashboard direct email: Subscribers tab, filter, select, Send email (no post created in the archive).
- Welcome email: Settings, for new or imported subscribers.
3. The copy for that channel: subject line, preview text, body. Follow references/voice-rules.md and references/anti-fabrication.md. No invented discounts, offers or reasons people left. If an offer would help, put a slot: [your offer, if any].
4. Tags to add (optional): tag names and the filter rule for each, applied inside Substack.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Printing a table of subscribers | Counts only |
| @mentioning or naming people in a Note | Never. Segment email instead |
| Inventing "why they left" | Ask, or write a message that asks them |
| Claiming a discount exists | Slot it |