Fav Five 🖐️ | Is this the one thing missing from your publication?
Five hero posts that guide and convert readers
Dear friend
I’ve been talking to and sharing resources with a lot of Substack newbies lately. As a newbie myself, I geek out when I see really cool things we can do on Substack to highlight our unique voice and offering to our readers.
I’ve read and seen some really interesting things about hero posts and I can’t wait to share it with you!
You will learn:
What a hero post is
Why it is so powerful
Different ways other creators are using hero posts
How to pin a hero post to the top of your publication.
Enjoy!
1. has generously shared a case study of her recent hero post
Read the success
had when she created her hero post recently: 7 things I intentionally did in my hero post and why writers should pay attention.
Elin explains what a hero post is:
A hero post is essentially a post written and dedicated to be the “hero” of your publication.
In other words, the aim of the piece is to serve as an overview of what, when, how and who, so that anyone who’s new to your publication can quickly assess whether it’s a good fit for them or not.
….
I posted it exactly one week ago, after which 1.36k have seen it (out of which 178 opened the email) and 56 subscribed which makes a conversion of 4.73% (calculated as new subscribers/(total views-already subscribed) = conversion rate).
from (emphasis added)
- shows the power of one well written hero post
She got some amazing restacks (I found her via
’s restack), but the strength was in the post itself, titled: “What to expect on the D-List: If you're too busy to soak your nuts, this one's for you...” Catchy right!?
Here’s an excerpt:
So for now, you can expect:
5-minute recipes.
Energy-saving tips and thoughts on realistic healthy living.
Delicious discoveries to help simplify and diversify your life.
The latest news from Vitamin Dina and the world of accessible nutrition.
What I won’t be talking about:
What not to eat.
The latest bollocks wellness trends.
A traditional Western diet.
Miracle remedies that will heal your soul or prevent death.
Time and energy-sapping processes.
Dieting.
So if you’re too busy to soak your nuts, this one’s for you. Whether you’re a knackered parent, a hard-working professional or just busy and tired, please join me on my journey to make nutrition a lot less complicated and a little less dull.
from
Here’s three more examples I love:
- uses it as a way to welcome and highlight a shared purpose
- uses it as a way to get to know and support her community
uses it as a way to highlight resources
The Note he wrote made me laugh!
Post edit: 6 months after writing this, I had to pop on here to say go check out ’s hero post! She had me captivated to the end. 👌
Check out how she weaves testimonials in there
You got a good sense of her journey and the topics she covers
She provides links to posts on those topics
She skilfully uses humour and vulnerability
She clearly states what to expect by subscribing 😊
How do I pin a post to the top of my publication's homepage?
It’s really easy. Just follow these steps:
Publish the “Hero Post”
Go to the “Hero Post”
Click the “Three Dots”, next to Share
Select “Pin on [your publication name]”
✍️ I would love to know your experience with hero posts? Do you have one? If you don’t, do you think you’ll create one?
Thank you so much for stopping by! Please enjoy these reads as well:
Hope to “meet” you in the comments!
As I am not focussing only on one topic in my blog, I am not sure how to create such a hero post.
Travel photos and stories, music, poems, personal stories, health and wellness, sometimes opinions articles about public issues, musings about this and that...
Maybe it could be 4 different blogs - but who would have time for that?
Any suggestions?
I have been thinking of a hero post and your newsletter seals the deal. I need to make one! Thanks for the inspiration and examples, super helpful.