2x Signups for Newsletter - Substack and Shopify Email

[tekton23]

Hi,

We run a cooking school and will be moving to the Shopify platform over the next few months. I am trying to plan how best to market via email and am looking at Shopify email newsletters for regular marketing, but Substack has always been attractive for long-form or blog style newsletters. We have a dedicated community alreayd, but I wondered if using two email methods side-by-side is confusing. 

It would be good not to have two sign-up forms on the website, one for the substack and one for regular newsletters. However, I don't see any other way, as substack doesn't offer all of the features we'd need like auto-emails and segmenting. If we do ever want to do paid newsletters subscriptions, can this be done on the Shopify email platform to a segment of the audience?

Has anyone faced the same problem? Do you know of a good solution?

Thanks, T23

[AnnaRewinska]

Hey! Firstly you’re making a fantastic decision by moving to Shopify! In terms of email marketing for online stores the best tool to use is Klaviyo as it offers incredible functionality around email personalisation, flows and campaigns. 

happy to provide more context if you like!

[tekton23]

Thanks Anna, Klaviyo is definietly of interest and I've had a good look at its features. It does look a little pricey, but has great functionality.

[WIlliams4]

@tekton23 

Hi T23,

I understand your dilemma. Shopify email newsletters are a great option for regular marketing campaigns, but they don't offer all the features you need for long-form or blog-style newsletters, such as auto-emails and segmenting. Substack is a good option for these types of newsletters, but it doesn't allow you to do paid subscriptions.

I know of a few solutions that might work for you:

1. Use a third-party email marketing platform: There are a number of email marketing platforms that offer integration with both Shopify and Substack. This would allow you to have a single sign-up form on your website, and then segment your subscribers and send different types of newsletters based on their interests. Some popular email marketing platforms include Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and ActiveCampaign.
2. Use a combination of Shopify email newsletters and Substack: You could use Shopify email newsletters for your regular marketing campaigns, and then use Substack for your long-form or blog-style newsletters. This would allow you to take advantage of the features that each platform offers. For example, you could use Shopify email newsletters to send automated abandoned cart emails, and then use Substack to send your weekly newsletter with recipes and cooking tips.

3. Use a dedicated email marketing platform for paid subscriptions: If you're serious about doing paid newsletter subscriptions, you might want to consider using a dedicated email marketing platform that supports this feature. Some popular email marketing platforms that support paid subscriptions include Podia, Memberful, and Kajabi.

Ultimately, the best solution for you will depend on your specific needs and budget. I recommend that you evaluate your options carefully and choose the platform that's right for you.

[tekton23]

Thank you for taking the time to reply! 

It is option 2 that really appeals, as having a substack does look like it will be really important to us. Do you know if I can have a single sign-up, that adds anyone signing-up to both lists? 

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2. Use a combination of Shopify email newsletters and Substack: You could use Shopify email newsletters for your regular marketing campaigns, and then use Substack for your long-form or blog-style newsletters. This would allow you to take advantage of the features that each platform offers. For example, you could use Shopify email newsletters to send automated abandoned cart emails, and then use Substack to send your weekly newsletter with recipes and cooking tips.

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Or could I have a form where people can add their name and email address, then tick one box to recieve Ecommerce related emails: 'offers, discounts, product news' then another tick box to receive the substack newsletter? Even better if this could be automated, so I don't have to manually update names to lists.

Thanks!

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[popsmash]

Good question.

First, maintaining newsletters across two platforms is significant overhead -- don't do it.

Since you're moving to Shopify, I assume ecommerce via Shopify will be the core of your business? If so, then your email marketing should be tightly coupled with your commerce. Therefore, Shopify Email probably your best solution because it is simple and cheap.

Shopify Email is relatively basic, so if you need more features you could later switch to a more advanced service like Klaviyo, but that'll also be significantly more expensive, so don't switch until you really need it.

Substack is a paid email platform and that's what it's best at. But if ecommerce via Shopify is the core of your business, you'll just have to compromise. One possible workaround to create a paid newsletter later is to create a 'subscription' product via Shopify and create a segment from customers who own that product. Then just send out your 'paid' newsletter to that segment. That would allow you to meed the needs for a paid newsletter while still keeping everything with Shopify Email.

[tekton23]

Thanks for your reply! Ideally I would have substack and shopify working alongside each other, but with a single newsletter signup so I don't confuse customers. Could I create a form with a single sign-up, but with a tick box for each option?

Or maybe I just have a note saying that they will be signed up to both, then manually add names to the substack list?

[Adikanda]

I have this same question, plus another one. Is it possible to integrate Substack on my Shopify store so it shows up the way a blog would?