Newsletter writers

Each issue reaches your list on the morning you choose. Every past issue has its own page, and readers who want more support you monthly.

A writer working alone uses Magpie in Personal. A publication with several writers can work in one Magpie team.

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This week’s issue of The Long Field in the composer: its subject, preview text and Markdown text about a small-town hardware store’s last winter.

This combination of four Magpie areas fits a newsletter writer.

Newsletter
Newsletter keeps your list, sends each issue on its day and keeps a public archive.
Supporters
Supporters lets readers support you monthly, with posts for paying supporters.
Link-In-Bio List
Link-In-Bio List puts your sign-up page and supporters page on one page of links.
Social Media
Social Media posts each issue's web copy to your accounts.

Your list grows from a sign-up page, with every reader confirming their address.

Newsletter gives you a sign-up page, and each new reader confirms by email before they count. A Substack export or a CSV file brings an existing list over.

The list shows where each reader came from, and who unsubscribed or bounced. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link.

Subscribers in Newsletter

The Long Field’s subscribers: who joined and where each came from, such as the sign-up page, the shop’s checkout or the Substack import, with the counts of active, unconfirmed, unsubscribed and suppressed addresses.

Each issue goes out on the morning you schedule, and stays in a public archive.

You write each issue in Markdown, with its subject and preview text. You send yourself a test, then send it now or schedule it.

Each sent issue gets its own page under Past emails, with a link to subscribe. The issue's page counts the copies delivered.

Writing and sending in Newsletter

Next week’s issue of The Long Field, still a draft, as a subscriber will see it: a cheese factory on the Grand River, with who started it and its preview text.

Readers who want more support you monthly, on a page of their own.

Supporters gives you a public page with a free tier and monthly paid tiers. Paying supporters read the posts you keep for them, such as a monthly essay.

The newsletter stays free and goes to your whole list. Supporters pay by card into your own Stripe account.

Supporter page in Supporters

The Long Field’s supporters page: a free tier and three monthly tiers with their benefits and supporter counts, and posts for supporters such as a long essay and a reader poll.

One link in your profile leads to the sign-up page and everything else.

Link-In-Bio List is a page of links for your profiles. A block links to your newsletter's sign-up page or your supporters page.

Analytics shows the page's views and the clicks on each link. It can use your own domain.

Building a list in Link-In-Bio List

The Long Field’s Link-In-Bio List page: the newsletter’s name and line, links to subscribe, to support it monthly and to the latest issue, with profile icons.

Each issue's web copy goes out as a post, at the time you choose.

Share to Social Media, on a sent issue, starts a post with its subject and link. Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn posts go out at their time.

Each account can have its own text. For Instagram and X, Magpie reminds you and opens the post filled in.

Writing and scheduling in Social Media

Six more areas cover a website, reading, drafts, a book and a shop.

Websites
Websites builds a home for the newsletter at your own domain.
RSS Reader
RSS Reader follows the feeds and sites you read for each issue.
Bookmarks
Bookmarks keeps the links you collect, with tags and notes.
Notes
Notes holds ideas and drafts, written in Markdown.
Books
Books turns your best issues into a book, read online or downloaded as EPUB.
Store
Store sells the book or a printed collection to your readers.

A newsletter moves over from Substack and keeps sending the same week.

Each step starts from what the last one made.

  1. The import

    You import your Substack export, with where the list came from.

  2. The sign-up page

    Your new sign-up page goes on your links page and your site.

  3. The issue

    You write this week's issue and send yourself a test.

  4. The schedule

    You schedule it for Tuesday at 7 a.m.

  5. The archive

    Once sent, it gets its own page under Past emails.

  6. The post

    Share to Social Media starts a post with its link.

Setting up takes four steps.

  1. Start your newsletter

    You name it, write its description and choose its address. Help: Start and configure a newsletter.

  2. Bring your list

    You import your Substack export or CSV file. Help: Manage and import newsletter subscribers.

  3. Open your supporters page

    You set your free and monthly tiers. Help: Set up Supporters.

  4. Connect Stripe

    You connect your Stripe account, so supporters can pay by card. Help: Connect Stripe to receive money.

Plans

A writer working alone fits Pro, for your own work in Personal. Pro raises the newsletter's limits on subscribers and on email sent each month.

Magpie's fee on supporters' payments is 3%, and Stripe's processing fee is taken from each. Prices are on the Pricing page.

Prices are on the Pricing page

Other writers and publishers have pages of their own.

Podcasters

A podcaster records, publishes and grows a show.

Questions newsletter writers ask

Can I bring my list from Substack?

Yes. You import the Substack export, a CSV file or pasted addresses. You record where the list came from and how people agreed. Rows marked unsubscribed or bounced are left out.

Do new readers confirm their address?

Yes. Public sign-ups use double opt-in. A new address becomes active only after its owner opens the confirmation link.

Can I schedule an issue?

Yes. Under Delivery, you choose Send now or Schedule, with a date and time. A scheduled issue can be cancelled until delivery begins.

Is there an archive of past issues?

Yes. With Web copies on, each sent issue has a public page. They are listed under Past emails on your sign-up page, each with a link to subscribe.

Can I choose the name and reply address?

Yes. The newsletter's settings set the From name and the reply-to address. A footer note can be added to every email.

Can readers pay for my newsletter?

Readers pay through Supporters, a separate page with monthly tiers. Paying supporters read the posts you keep for them there. The newsletter itself stays free to your whole list.

Can I add buyers from my shop to the list?

Yes. A box at your shop's checkout lets buyers join the newsletter. Each one shows on the list as coming from the shop.

What happens to addresses that bounce?

An address that hard bounces or marks an email as spam is suppressed. It is listed as Suppressed and is not sent to again.

What does Magpie take from supporters' payments?

Magpie's fee on supporters' payments is 3%. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each card payment. The rest goes to your own Stripe account.

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