Run through this before any newsletter issue or cross-post goes live.
- Headline is specific and delivers on a clear promise
- Introduction hooks in the first sentence (no warm-up preamble)
- Body delivers what the headline promised
- Conclusion includes a clear CTA (reply, subscribe paid, share, etc.)
- Proofread — no typos, no broken sentences
- Subject line finalized (test: would you open this?)
- Preview text set (the sentence that appears in email clients after the subject line)
- Canonical URL set if cross-posting to Medium later
- All images have alt text
- All links tested and working
- Correct send date and time confirmed
- Timezone verified (your scheduler is in the right timezone)
- First line works as a standalone hook
- Under 300 characters if aiming for mobile readability
- No typos
- Cross-posting destinations confirmed
- LinkedIn adaptation written if cross-posting there
- X adaptation prepared if posting as thread
- Scheduled time confirmed
- First 2 lines (150 chars) are compelling — this is what shows before "see more"
- No external links in the post body (put them in the first comment)
- Professional tone — remove Substack-specific jargon
- Subscribe CTA included at the end
- Subscribe link ready to paste into first comment immediately after publishing
- Length appropriate (400–1,200 characters for most posts)
- Scheduled time confirmed
- Canonical URL set to original Substack article URL (non-negotiable)
- Subscribe CTA added at the very end
- All images re-uploaded (not linked from Substack CDN)
- 3–5 tags added
- Title finalized
- Formatting reviewed (headings, blockquotes, code blocks)
- Featured image set
- Scheduled time confirmed
- Thread: first tweet works as a standalone (the hook)
- Single tweet: under 280 characters
- Final tweet includes link to full article or Substack subscribe page
- No broken thread numbering (check "1/6" → "6/6" is complete)
- Scheduled time confirmed
Before confirming any schedule, ask:
- Would a new reader understand this without knowing my previous content? (context independence)
- Does this deliver value before asking for anything? (value first)
- Is the CTA clear and low-friction? (frictionless next step)
If the answer to any of these is "no," revise before scheduling.