How to Get in Contact With a Newsletter Writer
Newsletters are one of today's go-to ways for writers, entrepreneurs and brands to connect with their audience.
But what if you want to flip things around and reach out to them? Perhaps you'd like to pitch a collaboration, sell them on your story ideas or explore advertising opportunities? How will you get in touch?
Problem is, every platform handles communication differently. That’s why it helps to know exactly how each platform works—and where to look when you want to start a conversation.
This article walks you through how to contact a newsletter writer on Substack, LinkedIn, and Ghost—and reveals Reletter as your hassle-free solution!
Table of Contents
How to find contact info for Substack newsletter writers
Substack is a social publishing platform dedicated to helping writers and other communicators connect with their audience, build a community, grow their publication and make money through paid subscribers. Writers can grow an email list through Substack newsletter writing (and take it with them if they move to another platform).
There are four ways to connect privately with Substack writers:
- Reply to their email newsletter
- Email their Substack domain
- Send them a DM through Substack ‘Chat’
- Check their profile or About page for contact details.
Let's look at each option in more detail.
Reply to their email newsletter
Substack posts live on the website but are also emailed to subscribers.
Writers have the option to allow replies to their Substack emails, so try pressing reply as your first step. If enabled, your reply goes to a long, complicated-looking Substack address, like this:
Replying to an email newsletter clarifies that you’re on their email list, so it could feel more natural than a cold pitch coming out of the blue. Some writers don’t enable replies on their emails, so you’ll need to find another way to reach out.
Email their Substack domain
Substack itself has this to say about emailing newsletter writers:
You can also send them a message via email at <subdomain>@substack.com (replace subdomain with the name of their Substack publication).
DM through Substack 'Chat'
Some writers enable direct messaging on their Substack website—but may only make it available to paid subscribers. So, if you've paid to join a writer's Substack, open their newsletter profile and tap the message button to bring up a private chat.
You can also DM writers through Substack's Chat function either on the web or in the Substack App. Again, I've found some Substack newsletters only allow DMs from paid subscribers.
DMs live on the Chat tab on your app and on the website.
- Select the chat icon.
- Open direct messages. (If you've received any DMs from people you know or subscribed to you'll see them here.)
- Tap the orange button to open your Substack contacts list (You may have to subscribe to the writer or newsletter you wish to contact before they appear in the list.)
- Select their name to open a message window.
- Your message will go into the writer's Requests folder. They can choose to accept or reject your message request. (Substack won't tell you if a writer rejects your message, but that might be what's happened if you don't get an answer.)
Check their profile or About page for contact details
Some writers make their preferred means of contact obvious. They might list a personal email, website or social media accounts on their profile or About page, which makes it easy for anyone to contact them there. So, it's worth looking around the newsletter you're trying to contact to see if that's the case.
If there are no contact details on the About page, it's worth checking other tabs, too. For example, Fix The News has a contact email address on their Advertisers page, showing that they’re happy to hear from people wanting to advertise on their Substack.
Will I be able to see the writer's email address?
Only if they've included it on the website. Substack doesn't reveal the author's email address when you reply to an email newsletter.
How to find contact details for a LinkedIn newsletter writer
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform designed to help individuals and organizations share expertise, build credibility, grow their audience, and create opportunities through connections, content, and newsletters. Writers build connections and newsletter subscribers but can't export their email list if they leave LinkedIn's platform.
LinkedIn newsletters are tied to personal or company profiles so you have a few different ways to reach the writer:
- Comment on their newsletter posts (although everyone will see that message)
- Send a connection request or message
- Check their profile for contact details.
Let’s walk through them step by step.
Comment thoughtfully on their newsletter posts
Many LinkedIn writers often ignore messages from strangers, so going in cold isn't the best strategy.
Writers are far more likely to respond if they recognize you from their subscriber list and can see you putting effort into getting to know them.
Start by following the writer (you'll likely see a follow button on their profile page) and subscribing to the newsletter. Then focus on getting their attention by leaving engaging, insightful comments on their newsletter posts.
Send a connection request or a message
If the writer accepts connections or has messaging enabled, you can reach out directly through LinkedIn.
Send a connection request first, partly because people are more likely to answer DMs from their connections but also because free LinkedIn members can only message their direct connections (aka 1st-degree connections.) LinkedIn Premium members can send DMs outside their network through InMail.
If the writer has enabled messaging, you'll see a blue Message button appear on their profile box. Click it, then write your message.
Check the writer's profile for contact details
Many professionals list an email, website or other contact info on their LinkedIn Profile. If they do, use that—particularly if they mention their preferred method of contact.
Will I be able to see their email address?
No, LinkedIn doesn't reveal the author's email address. If you try replying to their email newsletter, a no-reply email address appears. Some people include contact details on their LinkedIn profile, so it's worth looking there.
How to find contact info for a newsletter hosted on Ghost
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform built for independent writers and businesses. It helps creators grow an audience, build an email marketing list, run an email newsletter and generate revenue through their own website. However, Ghost doesn't have built-in messaging or community features like LinkedIn and Substack.
How you reach a writer on Ghost depends on the options they've set up:
- Reply to their emails (if enabled)
- Check their website for contact information
- Scan the email footer.
Here’s a closer look at each option.
Reply to their emails
Many Ghost newsletters let you hit Reply to send a message straight to the writer. Not all creators enable this, so you may find your email bounces back.
Check their website
Ghost newsletters usually come from a custom domain hosted on Ghost's platform. Look for an About, Contact, or Work with me tab in the navigation menu. You’ll often find a dedicated email address, a form or links to social media on those pages.
Scan the email footer
Ghost lets creators customize their email templates, so you may find the author's contact details or links in the footer.
Here's an example from The Wool Channel and its newsletter, The Wool Wire:
Will I be able to see their email address?
Possibly. It depends on which details the writers decide to make public.
Use Reletter to find contact info for newsletter writers
Reletter is a first-of-its-kind newsletter search engine and database for email newsletters on Substack, LinkedIn and Ghost.
If you're looking to sponsor a newsletter in your niche, get featured in newsletters or even cross-promote your own newsletter with other writers, Reletter was made for you.
James Potter, Founder of Reletter
Each newsletter has its own Reletter page, which pulls together data from across the web into one convenient place. Here, you'll find details like the number of issues published, links to recent issues, how many subscribers they have... and—the most important thing for this article—contact details, including their email addresses.
For example, here's a sample of Science For Everyone's newsletter page on Reletter.
How to find contact details for any Substack, LinkedIn or Ghost newsletter writer
You can find email addresses and social links with one click.
- Tap the blue Contacts button
- That's it!
If you're pitching an idea, collaboration or potential ad spot, you can write the pitch directly on Reletter (we have templates for each of those) or tap the copy to clipboard icon (next to the address) to paste it into your own email.
Final thoughts
Contacting a newsletter writer comes down to using the channels they’ve made available—replies or DM Chats on Substack, contact pages on Ghost, or connect to leave a message on LinkedIn. Keep it polite, keep it relevant, and you’ll stand out from the noise.
Want to go further?
Reletter helps you discover newsletter writers and reach out to the right ones with confidence.