How do you create a vibrant comments culture? With David Roberts and Gregory Garretson

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How do you create a vibrant comments culture? With David Roberts and Gregory Garretson

Over 500 people showed up to todays live!

, and

Apr 14, 2025

Cross-posted by Substack Writers at Work with Sarah Fay

"I was listening to Sarah Fay the other day in a Live event in which she was talking about how engagement with our existing subscribers is becoming more important. She mentioned this interview that she did with David Roberts and me three months ago as a good resource for thinking about how to engage with readers. I don't believe I cross-posted it at the time, so I am doing so now, in case anyone would like to listen to it. Enjoy! "

Thank you

, and many others for tuning into my live video with

david roberts

and

Gregory Garretson

So much great advice from two great Substack writers who have vibrant comments sections.

You can also listen to our conversation in the app and on Spotify and Apple podcasts. →

Subscribe to David’s Sparks from Culture, where he writes about being an American in the Manhattan bubble, and Gregory’s Living Elsewhere, where he writes about being an American abroad.

How do you create a vibrant comments culture? With David Roberts and Gregory Garretson

02:17 David's Journey on Substack

09:47 Gregory's Journey on Substack

11:30 Strategies for Building Engagement

28:29 Engaging with Readers: Consistency and Clarity

30:08 Effective Commenting Strategies

32:01 Handling Substack Chat and Comments

36:41 Balancing Engagement and Community

40:29 Managing Time and Responding to Comments

47:36 Creating Quality Content for Better Engagement

52:50 Final Thoughts and Takeaways