Users of Substack now have an additional platform to communicate with their preferred authors, podcasters, and video creators. Now that the site offers a chat option, creators can interact with their subscribers and maybe develop closer relationships with their communities. Chat is a communal place that has been rebuilt exclusively for authors and creators; it’s like having your own private social network where you choose the rules, said Substack in an obvious jab at Twitter.

For the time being, only the iOS app for Substack has access to the feature. Currently, you can’t chat with your favourite Substack authors and podcasters on the web or Android, but you will be able to do so later. The company pointed out that chat thread topics and tones are entirely up to their producers. They can decide whether to make the chat feature available to everyone or just paid users, and they can deactivate and revive it whenever they choose. All of a creator’s subscribers will receive an email alert the first time they start a chat. Even though it seems a little spammy, at least it’s only happening once. After that, only those who have enabled push notifications will be informed when a new chat thread is posted. An FAQ states that creators have a few alternatives for moderation.

According to Substack, many newsletter authors now use platforms like Discord, Slack, and Telegram to communicate with their readers. Over the past few months, its developers have collaborated with a team of authors to streamline things via an internal chat feature. However, unless Substack offers more effective conversation moderating options, writers might not be prepared to give up on external platforms. The platform’s chat functionality and other social features are just getting started, according to Substack, who also promises that there will be more upgrades.