Substack is a popular platform for writers and publishers to create and distribute their content. While comments can be a great way to engage with readers and build a community, some publishers may prefer to turn off comments on their posts. Fortunately, Substack offers a simple way to enable or disable comments on a per-post basis.
To turn off comments on a Substack post, simply navigate to the post editor and click on the “Settings” button. From there, you can choose to disable comments entirely or only allow paid subscribers to leave comments. If you choose to disable comments, readers will not be able to leave comments on the post, and any existing comments will be hidden from view.
It’s important to note that at this time, replies to Substack notes cannot be turned off. However, publishers can delete individual replies by clicking on the three-dot menu and selecting “Delete.” Additionally, publishers can ban or un-ban specific users from commenting on their publication by clicking on the user’s comment and selecting “Ban or suspend user.”
Understanding Substack’s Commenting System
Substack is a platform that allows writers to create and publish newsletters. It also has a commenting system that enables readers to engage with the writer and other readers. However, there may be times when a writer wants to turn off comments for a particular post or for the entire publication.
By default, Substack allows comments on all posts. However, writers can disable comments on a per-post basis or for the entire publication. To enable comments for a publication, the writer needs to navigate to the publication’s Settings and click on Community in the left navigation bar. Then, click on the toggle next to “Enable community features.”
Once comments are enabled, the writer can choose whether to allow comments on a per-post basis. From the post editor, the writer can click on Settings and choose whether to allow comments or not.
If a writer receives an unwanted comment on their post, they can delete it by clicking on the three dots beneath the comment, then clicking “Remove comment.” If they want to remove all comments from a banned user, they can instead click “Ban or suspend user.”
At this time, replies to notes cannot be turned off. Unlike a Chat thread where the writer can turn off replies or a publication post where they’re able to lock comments, users can continue to leave replies on a note. However, the writer can delete a reply by clicking on the three dot menu and selecting “Delete.”
In summary, Substack’s commenting system allows writers and readers to engage with each other. However, writers have the option to turn off comments on a per-post basis or for the entire publication. They can also delete unwanted comments or ban users who violate the community guidelines.
Navigating to Your Substack Settings
If you want to turn off comments on your Substack posts, you can do so by accessing your Substack settings. Here’s how you can navigate to your Substack settings:
Accessing Your Dashboard
First, log in to your Substack account. Once you’re logged in, you’ll be taken to your dashboard. If you’re not taken to your dashboard automatically, click on the “Dashboard” link in the top navigation bar.
Locating the Settings Tab
Once you’re on your dashboard, you’ll need to locate the “Settings” tab. To do this, look for the gear icon in the top navigation bar. Click on the gear icon to access your Substack settings.
Once you’re in your Substack settings, you can turn off comments on your posts by choosing whether to allow comments on a per-post basis. From the post editor, click Settings. Then, choose the “No one (disable comments)” option under “Allow comments from” to turn off comments on a specific post.
Alternatively, you can disable comments for your entire publication. To do this, navigate to your publication’s Settings page and click on Community in the left navigation bar. Then, click on the toggle next to “Enable comments” to disable comments for your entire publication.
By following these steps, you can easily turn off comments on your Substack posts.
Disabling Comments on Substack
If you want to turn off comments on your Substack publication, you have two options: You can disable comments for all posts, or you can disable comments for individual posts.
General Settings
To disable comments for all posts, go to your publication’s General Settings and toggle off the Allow comments option. This will prevent anyone from leaving comments on any of your posts.
Post Settings
If you want to disable comments for individual posts, you can do so in the Post Settings for each post. When you are creating or editing a post, scroll down to the Comments section and toggle off the Allow comments option. This will prevent anyone from leaving comments on that specific post.
Keep in mind that disabling comments may affect engagement with your readers. If you want to encourage discussion and feedback, you may want to consider allowing comments on your posts. However, if you are dealing with spam or harassment, disabling comments may be the best option for you.
Overall, disabling comments on Substack is a straightforward process that can be done either for all posts or individual posts. By following these steps, you can easily turn off comments and manage your publication’s engagement.
Managing Existing Comments
Once comments have been enabled on a Substack post, the author has the ability to manage those comments. This includes deleting comments that violate the publication’s community guidelines or moderating comments that require approval before they are published.
Deleting Comments
To delete a comment, the author can navigate to the comment and select the three dots located underneath the comment. From there, they can select “Delete comment” to remove the comment from the post.
Moderating Comments
Authors can also choose to moderate comments by enabling comment reporting on their publication. Once comment reporting is enabled, authors can review comments before they are published and choose to approve or reject them. To manage comments that require approval, authors can navigate to their publication’s settings page and click on “Community” in the left navigation bar. From there, they can click on “Manage comments” to view the comment moderation queue.
It is important for authors to regularly review and moderate comments to ensure a positive and respectful community for their readers. By deleting comments that violate community guidelines and moderating comments that require approval, authors can maintain a safe and engaging space for their readers to interact with their content.
Re-enabling Comments on Substack
If you’ve previously disabled comments on your Substack posts and would like to re-enable them, it’s a straightforward process.
First, navigate to the post editor for the post you’d like to enable comments on. From there, click on “Settings” and select “Everyone” under the “Comments” section. This will allow any reader, regardless of whether they are a paid subscriber, to leave a comment on your post.
If you only want to allow paid subscribers to leave comments, select “Paid subscribers only” instead.
Once you’ve made your selection, click “Save” to apply the changes. Your readers will now be able to leave comments on your post.
Remember, if you ever want to disable comments again, simply follow the steps outlined in the previous section.