We need more subheadings on Substack
Good subheadings make it easier and faster for readers to navigate articles
Substack is blessed with many gifted writers, and an abundance of amazing content. However, I have noticed that many writers (including me when I first started writing here) don’t use subheadings in their articles
Why use subheadings?
A good subheading tells the reader what he or she can expect in that section of the article. It’s like a big sign that lets readers know what is in the article if they scan it before they start reading or if they are already reading; it takes them into the next section with knowledge of what they are about to read.
When I started writing here, I fell into the trap of just rambling on, without using subheadings. One day I realized this mistake, so I went back to my older articles and put subheadings into them. Adding subheadings made the older articles easier to read.
Which subheading style should you use?
I use H3 (see the Style menu) as it is large and distinct, and it’s easy for readers to see regardless of whether they are on mobile or desktop. I experimented with H4, but found it was a bit small and didn’t set the subheading apart enough. However, H4 can be used for sub-subheadings (see the nitpicks section below).
I suggest experimenting to see which ones you like in your articles. Your mileage may vary from mine, so don’t just go by what I’ve said here. Everybody is different, and you should use what works for you. I like big, obvious subheadings in my articles.
Note that subheadings can also be used to create a table of contents for the article. Hover your cursor over a subhead after you’ve made it, and you’ll see a link. Note that you should create the subheads only after the structure of your article is final. If you move the subhead, the link stays where it was and doesn’t seem to move with it, or at least that has been my experience with the Substack editor.
A couple of other nitpicks I’ve noticed on Substack
Lack of proper capitalization
I have seen a number of substacks where the writer doesn’t use capitalization. I cannot read such articles. I understand that it was likely done to look different and has become a trademark or whatever for that writer, but I cannot read such material. It just annoys my eyes, and the editor in me screams in horror at the very sight of uncapitalized sentences.
The exception that I make for this is in the titles of my own articles and in subheadings. I used to capitalize each word, but it is easier and faster for readers to read a title or subhead if just the first word is capitalized.
Try it yourself sometime; write a title or subhead and capitalize each word, then do it again with just the first word capitalized. Your eyes flow across the title or subhead more easily when just the first word is capitalized.
Giant mega-paragraphs-from-hell
There are certain writers who write VERY long paragraphs that essentially become mini-walls of text. I hate having to wade through very long paragraphs. Often, they seem to have forgotten the purpose of a paragraph, which is to express a particular idea or theme.
There is one very well-known writer on Substack who does this (I’ll keep his name to myself), and each time I try to read one of his articles, I give up as I cannot bring myself to wade through his long paragraphs. It is like trying to swim through a pond of molasses on a cold day in January.
Sloooooooooooooow and teeeeeeeedious!
I hope this helps other Substack writers
My hope in writing this post is that it will help other Substack writers. I don’t mean to be too picky or critical, as we all have our own style of writing. These are just some things I’ve noticed that sometimes put me off reading an article.
Before I forget, here are some helpful resources:
Mailchimp: What is a subheading and why are they important?
The Write Life: Subheadings can make or break your content
Writing Explained: What is a paragraph?
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Agree on the long wall-of-text paragraphs. I was taught that each paragraph is a thought. The first sentence is like a summary/mini-heading. The second and later sentences explain. There is not normally a recap sentence in each paragraph.
This is also how I was taught to speed read - just read the first of every paragraph to get the gist, read further if not self-explanatory.
But I’m old. We were taught differently back then.
This is one of the reasons I break up the text with images. It somehow acts like headers and subhearders, but also alleviate the eye stress of big blocks of text.