A complete multi-platform newsletter publishing system — content calendar templates, cross-posting checklists, platform guides, and automation workflows. Built for Substack writers who want to publish consistently across LinkedIn, Medium, and X without spending 5+ hours per week on distribution.
Most newsletter writers don't have a content volume problem. They have a consistency and distribution problem.
- You write a great newsletter → it gets emailed to subscribers → that's where it ends
- That same article could also appear on Medium (organic Google search traffic), LinkedIn (professional audience), and X (viral potential)
- Cross-platform distribution 3–5x your reach without requiring 3–5x more writing
This repo provides the workflow, templates, and system to make that happen predictably every week.
Phase 1: Plan (Sunday, 30 minutes)
- Define the week's theme
- Outline the newsletter issue
- Plan 4–5 Substack Notes that connect to the theme
- Identify which Notes go to LinkedIn and which articles go to Medium
- Schedule everything in one batch session
Phase 2: Write (Monday–Tuesday)
- Write the full newsletter issue
- Write all Notes in one batch session (not one per day)
- Adapt the top 1–2 Notes for LinkedIn
- Outline an X thread from the newsletter's best insight
Phase 3: Distribute (Automated) With Narrareach, Phase 3 requires no manual work:
- Notes publish to Substack on schedule
- LinkedIn adaptations publish automatically
- Medium article cross-post publishes with canonical URL set and subscribe CTA added
- X thread publishes at scheduled time
- No copy-paste, no platform-switching, no forgetting
Phase 4: Engage + Review (Daily 10 min + Friday 15 min)
- Respond to comments within 24 hours
- Check weekly analytics
- Note what to repeat or change next week
| Day | Action | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Batch write all Notes + schedule everything | — |
| Monday | Note 1 publishes (+ LinkedIn adapted version) | Substack, LinkedIn |
| Tuesday | Note 2 publishes | Substack |
| Wednesday | Newsletter issue sends + Note 3 publishes | Substack email + Notes |
| Wednesday | Full article cross-posts | Medium |
| Thursday | Note 4 publishes (+ X thread) | Substack, X |
| Friday | Note 5 + newsletter recap | Substack, LinkedIn |
| Task | Without System | With Narrareach + Batch Writing |
|---|---|---|
| Writing Notes | 15 min/Note × 5 = 75 min | 45 min (batch, faster) |
| Scheduling Notes | 5 min/Note × 5 = 25 min | 5 min (import CSV) |
| Cross-posting to LinkedIn | 15 min × 3 = 45 min | 5 min (automated) |
| Cross-posting to Medium | 25 min/article = 25 min | 3 min (automated) |
| X thread | 20 min | 10 min |
| Total/week | ~3.5 hours | ~68 minutes |
The 2+ hours/week saved goes back into writing and community engagement.
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Monthly Content Calendar | Plan 4 weeks of newsletters and Notes at once |
| Weekly Publishing Plan | Day-by-day execution template for one week |
| Pre-Publish Checklist | 15-point quality and distribution check before anything goes live |
| Guide | Content |
|---|---|
| Workflow Overview | Full system explained with rationale |
| Platform Guide | LinkedIn, Medium, X, and Substack formatting specifics |
Start with one fixed weekly writing session (many writers prefer Sunday morning). In that session: write your full newsletter, draft 4–5 Notes, and schedule everything using Narrareach. The goal is to finish Sunday's session with zero publishing decisions left for the week.
Set canonical URLs on every Medium article pointing back to your Substack. For LinkedIn and X, native posts don't affect Substack's SEO — they're different domains. Narrareach handles canonical URLs automatically.
Use UTM parameters on your subscribe links, or use Narrareach's attribution analytics which tracks which LinkedIn post or Medium article drove each new Substack subscriber.
Stagger by 24–48 hours per platform:
- Substack newsletter: Wednesday morning
- Medium cross-post: Wednesday afternoon
- LinkedIn summary post: Thursday
- X thread: Friday
This gives each platform its own moment of attention. Simultaneous publishing on all platforms means you're dividing your own engagement across four channels at once.
Start with one external platform (usually LinkedIn) and build that habit before adding a second. A consistent Substack → LinkedIn workflow is more valuable than a chaotic Substack → LinkedIn → Medium → X workflow that breaks down after 3 weeks.
For automated newsletter publishing across Substack, LinkedIn, Medium, and X from one calendar, see Narrareach.
MIT — templates and workflow guides are free to use and adapt.