Social Media: Substack

What is Substack?

Yes, another social media platform. We have a number of tools available in our social media arsenal: Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and even YouTube are the big ones. There are a few smaller options out there as well. 

Substack indicates it's called "a media company, a newsletter platform, and a social media network" but instead calls itself "a subscription network." They boast "more than 50 million active subscriptions, including 5 million paid subscriptions." As a point of reference, LinkedIn boasts over 1 billion subscribers approximately 340 million actually using it monthly. 

Who is the Audience?
The market is similar to LinkedIn but more broad. With their additional focus on podcast options and videos, that sets them up as TikTok and podcast platform competition as well. (Spotify, Amazon, and Apple are big podcast mediums)

What Makes It Different?
Substack's big difference from the rest is a paid subscription option. Readers can choose to pay for your content to read exclusive content or the ability to comment on posts which isn't available for free. Free content is perfectly acceptable as well and encouraged, certainly as you build your subscriber base!

Substack more sees the paid content as a way to build community - folks pay for the trust, recognition, and community of fellow commenters. You can choose (and adjust as you go) what folks will pay for your content, anywhere from $5-$75/mo, with an audience size of at least 50 on up. 

Substack is also based on the idea that subscribers are yours, the creator. You have access to and can download names + email addresses of your subscribers which you can then add to your personal email list off platform. Substack naturally encourages you to instead import your off-platform email list to Substack. However, if you're looking for an option to own names + email addresses for your personal email newsletter, this is the perfect way to have connections "off rented land." (not beholden to the whim of the social media platform) You may choose to simply hang onto the contact info should your access to Substack suddenly go away. If you have folks that you email that don't go on Substack, keep your personal email list going to them. 

As with LinkedIn, Substack publications are being indexed by Google and can be found on searches, broadening your reach on search functions. 

Key Differences Using Substack:

• Opportunity to be paid for writing, podcasts, or videos - far easier to achieve than any other platform.
• Names + emails you can keep - I don't know of any other social platform that enables that. 

Is It Easy to Use?
There is a bit of a learning curve for this one. 

Substack does have a wealth of Resources available to guide you with many links to blog posts and more to get you started. Hitting that link walks you through "How to Start," but you'll see a number of additional resources in the tab's dropdown menu. 

YouTube has a number of folks providing videos and information about how to get started on Substack. There are certainly Substack accounts happy to help you through the process - do a search once you create an account. 

Setting up the very basics is easy and similar to setting up your LinkedIn or other social profiles - banner image, personal image, name, and short bio. Once this is set, you can start reading and post content. 

Types of Content
There are 2 types:

• Notes: short content, text/image/link as you do on most social media platforms
• Posts: long content like blog posts or newsletters. Getting set up with your "newsletter" is its own separate set up as it is on LinkedIn. Basically each post is like an article or blog post. Not long or hard, but separate and additional. 

How to Connect with Others
Substack has a few ways to "follow" creators. The two basics are "follow" and "subscribe," but there are a couple of nuances as well. This is a fabulous Substack article describing the differences in more detail. 

• Follow:  you can see the short notes someone posts but not their longer content or receive email notification of new posts.
• Subscribe: paid vs free. Either way, you are on the creator's list for full content with notifications via email and the app of new posts. 
• Pledge: folks can pre-commit to pay for your content, ready when you do set up a paid option

Great - An Additional Social Option When I'm Stretched Thin
Not wrong. I'm a firm believer in focus for your energy, time, and sanity. But don't forget to simply repost or reuse your content to multiple platforms.

• Website blog: Start here as it's your property, not relying on the whims of the social platforms. This should be the basis or Ground Zero for your content.
• LinkedIn newsletter/articles: copy/paste your blog post with a little formatting time invested.
• Substack: copy/paste your blog post just as you did on LinkedIn.
• Facebook & Instagram: share a short message encouraging folks head to your original website blog post where you hopefully have a pop-up or buttons to subscribe to your email newsletter. Use the Meta platform to post the same message on both platforms. 
• X/Twitter: copy/paste what you posted on Facebook and the rest - link to your website blog post. 

Is Substack in Your Marketing Plan?
I hear a number of LinkedIn users are also heading to Substack as the audience and format feels similar. The benefits of Substack are pretty tempting. I anticipate a lot of growth on Substack in 2026 between the paid subscriber benefit and access to names + email addresses. There are too many stories of creators getting shut down, even temporarily, for no obvious reason on any other social media, having to rebuild completely from the ground up once service may be returned. 

• Solopreneurs/freelances: Depending on where your ideal client hangs out, Substack may be a great format for you.
• Authors: If you're a nonfiction author, Substack may be a great option for you as with LinkedIn! Fiction authors may find more connection on TikTok (BookTok), Instagram (still growing in reach), or Facebook.
• Nonprofits: This may be a great option for your newsletters if you don't want the hassle or cost of a website for a blog. Nonprofits ARE beginning to find Substack as another option to share news. 

Where Are You?
What socials do you focus on? Let me know - love to follow you and cheer for each other! Have you given Substack a try yet?

Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn! I'm on Substack but JUST getting started.  

---