Substacks: Are we into them?

Guys, is anyone reading people on Substack? I’ve just started taking it more seriously, and it is just so fascinating to me.

OK, let me rewind a bit.

What is Substack?

The official definition is that it is a popular newsletter platform many content creators use to build relationships directly with their audience. It’s popular with journalists, bloggers, content creators, and political commentators.

I’ve been following a few writers there, and it’s pretty interesting. It’s like a combination of a blog and a medium article. And you can subscribe to your favorite newsletters, which directly come into your inbox.

All right, I am not a huge fan of these newsletters cluttering up my inbox, but with a little bit of organizing, I have them all sorted into a folder, and when I am in the mood for excellent, long-form content, well, there it is, right in my inbox.

What’s so great about Substack?

As a content creator, I like that there is no pressure to grab the attention of Google or Facebook algorithms or get big reader numbers, which has been a bit of a losing game with blogs. I remember starting my WordPress blog back in the dark ages, and my blog would be acing the search results with barely any effort.

These days, with my blog, I spend so much time on SEO optimization, Yoast, researching search keywords, etc., and I barely make a dent in the search results.

Substack newsletters are subscription-based. Writers charge around $5 a month or $50 a year for access to their newsletters, although there are many free newsletters.

As a reader, I think I like this direction where media is headed, to a series of more distilled, singular voices. It feels like I’m reading a proper editorial without any advertiser bias.

Do I plan to get on Substack?

I have a Substack account for following writers, but I haven’t got my brain wrapped around how I will provide content there. How different will it be from my blog? Although I do have some advertising on my blog, I pride myself on it being reasonably discreet and just enough to support the blog – pay my hosting bills, buy books, and other little luxuries.

There was a time I used to accept books for review. However, my reviews started being a little lop-sided, focusing on populist bestsellers from the Indian subcontinent, which is not typically my preferred genre. I am pretty comfortable with the current setup – reading books that interest me while getting ad sponsorships from sources entirely unrelated to books.

Moving to Substack would mean that I would be asking readers to pay and subscribe to my newsletter, something I am not sure about. Would people pay to read my random ramblings? And would that not eventually affect my writing anyway? And what would I do with this massive inventory of content on my blog?

So, for now, I confine all writing to my blog, but never say never, right? I might eventually move ship to Substack. I like the energy there; tons of interaction and comments, likes, and people recommending each other’s substacks. It’s kind of like what blogging used to be ten years ago.

Some of my favorite Substacks

• Beard between the lines – I follow Joaō on Instagram and have always liked his long, insightful captions on books and writing. When he started writing on Substack, I began to follow him there, too (only the free content)
• Satchel Notes – Another blogger and Instagrammer that now writes on Substack. Great reviews, not run-of-the-mill books. I always enjoy her content, but I’m not gonna lie; I prefer the prettiness of her blog more than the boring Substack template.
• Best Evidence – For true crime lovers. Their Substack is a mix of video and text; at first glance, it can feel chaotic. I like this Substack for its listicles and links to external true crime articles.
• Dear Reader – This newsletter is probably the closest to my heart. I love all the K-dramas she features, and the genres of books she reads are close to my reading tastes. Her article on The Satanic Verses is an absolute delight!
• Michelle Reads Books Newsletter – Another writer whose book and movie tastes match mine.

And there are plenty more! One thing about Substack I like and dislike at the same time is the kind of rabbit hole it is turning out to be. I move from one substack to the other, and it’s now become my latest time-wasting addiction.

So, are you on Substack? Reading or writing? What do you like or dislike about this new communication medium?