Here recently I’ve been hearing a lot about Substack from the greater writing community. Many of my writing professors recommend it, a few of my writing friends have mentioned it, and so I joined to see what the hub-bub was about. After all, monetizing your writing content and having access to your favorite author’s newsletter sounds amazing, right? And a new writing community to interact with? Count me in!

If you’re like me three week ago, then you probably don’t know that is, that’s okay! I’m going to enlighten you with a quick rundown of what Substack is and why I’m on it along with my thoughts on the site as a whole (the good, the bad, and the meh). The most important thing for you to know upfront however is that, in short, it’s a writing community type platform. So if any of that sounds interesting to you, then please, I implore you to keep reading.

What is Substack anyways?

Substack is a platform that lets writers do what they do best: write. But here’s the twist – instead of shouting into the void of social media or hoping for a lucky break with traditional publishing, writers on Substack can build their own audience and connect directly with readers who appreciate their unique voice and perspective via newsletters sent into their feeds. It very similar to wordpress in a way and allows one to consolidate their writer newsletter subscriptions.

Think of it as a DIY publishing empire, minus the stuffy boardroom meetings and corporate red tape. Writers can set up their own newsletter, penning anything from personal essays to political commentary to niche hobby guides, and deliver it straight to their subscribers’ inboxes like a literary love letter.

But wait, there’s more! Substack isn’t just about writing – it’s about building a community. Readers can engage with writers through comments, discussions, and even exclusive Q&A sessions or virtual book clubs. It’s like joining a book club where the author is always present and the snacks are unlimited (well, metaphorical snacks, but you get the idea).  This I think is my favorite potential draw of Substack.

Monetizing Your Writing Content

Additionally, Substack gives writers the freedom to monetize their work on their own terms. Whether it’s through paid subscriptions, one-time donations, or exclusive content for loyal supporters, writers have the power to turn their passion into profit without sacrificing their creative integrity. I mean, I know writing makes a ton of money already but just in case you wanted to make a few more meager coins for your hard writing work.

There are some Potential drawbacks…

I will add that Substack isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I think it’s a potentially a great platform for writers, of course, but I can already see some potential issues with the site even after just recently signing up. It’s still a somewhat new site having been launched in 2017 (sheesh maybe not that young. That was 6 years ago!) so that is something to keep in mind as it hasn’t had as much time to evolve yet when compared to other popular social medias like Instagram, facebook, or twitter.

Newsletter clutter

With so much content vying for attention, it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack or, more accurately, like trying to find that one specific paper you’re looking for in a cluttered desk. How’s a reader supposed to keep up with it all? It’s a veritable digital avalanche of words, and if your newsletter isn’t captivating enough, it might just get lost in the shuffle. Only after a few subscriptions, I found my feed cluttered and hard to navigate. With so many options out there, readers might suffer from subscription fatigue and start treating their inbox like a junk drawer – full of forgotten treasures and abandoned dreams.

The Fun of Monetization

While Substack offers writers the tantalizing promise of monetization, turning a profit isn’t always a walk in the park. From setting subscription prices to convincing readers to open their wallets, it’s like trying to sell ice to an Eskimo – or, in this case, selling newsletters to subscribers who’ve already got a full inbox.

How to Even Stand Out?

It is very unclear how to even start building on audience in Substack or how to stand out. Beyond advertising your content on other social medias where you are already assumed to have a following, I haven’t seen much of a way to create a writing community from scratch. Tags don’t really seem to be used though there are separated topic categories that contain a lot of other content creators- an overwhelming amount actually. I find it hard to believe that amongst the many pushed and popular news letters that it would be easy for a starting writer to even be noticed.

Many of Your Favorite Authors are Not to Be found

Substack, being launched in 2017 as I have previously mentioned, could still be classified as a relatively new site. So, as a result, many of your favorite authors probably don’t have one yet or at least aren’t active. As a reader, I would think this would be the biggest draw but I don’t think Substack is popular enough yet to quite offer this as a draw.

Still might be worth it maybe perhaps??

But everything has its ups and downs. Who knows? Maybe Substack really is the future of monetizing your writing content? As a writer myself, I do hope so but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m just here for the ride. And if you decide that you want to be along for the ride too, here’s my Substack handle: click here!

Take care and Thanks for reading!