Substack, the subscription-based publishing platform, has been on the rise. Recently, the company secured a $65 million series B funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz and Thrive Capital. Substack is viewed as one of the most promising platforms for independent writers to write, publish, and distribute their blogs or newsletters. With its user growth and investment backing, it’s no wonder why Substack is becoming an increasingly attractive option for many content creators looking to monetize their work. In this blog post, we will explore how Substack has disrupted the blogging market and what advantages it offers content creators over other publishing platforms. We’ll also discuss some of the challenges Substack faces going forward in terms of competition and sustainability.

What is Substack?

Substack is a platform that allows writers to create and distribute newsletters. It is similar to Mailchimp or Constant Contact in that it provides tools for creating and managing subscribers, but Substack takes a different approach when it comes to pricing.

With Substack, writers can choose to either offer their newsletter for free or set up a subscription paywall. This means that readers can either read your newsletter for free, or they can pay a monthly fee to access all of your content.

This pricing model gives writers the freedom to experiment with different types of content and see what works best for their audience. It also allows them to build a more sustainable business model by relying on reader support instead of advertising dollars.

How Substack Works

Substack makes it easy for writers to start a paid newsletter. It’s free to use and you can sign up in seconds.

Once you create an account, Substack will give you a customizable landing page and newsletter template. You can also connect your own domain name if you want.

Substack takes care of all the technical details, so you can focus on writing and building your audience. When someone signs up for your newsletter, they’ll automatically get new editions delivered to their inbox.

You can choose to publish your newsletter for free or put it behind a paywall. Substack will process payments and send you the money each month. You can also offer discounts and special offers to encourage people to subscribe.

If you build a successful newsletter on Substack, you can make a great income from it. Many writers are making over $100,000 per year from their Substack newsletters.

The Pros and Cons of Substack

There are a few pros and cons to Substack that are worth considering before starting a subscription.

PROS:
-You can make a lot of money. The top 1% of Substack writers make over $24,000 per month, while the average writer makes around $700.
-It’s a very flexible platform. You can write about whatever you want and post as often or as little as you want.
-You have complete control over your content and your audience. Unlike other platforms where algorithms can determine what people see, on Substack, only subscribers will see your content.
-It’s a fairly simple platform to use. You can create a newsletter in just a few minutes without any prior experience or design skills.
CONS:
-Because Substack is so new, there isn’t a lot of data on its longterm sustainability. It’s possible that the platform could fizzle out in the next few years.
-The payment model means that you need to build up a large subscriber base before you start seeing any real income from your newsletter. This can be difficult and time-consuming, especially if you’re starting from scratch.
-There is no guarantee that people will actually read your newsletter once they subscribe. Even if you have great content, it might get lost in people’s inboxes or they might simply forget about it over time.

How to Use Substack

Assuming you’re referring to the Substack email newsletter service:

Substack is a platform that allows writers to create and distribute newsletters. It’s free to sign up, and you can use your own domain name if you want (though it’s not required).

There are two ways to use Substack: the first is to simply create an account and start writing, and the second is to import an existing mailing list from another service like Mailchimp.

If you’re starting from scratch, Substack makes it easy to design your newsletter and add content. You can choose from a variety of templates, or create your own custom design. You can also embed images, videos, and other media in your newsletter. And once you’re ready to publish, you can schedule your newsletter to go out automatically, or send it manually with just a few clicks.

If you already have a mailing list on another service like Mailchimp, you can import it into Substack with just a few clicks. Once your mailing list is imported, you can continue managing it through Substack or directly through your other service – it’s up to you. And of course, if you ever want to switch back to another service, exporting your Substack mailing list is just as easy.

Substack Alternatives

There are a few Substack alternatives out there that offer similar services. These platforms include:

– Revue
– Mailchimp
– ConvertKit
– AWeber
– GetResponse

Each of these platforms has its own set of pros and cons, so it’s important to do your research to find the one that best fits your needs. For example, some platforms may be more expensive than others, or offer more features.

Conclusion

The surge of interest in Substack is proof that it can be a powerful platform for independent writers to share their work with the world. With its 65M Series A round of funding and new strategic investments from Horowitz and McKenzie, there’s no doubt that Substack will continue to revolutionize how people are consuming content online. We look forward to seeing what changes these moves bring about and all the amazing stories this blog will help create!