★ The Substack Branding and Faux Prestige Trap

The Why of Substack

Not for the first time, the newsletter platform Substack is coming under criticism for hosting and now (accidentally) promoting Nazi content. Today, John Gruber of Daring Fireball is leading this crusade. This seems to be a recurring occurrence. They have controversies. Many express outrage. Some leave the platform. And Substack keeps growing. Why?  I took a step back and asked some basic questions. The answers should help you understand the “wh…

★ The Substack Branding and Faux Prestige Trap

Among the handful of oft-discussed problems with Substack: Their 90/10 subscription revenue split isn't usurious, but it's high compared to competing platforms - especially once you reach an even mid-tier level of popularity. The only way this independent publishing game works, by any credible definition of "the long run", is to build your own audience. Substack has indies convinced that they build an audience for you through some sort of secret…