“You can pretty much do anything on Substack—which is good and also makes me nervous.” – Chenell Basilio
We've seen a wave of creators flocking to Substack over the last month and couldn’t help but wonder... what’s really going on here?
In this episode, Chenell & Dylan unpack the why we believe this migration is happening. Are creators just chasing the next shiny thing, or is Substack genuinely offering something new and powerful?
We dive into the benefits, red flags, and the not-so-obvious consequences of going all in on the platform. We cover how Substack is evolving from a newsletter tool into a full-blown creator ecosystem, and whether that’s a blessing or curse—or a bit of both? If you've been thinking about launching (or leaving) a Substack, this episode is your guide to making an informed decision—minus the hype.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Why big-name creators like Justin Welsh, Dan Koe, and Jay Clouse are experimenting with paid Substack newsletters
- Substack’s Creator Fund and how it might be influencing the migration
- What makes Substack’s all-in-one platform appealing—and the tradeoffs you make using it
- Our concerns about data control, platform dependency, and reach
- How recommendations and native distribution can supercharge growth (but also create subscriber quality issues)
- Whether Substack’s 10% revenue cut is worth it for smaller vs. larger creators
- Substack’s limitations when it comes to API access, segmentation, automation, and list hygiene
- How we personally use Substack (or don’t), and what we’d do differently if we started newsletters there today
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Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.
