The Colin and Samir Show The Business of Email: How Substack Changed Everything
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Nov 5, 2025 
Rachel Karten, a former Bon Appétit staffer turned independent creator, shares insights from her successful Substack newsletter 'Link in Bio,' which covers social media and the creator economy. She discusses how email newsletters have transformed into powerful business tools, with Substack's direct audience ownership model leading the way. Rachel explains her monetization strategies, including paid subscriptions and brand partnerships, as well as the importance of building personal relationships with smaller, engaged audiences for sustainable growth.
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Email Enables True Audience Ownership
- Email gives creators true audience ownership because you control the subscriber list and can move it between platforms.
- Substack's recommendation engine and inbox delivery make newsletters a unique growth and engagement channel.
Launch Paid Tiers After Consistency
- Turn on paid tiers only after you commit to consistent publishing and add clear perks for subscribers.
- Offer distinct paid benefits like strategy digests and private Discord access to drive conversions.
Platform Recommendations Drive Discovery
- Substack's internal network drives a large share of discovery; Rachel attributes ~60% of recent free subscribers to it.
- Built-in recommendations and Notes function act like a discovery engine for new writers.