It looks like everyone seems to be shifting their newsletters and on-line content material to Substack, together with some long-time bloggers and on-line influencers. I’ve thought-about utilizing Substack, too. I even arrange an account and created a emblem, however I by no means adopted by way of and commenced posting there. As of proper now, I’ve no plans to take action.

I do know all the explanations on-line content material creators wish to transfer to Substack. Arguably, they’re first rate causes. Nonetheless, I believe my causes for not shifting to Substack make sense and work for me.

If in case you have been toying with the thought of organising a Substack account, I’ll share my pondering. Possibly it can show you how to resolve if you wish to use this website in your publication or some form of longer-than-social-media posts.

What’s Substack?

In case you don’t know what Substack is or haven’t learn the columns or work of writers publishing there, let’s start with an outline of this service. Substack is a web based publishing platform that enables creators—comparable to writers, journalists, and podcasters—to publish content material there and ship newsletters on to their particular person subscribers’ inboxes. This content material is hosted on a blog-style web site that enables creators to monetize their work by way of paid and free subscriptions.

You may learn Substack posts totally free with out an account. When a subscription immediate pops up, click on “Let me learn first” or “No thanks” to bypass it. Nonetheless, you do want an account to go away feedback, “like” posts, or entry paid or members-only content material.

Substack is an impartial, venture-backed firm headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Its main monetary backers embody Andreessen Horowitz, BOND, and The Chernin Group. It’s run by its co-founder and CEO, Chris Greatest, alongside the opposite co-founders, Hamish McKenzie (Chief Author) and Jairaj Sethi (Chief Expertise Officer).

Should you don’t have an creator web site or weblog, which each and every aspiring or revealed creator actually wants, a website like Substack can present a spot so that you can home your content material and present it to potential readers. It could even show you how to construct a mailing checklist or platform.

That mentioned, it isn’t your private web site or weblog. It’s a service supplied by another person that you’re utilizing, and an internet site owned by another person the place you’re renting house.

9 Causes I Select To not Use Substack

Listed here are my high 9 causes for persevering with to do what I do—weblog alone web site—slightly than swap to Substack.

1. Substack is a rented property.

I’ve written about this earlier than, however it’s a topic price repeating, particularly for writers. Substack, like social media websites, is “rented property.” You don’t personal this actual property.

Finally, you wish to personal the property that you just name your creator web site, weblog, or publication.

The businesses and folks talked about above personal and run Substack. Meaning you don’t make the foundations and haven’t any say in what occurs on or to the positioning. That’s dangerous enterprise, in my expertise.

I’ve been on a couple of social media websites the place the foundations frequently modified. Moreover, on one website, the viewers modified together with the possession. After which the writers modified, making the surroundings very, very completely different. I used to be even on a website very similar to Substack (sans the flexibility to construct a mailing checklist with subscribers) that was bought after which closed down—taking everybody’s content material with it.

Whenever you write and publish content material by yourself web site or weblog, you personal that house. You make the foundations, and also you resolve what occurs on and to the positioning. You’re the writer. You set the temper and appeal to readers fascinated by your work.

Moreover, you identify who—if anybody else—publishes content material in your website. It has come to my consideration that there are writers on Substack with opinions I might not wish to be related to. In fact, there are many writers I do know and love, and some whose work I take pleasure in studying, on Substack. But, I select to personal my property in our on-line world and dictate what occurs on my website.

2. Running a blog achieves my search engine optimization objectives.

I just lately had an audit finished of my three web sites (all of which have blogs). I requested my web site skilled to find out whether or not I might be higher off shifting to Substack or, on the very least, including this website to the various locations the place I already publish content material. His reply was “no.”

Utilizing knowledge, he demonstrated that my weblog posts proceed to ship very good Search Engine Optimization (search engine optimization), which has all the time been the principle purpose to weblog. Whenever you publish often in your weblog, search engines like google like Google index that content material for key phrases. Write typically sufficient on a selected matter, and your content material rises within the Search Engine Outcomes Pages (SERP), so it’s simply discovered by potential readers (and patrons). They then click on on the hyperlink that leads them to your very personal web site.

Whereas Substack posts present up in Google searches, they drive visitors to Substack, to not your creator web site. I need visitors to my web sites, so folks land on a web page that gives all of them my services.

Plus, my websites have historical past with Google. I’d be ranging from scratch in some ways on Substack.

3. I don’t want extra work.

Even when I solely repurpose posts initially revealed on my blogs, publishing on Substack nonetheless requires extra work. It’s one other factor to do each week.

And if I wish to provide paid subscriptions, I’ve so as to add one thing of worth to these posts. That’s much more work.

Those that know me notice I’m not work-averse. Nonetheless, I achieve this a lot already that it’s laborious to seek out time to put in writing my weblog posts, not to mention produce ebook manuscripts, work with teaching shoppers, or run my group coaching and training applications.

I’m doing sufficient. Interval.

4. Not everybody likes Substack.

Whereas a great deal of folks like Substack, some folks don’t. (I suppose it’s potential that some folks don’t like blogs on web sites, too.) In any case, I don’t wish to flip off anybody who has no real interest in becoming a member of yet one more website.

And a few folks don’t respect sure content material on Substack—posts and newsletters that run counter to their beliefs. Subsequently, they keep away and may even make assumptions that anybody utilizing Substack shares these counter-beliefs.

I’d slightly simply keep on with my very own website. Then nobody must go some other place to learn my work or surprise about my values.

5. I’m not fascinated by fads.

I’ve all the time caught to my weapons and continued running a blog when others mentioned running a blog is lifeless. (It’s alive.) Running a blog nonetheless works, and folks nonetheless learn weblog posts. (Truly, Substack simply gives a free place to publish posts.)

Substack is previous the hype or shiny-new-thing cycle, however it’s nonetheless increasing. That mentioned, it’s a lot tougher to seek out your tribe there now than it was to start with.

I have already got a tribe. Certain, I might go on the lookout for extra potential members someplace they exist already. (That was the draw of Medium, which I additionally joined however used solely briefly.) I’d slightly do this alone website for causes already defined.

6. Getting paid on Substack is unlikely.

One of many important causes I wished to affix Substack and publish content material there was to earn money. Pure and easy.

I don’t earn money off my weblog posts or my weekly publication—until somebody clicks on a hyperlink and buys considered one of my services or products. However I might earn money on Substack…or so it might appear. For that to occur, although, you should get consideration on the positioning. And presently, that’s tough.

In actuality, in 2026, getting free Substack subscribers is achievable. Getting sufficient paid subscribers to generate significant earnings is tough and unrealistic.

Roughly 5 to 10 p.c of free subscribers convert to paid for a wholesome Substack. So when you’ve got:

• 1,000 free subscribers, you may get 50–100 paid.
• 10,000 free subscribers, you may get 500–1,000 paid.

In case your subscription worth is $8 per 30 days:

• 100 paid subscribers = ~$700 per 30 days after charges

You want not less than 1,000 paid subscribers in your Substack efforts to quantity to an actual enterprise or substantial earnings.

It’s a sluggish grind on Substack to get even 100 free subscribers. That’s why many creators are disenchanted to find that rising on this website is a sluggish grind. So is incomes earnings. One evaluation of twenty-two,000+ Substack newsletters discovered that the underside 25 p.c attracted underneath 200 free subscribers. And people 200 subscribers might have taken them two years to draw. I’m going to deal with rising income from the services I already provide. I can do this with higher consideration to the calls to motion in my weblog posts. That takes little further work and monetizes what I have already got.

7. I’d slightly have subscribers to my weblog or publication.

At this level in my profession, I worth my e-mail checklist greater than ever. It’s my strongest platform aspect and approach to promote something to my followers—together with a ebook.

I’d slightly have folks subscribe to my weblog or publication or get on my mailing checklist instantly in another approach. Sure, you may accumulate e-mail addresses on Substack. Then you should switch them to your e-mail advertising system, which is one other step that requires extra work.

My e-mail checklist grows fairly properly through my promotions, publication, social media, and, after all, my weblog posts.

By the best way, you may subscribe to this weblog and all my emails for writers by clicking on the picture on the highest proper facet of this website, providing a FREE GUIDE to assist begin your nonfiction ebook.

8. I’m bored with getting pulled into on-line FOMO.

As I watch long-time profitable bloggers shut down their blogs and transfer to Substack, I undoubtedly really feel the stress to comply with of their footsteps. I had FOMO huge time—particularly in the event that they mentioned they had been creating wealth.

Simply this week, I once more noticed a web based influencer and skilled share in a video that she was shifting to Substack. Effectively, good for her.

I’m bored with getting pulled into the net FOMO. As an illustration, I joined Bluesky when everybody was leaving Twitter (X). I’ve not discovered it to be price a lot of my time.

I created an account there, so I really feel the necessity to put up there sometimes. (Once more, extra work for little return.) I principally hold that automated.

(As an apart, whereas I don’t like X, I’m nonetheless there for platform causes solely. I take advantage of automated posts, if I put up in any respect.)

9. It’s okay to not be all over the place.

I’ve all the time advised writers and authors that they don’t have to be all over the place, as in on each single social media website. That mentioned, I’ve really useful a multi-pronged social media technique that entails becoming a member of most of them and being energetic on solely a choose few.

However not all websites are frequented by your best readers. And you could not take pleasure in utilizing all websites. So decide and select. Use the social media websites you want and that your readers like, too.

Alongside the identical strains, I’m selecting to not be all over the place. I select to not be on Substack.

Discover Me On My Web site

I by no means deliberate to close down my blogs and use Substack as an alternative. That’s what most former bloggers who grew to become Substack customers have finished.

I don’t wish to struggle for my share of the readership on one other website. I choose to stay with what has labored and continues to work—publishing content material on a website I personal and handle and sharing it on social media, successfully driving visitors to my web site from locations the place I have already got followers.

I’ve been publishing on my websites for a very long time. My readers know the place to seek out me.

And in the event that they haven’t discovered me but, a fast Google seek for info on a subject I write about repeatedly will ship them to considered one of my websites.

Are you on Substack, or do you intend to affix Substack? Inform me in a remark beneath. Additionally, please share this put up with a author who would profit from studying it.

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Picture courtesy of mhyimge.