A new era of online publishing

Has there been a Substack “vibe shift”? In any culture, things are likely to change.

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At a recent creative writing retreat in Italy, I got to spend a week surrounded by lots of different kinds of writers: poets, children’s authors, aspiring novelists. The topic of Substack came up a few times. After all, it’s a brilliant place to regularly practice and flex your writing muscles. A few people asked me what Substack is — and I found myself pausing. How do I best describe it right now?

When I joined Substack almost three years ago, I described it as a newsletter platform for writers. That was why I had joined. I closed down a successful podcast to really double down on my commitment to writing. My eyes lit up whenever I spoke about the Substack universe: ‘Margaret Atwood is here! Roxane Gay! Samantha Irby!’ A genius invention; building something that resembled the old days of blogging, yet giving it a new modern lease of life. Plus there was (and still is) a huge gap in the market for writers who want to make money outside of an unpredictable publishing industry. All my favourite writers were flocking to Substack and I was so proud to be a part of it.

So, how best to describe it?

Maybe it doesn’t matter. It’s growing, that’s for sure — and I think that’s exciting. Yes there’s Notes and live video and Chat but quite honestly I ignore all of that.

I simply focus on building subscribers who I can email and share my writing.

Some people have been getting hot and bothered about the new ‘Follower’ feature on the Substack app (because you don’t own your ‘Followers’, only subscribers.) I believe Substack when they say they simply want to make it easier for writers to attract new readers. And as one of my favourite writers on here

Ochuko Akpovbovbo

recently said: “Yes, Substack has added more social features, but they have yet to invent a gun to your head.” i.e. use what you want, ditch what you don’t. Do what you like.

Notes (and Followers) at least have a purpose: helping users build up new subscribers (and thus potentially new paid subscribers). Twitter, on the other hand, always felt like shouting into the void.

This is new.

I enjoy writing my newsletter regularly, and sometimes share my articles on Notes, and the network here brings me a lot of joy. Following my savage burnout, my life is all about simplicity, and I thoroughly enjoy my cosy little corner of the Internet.

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When I type Substack into Google, it says: “A new economic engine for culture” and “with Substack, anyone can start a publication that combines a personal website, blog, and email newsletter or podcast.” It’s also described as “a blog – but with email” and “very writing-focused.” Hurrah.

More and more people are joining Substack every day. A recent screenshot shows that it’s number #3 on most downloaded iOs apps, following X and Reddit. This means it’s no longer a cool little club. Not yet mainstream but the circle is growing bigger. And when platforms grow, usually it becomes harder to keep your eyes on the road. You get confused at how to walk around, because your cocktail party has now turned into a very big noisy rave.

Substack is the new home for many people in the media. Author and DJ Annie Macmanus recently shuttered her successful podcast Changes and is instead bringing her community to Substack.

Jameela Jamil

is encouraging her 4 million Instagram followers to jump across to her newsletter. The former editor of Tatler and Vanity Fair,

Tina Brown

, is here. Even OG Girlboss

Sophia Amoruso

has joined the ranks. There’s also more beauty and fashion and shopping.

I certainly didn’t discover the band first. Plenty of people were much earlier adopters than me. But I joined at a good time when things were new and people were still finding their feet; and it definitely felt exciting and fresh. Now, it’s expanding pretty quickly.

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I find myself comparing this exciting growth to the early days of Twitter (but with much much better vibes.) If you read Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship and Betrayal, you’ll realize how much weird stuff went on behind the scenes at that place right from the beginning.

Ten years ago, in 2014, when I worked at magazines, I would have meetings at Twitter HQ on London’s Air Street and think how exciting the whole thing was. I sat in big meeting rooms and drank coffee out of a branded mug with a blue little bird on it. Twitter was, at least from the outside, a great brand. Now, I never open ‘X’. I see it as a scary red button that can and will harm me. How things change.

How does a tech platform go from something you’d proudly wear on a tote bag, to something you wouldn’t touch with a barge pole? The crumbling of Twitter was genuinely sad for the users who loved it for over a decade. I think that’s why people get freaked out when things change online too rapidly. But maybe we don’t always have to jump ahead too quickly.

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When you are surrounded by dying social media sites and platform founders who made terrible choices (eg. Facebook, Instagram and X all feel like a bargain bucket bin where you trawl through endless discounted items you don’t want) so it’s normal to worry that something good might go downhill. It’s frustrating because often a product is good at the beginning because it has a clear vision and then endless tweaking messes it up.

But Substack isn’t Twitter. Substack is a long-form platform. It’s well designed. Substack is run by smart people. I recently visited their HQ in San Francisco and met many of the behind-the-scenes team. Good eggs. Curious, value-led people.

I think Substack has a really exciting future. A new economic engine for culture. Sounds pretty good, I think.

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Anyway, I’m excited to be part of the new era of online publishing.

And, I’ll leave things here on a positive (slightly related) thought. A friend of mine recently celebrated her fifteen year anniversary as a creator on YouTube. She’s had a regular, blossoming income stream for her solo creative career that has bought her a house and supported her growing family. Some people would look down on ‘freelance content creator’ as not being a real job title and yet it’s provided an immense amount of stability for her. It’s an example of an online platform that knew its job and stayed pretty consistent.

My dream, I suppose, is that Substack stays primarily a newsletter platform for writers amongst all the growth and expansion. I’d love to continue connecting with readers and having this space as a home for my writing — potentially for years on end.

I want to write for my readers directly and I will prioritise the best platform that allows me to do that and grow as a writer. Substack being a writers platform is what pulled me here.

When I first joined Substack, I wrote a long note of gratitude to the founders for creating this space for writers.

When platforms grow or get more and more popular, you have to double down and find your own voice and not overthink ‘the competition’ or tell yourself ‘you’ve missed the boat’. Yes, there’s more people in the feed now, and that might mean engagement suffers slightly across the board. But this overall growth also means there’s more people signing up and reading things too which is a good thing. Hit the ❤️ button. Leave a ‘recommendation’ for writers you love, it helps drive subscriptions.

I hope to write and connect here for a long time. I will carry on following my gut and, in the meantime, continue to be grateful for this space.

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ps. shout to

Sean Monahan

who I believe coined the term ‘vibe shift’. Additional reading: ‘A Vibe Shift Is Coming’ published in 2022 on The Cut.

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