I used to love Medium, but it’s lost its relevance for me. So many of my regular readers have left (many of them were fellow writers) for pastures ‘more appreciative’ that now when I post there i only get a handful of reads. I write fiction (which M doesn’t really value) & i was an editor of 3 publications (unpaid, unappreciated but maybe that’s improving- just now M is trying to show a little love to the task). Anyway- i no longer subscribe there, but I do publish as i use M as a shop window/ bulletin board for my content elsewhere.
Substack - I enjoy it, both my pen names have an account & for my erotic fiction I’ve created an option to pay for ‘spicier’ content. I like notes & how easy it is to restack, recommend & share to other Substackers. I DO get overwhelmed by all the newsletters- if only there was an option to just get the article in my s/s ‘in tray’.
My favourite to write for, because it’s SO easy & you ALSO own your subscriber list is Ream. I know i don’t use it as well as I should- there are plenty of ways I could do it better (but darn it Rachel- you aren’t there to guide me!)
It’s ALL FICTION- and it’s great for releasing chapters drip drip (but easy to load a novel in 1 hit) & updating your followers & subscribers with the ‘community’ function. A fairly new feature is ‘shelves’ whereby you can make recommended reading lists by grouping your own or other authors’ books you are/have enjoyed.
Discoverability is Ream’s Achilles Heel, and the tech team is tiny but I’m hopeful that it will improve. Audio feature is coming, as is the option to put books up to ‘buy outright’ for readers who don’t want to subscribe.
Thank you for the wonderfully informative share, Posy. Mischa is my go-to for anything Ream-related https://mischaeliot.substack.com.
It's a good option for erotica writers who are being turned away on more trad platforms. It's good that you're there, though, and I can understand what's needed to help grow.
IDK why people get so twisted about erotica. I was on an audio space recently, and a person was pearl-clutching over Anaïs Nin's 'filthy, horrific tales.' I laughed!
From a size standpoint, there are more people who read there than here. However, it feels like wasted effort - why put all that into a platform that keeps the subscribers' info from us? Doesn't make sense.
Interesting and useful as always! I like Substack because it’s a blog site (and a nice-looking one at that) + an email newsletter tool. I used the lead photo and first paragraph of every article on my website with a Read More CTA that takes website visitors to my Substack page and encourages them to subscribe. I’m only 3 months in to Substack but that’s how I’ve grown my subscriber base to 148. Maybe not gangbusters but nothing to sneeze at considering my novel doesn’t come out until summer 2028.
Good for you, Larry! I love seeing how people are weaving Substack into their marketing. 148 is pretty good, man. And thank you for the kind words.
Just had this conversation with a new client who spent years on Medium and has nothing to walk away with. If only we understood the power of subscribers earlier! But hey, now we know.
SS isn’t the best of the best, but it serves so many of us who love the strategy of combining indexing with subscriber growth. Thanks again.
I switched to Beehiiv. With the inclusion of not sea propaganda, and Substack execs gleefully making money from it, I moved my publishing newsletter and our Pride/BIPoC/Disabled communities-focused nonprofit off of Substack (The Asylum Project moved to Buttondown). I like Beehiiv because it gives me a website for my publishing imprint that is more indexable than the Carrd site I was using. I have a personal blog/website, as well, because I try to keep Map’s Edge Media separate from C.N. Mackey, when possible.
Thank you for sharing, C.N.! I completely understand the reasoning, and bravo for making it work for you. Glad to hear about your experience with Beehiiv, too. I've heard great things.
I found this a really useful article. There is also, the TOS of each platform. This won't apply to all authors, but if you write spicy, each platform handles that differently, even if they are all backed by Stripe.
When I researched, I thought beehiiv did not allow spicy/erotic content. But, always good to check.
Such a great point. Those rules and regs tell us everything, but we rarely read them all - I know I don't. Interesting. I have many author friends writing erotica - I'll have to see what they've experienced.
That would be very interesting. Would love that article 😁
The wild part is the (seemingly) inconsistent way those TOS are enforced. Without exception every single KS creator I have heard getting hassled by KS/Stripe, works with either MM or FF content.
Then looking at stuff like Linktree, which doesn't allow monetization of adult content, to carrd.co, which bans the content.
Some do, some don't. Most seem to be on the 'can link' side, but a few, like lnk.bio says 'no linking' even, which seems egregious, but it is their platform I guess.
I hadn't heard of substack until a few months ago 🫣 still getting to grips with it. The fact that there are other platforms out there is totally daunting - I'm really grateful for this article, thank you- I now know that medium and beehiiv are probably not a fit for me. I'll continue to plod along nicely on here ..
I'm glad you found my article! I know people absolutely LOVE Medium and Beehiiv, so no shade to them. We just don't need to be in all the places. We can pick one that works with our brains (and fortunately, is free to create and grow). Win/win.
I feel you make a point about maybe funneling people from medium to substack though, if that is where the readers are. Easy enough to phrase it more 'get to know me' than 'leave medium for substack'.
I get that medium is free, but I also think creators have a right to their audience. They are building it.
Many writers publish first on Medium, then drive readers here to gain subscribers. Lots of ways to go about it.
Agree about our audience on Medium. I got sucked into writing there for a bit but didn't feel like people interacted with much of it. IDK. I like it here.
This is so interesting. I‘ve heard about this discussion. As a therapist I thought about a website, but (god thanks) with a business thats all word of mouth no one saw the urgent need to spend time on it. But where to start to publish my writings? Glad I discovered one day that some newsletters I received was sent via Substack. And here I am.
I have spent some years on Instagram. But honestly, with a full schedule and a private life, IG is fun but also it requires quite a lot of time and energy … for what.
So yes, I will stick to Substack and building community here.
Hi Birgit, and thank you for your thoughtful response. It can be difficult, as a healthcare professional, to have a website other than for your business. It's okay to create an author website, but given your circumstances, Substack is a great option.
Sidenote: Did you know that you can't put 'therapist' after your FB page name because the AI sees it as "the-rapist." Sigh.
I work with healthcare pros who've written books, and some put it right on their existing site, some create a new website just for the author and book, and some are doing exactly what you've done, starting a newsletter here.
Doing okay, thanks! Foot is healing in an Aircast (boot thing), and I'm camped downstairs for the foreseeable future, keeping weight off it and elevating. Pip is doing his morning rounds of chatting and lying in the sun. It's a full agenda.
RIGHT??? 😳 I only know this because it happened with a client - her page name kept getting declined. Finally, I figured it out. Therapy is fine. Sigh.
And yes, healing, less pain, lots of Pip loves.
And thank you! I share what y'all ask me, what I've read (the next article is so interesting - myths I've read about Substack just this week!). I love the interaction and feedback here. Hope you're doing well, x
Great, informative post. Question: A bit off point, but could you post about how best to reach YouTube viewers who watch particular experts? Am I limited to 1) posting comments alongside other viewers so that my name becomes familiar if they see it elsewhere and 2) paid advertising? Thanks.
Thanks, Charlotte. Good question! I don't think you're limited to those two options.
Thoughtful comments can help people recognize your name over time, but I'd also create videos on your topics and optimize titles, descriptions, and keywords so YouTube can better understand whom to recommend them to.
And yes, I do think low-budget YouTube ads can help, especially if you're trying to get your content in front of a very specific audience. I'd just make sure the content itself is strong first, and that your intended demographic is on YouTube.
Over a month ago, a gentleman who is /was active on Medium described, in detail, all of its failings. He attributed most of these nuisances to the site's ownership. Thanks for your assessment as well, Rachel, and pointing out that Substack can help build an email list but Medium won't.
➡️ 📝 RE: "engaged" subscribers / followers. Some of my (ahem) "followers" also follow more than 900 Substacks. Those people cannot possibly be reading my content. I assume they are just doing it for a follow-back (um, sorry to disappoint you, Substack gamblers). 😉
I also think, that some of those subs are getting content funneled to an AI dataset, for use to make someone else money. I have noted a few of my subs have essentially fake websites (content makes no sense, all clearly ai generated) but they are getting my content directly sent to an email inbox that can be digested by a program. Sigh.
That reminds me of people applying for jobs online who require you to complete a task as part of the application, then take your work and ideas and ghost you.
Well, it is impossible to stop really. It is unethical, but individuals using the technology (AI) are not scrupulous about how they get the content to train their Large Language Models. Sadly, they might not even be just unethical companies even, but scammers, phishers, and ransomware traffickers.
I am not sure if it is as popular, but they used to say, with social media 'you' are the commodity. With AI, it is even truer. We have the capacity for creation.
Literally was just staring at settings and contemplating starting a Medium. Soon as I decided not to, I got the notification. First comment. Score! Just proves how relevant and important this post is.
Wow, talk about timing! I loved Medium for a long time before I understood the value of owning our audience. So glad the article resonated! Medium isn't a bad choice for visibility, but not great for the rest.
That is part of my hope in joining substack, to be honest. Now that I am here, and have read your articles, I see why it is a unique blend of twitter, medium, and patreon.
Thanks for the tips! I actually ran across AW when I finished by first novel a year-ish ago. It was... a rough experience. But I do have some friends there, but they are all writing their own stuff and I feel bad asking for their time to read my stuff.
But maybe I can put out a call for beta's from my subs and offer something in return.
Hi & thanks for this!
I used to love Medium, but it’s lost its relevance for me. So many of my regular readers have left (many of them were fellow writers) for pastures ‘more appreciative’ that now when I post there i only get a handful of reads. I write fiction (which M doesn’t really value) & i was an editor of 3 publications (unpaid, unappreciated but maybe that’s improving- just now M is trying to show a little love to the task). Anyway- i no longer subscribe there, but I do publish as i use M as a shop window/ bulletin board for my content elsewhere.
Substack - I enjoy it, both my pen names have an account & for my erotic fiction I’ve created an option to pay for ‘spicier’ content. I like notes & how easy it is to restack, recommend & share to other Substackers. I DO get overwhelmed by all the newsletters- if only there was an option to just get the article in my s/s ‘in tray’.
My favourite to write for, because it’s SO easy & you ALSO own your subscriber list is Ream. I know i don’t use it as well as I should- there are plenty of ways I could do it better (but darn it Rachel- you aren’t there to guide me!)
It’s ALL FICTION- and it’s great for releasing chapters drip drip (but easy to load a novel in 1 hit) & updating your followers & subscribers with the ‘community’ function. A fairly new feature is ‘shelves’ whereby you can make recommended reading lists by grouping your own or other authors’ books you are/have enjoyed.
Discoverability is Ream’s Achilles Heel, and the tech team is tiny but I’m hopeful that it will improve. Audio feature is coming, as is the option to put books up to ‘buy outright’ for readers who don’t want to subscribe.
Thank you for the wonderfully informative share, Posy. Mischa is my go-to for anything Ream-related https://mischaeliot.substack.com.
It's a good option for erotica writers who are being turned away on more trad platforms. It's good that you're there, though, and I can understand what's needed to help grow.
IDK why people get so twisted about erotica. I was on an audio space recently, and a person was pearl-clutching over Anaïs Nin's 'filthy, horrific tales.' I laughed!
New to Substack about 3 months I write a long post every week
I love how involved you are already, Dr. Jacqueline! And kind. We need more of that right now. x
Very helpful. I did a couple of posts on Meduma some time ago and was wondering if there were advantages.
From a size standpoint, there are more people who read there than here. However, it feels like wasted effort - why put all that into a platform that keeps the subscribers' info from us? Doesn't make sense.
I agree Rachel. Thanks for clarifying!
Interesting and useful as always! I like Substack because it’s a blog site (and a nice-looking one at that) + an email newsletter tool. I used the lead photo and first paragraph of every article on my website with a Read More CTA that takes website visitors to my Substack page and encourages them to subscribe. I’m only 3 months in to Substack but that’s how I’ve grown my subscriber base to 148. Maybe not gangbusters but nothing to sneeze at considering my novel doesn’t come out until summer 2028.
Good for you, Larry! I love seeing how people are weaving Substack into their marketing. 148 is pretty good, man. And thank you for the kind words.
Just had this conversation with a new client who spent years on Medium and has nothing to walk away with. If only we understood the power of subscribers earlier! But hey, now we know.
SS isn’t the best of the best, but it serves so many of us who love the strategy of combining indexing with subscriber growth. Thanks again.
I switched to Beehiiv. With the inclusion of not sea propaganda, and Substack execs gleefully making money from it, I moved my publishing newsletter and our Pride/BIPoC/Disabled communities-focused nonprofit off of Substack (The Asylum Project moved to Buttondown). I like Beehiiv because it gives me a website for my publishing imprint that is more indexable than the Carrd site I was using. I have a personal blog/website, as well, because I try to keep Map’s Edge Media separate from C.N. Mackey, when possible.
Thank you for sharing, C.N.! I completely understand the reasoning, and bravo for making it work for you. Glad to hear about your experience with Beehiiv, too. I've heard great things.
I found this a really useful article. There is also, the TOS of each platform. This won't apply to all authors, but if you write spicy, each platform handles that differently, even if they are all backed by Stripe.
When I researched, I thought beehiiv did not allow spicy/erotic content. But, always good to check.
Such a great point. Those rules and regs tell us everything, but we rarely read them all - I know I don't. Interesting. I have many author friends writing erotica - I'll have to see what they've experienced.
That would be very interesting. Would love that article 😁
The wild part is the (seemingly) inconsistent way those TOS are enforced. Without exception every single KS creator I have heard getting hassled by KS/Stripe, works with either MM or FF content.
Then looking at stuff like Linktree, which doesn't allow monetization of adult content, to carrd.co, which bans the content.
I wonder if any of these platforms ban syndication of said content since they’re not actively hosting it.
Some do, some don't. Most seem to be on the 'can link' side, but a few, like lnk.bio says 'no linking' even, which seems egregious, but it is their platform I guess.
They’re more akin to linktree or beacons.ai
I wonder if any of these platforms ban syndication of said content since they’re not actively hosting it.
I hadn't heard of substack until a few months ago 🫣 still getting to grips with it. The fact that there are other platforms out there is totally daunting - I'm really grateful for this article, thank you- I now know that medium and beehiiv are probably not a fit for me. I'll continue to plod along nicely on here ..
I'm glad you found my article! I know people absolutely LOVE Medium and Beehiiv, so no shade to them. We just don't need to be in all the places. We can pick one that works with our brains (and fortunately, is free to create and grow). Win/win.
I feel you make a point about maybe funneling people from medium to substack though, if that is where the readers are. Easy enough to phrase it more 'get to know me' than 'leave medium for substack'.
I get that medium is free, but I also think creators have a right to their audience. They are building it.
Many writers publish first on Medium, then drive readers here to gain subscribers. Lots of ways to go about it.
Agree about our audience on Medium. I got sucked into writing there for a bit but didn't feel like people interacted with much of it. IDK. I like it here.
This is so interesting. I‘ve heard about this discussion. As a therapist I thought about a website, but (god thanks) with a business thats all word of mouth no one saw the urgent need to spend time on it. But where to start to publish my writings? Glad I discovered one day that some newsletters I received was sent via Substack. And here I am.
I have spent some years on Instagram. But honestly, with a full schedule and a private life, IG is fun but also it requires quite a lot of time and energy … for what.
So yes, I will stick to Substack and building community here.
Big hug. How are you. Greetings to Pip
Hi Birgit, and thank you for your thoughtful response. It can be difficult, as a healthcare professional, to have a website other than for your business. It's okay to create an author website, but given your circumstances, Substack is a great option.
Sidenote: Did you know that you can't put 'therapist' after your FB page name because the AI sees it as "the-rapist." Sigh.
I work with healthcare pros who've written books, and some put it right on their existing site, some create a new website just for the author and book, and some are doing exactly what you've done, starting a newsletter here.
Doing okay, thanks! Foot is healing in an Aircast (boot thing), and I'm camped downstairs for the foreseeable future, keeping weight off it and elevating. Pip is doing his morning rounds of chatting and lying in the sun. It's a full agenda.
wait what? Rachel I didn’t had a clue about that FB page name! That’s horrible. Anyway… don’t have a FB page either 😆 .
Right now, Substack is all I need. I enjoy being here and the rest might follow when time demands it.
I am really glad to hear you are somehow okay and that Pip is keeping you entertained.
Also: Thank you for all the incredible work you are sharing with us.
RIGHT??? 😳 I only know this because it happened with a client - her page name kept getting declined. Finally, I figured it out. Therapy is fine. Sigh.
And yes, healing, less pain, lots of Pip loves.
And thank you! I share what y'all ask me, what I've read (the next article is so interesting - myths I've read about Substack just this week!). I love the interaction and feedback here. Hope you're doing well, x
Great, informative post. Question: A bit off point, but could you post about how best to reach YouTube viewers who watch particular experts? Am I limited to 1) posting comments alongside other viewers so that my name becomes familiar if they see it elsewhere and 2) paid advertising? Thanks.
Thanks, Charlotte. Good question! I don't think you're limited to those two options.
Thoughtful comments can help people recognize your name over time, but I'd also create videos on your topics and optimize titles, descriptions, and keywords so YouTube can better understand whom to recommend them to.
And yes, I do think low-budget YouTube ads can help, especially if you're trying to get your content in front of a very specific audience. I'd just make sure the content itself is strong first, and that your intended demographic is on YouTube.
Hope that helps! I'm not a YouTube expert, but definitely follow https://jimfuhs.substack.com and https://madalynsklar.substack.com, who are my video gurus.
Excellent advice, thanks.
Thanks, Colin!
Over a month ago, a gentleman who is /was active on Medium described, in detail, all of its failings. He attributed most of these nuisances to the site's ownership. Thanks for your assessment as well, Rachel, and pointing out that Substack can help build an email list but Medium won't.
➡️ 📝 RE: "engaged" subscribers / followers. Some of my (ahem) "followers" also follow more than 900 Substacks. Those people cannot possibly be reading my content. I assume they are just doing it for a follow-back (um, sorry to disappoint you, Substack gamblers). 😉
I also think, that some of those subs are getting content funneled to an AI dataset, for use to make someone else money. I have noted a few of my subs have essentially fake websites (content makes no sense, all clearly ai generated) but they are getting my content directly sent to an email inbox that can be digested by a program. Sigh.
That reminds me of people applying for jobs online who require you to complete a task as part of the application, then take your work and ideas and ghost you.
Terrible.
Another eye-opening conversation filled with insights -- and concerns.
Wow! That is outrageous. So essentially, we are being taken advantage of!!
Well, it is impossible to stop really. It is unethical, but individuals using the technology (AI) are not scrupulous about how they get the content to train their Large Language Models. Sadly, they might not even be just unethical companies even, but scammers, phishers, and ransomware traffickers.
Oh, boy! What a nightmare we are faced with. Digital predators, scammers, AI agents, ransomware traffickers...... all stealing from us.
I am not sure if it is as popular, but they used to say, with social media 'you' are the commodity. With AI, it is even truer. We have the capacity for creation.
It's tough, because a subscriber is different than a follower which is different than someone finding us on the app. IDK how folks keep up!
Agency owners do this all the time. It's so frustrating to experience.
I bet!
I’ve learned to check how many other Substacks they follow / subscribe to.
If it’s a foolish number, then I do not follow back because they are not planning to READ my content.
Literally was just staring at settings and contemplating starting a Medium. Soon as I decided not to, I got the notification. First comment. Score! Just proves how relevant and important this post is.
Wow, talk about timing! I loved Medium for a long time before I understood the value of owning our audience. So glad the article resonated! Medium isn't a bad choice for visibility, but not great for the rest.
Another author told me they use it as a beta-reader service, which I hope to find out more of (and generate a few dollars).
Ha ha that would be me! As in I take on board the reader comments in my revisions / development of the story
I also heard it from Cornelia Quick 😁 I wasn't sure if there was more to it beyond putting the chapter/section out and incorporate feedback?
Frankly, have hit a stonewall finding erotica beta-reader groups, they all seem PG, but have spent a tiny amount of time looking into truthfully.
Take a look at Reddit - there are subreddits for erotica reviews. Also, https://absolutewrite.com/forums/index.php - it's a forum where people trade reviews.
Honestly though? I've had the most luck getting beta readers by joining communities in my genre (boring nonfiction) on social media.
That is part of my hope in joining substack, to be honest. Now that I am here, and have read your articles, I see why it is a unique blend of twitter, medium, and patreon.
Thanks for the tips! I actually ran across AW when I finished by first novel a year-ish ago. It was... a rough experience. But I do have some friends there, but they are all writing their own stuff and I feel bad asking for their time to read my stuff.
But maybe I can put out a call for beta's from my subs and offer something in return.