27 year old millionaire with boomer ass rhetoric suggesting $50k is a livable wage (in the US, where substack is HQed, it most certainly is not). not to mention, writing a substack ≠ health insurance. i can't imagine being this out of touch with reality.
as always, a huge fan of you Emily, zero criticisms.
This move would have been more authentic to Substack's mission if they had incubated and supported *existing* writers on the platform who want to explore video as a format vs. luring TikTok creators and YouTubers. Substack has realized that the way to make gobs of money is to expand the platform's network of users/non-creators exponentially. And Tiktokers and YouTubers arguably have the largest audiences right now, not writers.
It's a smart business move, but it does annoy me as a writer on the platform. Will written content still receive the same support and visibility? Where does control over my own audience and content start and end here? Substack likes to tout that you "own" your audience—yet they're still using your email list to send automated emails to get your subscribers to follow and subscribe to other publications (or channels? (Or whatever it is they will call it now.) It feels so weird to me that the hundreds of thousands of my readers who I brought onto Substack are getting automated emails that are not sent by me... Will they now be asked to subscribe to video creators' channels? Anyway - interesting move and will be following how this unfolds...
I don’t want to see the same tiktok stars infiltrating another platform/feed. I don’t hate the idea of having video, I hate the intention of courting already successful creators. I fear this will be like IG and reels. We’re going to see regurgitated content that I didn’t want to see in the first place. (Or maybe I’m just old and grumpy)
Feels a little suspicious to have a Chief Writing Officer for a company whose consumers are no longer exclusively writers. Is Substack trying to generalize and specialize simultaneously? Curious how this will play out. Emily, would love to hear how you as a writer continue to feel supported by a platform that is putting resources into courting other types of creators.
I will write more tomorrow about my thoughts on the whole situation. I've been pretty stressed out about the way this whole company has exploded because I feel like I have less control (I do!). I'm trying to adopt "rising tide lifts all ships" mentality, but I can't predict how the general public's appetite for content will change.
Feels like the first step toward the inevitable enshittification of Substack. (Or rather the second step, first step being the whole "we're totally fine with N**is on the platform, actually" thing)
i made it like 30 seconds into the interview before i started visualizing what feedme would look like if it moved from substack. to another platform? to your own domain? who knows!!
Such a great interview! As Substack becomes even more video and audio-focused, it gives me peace of mind to know that this is an *e-mail platform* at the heart of it all. So even if Substack does prioritize videos on our home feeds, creators have a direct line to their subscribers.
As someone who has been on here for a while, I’m also curious about your take Emily, re: your comment on Substack boom found this great piece (ironically writing on Substack) on “perspective abundance” and how platforms ultimately make you post for sake of posting followers, subscribers, etc to a detriment of value of content https://rushkoff.substack.com/p/breaking-from-the-pace-of-the-net?utm_medium=ios
I’m just hoping that Substack doesn’t go the way of instagram, when reels was their new thing to compete with TikTok the algorithm pivoted to favoring that style of content etc it then just becomes a way of changing and adapting to an algorithm
I loved that Substack was quieter in the feed as in, I was basically opting want to see, now it’s definitely feeling more social network of sorts and finding myself overwhelmed scrolling through it (particularly being its people I don’t even follow)
I have lots of thoughts, I'll send them all tomorrow. I talk about this whole ordeal with other friends who write on and are frustrated with this platform.
Love this interview! I’m very intrigued about the future of video here but also came to Substack to write and connect with my audience differently and more intentionally than I do on Instagram / TikTok.
27 year old millionaire with boomer ass rhetoric suggesting $50k is a livable wage (in the US, where substack is HQed, it most certainly is not). not to mention, writing a substack ≠ health insurance. i can't imagine being this out of touch with reality.
as always, a huge fan of you Emily, zero criticisms.
It's also really, really hard to get 1000 people to pay for a letter. It's not as easy as he makes it sound.
I don't disagree with most of your comment but I do think Hamish is in his early 40sish?
This move would have been more authentic to Substack's mission if they had incubated and supported *existing* writers on the platform who want to explore video as a format vs. luring TikTok creators and YouTubers. Substack has realized that the way to make gobs of money is to expand the platform's network of users/non-creators exponentially. And Tiktokers and YouTubers arguably have the largest audiences right now, not writers.
It's a smart business move, but it does annoy me as a writer on the platform. Will written content still receive the same support and visibility? Where does control over my own audience and content start and end here? Substack likes to tout that you "own" your audience—yet they're still using your email list to send automated emails to get your subscribers to follow and subscribe to other publications (or channels? (Or whatever it is they will call it now.) It feels so weird to me that the hundreds of thousands of my readers who I brought onto Substack are getting automated emails that are not sent by me... Will they now be asked to subscribe to video creators' channels? Anyway - interesting move and will be following how this unfolds...
I don’t want to see the same tiktok stars infiltrating another platform/feed. I don’t hate the idea of having video, I hate the intention of courting already successful creators. I fear this will be like IG and reels. We’re going to see regurgitated content that I didn’t want to see in the first place. (Or maybe I’m just old and grumpy)
Feels a little suspicious to have a Chief Writing Officer for a company whose consumers are no longer exclusively writers. Is Substack trying to generalize and specialize simultaneously? Curious how this will play out. Emily, would love to hear how you as a writer continue to feel supported by a platform that is putting resources into courting other types of creators.
Maybe he'll become the Chief Content Officer lol
I will write more tomorrow about my thoughts on the whole situation. I've been pretty stressed out about the way this whole company has exploded because I feel like I have less control (I do!). I'm trying to adopt "rising tide lifts all ships" mentality, but I can't predict how the general public's appetite for content will change.
Feels like the first step toward the inevitable enshittification of Substack. (Or rather the second step, first step being the whole "we're totally fine with N**is on the platform, actually" thing)
i made it like 30 seconds into the interview before i started visualizing what feedme would look like if it moved from substack. to another platform? to your own domain? who knows!!
Such a great interview! As Substack becomes even more video and audio-focused, it gives me peace of mind to know that this is an *e-mail platform* at the heart of it all. So even if Substack does prioritize videos on our home feeds, creators have a direct line to their subscribers.
As someone who has been on here for a while, I’m also curious about your take Emily, re: your comment on Substack boom found this great piece (ironically writing on Substack) on “perspective abundance” and how platforms ultimately make you post for sake of posting followers, subscribers, etc to a detriment of value of content https://rushkoff.substack.com/p/breaking-from-the-pace-of-the-net?utm_medium=ios
I’m just hoping that Substack doesn’t go the way of instagram, when reels was their new thing to compete with TikTok the algorithm pivoted to favoring that style of content etc it then just becomes a way of changing and adapting to an algorithm
I loved that Substack was quieter in the feed as in, I was basically opting want to see, now it’s definitely feeling more social network of sorts and finding myself overwhelmed scrolling through it (particularly being its people I don’t even follow)
Anyways, looking fwd to your commentary tomorrow!
I have lots of thoughts, I'll send them all tomorrow. I talk about this whole ordeal with other friends who write on and are frustrated with this platform.
Ugh. That’s my response to Substack doing video content.
Love this interview! I’m very intrigued about the future of video here but also came to Substack to write and connect with my audience differently and more intentionally than I do on Instagram / TikTok.
this is such a a16z backed tech executive breed of delusional and annoying
no literally go off adam!!
Loving the interviews!!
i wonder if this shift to video, will make writers move their newsletters to beehiiv (i dont think they have a video component)
i dont see the draw in having video on substack, i already have youtube
I wonder what Patreon makes of all this