Lots Happening On Substack... Even Gavin Newsom And Many Brands have joined
It's been mentally taxing to keep up with my own Substack, but let's be clear: the platform is growing, with journalists and politicians, but also brands.
💬 Quick CONVERSATION STARTERS:
Yes, Substack is both the future of media and the future of political messaging!
Yes, Substack will be the intellectual engine of the 21st century!
We’ve now been on Substack for about 9 months. Our growth has plateaued and I personally have gone through hard times — mentally and everything — sticking with the posting schedule, finding inspiration, keeping the creative juices flow.
I’m just being honest… And writing about how mentally taxing writing for Substack has been most recently has certainly helped, with many friends and subscribers appreciating my brutal honesty and helping with comments and moral support.
That said, Substack has certainly provided me with a new creative tool, a way to put in writing thoughts, emotions, ideas, and to share those with a very supporting and tight community of creators.
Yes, Substack is a wonderful platform!
What is more important is that, whether or not I will continue to write consistently here, the community I built and the many communities I’m now part of will always be here for me to participate actively in thoughtfully curated conversations.
Yes, Substack keeps growing!
On one side, “Substack is quietly fundraising on the back of exploding usage of its mobile app and a reignited enthusiasm for new political newsletters, thanks to President Donald Trump,” reports in his Substack {newcomer}
, adding that “the company believes its mobile application is becoming a powerful force for driving paid subscribers to the 500,000 creators now on its platform.”Eric’s sources told him Subastck is in talks for a new round “between $50 million and $100 million that would value it above its roughly $700 million last round price.”
On the other side, just this past week, so many articles in the media about Substack and Substckers.
“TV anchors want their own side hustles,” titled Business Insider in an article by
. “TV news anchors want more flexibility to experiment on platforms like Substack. Networks have historically restricted talent from outside projects.”Alex Weprin wrote in the Hollywood Reporter about
leaving The Atlantic for Substack where “he feels that he can express himself more freely by declaring independence from the outlet that he has built a career at.”Puck’s Dylan Byers pointed out this week how “news of The Atlantic’s hiring spree and the elusive promise of Substack riches has reporters following the money.”
The Columbia Journalism Review published an article about US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who authors
here on Substack, and possible conflicts of interest, saying “Huckabee’s relationship to the Huckabee Post is complicated.” wrote in CJR:
On March 5, ahead of his confirmation as ambassador, he signed a government ethics agreement that included a “newsletter” section, promising to cede editorial and operational control of the Huckabee Post to his adult son. “Upon confirmation, I will cease writing the newsletter, and I understand that I may not perform any services for the newsletter or Substack during my appointment to the position of Ambassador,” he wrote. The arrangement, part of a formal process with federal regulators who police conflicts of interest, was novel—and, as it turns out, has not stopped Huckabee from earning profits from Substack subscriptions that flow into Blue Diamond Media LLC, a private company that he founded.
California Governor
, meanwhile, has also launched on Substack. Newsom is just the latest of the many politicians and politicos who have joined the platform these past few months, including , , , and more. You can find a full list here!
Veteran journalist
left ABC and also joined Substack, saying: “Now I'm on Substack, that amazing space, and I can't wait to get into the important work that we all have to do.”The Guardian is reporting that the Washington Post in talks with Substack about using its writers. Media editor Micheal Savage wrote that the newspaper “could join legacy media brands in embracing newsletter platform.” He added:
In an interview with the Guardian, Substack’s said he had spoken to the Post about its plans to widen the types of opinion pieces on its website.
He said there had been a “change in mindset” from traditional media, which once viewed Substack with suspicion. He said many now saw the platform as an opportunity to adapt to what he described as “the most significant media disruption since the printing press”.
And just in May, The New Yorker titled: “Is the Next Great American Novel Being Published on Substack?” saying that “professional writers and passionate amateurs are using the platform to experiment with new forms.”
Yes, Substack is booming!
wrote this past week in his that Substack is growing, “but more importantly, it’s converting more. That’s the point. The app is now one of its biggest engines for turning readers into paying subscribers. Not just inbox scrollers, but actual, wallet-opening, $5/month readers. That’s a big deal.”Most importantly Burk pointed out two important developments:
“Substack seems to be in the middle of a raise between $50 million and $100 million, which would push its valuation beyond the $700 million mark from its last round.”
“Perhaps the most interesting bit (at least for me): Substack might be opening the door to sponsorships. What, sponsorships? Yeah. Another way to make money directly. Apart from paid subscriptions. That’s huge, I believe.”
Yes, everything happens so quickly at Substack"!
This is what
wrote in — a post titled, “Substack Has Changed in the Last 30 Days.”Gioia says Substack has “suddenly reached stage four in the evolution of this platform. And I expect we will quickly get to level five.”
Here’s Gioia’s scale:
Stage 1 — “In the first stage, people ignored us. That was easy enough—Substack was small and out on the very fringes of the media world.”
Stage 2 — “In the second stage, people mocked us.”
Stage 3 — “That’s when powerful people began attacking Substack. They especially hated the fact that this platform lets writers decide what to write, and readers decide what to read.”
Stage 4 — “The establishment is now in a mad rush to join us. Just in the last 30 days, the whole vibe has shifted.”
Stage 5 — “In the next stage, the boundaries between alternative and legacy media start to blur—or even collapse. Some counterculture Substacks will soon turn into big media businesses. Some big media businesses will start acting like bohemian outsiders. It won’t be easy to tell them apart. I expect this to happen over the next 12-24 months.”
But how is Substack’s growth translating into building a large audience on the platform? Well, I kinda agree with
when she writes:My sense is that information and media environments have changed quite a lot recently. And I have little doubt that — especially with AI — they will continue to do so.
Previously people followed large institutions; that’s where they got all of their news and opinions. Now, more people are following individuals, or rather, a collection of hand-picked individuals.
That has opened up opportunities for people to build an audience on their own.
Yes, Substack is the future of media!
In addition to Hamish talking about the future of media is a Ted Talk, co-founder
spoke with on the same subject, including interesting comments on Substack.
Yes, Substack is both the future of media and the future of political messaging!
Politics on Substack? Yes, a lot of it. And as the Financial Times pointed out recently, “Substack has added more than 1 milion subscriptions since Donald Trump’s triumph in the US election last November, as the online platform benefits from the shift towards creator-led journalism.”
In a very interesting interview by
, news creator talked about Substack as a space for independent media and new media.There are so many good reporters out there, but they're beholden to larger media entities that are themselves beholden to corporate donors, billionaire sponsors, etc. When money gets involved in journalism, I think that kind of degrades the quality of journalism.
We've seen it with ABC News. We've seen it with CBS News. We've seen it with even just the generic CNN, MSNBC, Fox. It's so different to what it once was. And it's a very sad state of affairs. But I also think it gives kind of this opening to independent media, new media, and different sources where people can get their news from.
So it's an exciting time, but it's also a scary time.
Julie wrote about the interview: “Aaron Parnas is more than a content creator or digital activist. He’s a case study in how someone can be formed by politics, scorched by it, and still be committed to reforming it from the inside out. He doesn’t ask for blind loyalty—he demands better communication, stronger messaging, and more trust in the intelligence of the American people.”
She added: “In Aaron Parnas, we see a potential bridge between an exhausted political generation and one that’s still deciding if democracy is worth its energy.”
Note to self… In the politics space, organizations are also looking at Substack as a new way to engage with communities. Two come to mind, the and the US . Check them out to see what you think about them!
And here’s our list of politicians and politicos on Substack. Click or tap the story below!
And, yes, Substack has become a space for brands!
“The next frontier of community-first marketing is Substack,” wrote Elena Cavender in AdWeek.
She added: “In recent months, a slew of brands like American Eagle, Rare Beauty, and Hinge have started Substacks. In a crowded landscape of marketing on Instagram and uncertainty about TikTok’s future, Substack offers a place for brands to connect with consumers through long-form content and “Notes,” the platform’s short-form content. But to succeed on Substack, brands have to toe a careful line and be sure not to overtly market to users.”
Creator economy expert
of asked Hinge’s President and CMO, Jackie Jantos, about the move:Lia: Why did you choose Substack as the home for No Ordinary Love?
Jackie: We’re very thoughtful about where we show up. For us, it’s not about being everywhere. It’s about being useful and intentional.
In case more brands are interested in joining Substack, Lia says “there are at least two strong reasons.” She explained:
“First, if there’s a public platform where you can reach and connect with your target audience, why wouldn’t you be there?”
“Second, Substack (or any newsletter platform) lets you tell deeper, longer stories — ones that don’t fit neatly into a 30-second TikTok or Reel. If you’re a marketer, publicist, or comms pro, you want to be using every tool at your disposal to get your message out there.”
“But here’s the catch,” she said. “Newsletters are an intimate form of connection that require a high level of creativity and care. If your brand struggles with organic storytelling or doesn’t prioritize community management, that’s a red flag. Substack won’t magically fix those gaps.”
Earlier this year, social media consultant
of also wrote about Substack for brands and she compared it to a more traditional email marketing strategy.“As this wave of brands joining Substack builds, there will be an urge to compare it to traditional email marketing,” she wrote. “That would be shortsighted.”
She also added: “Companies can make millions of dollars per month thanks to personalized email flows. A Substack newsletter will never compete with that. That’s because Substack is not an email marketing tool, it’s a community tool.”
Even the US Chamber of Commerce has noticed more brands joining Substack, in particular for small business owners, saying the platform “is a promising, if underutilized, tool” thanks “to its connected, engaged audiences.”
They identified a few examples:
“Clothing retailer Free People engaged with creators on Substack to share products via affiliate links.” The company also “created a paid Substack newsletter in partnership with
, a business writer. The fashion brand sponsored an edition of Sundberg's .“Still Here, a New York City-based denim brand, partnered with five creators on Substack for the product launch of its Everyday Jean.”
“Luxury brand Tory Burch launched its own Substack newsletter,
[…] to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at their business.”“Sprout Social, a social media management platform, partnered with content creator
, author of the Substack newsletter.”“Ghia is a line of nonalcoholic aperitifs founded by
. Masarin also started a Substack newsletter called in 2023. Masarin uses her personal Substack to advertise Ghia, as well as to partner with other brands to position Ghia as part of a lifestyle.”
Vogue has also recently highlighted the role of Substack in growing fashion brands. Last week, Vogue pointed out for example to fashion designer Jamie Haller who, with her first store now open in Montecito, California, is building her label “with the help of a Substack army.”
Instead of using traditional influencer marketing,
opted for a more grassroots approach by gifting her products to about 20 prominent Substack newsletter writers each month.This strategy proved highly effective: in August 2023, it triggered a viral moment that significantly boosted brand visibility and consumer interest.
That momentum has continued to fuel discovery and has been a key driver behind the brand’s 450% year-over-year growth in direct-to-consumer sales.
Substack, in this context, served as a powerful alternative media channel for organic promotion and community engagement.
- of was one of the Substack authors Haller engaged with.
Other authors that have recently talked about Haller’s collections but have not necessarily been part of her Substack campaign (and are not mentioned in the Vogue article):
, , , , , , , , , .
Yes, Substack will be the intellectual engine of the 21st century!
This is at least according to
.“Today, if you want to explore big ideas, you are much better off writing a Substack newsletter where you can write as long as you need to as frequently as you want,” he wrote in
.He added: “From an editorial point of view, writers and thinkers on Substack are independent and beholden to no one. They don’t have to beg a billionaire for a grant or constrain what they say because they get a paycheck from the corporate media. They can say what they actually think at this critical time.”
Thank you for the shout out! Lots of amazing intel here to think about!