Watch or listen now | My conversation with Substack Co-Founder Hamish Mckenzie is one of the best things I can bring you. It will give you a better understanding of the platform you're on and the amazing people behind it—plus their advice on making the most of it and how to grow.
I have written for a long time on the “other” similar platform. I find the transparency here to be a treasure. I also note that the creators are the focus on this platform—not some algorithm, or corporate ego, or windfall profits. Thanks for this—slowly I am moving here as a home for my product—my writing to help other writers. I like having some power over my business.
Gently, I would say this is a bit of a long commitment to listen to, though it has solid info. Good questions. MIght consider editing the first 7 minutes.
Finally able to listen and glean sooooo much from this interview. Sarah--thank you! As a published author and someone who's written online for over 12 years I wearied of the social media game in 2023 and quit it all--then moved my work to Substack. ((I listened to a podcast recently Writing off Social where they defined social media as "anything algorithm driven that stands between you and your reader.") On Substack, now there is nothing between me and my readers.
My engagement and connection has nearly matched in one year what I gained in the 12 years I wrote on Wordpress. 500+ subscribers and a 45% open rate--I am gobsmacked.
Also--Hamish's explanation of rolling out new video features--even the live stream component--was helpful. I initially was shaking my head thinking, "oy....not another social media wannabe."
But as he said, why not offer different ways to communicate and build trust?
A great interview Sarah. I loved the casual yet very informative vibe. And I heard the word "trust" mentioned a few times and that comes to mind too. Great stuff!!
PS. Why should I do video on Substack instead of on YouTube? Also, I hate to rain on anyone’s parrade, but I would’ve liked to see more formatic/visual improments to the writing platform instead. Is anythig like that coming?
Substack is a great community. Unfortunately, their tech support is horrible. I manage multiple Substack Authors and must log in and out each time to start publishing. I often get locked out for 24 hours as they appear to track my IP address and think that I am a security risk (or so the AI bot says). Their Team Setting doesn't work. My authors just get gobbledygook when they try to invite me into their site with full Admin access. If I use the Chat for tech support, all I get back is AI garbage that says they will escalate my request and will receive an email. I have NEVER received any response from email support over six months. It would be great if I could log on once, as I do when I manage their websites on WIX/Squarespace, etc.
Thank you, Sarah. Very interesting.
Thanks for sharing, Sarah. Could you please ask Hamish to add PayPal as a payment method? Stripe is not supported in many countries
❤️great interview ❤️
"Most of us are human"... or we're mostly human? lol
I have written for a long time on the “other” similar platform. I find the transparency here to be a treasure. I also note that the creators are the focus on this platform—not some algorithm, or corporate ego, or windfall profits. Thanks for this—slowly I am moving here as a home for my product—my writing to help other writers. I like having some power over my business.
Gently, I would say this is a bit of a long commitment to listen to, though it has solid info. Good questions. MIght consider editing the first 7 minutes.
Great interview, thank you so much for sharing this with us! 🙏
Thank you Substack 🙏🏻
Finally able to listen and glean sooooo much from this interview. Sarah--thank you! As a published author and someone who's written online for over 12 years I wearied of the social media game in 2023 and quit it all--then moved my work to Substack. ((I listened to a podcast recently Writing off Social where they defined social media as "anything algorithm driven that stands between you and your reader.") On Substack, now there is nothing between me and my readers.
My engagement and connection has nearly matched in one year what I gained in the 12 years I wrote on Wordpress. 500+ subscribers and a 45% open rate--I am gobsmacked.
Also--Hamish's explanation of rolling out new video features--even the live stream component--was helpful. I initially was shaking my head thinking, "oy....not another social media wannabe."
But as he said, why not offer different ways to communicate and build trust?
So, so good!
Thank you for the post and for learning more about the origins of Substack.
A great interview Sarah. I loved the casual yet very informative vibe. And I heard the word "trust" mentioned a few times and that comes to mind too. Great stuff!!
Great interview! Thanks for bringing this to us.
PS. Why should I do video on Substack instead of on YouTube? Also, I hate to rain on anyone’s parrade, but I would’ve liked to see more formatic/visual improments to the writing platform instead. Is anythig like that coming?
Nice to put a face to the name. Hello :)
“A different quality of conversation” — yes! To me that is the best part of Substack.
Substack is a great community. Unfortunately, their tech support is horrible. I manage multiple Substack Authors and must log in and out each time to start publishing. I often get locked out for 24 hours as they appear to track my IP address and think that I am a security risk (or so the AI bot says). Their Team Setting doesn't work. My authors just get gobbledygook when they try to invite me into their site with full Admin access. If I use the Chat for tech support, all I get back is AI garbage that says they will escalate my request and will receive an email. I have NEVER received any response from email support over six months. It would be great if I could log on once, as I do when I manage their websites on WIX/Squarespace, etc.
It's too bad, as I generate revenue, sell books, and help my talent grow their followers. And we ALL love Substack. www.lindafairchild.com lindafairchild.substack.com