Should You Start a Substack? It’s Complicated.
A Strategic Guide for Experts and Thought Leaders
Substack is a powerful platform that combines several functionalities in one: it's a subscription-based blogging platform that also allows you to podcast. It features a built-in mailing list and a Twitter-like feature called 'Notes.' Live-streaming and subscriber community chat thread features were also recently added.
I’ve found it’s a good platform for thought leaders to display their deep expertise through content as well as find, connect, and engage with people in their field. It’s also great for boosting visibility. From New York Magazine:
“When Substack took off in 2020 amid the newsletter boom — which came and went, then came back again, perhaps this time for good — it positioned itself as an email service. But in the years since, Substack has transformed into something else: a platform for live videos and podcasts, a burgeoning social-media network, and a starter pack for fledgling newsrooms.”
In this post I’ll cover:
Why Substack has potential for thought leaders, experts, thinkers, and authorities
Whether you should use Substack to replace a website
Whether you should use Substack to replace an email newsletter
If you should host a podcast on Substack
If you should paywall your content
How to integrate Substack into your overall online presence (website, social media)
Why Start a Substack Instead of a Blog on Your Own Website?
I’m an advocate of blogging (for those who like to write). Blogging is a great way to share your point of view and expertise when someone lands on your website. Blog posts are a great reference asset for potential and existing clients and network partners. Writing posts helps you sharpen your point of view, and a long-form blog post can be repurposed and remixed for amplification on social media.
So it may seem strange that I’m suggesting you start sharing content on someone else’s platform.
As Nathan Barry says:
‘Your website is the best place to publish your essay. You can always use social media and other platforms to promote it, but ultimately your essay should live somewhere that you control—that isn't driven by algorithms.’
Except, what if no one knows about you yet?
A Substack can help with two big things: traffic and visibility.
If you’re building your platform and want to raise your profile with a specific audience, Substack can help. Substack offers a powerful Twitter/X-like feature (‘Notes’), and through commenting and following, you can direct people back to your Substack posts.
This offers some benefits:
It's easier to discover and be discovered by others in your field
All of your content is displayed on your Substack landing page
Passages of a post and user comments can be 'Restacked' as a Note (tweet), driving even more traffic back to your content
People have the option to subscribe to your Substack with an email (this is the game changer)
I see media outlets trying to figure this out. They have their online publication but have launched a Substack in parallel.
I believe there is a bi-directional way to use Substack. More on that soon.
RELATED POSTS
Why Thought Leaders and Experts Shouldn't Replace Their Website with a Substack
The problem with Substack-only presences is they often lack context and professionalism. I frequently encounter Substacks where authors are:
Sending out a post ‘as is’ with no preamble
Using the default ‘About’ page text
Providing no context about their expertise, case studies, or client work
Who are these people? Where can I see their credentials?
Should you keep a blog and a Substack? Probably not, but the two need to be cross-posted and integrated. If you don't already have a blog but want to start one, this can be a good tool for that—as long as you integrate it back into your site.
If you’re still at a corporate job and want to start building a platform, this can be a great place to start, dip your toe in, and experiment outside of the glare of LinkedIn before going all-in on a website.
Substack Is Not a Substitute for Email Marketing
I just spent this weekend unsubscribing from almost all of my unpaid Substack subscriptions. The amount of email in my inbox was overwhelming.
What I did instead was follow the authors of the Substacks whose content I enjoy. This is my new go-to: following instead of subscribing. Bad news for creators—they no longer get my email.
Here’s why Substack falls short as an email marketing tool:
No Other Revenue Streams Substack’s own content guidelines state: "Substack is intended for high-quality editorial content, not conventional email marketing." This means you can't promote your own paid services or products effectively.
They Get Your Audience to Opt Out of Your Emails Once they've got your fan in their app, Substack encourages them to enable "smart notifications," which essentially removes this person from your email list. Instead, your reader will get push notifications in the Substack app when you publish. Should you decide to leave Substack, you'll have readers who have opted out of your email list—people you'll either need to re-establish email permission with or lose altogether.
You’re Building More of a Following Than a Subscriber Base When you create on their platform, you’re not necessarily building your email list or your “owned” audience. You’re building your following on Substack, which you cannot take with you anywhere else.
Limited Flexibility You can’t send an email that isn’t a post—bad for quick updates like events, sales, etc. There’s no flexibility for traditional email marketing campaigns.
The Solution: Export subscribers regularly and add them to your email platform.
Should You Host a Podcast on Substack? Probably Not.
There are many reasons to start a podcast. If you want to grow a massive audience, Substack is probably not the right tool.From a recent Reddit thread:
“Substack’s treatment of podcasting was as an afterthought and with no customer service... Substack has incredibly poor analytics, which if you plan on getting serious about your podcast, are very important... SHOW NOTES! Where to begin. I can finally get my show notes to look the way I want from a formatting standpoint, which is not about how they look on Substack, but rather how they look on Apple, Spotify, etc.”
If you want to host a podcast as a means to network and just need an easy solution, it might be a good way to get started. But you may find its lack of features means you outgrow it pretty quickly.
Another consideration is your podcast domain. I have a client who has had a variety of headaches with this. She has a substantial following and has been able to get support from Substack (don’t underestimate how big a headache lack of support can become). From a recent Reddit commenter:
“One more big thing. If you use a custom domain on Substack and that is tied to your podcast, are unhappy with Substack podcasting, and then move it—you won't be able to move your pod (again, if you are using a custom domain and that custom domain is the name of your pod).”
My recommendation: Don’t host a podcast on Substack if you’re serious about podcasting.
Should You Paywall Your Substack Content?
Absolutely not.
You know what looks like a real grind? Being an idea busker on Substack. It’s incredibly crowded. I’m currently spending my child's inheritance on monthly $5 subscriptions. I'm tapped out.
This is unfortunate because there are a lot of excellent journalists and writers on the platform. But unless someone is providing solid gold advice—backed by receipts—or useful information I can actively use, my wallet is closed.
But here’s why I still think it can be a part of a media mix for experts and thought leaders: a built-in audience.
Test, share, and spread your ideas liberally, sans paywall. Your people are there sharing ideas in long and short form. Mingle, comment, restack, and (maybe) collect some emails while you’re doing it.
And yes, definitely find ways to direct people back to your website.
How to Integrate Substack into Your Overall Online Presence
Treat Substack like an ancillary platform that your online hub (your website) links out to. It may also gain you a few email addresses.
Case Study: For my client Science + Story, we created four major ‘thought pieces’ for his site, then embedded a Substack feed and kept the podcast on-site using the blog feature.
Regularly export Substack subscribers and add them to your main email list
Continue to link to your website on your socials
Link back to your website from your Substack. Make good use of the ‘About’ page; continually link out to your services, bio, or other information on your website
Cross-post strategically between your website and Substack to maximize reach
The Science + Story’s Substack feed embedded across the website along with long form content native to the website.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Substack can be a great place to discover and be discovered, but it doesn't replace a website—and you’re still building your platform on rented land.
The key is integration. Use Substack as a discovery and audience-building tool that funnels back to your owned digital assets. Don’t put all your eggs in the Substack basket.
If you do get subscribers, regularly export them. Think of Substack as one tool in your digital toolkit, not the foundation of your online presence.
Your website remains your digital home base. Everything else—including Substack—should support and drive traffic back to that hub.
Want to talk about crafting a cohesive online presence that actually converts?