Simple graphic, "Substack: Writers Weigh In"

Founded in 2017, Substack is an online platform that helps writers publish subscription-based content, both free and paid. As of 2025, the company is reported to have 5 million paid subscriptions, and is said to be worth $1.1 billion.

From the questions that my clients ask me, the interest in Substack is still strong. For many, there is still one essential dilemma, should you use it or not?

So, recently, I invited you to tell me whether or not you’re sharing your writing through Substack, and if you are, how well it’s working for you.

Thank you for all of your helpful comments! I also found a few more opinions from writers and am sharing those here, too (with their permission).

Sophy Dale

Substack: Networking for Humans
Website: sophydale.com

Exploring how we can gently expand our ecosystems - marketing our businesses in a way that feels organic, sustainable and generative.

In a recent Roundtable session I ran, we were talking about Substack, which also reminded me that I still wanted to find a way to be a little bit active there (despite having moved my newsletter to Squarespace Campaigns, so that I could have a welcome sequence and also integrate the newsletter with a quiz that I’m developing). I don’t want to have to manage two subscriber lists for two separate newsletters, one on each platform, so I’ve decided to post once a month to Substack, but not to send that post out as a newsletter.

For SEO-related reasons, I don’t want to post there more often than monthly, since I want to prioritise my own blog. I subscribe to Regina Anaejionu’s view that social media is sharecropping (and for these purposes, I see Substack as social media, since it’s a platform over which I have no control). I do want to be on Substack though, because it’s a great place for collaborations.

Ros Barber

Substack: How to Evolve
Website: rosbarber.com

Armed with chunks of memoir and a wry sense of humour, let an award-winning writer persuade you we are not doomed.

I am still loving Substack, and the growth of my email list has been tremendous as a result of being there. In the 18 months since I began posting weekly, my email subscribers have more than quintupled (750 to 5000) and I now have over 120 paying subscribers. Notes has been amazing and accounts for a good amount of that growth. I am pro-social and used to love Twitter when it was good (about ten years ago!); Notes is a positive version of that. Mailchimp was dreadful to use and I would hardly email my list as a result. Substack is a breeze to use in comparison. It has also led to paid work; so working very much for me as Twitter used to, when Twitter was good, but with the crucial difference that it gives me an exportable list of email subscribers.

It’s easy to write every week because I’m excited about what I’m writing. It doesn’t even feel like a newsletter anymore. I’m here to stay, for sure.

Cynthia Gentry

Substack: The Mind Reels
Website: cwgentry.com

Musings on writing and books, movies and TV shows, sex and parenting. Not necessarily in that order.

I've had a Substack since about 2023, and my attitude towards it can best be described as benign neglect. I post when the mood strikes me, which isn't that often when I'm focusing on my novels, my MailerLite email newsletter, or my client work. Writing fiction always comes before posting on my Substack. Speaking of my monthly newsletter, I use it to give quick updates and bullet points about what I'm watching, reading, etc., and any news about my books. I use Substack to dive more deeply into topics—and entertain myself, LOL.

I worry that my Substack lacks focus: I write mostly about writing, parenting/empty nesting, and TV/movies, and I've heard that's not a good "strategy" at the moment. I don't care too much because my Substack is free at the moment and the foreseeable future.

I subscribe to way too many Substack newsletters, but I try to like and share the ones that resonate with me, especially for my friends' Substacks.

Meredith Vaish

Substack: Soul Before Strategy
Website: pauseboxco.com

Stories and guidance to help you lead, create, and succeed from the inside out. Paid subscribers get the Nothing to Prove Weekly Ritual—exclusive prompts to stop overthinking and trust your own wisdom.

I've been experimenting with Substack for my Nothing to Prove Weekly Ritual—a paid weekly practice for women leaders, entrepreneurs and deep feelers who want to pause, reset, and lead from alignment instead of pressure. I originally chose Substack because it made managing paid subscribers simple, and I’ve found it easy to deliver practices directly to their inbox in a consistent rhythm.

Here’s what I’ve noticed:

Strengths: If you’re monetizing, Substack makes it seamless with tiers, paywalls, and easy sharing tools. I also like the clean, “just the basics” editor that keeps me focused on writing.

Limitations: It is another platform to manage. I still keep a mailing list and LinkedIn newsletter, so bandwidth is a factor. I also haven’t seen the kind of organic reach some people rave about—likely because I haven’t leaned into cross-collaboration yet. Nor have I gone all-in on Notes (substack's version of social feed)

For non-monetizers: It still offers a solid home for your work and a way to feature your voice outside of social feeds.

For me, the real value has been less about reach and more about creating a sustainable, paid practice with my audience—something that feels nourishing for both them and me.

Laura Baggaley

Substack (collaboration): Bending The Arc
Website: laurabaggaley.co.uk

Stories, poems and features that bend the arc of the possible towards a thriving future on Earth.

I collaborate with a small group of writers to produce a Substack 'magazine' twice a year. It's a different way to use the platform, and we've found it to be a great space for publishing & disseminating pieces (without having to create a bespoke website from scratch) and building a community of engaged readers. We don't charge any of our subscribers - our goal is to grow awareness of the thrutopian genre among both readers and writers. Our October edition is out now!

Carmen Amato

Substack: Mystery Ahead
Website: carmenamato.net

CIA veteran turning real-life danger and deception into fiction.

Thinking I could reach many more readers, I decided to duplicate my newsletter content on Substack for free and see if the platform’s recommendations feature led to at least the same rate of growth as my regular newsletter.

What I found is that unless you play the Substack game by “restacking” other newsletters, commenting and otherwise using Substack’s social media features, plus have a helpful “stack” that solves problems or teaches, your Substack newsletter is not going to get much traction. Yes, it’s easy to set up a Substack and send out content but that is just the start. My jury is out if this juice is worth the squeeze of learning another social media platform.

Betina Cunado

Substack: The Creative Advocate

Sunday morning online magazine where creativity meets style and inspiration meets transformation. Stories crafted with words.

I am a, lawyer, bioethicist, and literary translator from Argentina turned writer and translator, now living in Barcelona.

I first heard about Substack on a podcast in 2022, just after I quit my job as a senior legislative advisor to join my daughter in Paris and pursue my own literary adventure. It sounded like the perfect platform because it gave an unknown writer like me the chance to publish my work and even get paid for it!

I must say, even though it’s not easy to gain visibility, especially over the past year with the arrival of famous authors, Substack has not disappointed me. I’ve been publishing consistently for a year and a half and have managed to gain both free and paid subscribers. I arrived with zero audience, offer nothing beyond my weekly post, and write in a language that isn’t my first, yet last month I reached number nine on the Rising Leaderboard in my category.

What I love most about the platform is its sense of community and how user friendly it is. What I like less is the special treatment bestselling authors receive. I understand that Substack’s business model is based on paid subscriptions and that it makes sense to promote top performers, but it still feels a bit unfair.

That said, I truly believe Substack is a fantastic space for writers. And with some strategy, it can be the perfect platform for discovery.

My Substack is The Creative Advocate, a Sunday online magazine, reminiscent of the times when your favourite magazine arrived with your weekend newspaper.

Donn King

Substack: King’s Chronicles

Insights and tools for aligning your voice, values, and influence in a noisy world.

I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with Substack, and I even did a short webinar on how writers can use it.

I completely agree about the “rented land” issue. That’s why I always recommend regularly downloading your email list. Substack makes this easy—and because it’s simple, writers are more likely to actually stick with it compared to platforms like Kit or WordPress. You can also back up your posts in case you ever want to move them elsewhere.

A great example of Substack done well is author J. Kevin Tumlinson. He’s even integrated it seamlessly into his website (kevintumlinson.com). I’d bet he downloads his list regularly, too.

Lora Arbrador

Substack: Art Blotter Plus

I share the fascinating art of little known artists of yesteryear and today. I also reveal my art process (mostly egg tempera), and updates on my memoir/coffee table art book, plus+ a rotating array of non-art topics.

I've had my Substack for almost 3 years now. I started it because I am writing a book and everyone said you should have a mailing list. I had a sign-up on my website for many years but never wrote a newsletter. I took those 50 people and brought them to Substack. I had a vision for my sub stack and I love the way it is a hybrid blog/newsletter. Also, you can share comments. The newsletters I get from people generally seems salesy, whereas the Substacks I subscribe to seem to have more substance. If they don't, I unsubscribe. I don't think it is magic for increasing business. It's more if you have something to share and it is free, but I wouldn't mind paying for an email provider. The downside is you cannot segment your list and take notes on your different subscribers. You also cannot address them by name, but I find that kind of creepy anyway when an email addresses me by name and it's not somebody I know. Some people have both an email provider and Substack but I think that's a lot of work, and I decided not to do that. All in all, I am very happy with it. By the way, I am not a writer. I am an artist, even though I have written a book which is a hybrid memoir art book so my Substack is mostly pictures!

Holly Newman

I'm just dipping my toes in Substack, but my toes like the water. I have recently returned from a conference and talked to many authors who use substack. Yes it has some limitations, especially around automation with the welcome sequence, but that can be easily handled as an offshoot and does not need to be viewed as a limitation. I am delving more into it this month with graphics. I like that I do not have to create a complicated template in order to write. Yeah for simplicity!

June Gillam

Website: junegillam.com

I don't use Substack, although I hear about it a lot. But I don't like the name: sounds below the stack???

I do have 1500 folks on my email monthly newsletter and I do publish articles on Medium, so I’m likely not a candidate for Substack but would love to learn about it.

Thank you for your generosity in sharing all of these Substack experiences! I’m planning 2 more pieces in this series: firstly, a guest post on the difference between Substack and an email marketing tool, and then, a round-up of Substack guidance from experts in the book marketing and publishing space.

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I the meantime, here are the pieces I’ve already published about getting Substack and Squarespace to play nicely together:

Using Substack with Squarespace

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