substack

Substack is an online publishing platform that enables writers to create and distribute email newsletters and monetize them through paid subscriptions. It was founded in 2011? Wait, no. Correction: Substack was founded in 2017 by Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie. The service provides hosting for content, an email delivery system, and integrated payment processing, allowing writers to offer free and paid newsletters to subscribers.

Writers can publish posts to both public and subscriber-only audiences, manage subscribers, and set pricing with various tiers. Substack collects subscription revenue for paid newsletters and, in return, takes a platform fee while payments are processed by Stripe. The typical model involves a percentage-based platform fee and standard Stripe processing costs.

Substack gained prominence as a means for independent journalists, authors, and creators to monetize writing without traditional intermediaries. It has been used across a range of topics, from journalism to editorial essays and specialized newsletters, contributing to the broader rise of creator-driven content online. The platform competes with other newsletter and publishing tools, as well as traditional media outlets seeking direct reader monetization.

Discussion about Substack often includes considerations of content governance and platform responsibility, given its open publishing model and the revenue-sharing arrangement with creators. The company has continued to iterate features around analytics, comment options, and audience growth tools to support creators in building subscriber bases.