I recently had an insightful discussion with
, publisher of Egberto Off the Record and “Politics Done Right” on YouTube, about Substack’s strategy of enticing traditional media refugees. Once they arrive, they rebrand themselves as what Substack refers to as “New Media.”To be clear, I hold no animosity towards the arrival of legacy media stars to the platform. Additionally, Substack is a business, and I understand why this strategy appeals to its management. However, my observation is that these new arrivals are an insular group with little interest in building relationships with the immense pool of publishers, experts who have been here, working hard and bootstrapping it long before they arrived on the scene.
Indeed, most of the livestreams that hit my feed show them engaging, not with the residents of the neighborhood they’ve just moved into but with one another. In my view, this is a conversation that those of us who are not famous media stars cannot afford to ignore. I believe it is incumbent upon those of us who are truly independent publishers to recondition our audiences.
We must convince them not to chase the shiniest objects but to recognize our value. If we don’t do this, the danger is that Substack may morph into the very thing that drove us here in the first place.
*A special tip of the hat goes to
for her coverage of the event!
READ:
The Art of the Humblebrag
Typically, the act of bragging about oneself, especially when done under the guise of humility, is frowned upon in polite society. Such an offense is commonly known as a “humblebrag.” Merriam-Webster defines the humblebrag as “a seemingly modest, self-critical, or casual statement or reference meant to draw attention to one's admirable or impressive qu…
Share this post