Why I would never choose Substack as an email platform for an impact brand

"Are you on Substack?"

I've been hearing this question way too many times, and it's time to address it.

I, personally, am choosing not to join or publish any content/past newsletter issues on Substack.

Yes, Substack has been having a moment.

Yes, the opportunity to get more exposure to new audiences there is impressive.

Yes, it’s not social media per se, but they’re building something that feels as intuitive.

But here’s my beef with them:

1. Substack is not an Email Service Provider. 

Yes, you can grow an audience with subscribers there (with free and paid tiers), but it doesn’t have the full capabilities of an ESP, and idk if that’s a part of their roadmap. 

As far as I know, you can set basic audience segments and set up a basic welcome email, but that’s where the similarities to an ESP end. In other words, comparing Substack to an ESP is like comparing freshly-made pappardelle to an industrial, store-bought gnocchi… both aren’t competing in the same category whatsoever.

So if you need any capabilities other than publishing posts and maybe sending them to different groups in your audience, Substack is not an ESP replacement. Plus, just like any platform that isn’t yours, it can be shut down at any point and any access to your subscribers will be immediately revoked.

(Choosing the right ESP to start with or migrate to is one of the most popular topics I help my clients with in their consultation calls.)

Late addition from my colleague and subscriber, Sarah Moon: "Substack’s metrics are also wacky. They assign any subscriber linked from any substack as being acquired due to substack recommendations. Basically, they’re falsifying attributions so people think all their subscribers come from the platform and not individual substackers."

2. It doesn’t align with my personal or business values.

In the last few years, the platform has given a free hand to publications with clear N*zi and white supremacist agendas.

When the story broke, many other writers sent an open letter, demanding that the company explain its content moderation policy. In response, the company’s CEO wrote that “they don’t like N*zis either”, and at the same breath he wrote, “Our content guidelines… include a clause that prohibits incitements to violence. We will continue to actively enforce those rules while offering tools that let readers curate their own experiences and opt in to their preferred communities.” In other words, the company could take a stance and ban such “fringe voices” (their words!), but instead, they did not do that, and aren’t proactively looking to do enough about it.

Before that, a few trans writers declared that they were leaving Substack because of its tolerance of anti-trans content. 

And if that’s not enough, their business model promotes “growth at all costs”, which puts a ton of writers and authors to publish more and get more paid subscriptions (which they take a cut from, obvs).

Everything above (and there’s always more) is the complete opposite of everything my business stands for, and my personal belief system as well. I can’t see a scenario where I share any IP on their platform.

3. Mandatory third point

(Because our human brains are naturally leaning to 3s. And there’s plenty in the previous two points already.)

If you are posting on Substack, or thinking of adding it to your marketing collateral - I’m not here to judge you.

Seriously!

I follow a couple of writers I absolutely adore there.

All I’m saying is that for my values and my preference and how I’m choosing to run my business, the cons outweigh the pros. 

In case you were on the fence with it yourself, I hope this blog post, at the very least, gave you some additional perspective on it.

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If you're looking for the right email service provider for your business for good, and/or interested in making more sales through your emails (to amplify your impact), here's how I can support you.