Substack Action
My current story
It seems the hottest place for writers is Substack. Although I’ve been playing around there for little more than a year, my interaction this year has increased and so has my following. Considering I’ve never started an official newsletter, the interaction on Substack has been surprising and appreciated.
What is Substack? At it’s simplest, Substack is a new iteration of a newsletter. However, it’s also a website, a social media platform, a chat room, a podcast, an alternative YouTube, and just about anything else a writer might think of.
Unlike other social media sites, the “viral” exposure is limited. Like a good relationship, the growth on Substack tends to be slower. And like a good relationship, nurturing the connections and putting in the time seems to pay off in the long run with stronger bonds.
Since humans love to hurt the things we love, Substack does have its downsides. First and foremost, you have the “gurus” who say they have thousands of paid subscriptions and they can show you how. However, you learn that most of them merely migrated their already established newsletter email database to Substack to make it look like they have the secret formula.
And like many areas of the writing community, AI has reared it ugly head. Since there is a huge appetite for written content, there’s a temptation to fill it with AI generated writing, with hopes of increasing followers by fooling the algorithm.
Another downside is the sheer volume of writing. There are so many contributors that are putting out great content, that you feel like your trying to take a drink from a firehose. I feel a little guilty when I subscribe to a Substack because of a great post or vibe, only to not visit again for several days.
Overall, I’m excited and pleased with Substack. There’s a lot of possibility there. Still, I’m a sceptic. So, I’m prepared for someone to ruin it all. Until then, I’ll still keep writing for it and reading other writer’s works. I’ll let you know how that goes.
In the meantime, click on the link below and check out my Substack. There are some free stories and witty observations. Go ahead and subscribe. What the hell, it’s free.
https://substack.com/@jamesjensen2
