[Hidden-tech] Substack as a newsletter platform?

[Shel Horowitz]

Substack has gained a lot of traction in a short time. Several people whose
stuff I read have made the switch, including liberal democracy optimist
Robert Hubbell and former TreasurySecretary Robert Reich. From a publisher
point of view, it offers the option of making it easy for your subscribers
to fund you. In your case, I think a relatively high percentage, maybe as
many as 25%, would convert to paying. Since I made the mistake of pursuing
the cheapskate market in the early days of my list, my conversion rate
would probably be very small, and not worth it to me.

BUT having seen tech companies pull many rugs out from under their early
adopters (anyone remember FBML, or Apple's brief support of clones?), I
would worry as you do, Marcia, that you're suddenly forced to pay them and
you won't know how much until it happens.

I've been with GetResponse for probably about 20 years. But they were I
think my third provider, and each switch cost me subscribers.

If Substack allows you to port over your existing list without requiring
subscribers to opt in again, it might be worth exploring. As of when
Hubbell switched last year, they did not. With open rates so low ever since
Google introduced the Promotions Folder, I worry that few readers will even
see the need to switch.

I hope  you'll post your decision, and your reasoning, when you've made up
your mind.

On Mon, Jan 24, 2022 at 5:40 PM Marcia Yudkin via Hidden-discuss <
hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net> wrote:

> Hi Hidden Techers,
>
> Has anyone on the list created a Substack newsletter?  If so, what do you
> feel its advantages and disadvantages are?
>
> I'm seriously considering starting a new newsletter on Substack, and while
> doing intensive research on it, I started to wonder why - since it's free
> and it allows one to import one's existing list - why I don't just switch
> my existing newsletter over to it and save money.
>
> One possible disadvantage would be that if I did that and Substack changed
> its business model, eliminating the free option, then I'd have to switch
> newsletter hosts again, something I've done at least twice before, with
> unfortunate results.
>
> Your thoughts?
>
> Marcia Yudkin
> www.yudkin.com
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-- 
Shel Horowitz - "The Transformpreneur"
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