Many of you who are new to me, might not know that I’ve been a long-time member of the National Association of Black Journalists Colorado Chapter (CABJ). I truly love the community, their amazing work, reporting, creative projects, being in community and the feeling of home when I’m spending time with them. They’re just wonderful people to be around. Recently the conversation has come up regarding building creative projects or professional brands utilizing the Substack platform. I’ve used the platform since 2022 and currently plan to continue to use it through 2026 unless something happens. I absolutely understand why it’s such an enticing SAAS tool for many creators, but before you start building on the platform I think it’s important to reflect on the following: is Substack the right place for Black journalists?
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20 Reasons Why Black Journalists May Want to Use Substack
I’d like to point out some of my observations and experiences using the Substack platform and why Black journalists may find it so enticing to use.
- The platform is relatively easy to use and set up. You can start what effectively feels and is experienced as a website, have access to video and livestreaming and can curate a portfolio of work quickly on the platform.
- There are other Black journalists on Substack most notably Joy Reid.
- There is a large number of journalists who were fired/pushed out of or let go from traditional media/network jobs creating who are now positioned on Substack and creating a pre-exisiting media community that people could collaborate with.
- Substack has become a place for people who aren’t formally trained or who’ve attended J-School to set up platforms for Independent reporting. Some people may refer to these journalists as: newsfluencers or creator journalists.
- You can begin monetizing your work from day #1 focused on using the subscription model that everyone has access to on the platform.
- There are millions of active daily users and subscribers
- Recently Substack has raised 100 million dollars signaling that the platform will continue to be around for awhile.
- Currently, Substack is very much still in its growth phase with an upward trajectory that many users would like to optimize. Remember all of the creators who were able to leverage: TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, Clubhouse, Periscope and Twitter? Creators are hoping to hop on the wave that Substack seems to be happening on Substack.
- Content created on the platform is indexed on search platforms such as Google
- AI search results are starting to pull from the platform
- There are endless collaboration opportunities
- Creators can design unique branded experiences on the platform such as “Shh, We’re Talking” the livestream that co-host with Angela Hollowell founder of Melanin MVP and Please Responsibly. As well as Corey Gumbs founder of The Black Podcasters Association.
- There’s instant multi-media integration with text, livestreaming, video and audio capabilites
- At the time that I’m working on this episode you can still download your email list and take it with you somewhere else.
- Design content that’s unique to your interests and experiences.
- The Recommendations feature that allows other creators on the platform to share your work
- Develop and grow brand awareness
- You could design a signature project that otherwise wouldn’t exist
- There’s the opportunity to repurpose content to other platforms such as pushing out videos direct to YouTube
With 20 pretty compelling reasons why journalists and other creatives may be enticed to use the platform why then am I asking you to re-evaluate whether or not Substack might not be the best place for Black Journalists, in particular, to grow a brand.
10 Significant Concerns with Substack and Journalism
- Independent journalism needs to exist in a space that ideally is immune from external influences. SAAS tools are typically funded by folks who have their own agendas. Do those agendas align with journalistic truth? That’s up for you to reflect on and decide.
- Real talk-As a citizen, I’m very concerned by the large number of left-leaning journalists positioned on the platform. What happens if there’s a tech glitch? Or, what happens one of the current or future investors requests that journalism be more deeply scrutinized in the future? What happens to your work?
- There’s the very real possibility that you could lose access to your work. Whenever you’re building on a third party platform-this possibility exists. Cody Sanchez of Contrarian Thinking was an early adaptor on Substack had around 50,000 subscribers and one day couldn’t log into her profile. She got it back, but that was the beginning of the end and she eventually/quickly moved off the platform.
- Paywalls can be very difficult to scale and you will absolutely have to scale it to earn enough money to move the needle towards a sustainable lifestyle. Monetization is still evolving on the platform and it can often feel like it’s moving slower than the evolution of creator projects.
- The Recommendations feature can accidentally flood your project with people who aren’t a great fit for your work. This has become a topic of conversation that I’ve noticed with increasing frequency on podcasts, etc. Why is this an issue? When you try to monetize your platform in other ways the people on your list might not buy from you because they like you but aren’t deeply interested in whatever it is you’re asking to pay for. That could include but isn’t limited to: paywalled content, products, experiences, events, merchandise. You get the picture.
- Customer service-As your project grows, issues will come up. Currently Substack has a bot set up to handle customer service related issues. Many users have not been happy with the experience. What if you need support on a multi-thousand paid subscriber tier and you’re unable to get that help as quickly as you need it?
- Terms of Service and how it impacts monetization-Many creators have found that monetizing just with paywalled content doesn’t make sense for what they’re trying to do. It’s important to be aware of the Terms of Service and how it impacts the different ways you decide to monetize your brand.
- Journalism and paywalled content can coexist but should it coexist during this moment in time?
- As a project grows the paid tier becomes more expensive to host on the platform.
- Umm, so there are Notsees on the platform. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case on all platforms but they aren’t discouraged to create somewhere else.
It’s Up To You
If you decide to use the Substack platform the choice is ultimately up to you. I do want you to be fully informed about what to consider before you move forward and say “Yes” to Substack. To prepare your work and design your brand in a way that helps you pivot if you need to leave the platform for whatever reason.
Want to Know More About Building on Substack?
Schedule an In-Person or Online Workshop
I’m in the process of designing a workshop for Black journalists thinking about building a brand online hosted on Substack or not. Please reach out to me at: th*****************@***il.com to discuss scheduling a presentation to you and other journalists. This is a Pay What It’s Worth presentation-Attendees will contribute what they can before or after the presentation. The presentation will also include time for a Q & A.
What is The Creator Income Collective
Are you looking for community? I may have the community for you. I’ve recently launched The Creator Income Collective.
- A membership community for online brand builders and other creatives leveraging the internet to build their brands.
- You are a person who is thoughtfully monetizing your work and working through questions such as:
- What is equitable access to my work and for my work?
- How does accessibility influence my product pricing models?
- How can I to the best of my ability serve my audience as I stated?
- What is the best way for me to expand my vision, reach, community and impact without causing harm to myself or others and that includes financial harm.
The Creator Income Collective is a space for creators to hang out in, meet other creators and collaborate. It’s purposely affordable so that it’s an easy “Yes” go to https://creatorsgettingpaid.com/membership to be in community with like-minded folks monetizing their work to sustain their missions today.
