I don't know if anyone at Substack sees things this way, but the task they have cut out for themselves is to create a profitable business that supports a patronage economy. The big, team-written Substacks operate differently, but I think that for most of us, we don't want readers to think like customers. I know that once my paywall goes …
I don't know if anyone at Substack sees things this way, but the task they have cut out for themselves is to create a profitable business that supports a patronage economy. The big, team-written Substacks operate differently, but I think that for most of us, we don't want readers to think like customers. I know that once my paywall goes up, I won't offer much of a value proposition at $5/month when there is so much content online that you can read for free. Or you can pay $20 and get a great ebook by a known author, as opposed to my 4,000 words and a few photos. Realistically, I am looking for readers who will tip me on recurring basis just because they like the cut of my jib. $5 won't even buy a gallon of gas in LA these days, but throw enough tips into the jar and maybe I can devote enough time to writing so that I can keep you entertained reliably and consistently.
Therefore, Substack's core business is to play broker between writers and reader-patrons. They're part of a new patronage economy, a democratized version of the old institution of aristocratic patronage, that includes Kickstarter, Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee and Ko-fi, all of which work toward a similar goal. They will only make money doing what they do if they can convince a lot of people that supporting content creators is not the same as shopping for laundry soap.
I don't know if anyone at Substack sees things this way, but the task they have cut out for themselves is to create a profitable business that supports a patronage economy. The big, team-written Substacks operate differently, but I think that for most of us, we don't want readers to think like customers. I know that once my paywall goes up, I won't offer much of a value proposition at $5/month when there is so much content online that you can read for free. Or you can pay $20 and get a great ebook by a known author, as opposed to my 4,000 words and a few photos. Realistically, I am looking for readers who will tip me on recurring basis just because they like the cut of my jib. $5 won't even buy a gallon of gas in LA these days, but throw enough tips into the jar and maybe I can devote enough time to writing so that I can keep you entertained reliably and consistently.
Therefore, Substack's core business is to play broker between writers and reader-patrons. They're part of a new patronage economy, a democratized version of the old institution of aristocratic patronage, that includes Kickstarter, Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee and Ko-fi, all of which work toward a similar goal. They will only make money doing what they do if they can convince a lot of people that supporting content creators is not the same as shopping for laundry soap.