Introducing the Substack Bestseller badge
A check mark worth paying attention to
Today we’re introducing a way to see, at just a glance, whether or not someone is a top-performing writer on Substack: Bestseller badges.
A Bestseller badge sits alongside a writer’s byline and is displayed on their Substack profile, ranking them in one of three categories according to how many paid subscribers they have.
Paying readers, not Substack, decide who gets a badge. We don’t give out these badges for subjective reasons and they can’t be bought. They are assigned solely according to how many paid subscribers a writer has on Substack. Upon qualifying for a badge, writers will receive a congratulatory email and can choose whether or not to display their badge.
The badges come in three colors:
Purple: tens of thousands of paid subscribers
Orange: thousands of paid subscribers
White: hundreds of paid subscribers.
While not everyone who starts a publication on Substack does so with the intention of making money, the paid subscription model is one of the differentiating features of this platform. These badges are a celebration of the successes of many hundreds of writers and podcasters’ publishing efforts, and demonstrate that it is very possible to make great money with the Substack model.
We think it’s helpful to highlight the writers who are performing best on Substack in terms of revenue because they can serve as examples for others to follow—from product manager
to lawyer and commentator to Instagrammer and former Patreon creator . A Bestseller badge is also an indicator of credibility for those writers who have built a readership that trusts them enough to support them financially. Few things express trust in media better than a paid subscription.The Bestseller badges are in keeping with our efforts to build a new media ecosystem based on respecting, rather than exploiting, people’s attention. We want to build a system that rewards deep relationships over viral content, and one that puts writers and readers in charge. This initiative fits with the same philosophy that led us to build other features—such as leaderboards and recommendations blurbs—that similarly help writers grow their readerships and revenue while retaining control over their own media empires.
As ever, we are grateful for any feedback, which you can leave in the comments section of this post.
Lots more to come!
Learn more about the Bestseller badges in our Support Center.
Want to start a new Substack publication? Visit our guides on how to bring your Twitter followers to Substack and start and grow a Substack, at every stage.
Thanks for all the feedback everyone! We're in these threads listening, and it helps to hear what you think -- the good and the bad! -- as we keep working hard on the product.
You’re a great company and what you’ve done so far is incredible. I’m a full time writer thanks to your platform. But what has made you great is you haven’t played the same attention economy games as other platforms. Your core creators are *artists* not simply *content creators*. Artists will jump ship if this place becomes just another heavily metricated, gamified, winner-takes-all space like all of the web 2.0 social media spaces.
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback. I strongly agree that we don't want to reproduce the attention economy games -- in fact that's why Substack exists in the first place!
It’s my pleasure. I feel emotionally as well as professionally invested in this company (as it is currently keeping a roof over my head). I’m just some guy without a literature degree, a former NYT byline or other credentials and prior success in writing. As such I feel like I have my ear to the ground on this. If there’s anyway me offering further 2c on any of this would be helpful feel free to get in touch.
That’s precisely why this is a bad idea! Don’t fix something that isn’t broke!
As I once read on a mug in a Buddhist gift shop: Don’t just do something, sit there!
Love it!
It does have the Twitter blue check mark feel...which seems maybe not ideal? A sort of hierarchical vibe.
More gamification is how you will end up attracting GenZ talent, not less. The fact remains anything that motivates Creators to focus more and strive is a net positive for the community and Substack's bottom lines. A writer that has invested themselves totally in the pursuit of their craft should have credibility that can be verified visually in under 1 second.
What make Kik fun? It was precisely the gamified interface. Substack needs to be fun, the app needs to be more sticky. If there were rankings per sub-category I'd be thrilled. I don't want just a reader. I want an app that can give me more than just the feeling of a reliance on my readers for my income.
The badges are brilliant, and motivating! We aren't here to debate ideology or please everyone, we are here to support good writing and empower Creators to feel dynamic and productive and do what they love.
Contrary to so much of the comments, this is one of my favorite new features. In fact, I wish gamified design was really embodied by Substack better, because GenZ own the future of the Creator Economy - we need to embody the best of their generation and their mobile-native preferences. Philosophy and ideology is not the goal - empowering Creators with a stack of tools is.
Artists are not creators and Substack is a place for true artists.
Artists create from their soul. Creators, "Talent" create to make money and get stuck on an endless content generation treadmill.
While the two terms are used interchangeably, they are not the same. Gamification is everywhere else on the Internet, there are plenty of place to go for that soul crushing vibe. Let's not turn Substack into yet another place like that. Artists don't need a "badge" to motivate themselves because they are already motivated intrinsically.
The artists in GenZ will do just fine without an artificial "badge" to motivate them.
Yes!! Yes 👏
I agree, Clint. As you say, artists have intrinsic motivation
Creators are artist. My hubby for instance is a software developer (creator). He creates code. With this code he creates art, for instance video games.
I'm a Top Writer on Medium. I consider myself as both. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an artist is a person who creates art using skill and creativity.
Grotesque. Imagine Hemingway or Joan Didion writing and working via ‘gamification’ theory.
Touché
Gen Z? Is that all you care about?
That is so not true for all genres of writing.
Great word 😏 Apt.
Hello there, could you please add PayPal as a payment method on Substack? There are a lot of countries including South Africa, which is my country, that are not supported by Stripe. So, there is no way to monetize and build a sustainable business. I have sent you a PM twice, but you have not replied yet.
Please, I beg of you to do this. You have the power to make this decision.
No more caste systems on digital platforms please.
Exactly.
Instead of messing around with rank by numerical metric, why don’t y’all make it so books published serially to Substack can be read in sequence on the app?
Because right now, they can’t be read in sequence without great difficulty. The app functionality for this key demographic is very poor.
Details here: https://charlottedune.substack.com/p/do-we-really-want-email-novels?r=8gb2e&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Yes, I've been asking for the ability to toggle posts in ascending or descending order for quite some time. The best solution so far was suggested recently by someone in the Fictionistas group here on Substack. Pin your first chapter to the top of your post list. Insert a button at the bottom of chapter 1 with a link to chapter 2, and so on, so that the reader can easily keep reading. Take a quick look at one of the books (sections) on my Substack and you can see how it works.
Yes exactly. It’s very clunky right now and there is too much friction, especially in the app for a reader to navigate. So many easy solutions too—like the toggle button.
I see you've done something similar in your about section!
I also just make a table of contents post and pin that to the top.
I'll take your suggestion over some stupid badge any day. I gave up trying to read a serialized book.
It’s challenging at the moment to read serial books on Substack. I really hope they improve this feature.
✌️Seconded
Yeah I thought that as well. Twitter-style.
Twitter style! That is a shit show to navigate.
I agree. Some of us are trying to share wisdom that will help people find deeper happiness and inner peace - a surprisingly niche interest. We will never attract the readership of highly contentious, politically-based authors. But does that make what we do less worthy?
This exactly
"Some of us are trying to share wisdom that will help people find deeper happiness and inner peace"
This is exactly the aim with my newsletter, "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies".
Here are a few of my articles on happiness:
Going Through An Existential Crisis?
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/going-through-an-existential-crisis
Be Relentlessly Happy 🤗
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/be-relentlessly-happy
On Good vs Evil or Contentment vs Anger
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/on-good-vs-evil-or-contentment-vs
The Wisdom In "Kung Fu Panda" (2008): Laughing All The Way To Peace, Harmony, and Focus
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-wisdom-in-kung-fu-panda
The Meaning Of Life According To The Movies (A Virtual Comedy Film Festival)
https://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-meaning-of-life
Good point!
Isn’t this also exposing people’s financials? Cause you can multiply their subscription cost by the badge tier? Seems un private to reveal the number of subs on this platform since it’s tied to a monetary figure.
Good catch!
Yes. This.
100%
Wonderfully articulated.
💯
I missed this for months. Idk how. And clearly it’s staying since it’s been around since Nov. Now I’m okay with not publishing as often. Bc I can’t do be part of the rat race.
If Substack is calculating the "% of reading", that will be a better measure of how good the writing is. Instead of adding up "total cash", calculate how much "time" is spent by reader on a writer's articles. If I am reading someone's post 100% that means I love it. "Number of 100% reads" or "total time sent reading" will be better measures.
This punishes longer posts and is not about quality regardless.
Exactly. Sometimes things can be said completely in a sentence or two. The rest is just filler.
Excellent suggestion.
That’s a good idea 👍
That's an interesting idea but is it possible to calculate reading time in the email inbox?
I don't think it is possible for Email inbox. Only in the app, it's possible. It's a tough metrics fo measure. I thought Substack is no more a newsletter, at least baesed on the new features thay are adding.
like Kindle reading. I like that idea, but worth bearing in mind that some authors don't, because it affects their royalties. I know that doesn't apply here - yet. But if such a measure is introduced, and it's public, it becomes just another badge by any other name. I think newsletters should be judged by their worth to a potential reader, not in comparison with others.
Absolutely agree. Substack's value is in its curatorial nature, and that there is no competition between newsletters (most readers might not even realise that 'Substack' exists as a common platform). Connections only form when the *writers* want them to. It's great for writers and *especially* for readers.
The problem, I suspect, is that this approach doesn't necessarily help grow Substack as a business as fast as they'd like.
Thanks, Simon. I'm sure you're right about Substack's motives. It's such a shame, because for me the community aspects and the mutual helping out are what makes Substack stand out from others. I also wonder if the badges thing will dampen down collaboration to some extent. I'm thinking that I don't constantly think about how many subscribers other people have, but if I had it 'thrown in my face' all the time that X has a purple badge, and therefore a mega subscription base, I'm not sure if I'd feel confident enough to approach them to ask if they'd be interested in a collaboration.
I don't think the two things are mutually exclusive: it's just a tricky needle to thread for Substack. But they've been pretty clever about everything so far!
I get what you're saying about confidence of networking with 'bigger' writers, but that's been the case for a while as newsletters already indicated free/paid subscriber levels via text, if not a badge.
True, but apart from when you go to their 'subscribe' page I don't think you see that. But you're right. I suppose I just have an objection to badges in this context!
Within the current gestalt this makes total sense. Growing a business in current environment has got to be tough - especially growing one amidst Silicon Valley with motivations to help us as human beings form the world we want our children to live it. It is a tall order. I would like to know which Cloud platform SubStack uses.
I think the entire badging is problematic which intends to make Substack as another social media app with dopamine boosting and gaming features.
I get a dopamine boost every time someone subscribes, and a drop every time they unsubscribe (so I've turned off notifications about the latter!). But I know what you mean, badges seems like a further step in that direction :-(
Technically tricky, I imagine. 'Time spent reading' would also encourage people to write unnecessarily long articles - and would penalise short-form writers, comics/sketch writers/illustrators and so on. It's a tricky problem!
I totally agree with this
Yesterday I was listening to Lenny's Podcast with Sachin Monga, and I remember the point being made that you had some 'exciting new features for readers' coming soon.
I'm assuming this is one of them - the idea being that readers are in control and can vote with their wallets so to speak on what they support and like. The consumer-driven approach to product growth can be a powerful way to increase engagement, but systematically we've seen how things go for creatives when it comes to marketplace acceptance. The value of creativity is too abstract to simplify into a transaction.
If writers and artists were truly valued for their contributions to society, Substack wouldn't be a platform - we'd already have ways of rewarding those contributions. I think most readers want to support creativity, but they legitimately don't have any meaningful metrics to do so. It is much easier to just seek a creator with a well-established audience. But the big names and numbers garner an outsized respect - the psychological impact affects everyone negatively as it inherently places more social and economic value on one over others.
I'm pro-capitalist in a lot of ways, and I understand that you're trying to make money here. I also admire the fact that you are actively encouraging writers on how to hustle. What I don't like is the way this feature rewards that game over the creation of art.
The percentage of 100% read (i.e. how many people read your work to the end) would be a decent metric if we have to have metrics and badges and all the rest of it. Seems harder to game and seems to reward quality writing regardless of number of subs. I dunno, just thinking out loud here.
I believe it's a pretty good metric for sure. Very few of the Substacks I follow would earn this badge to be honest, haha.
I believe there are tech limitations to this though - readers on email instead of Substack aren't measured by this metric and likely never will be.
Yes, this is critically important. Any sense SubStack is promoting writers based on numbers and sales will hurt good writing. Writing because you must is very different from writing because you want money. I am not against making money and being an entrepreneur at all. But how we all go about it is critical. Many will be quick to detect and reject becoming potential slaves to the system.
Definitely, KW. I think that somehow the badges thing introduces another dynamic, an unhealthy one. I'm still working this out for myself, but I don't have a problem with writing on Substack in the hope of earning some money. But hoping to get enough subscribers to merit a coloured badge, even though it amounts to the same thing in a way, seems like an unnecessary diversion.
Interesting. I agree. Feels like elementary school stars for good behavior. Writing isn't always about numbers - it is about ideas, free speech, and communicaton.
LOL re badges in elementary school! Yes!
I think the overall request is that Substack find a way to create equity. If Substack can create a way for everyone (from the worst of writers to the best of writers) to gain a following... I think you’d be on to something. And it might be the most dangerously sublime and exciting thing to happen in the history of media. Somehow though, I think Substack can do it!
💯🪄
🫡
Yes. Ab-so-lute-ly. 100%.
Thanks, KW. I think the equity thing doesn't work anyway. If someone who clearly can't write very well ends up having some sort of apparently-undeserved prominence, people are going to wonder how that happened. All such measures end up devaluing the currency, so to speak -- at least, that's my opinion!
For sure. They will try to sink us with numbers. Doesn't work for us lowly "content creators." Wholly owned and subsidized.
I couldn't agree more. We subsidise our writing by doing that instead of other money-earning activities. Well put.
At the risk of sounding like an intellectual snob or something, I don't see why bad writing, however defined, should be rewarded artificially. I think Herbert Spencer's idea of the survival of the fittest should apply.
I am glad you are listening, because this news is so dispiriting, especially since I came here just to escape the algorithms dominating social media and Google. These algos are killing real creativity. As a reader, I have to wade through tonnes of marketing listicles on Google just to get to some authentic content from a real person. Substack has removed that difficulty from me, and I enjoy my weekend mornings reading my Substacks. I rarely pay for stuff online, but I'm finding myself supporting writers by paying for them.
Introducing this will make it harder for me to find new, rising newsletters. I tend to gravitate towards them as they are refreshing and raw. Don't tell me I have to go through the same thing here, wading through hundreds of checkmarked Substacks to get to the newbies?
As a writer just starting out on this platform, it is dispiriting news. I want to be able to write content without worrying about needing to get a checkmark so that I'll be read/seen. I like the current organic recommendation system. It has allowed to discover new newsletters that give me joy.
Please, please don't do this.
Valid concern for all of us.
@Chris, most of the comments are not in favor of this feature as it is. So, are you going ahead with this?
Three years on Substack and still I'm just the nerdy writing girl in high school with a few close friends watching the popular kids do all the great things and win all the badges.
I think every writer feels this way! There is always something else to strive for, no matter how much "success" you find. That's why you have to tune it out and stay true to the work and our own specific goals. It's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Here's a great Substack that talks about exactly that from Sari Botton: https://adventuresinjournalism.substack.com/p/confessions-of-a-reluctant-gatekeeper
I came to Substack so people could see my writing. It was an exhaustive search through all other platforms. I did so much research to find the right fit. I didn't have subscribers when I came here. Now I do. I'm so thankful for that. I've made so many friends here.
I don't think this badge system is very fair. It seems to me that those with badges will climb to the top. I look for people who I enjoy reading their writing, not badges.
What is a bestseller as you say? It seems to me, it's only those who have paid subscribers. Just because they are a bestseller, doesn't mean they are the perfect newsletter to subscribe to. And might not even be an interest to you. What about free publications?
It seems like you keep adding more features but never ask any of us what our opinions are of this. You started the poll option. Maybe you should put a poll up on all these "so-called features".
You recently changed how we receive replies to our posts and likes. I emailed support about it. Did I receive an answer to my question? Nope, that was on 11/8/22. It says on the script email that "a member of our support team will be in touch soon". 5 days later, nothing.
How about offering badges based on IMPACT to someone’s life rather than the usual economy metrics that reproduce the same old hierarchies as other platforms?
So far I am SO impressed about what Substack can do! Way to go guys. 😎
Positive feedback and a reliance on the importance of free speech is invaluable. They dance real good so far for a Silicon Valley corporation.
Recently, a reader posted a huffy comment to Dan Rather. She had multiplied his subscription price by his number of subscribers and questioned if he needs more money. I responded that she calculated all subscribers, not just paid subscribers. She also probably hadn't calculated that he shares payments with his assistant(s). So maybe some readers wouldn't subscribe to be-badged writers due to an economic fairness evaluation.
Hi there! I have been on the substack for less than a week, and I love it so far. I came here because it seemed to be a content platform instead of a platform where only the ones that create for profits and analytics matter and rank. I hope that stays true.
As much as I love the platform so far, I can't help but think it would benefit writers and readers more to invest in more valuable tools in the post editor (like a table of contents and the ability to center text) than worry about badges that segregate creators.
I may lack the purpose of the badges because I only see them as beneficial to let potential readers know who is more "successful" on the platform instead of finding content that may interest them.
And by success, I mean who can obtain the most paid subscribers.
Anyways - just my two cents. I am happy to be part of the substack community and want to help make it better.
* (adding edit) Perhaps a badge that reflects reader engagement is a more valuable metric to reward, like someone who reads (scrolls) the entire article? Anyway, just a thought.
Hi Chris! Glad to meet you. Thanks for joining this discussion. As a writer - I love SubStack. I have heard your reasons for forming the company. Believe many of us here though are a bit wary of trusting Big Tech companies. (In addition to governments, corporations and institutions, lol.). Badges could be useful if they are used for the right motivations and intents. Please continue this discussion. It is perhaps one of the most important of our times. If you, your company and employees, who back us as writers, have the right motivations and intents we will see that. Actions speak loud - and words.
I think these are useful. Not everyone makes Substack their full time job, but some do and it reflects the broader publishing industry language of bestsellers, which can help make a newsletter look more professional. Just my two cents as a person trying to make a living on here.
I avoid bestsellers like a plague.
team is looking into it
Please do not turn Substack into twitter. This is my safe space where I enjoy the luxury of reading beautiful words from many fabulous writers. It doesn’t matter to me if it is free or a subscription. I never look at how many subscribe to a writer. If you have 4 subscribers or 40000 it makes no difference to me. I just like the writing! The number of subscribers is relatively meaningless except to the writer. I am happy for writers who have a lot of subscribers. It gives them confidence and I am happy to pay to read their writing, just like I would pay to buy a book or a magazine subscription. But to check mark them based on subscriptions tarnishes the appeal of the writer to me in someway. Perhaps it’s a twitter hangover, but that’s how I feel. It just doesn’t feel good.
I agree with you so much. The worst thing that could happen is this place to become the new Twitter.
Yes, agreed. Many of us are here because we became disillusioned with corporate publishers, mainstream media, universities, governments, corporations and institutions.
Thank you for listening to us. My loyalty to Substack as a platform to voice my thoughts quadruples just based on knowing I and others here are heard.
I love everything Substack is doing for writers. Truly, I appreciate it. But I think the top selling badge might go a little bit too far into turning this into something else. I mean, there’s no doubt that we’re all here too hopefully make some money, but I’d like the “writing first” aspect of it. This goes a bit too far toward “making money” first.
Agreed. I don't really see, as someone who would not be earning a badge, how it would inspire me to grow. It just feels kind of shitty. I think it's pretty obvious who is making money and who is not (they already say how many paid subscribers people have without a badge, which I already find off-putting), and usually the people who have badges possess something that I do not, and perhaps will not have at any point, such as a major literary career or massive following. It feels kind of like Pelaton :)
As a quick aside, everybody should read Sarah Wheeler bc she's so smart and funny and cool and if I had badges to give out she'd get every single one of them but they'd be like super gaudy with lots of tassels.
haha stop. and yours would have a little hat with an esoteric but somehow relatable image on it!
Well, based on what Garrett has said I'm going to look at your newsletter, Sarah -- which only goes to show, I think, that word-of-mouth has a lot more going for it than badges and all that kind of stuff.
"No, no... you see, there's a story behind the thing on my hat! Wait, you'll love it... why are you leaving???"
Agree: we know who the heavy-hitters on the platform are; seems superfluous to add the Twitter-like blue check mark ✅
“…shitty.” Thank you!
Totally agree with this comment.
I agree, Sarah, well said.
I completely agree.
What is your ending emoji? Some people's emojis are replaced by an "obj" square.
Yes, I see this "obj" square in more and more places. I assume it's an emoji (or a set of emoji) that is specific to a phone they use but can't be read by other machines.
Touché
I really dislike this. Hope you will reconsider. It seems with each update, substack is becoming more and more like a social media company, competitive and having us rank against each other.
I’ve felt similarly; as SS grows it seems to edge slowly closer and closer to other traditional platforms
Yes.
What about writers that don’t charge money for their writing or don’t paywall anything? Are free subscribers not worth noting?
Agreed. My favorite thing about Substack is its focus on writing, and to me it feels like it muddies the water to focus on paid subscribers like this
Solid point
Hmm, this sparks an instant sense of defeat.
Ha! So well put. Yes this.
This for me too.
I hear ya
haha, yup!
I don't know about this. It seems like a way to get writers to chase the badges, which is good for Substack, the company, but I'm not sure what the incentive is for the writers themselves. "Look how many paid subscribers I have" is not something I would really want to say aloud, which is what the badge would effectively do, and it feels somewhat counter to building community with other writers by establishing visible tiers. I could be wrong!
Thank you for this feedback.
Our intention here was not to change the incentives -- there is already an incentive to get paid subscribers! -- but to help make this legible in a way that is useful to readers and writers.
But I hear what you're saying, and we'll take it into account.
I can understand logically why you would think this makes sense. If you were dealing with ‘logical’ people. But you aren’t you’re dealing with writers. Artists. Weirdos (in the best way).
By which I mean of course we want to make money but we are for the most part sensitive feelers. And broadcasting your material success with an overt badge isn’t cool in this world. Popularity and artistic greatness do not necessarily go hand in hand. They can do but it’s not an absolute correlation.
When it said ‘hundreds or paid subs’ on my acc that was okay because it was subtle. But overt signalling and the creation of a tier system like this isn’t. I know this sounds like hipster nonsense but trust me on this. Substacks success to date has been predicated on having a reputation for quality writers and thinkers. Badges will (subconsciously perhaps) make people water down their work in the hope of securing dopamine and shiny objects. Or it will make them give up entirely if they don’t succeed in these material terms.
I hope people will back me up on this and show I’m not spouting nonsense.
Reflects my feelings as well
Well said. It's tacky like everything that comes out of the digital world. I know substack is a product created by the same type of people that made Twitter, but I was hoping to get away from the Marvel brain stuff for a bit.
It’s like when the big purple guy with the metal gloves snapped his finger snd everyone went ‘oh no’. Am I right, guys?
Fully agree. Especially the part about how it will discourage writers who aren't getting paid subs.
Exactamente porque creo que me falta mucho para llfgar a suscripciones pagas. Y esto consigue desilucionarme un poco. Es como cuando en la escuela te decian: los primeros 10 tienen A
I back you up. 100%
"Popularity and artistic greatness do not necessarily go hand in hand"
That is a great summation.
Well said Thomas!
well said!
Word. You got the pulse on this.
100% agree with you Thomas. Great points!
That's understandable, and thank you sincerely for hearing me and everyone commenting here! When I first joined Substack, I was essentially fleeing the media industry that treated everything like a numbers game. It was all about clicks, view count, and metrics like that. I was even pretty good at it, and it nonetheless wore me down. I'm anxious about hustle culture having too much influence here, because I do see myself as a creator trying to bring art and writing to a public medium and make meaningful connections with my audience. I don't think this feature is a huge deal, but that's why I'm reluctant about it. When it becomes all about money and views, the good stuff goes away, at least in my experience. Thank you again!
To me this feature feels like a (potential) omen as much as anything.
‘When it becomes all about money and views, the good stuff goes away,’ sums my worries up perfectly.
Right. Yes. True.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I fail to see how it is "useful to readers and writers." Writers already know how many paid subs they have, and that information shouldn't make any difference to readers, who would presumably be reading due the quality of the writers' offerings, not their financial situation.
Give different badges based on what percentage of people read a persons work to the end, if you must give badges at all. A hierarchy of writing quality and reader loyalty which can’t be gamed.
If a writer has 50 readers but they are all devoted hardcore fans I’m gonna check that writer out. But if a writer has 50000 casual readers who are following hype I’m not interested. These current badges reward the latter over the former in my opinion.
(And yes I would switch my white checkmark for one based on this system, because I wanted to be judged based on craft and not number of subs)
Exactly!!
As someone who writes as a solo act for a narrow professional community, I am already “competing” with Substacks that have 5+ writers combining to build businesses. Good for them. But the reason I have been happy here is that Substack creates a level
playing field for the work. If Substack creates hierarchy in this way, it can only damage those of us who don’t have the highest tiers of paid subs. In the parlance of my industry, We smaller draws become the “indies” and others, spending to grow beyond the writing itself, becomes the “majors.” And that would suck.
Yes
You hit the nail on the head with one phrase... "a level playing field." Once upon a time... Youtube was a level playing field...
When will we hear about a definitive decision on SS’s part re permanently implementing this -- or not?
This this this! People on medium used to chase top writer Status, even if it meant putting our crappy work to get there. Hated it
That’s the core problem. It gamifies it and incentivises putting out what's popular rather than what your heart is telling you to create.
The difference here (so far) is that there are no algorithmic benefits to 'gaming' the system, as on other social platforms and Medium. Aiming for 'top tier' status on those platforms could be done through SEO-like optimisations and cynical grabs at virality. That doesn't really work on Substack, it's still very reliant on writing something genuinely decent and attracting legit readers.
THAT SAID. Some of these new features are edging closer and closer towards more of a united 'social' platform, rather than the isolated oases that we currently have. I do worry that Substack will at some point tip over into being a social platform rather than a writing tool.
The app was the first thing that got me worried: it pulls the readers into a corporate ecosystem, and rather traps writers within the platform.
I'm still very optimistic and positive about Substack - it's fantastic. That's why I'm so nervous about every new feature. :)
I feel exactly the same way. None of these features are a dealbreaker in isolation- and I really don’t want to be Chicken Little about all of this- but they do seem to point towards a certain direct which I am apprehensive about.
Indeed. The Substack designers have been savvy so far, so fingers crossed. The toolset as-is is remarkable.
Also, congratulations on your new bestseller badge. ;)
See this is the thing, if we were ‘normal’ people I’d be over the moon. But being a writer my reaction to the checkmark is ‘am I a sell out?’, ‘Have I fallen off?’ Hahaha
A lot of that gamifying is why I do almost all of my writing here now.
Hate the gamification, not the player.
JP, it's worth noting that they already say who has hundreds or thousands of paid subscribers right next to your name/publication whenever it comes up, they just dont have the icon. I dont know when that happened, but dont love it either.
Yes, you're raising another very good point. Why would anyone want to advertise how many paid subscribers they have? It can only lead to trouble in my opinion.
To elaborate on my point, this platform is excellent BECAUSE it’s not a competition. Implementing checks would turn into Medium, and I dislike Medium for that reason. The scales of balance will be thrown off. Writers already have imposter syndrome, and we don’t need more of it.
You turn art into a competition like this and you end up with clickbait infotainment. The same as what you find everywhere else. Substacks edge is its (deserved) reputation for being the home of quality, thoughtful writing.
That’s absolutely true. Not only that but I guarantee those that pop up In a search query without badges will now be dismissed as “unreliable” sources of information.
You hit the nail on the head with that one; because that appears to me to be the exact perception that is going to happen. Some people will recognize the nuance, but most readers stumbling around here aren't going to recognize that.
Agree
Exactly. It currently feels like a place of genuine connection. Status badges will erode that feeling of community.
Absolutely. I love this community so much and I’m crying on the inside... there’s enough self-doubt and criticism in me at the feeling of not having attained my 100th free subscriber let alone not having a single paid subscriber LET ALONE not having one of these badges for having hundreds of paid subscribers LET ALONE.... you get the point. 😵💫
Exactly!! I don’t need a badge to tell me I love what I’m already doing for free just because I want to. If Big SubStack is losing money, I’m willing to chip in a few bux at year’s end so they can pay necessary employees and keep the lights on, but I don’t need a checkmark for that either.
I’m with you girl <100 subscriber club ✊ represent!
The quality of the work and how it lines up with your own standards is what matters. Hierarchies like this will make people forget that and discourage them. Or turn them into hacks.
Exactly.
Rich get richer problem. Good for Substack, but will encourage readers to overlook emerging writers in favor of established names. That's already an uphill battle that'll be made worse with this gimmick.
Exactly my thoughts. I like Substack BECAUSE it doesn’t place value on the numbers.
This is a good point. It will make it even harder to emerge.
Why not let people's writing speak for itself? Why must every corner of the internet be turned into this professional-class status symbol pissing contest? Just because Twitter turned their checkmark into a free-for-all circus doesn't mean Substack should create a new digital caste system of their own.
Precisely. The value of art (and I think many here, including myself are trying to put out art rather than simply ‘content’) is not judged solely by market value.
Second order effects of this initiative is people ruthlessly working out what (corny) tricks and hacks drive engagement and number of subs. Eventually you end up with the equivalent of those open mouthed youtube thumbnails etc.
The fact is, Substack paid money up-front to most of the "successful" Substacks. These were not people who built an audience from scratch, nor built an audience here, they spent years or even decades writing for established mainstream institutions, and Substack wooed them away with cash. Now they want a way to promote their in-house products. It's Amazon for writing.
You’ve really got me thinking with this one, Jamie. Great comment.
Love this comment.
Team is on a tear (serious kudos), but this one is off.
This feels like a dark pattern into nudging paid subs. You’re rewarding a very static metric: money.
Couldn’t agree more on letting readers dictate recognition, but money is myopic and self-serving, paradoxical to all else this incredible platform does.
There are other (and arguably more important) metrics of success and influence here (opens, reads per piece, engagement, pace of growth, other Substack publication recommendations, etc.)
As a free publication this doesn’t make me want to turn on paid yet, and it makes me question my own significant achievements. This shouldn’t be a feature’s unintentional outcome.
Yes this. I have two publications with very different numbers and proportions of free and paid subscribers. I mean, I write on substack as a platform for sharing my other work and am not at all obsessed with stats like I was when I was spending a lot of time on medium, but the second I read this I was making calculations about “oh, well I’ll still get a check because it’s one per profile and not one per substack” and i hate that because ten minutes ago I didn’t care about a check at all.
I hate the term bestseller, too. It was probably chosen to connect to book bestsellers, but (1) those lists are a result of a lot of gate keeping and (2) it implies people are here to sell rather than to share and connect.
I’m here to share and connect. I don’t need a badge for that, and I don’t need to see anyone else’s, either.
Also. This is a status symbol for the substack community internally. Much like medium top writer status mentioned elsewhere, it means nothing to anyone except other substack writers. Which just further removes us from our readers.
I’m a no on this one.
Badge should reward total number of readers, not just money.
I agree. My free subscribers are just as important to me. They are not second best.
Percentage/number of 100% reads is the best metric if they must insist on giving us badges. Paid subs shows you’re popular, not necessarily artistically good. A celebrity with no writing chops could get an orange/purple badge in 24 hours.
THIS. As a new writer on here, this would be a much more fun way to approach these badges. And if you were paying even the slightest bit of attention to what someone charged for their subscription and saw their readership numbers, you could figure out where they were at in the realm of “success” on Substack.
That would be better.
Total agree - I think no Badge is better, but number of readers is better than "paid subscribers"
Exactly. Especially the part about there being many more important metrics of success and influence, like open rates and engagement.
Yes, opening rate, whether subscribers stick around, I think that said more than whether or not a writer is able to monetize their writing.
I’d be wary of turning it into a competition.
This is a terrible idea.
I joined Substack to give me the impetus to write for an audience, and I'm delighted that I have subscribers who enjoy what I write. I love that you don't show how many subscribers a newsletter has. I'm not thinking of going paid - that's not why I'm here. I am also not writing to compete: I am writing because I want to write, and to do this without any pressure. I love Substack because it's always felt like a level playing field. This idea makes it feel rather different.
Well said. And I fear that it is people with this exact pure spirit- which great writers should have- who are gonna be discouraged by this the most.
This!! So much this!!
A couple of articles ago, Substack groused a little bit about the “rich get richer” mentality that social media promotes. Existing popularity is prioritized in various ways, resulting in a cascading effect for those already established while pretty much ignoring newcomers.
Substack already employs this way of thinking in articles and interviews that only promote established figures and on the discover page that prioritizes established publications. The badge thing is another step in that same direction that all social media does.
What if you turned it around, at least once in a while? What if you promoted lesser known figures? If a paid subscription comes from a small publication or a large one, Substack still gets their part. Wouldn’t that be something different as an example to the industry?
“I had a previous email list of 5k people from the blog I’ve been writing since 1998 to Substack. I’ve since grown my email list to 45k subscribers!”
Okay, I was in elementary school.
I can’t think of anyone featured who started from zero. Great point.
Oh! I like the ideas this sparks. I believe there is a place for recognition but for what? How about anniversary badges? 1/2/3 years writing?
Honestly, I’m getting a little bit put off by the current rapid fire addition of new features to substack. All of it seems to be knee jerk attempts at capitalising on all the stuff that is happening at the bird place ( you can have your own chats here too! you can have a tick here too!). Please don’t let this be another good thing on the internet that got ruined by think-tanky strategies that aim to make this place the new something else.
Sometimes the wise move is to do nothing. The substack infrastructure was in place before chats and badges. They should simply sit back and let the talent here grow the platform. Less is more,
Exactly. I can’t believe that substack is going this way when the “add lots of new features” strategy is the most prominent online disaster right now. Better to be something reliable when all else is falling apart.
I know it’s hard to argue for nothing being better than something (anything!) in the current world, especially in Silicon Valley, but it really is the case quite often.
One thing about tech places (I used to work at MS) is that everything must be constantly modified, updated, accelerated, belled and whistled in the (seemingly insane) desire to never ever let an idea go - or in the fear that some other place will do it first. It's a form of digital gluttony.
One thing I like about Substack is that it feels quite a bit simpler. It does the job it needs to do, allows writer to easily write, publish, and interact. Maybe just let it be and let people flourish for a while.
Beyond that, the whole badge thing seems off. It's going to (like most places on the internet) cause content - not artistic creation - to rule.
I left Medium for exactly that. Everything turned into a race for top writer status which meant more and more commonplace and repetitious posts crossing my feed. I hope Substack will consider reversing this trend. It's time for a new direction and a new dynamic.
Well said. I subbed to your work as well. Anyone who talks this much sense is worth reading, in my opinion.
Thank you Thomas. I do believe you just made my day. And you said somewhere in this thread about letting things stay simpler and letting people and the platform organically grow. I was sort of riffing off that and am totally with you.
Edit: "Somewhere in this thread" turns out to be right above. Depending on how I open an alert, I don't always see the whole context.
Yes. I like new features once in a while, but at the moment, I really feel that Substack is trying to become a new social media because of what's happening at Twitter's.
Substack, you're not a social media, don't try to become one. You'll lose what made you attractive in the first place and I doubt you'll gain anything from it.
Not a fan of this, tbh. The thing I like about Substack is that the number of subscribers a writer has is not freely available information (something I really dislike about social media). This changes things, and it makes it feel like the playing field isn’t entirely level anymore, which is a bummer!
For lack of a better word (even as a writer), this is really gross. Substack does not do enough to provide resources to creators to build a following, let alone a paid following. And to now create badges that serve to disadvantage creators who are in the early stages of building a following and publicly categorizing them with a low or lower following is a tremendous disservice. All it will do is now direct more traffic flow and audience to those who are already bestsellers. This is a system that will foster "bestseller-bias" and that is not creator-friendly. Frankly, this is a bad idea. Please don't do this. I'm actually rooting for Subtack and would love to use it, but I can't imagine that you decided to create this feature after talking to creators with smaller followings (that can grow!) to learn what would actually be helpful for them.
Gross was exactly what came to my mind, too.
Yes, ‘gross.’
I love Substack and everything you do for us writers, but not a fan of this idea at all. As an arts history writer, I am unlikely to achieve any of the badges. It will surely only be a few subject areas that ever achieve the top two.
Exactly. And does that mean that people will move to more ‘badgeable’ topics- presumably political takes and culture stiff- to gain status?
Seems like it could sink this places strength of being a refuge from such stuff.
The Make Big Bucks Online in your Underwear crowd will rise to the top just like on Medium.
Oh no... 😟
Well I guess I’ll dying a little inside since I don’t do paid subs plus even when I do it probably won’t be hundred of or thousands. Dislike 👎
Very unfair and discouraging. This will tell readers to go for the badges and so I guess it is time for new writers to move out of this rat reach.
I’m a new Substack writer and I find this very disappointing. One of the things that drew me to this platform was that it seemed to avoid the “lords and peasants“ dynamic of so many other platforms, and the mad scramble for status. Substack seemed like a place with more of a focus on community and connection, which is antithetical to an emphasis on sharp status markers.
I hope you reconsider this “blue check mark” idea-- and help us writers resist the all-consuming push for competition over cooperation.
Bestseller badge is a very bad idea.
“ We think it’s helpful to highlight the writers who are performing best on Substack in terms of revenue because they can serve as examples for others to follow […]A Bestseller badge is also an indicator of credibility for those writers who have built a readership that trusts them enough to support them financially. Few things express trust in media better than a paid subscription. “
I think this is one of the most depressing paragraphs I’ve read this week. I know, there’s lots of really depressing stuff in the world but I’ve been on a bit of a fediverse induced buzz this week and this makes me lose hope in one of the few centralised platforms that I find valuable.
Yes, this bothered me most as well. Substack has great potential for innovation and creative applications, but not like this.
Ain’t that the truth? Well said.
Thanks! I should add that I cut the writers’ names out of the middle of the quote because they’re probably embarrassed enough already.
See, this is the thing. We’re all kind hearted touchy feely people here. This move by you proves it. And as such we don’t want this whole writing on substack thing to devolve into a badge waving p*ssing contest.
Can’t help but think this magnifies already successful substacks. Some are a combination of long term audiences migrated here, pre-existing fame, luck, even topic selection... will there be a feature to highlight some of the smaller substacks?
Agree, if there’s to be a badge that enables a potential reader to make a judgment in advance, I’d love for it to indicate an engagement metric other than this. Like “people consistently open and like this one.” Also I thought the mere mention of it on someone’s homepage felt like enough. The badge feels like another letter jacket. We can tell who’s on varsity by likes and comments. Do we need another way?
There are so many other accolades we could give people besides “this is popular”. If they’re looking for ideas, just consult Audible. I have a bunch of badges there and it has nothing to do with the amount of books I’ve read.
Love that.
" long term audiences migrated here, pre-existing fame"
To be honest, I can't think of a Substack success story that isn't based on either of those two points... unfortunately. It would be great if Substack featured creators who started from scratch on this platform.
There are some, actually.
Love the E*l*n trolling.. BUT, this is the HS lunch table of Mean Girls keep on repeating itself. At what point do we all grow up? I’m six decades into life and this all just keeps replaying itself. I thought substack was a place for adults, but here we go again... popularity contests... *sigh*
Popularity contests drive out artists and enable ‘content creators’. It becomes gamified with strategies like how youtube videos have stupid face-pulling thumbnails because those apparently get more ‘eyeballs’ and ‘engagement’
So, a bit like a blue badge on Twitter? It gives credit and authority to people who have managed to get tons of paid subs, and leaves the writers who don't (and maybe never will) have this sort of 'success' looking like they are less valuable as publications. I love almost all the additions the Substack team are working on, but this doesn't feel like the best one for this platform.
Ugh. That's my first impression. This is not to "celebrate" the writers, it's to incentivize us to make more money for Substack. It also adds a feeling of competition among writers. Dislike.
And, I wrote my comment above before scrolling to see others' replies. I feel gratified that the overwhelming response is similar to mine!
Not a fan. What had been a level playing field for writers, whether just starting or bringing thousands of followers from other platforms, is now, inevitably, a popularity contest. Rather than readers taking the time to explore a writer’s work & evaluate for themselves if their writing is worth the subscription, this feature will create a filter whose cracks the newer writers will fall through. Those with huge readerships should be rewarded, and they are, with $. While I’m ever thankful for Substack, it’s my opinion that this will be more of a hindrance than a help.
This is a horrible idea. You are systematically destroying what people love about Substack and as someone with a checkmark, I am about to take my subscribers, both paid and free, and go elsewhere.
I already keep them synced to another platform to enable doing so on a moment's notice. Writing is art and the very best writers should not be judged or authenticated based upon how many paid subscribers they have. The best substacks I read for the most part, would not have these check marks. We don't want worse-than-discord-chat and we don't want gamified metrics.
What we want is for you to continue, as you started, by bringing back the glory of 1. Newsletters 2. Blogging and 3. Technology built on OPEN standards (http/email NOT your own app).
If you want to give writers who value this what they want, continue to build two things:
1. Discoverablity (like the recommendations features - which are great)
2. AN OPEN API - stop refusing to let us integrate other non-substack tools with substack. Would be great if I could use a referral service, if I could send a custom html newsletter to my subscribers by piping them to convertkit, or if I could use my own landing page to get signups (and pipe them into Substack via an API)
The refusal to build an API and these increasingly proprietary features are making it clear that Substack is becoming focused on creating lock-in and maximizing revenue to pay off VC money.
Please stop and stick with what made you great, because you are great - so thank you for, so far, mostly being different than other tech companies, stick with the winning formula. Support writers. We are all writers, we don't need a Lords and Peasants system.
Well said, mate.
This strikes me as a way to promote your money earners and margnalize further those of us who haven't, in your book, "made it." It will drive readers toward your favored publications and away from those trying to find a foothold. It feels like Substack is selling out and trying to camouflage its actions.
***WOW***
And: exactly.
This is disappointing. I’m so so grateful for what Substack has done for writers, and I absolutely love the community here, but I don’t believe we don’t need more metrics to live up to--not here. Our readers and their support whether through paid subscriptions, likes and comments and shares or just general engagement is our badge of honor, and the point here--their loyalty and support is enough. The opportunity to turn our work into income and community, rather than another popularity contest/competition is what drew most of us here (and away from social media) in the first place.
A caste system! Why???
Amazed that anyone would look at the checkmark nonsense going on at Twitter right now and think, right, we could use some of that.
Like, you already do more (way more!) than enough for the established successes on Substack, it's everyone else that needs a leg up. When I saw the email header I honestly thought it was a joke.
This seems kind of similar to how medium did their top writers and I disliked it. It’s like it becomes more focused on money than the fact that people (without hundreds of paid subscribers) are still doing amazing work. I think it can also have the opposite impact and drive some people away from supporting certain creators because “they haven’t even got 100 people to pay for their work.”
wow cool a popularity contest
Very High School The Musical. Horrid idea.
I hate this. I came to Substack for communication, not competition. Not everyone on this platform has increasing the number of paid subscribers as their primary goal. if you want to give awards, give them for content and integrity of the writer, not for popularity or agility at converting free subscribers to paid.
OMG, brill idea. Extend notice to stellar noteworthy individual posts.
I hope you will come up with a badge for those of us who are credible and professional writers but also too new to have hundreds of paid subscribers.
No badges. Or we all get badges!! 😂😅
so your problem isn't that the status symbol exists, your problem is you aren't special.
Sadly, this is a negative comment from dr. EKGetc who appears to lack any newsletter writing history here on Substack but most of all, also lacks fundamental bedside manners. Yes. We are special. And yes, we are speaking up about this new business concept. Note that these are two different topics.
You don't seem that special to me. I prefer my substack to not have have special snowflake status symbols, so we don't all end up in arguments about who deserves them.
THIS.
You have so much you could work on in your product and you choose... this?
Every week in Office Hours, your non-super-famous users ask for more discovery features so that they don't have to rely on platforms like Twitter. Instead, you introduce a feature to tell people who the "real" writers are. Absolute misfire.
Yes, better ✴️DISCOVERABILITY✴️ doesn't seem that hard: tags per post, categories, search.
Substack could change its front page to be like "Hacker News," (https://news.ycombinator.com) a text-link feed of all the latest posts published by Substack writers with a "comments tab." Substack then could become THE destination for interesting content & discussion on the http://Substack.com landing page
🙏🙏🙏
Exactly. Horrid misstep.
I mean if I could give this 300000 likes so that it rises to the top I would. Just 👏👏👏👏
I don't have a problem with the badge system in and of itself. But I feel like for those of us who are just building our platforms, it will mean no (or less) growth through Substack if we don't have a badge yet. People will naturally gravitate towards the people with the badge. They may even ignore anyone without a badge which means we will have to grow our platform solely through our own efforts. This is in theory fine. But if I'm growing my platform solely through my own efforts, why am I on Substack? For me, the value in Substack (besides having a plug and play platform) is that I'm in an ecosystem with an audience that is interested in reading new writing. The Substack system exposes readers to my work. If I don't have a badge yet, I suspect fewer of those readers will be interested in my work because in our culture, a badge means "value" so if you don't have a badge it must mean your work doesn't have value. But maybe that is the point of the badge. Are you saying that that the more people who want to pay for your work on Substack, the more value it probably has? I would answer that maybe it is valuable to those particular readers. Maybe the early writers on Substack have attracted an audience with very specific interests (e.g., finances, food, crypto) and other audiences, with different interests, aren't on Substack in large numbers YET so this suppresses the paid subscriber numbers for some topics. You would know this data better than me. I write about artists in the Seattle area. It's a niche market. Most of my readers aren't on Substack YET. I do direct face-to-face marketing. Every person I bring to Substack has value to Substack regardless of their pay level. They diversify the readership. They add one more potential reader to the pool of readers in this wonderful ecosystem. Substack needs a system the rewards writers who are out there hitting the pavement in the OFFLINE world and bringing eyes, hearts, and minds to this platform, not just the writers who are benefiting from the existing pool of readers.
Agreed. I’m also in a very niched topic and market. And I’ve brought over quite a few people/clients to Substack because of the ethos and the ethics.
Agree! I almost feel like if they are going to have a system of sorts that helps the already- successful, then they need to think of a way to do the same for those who need exposure.
This is a terrible idea. Yet another measuring stick for writers that reflects "bestseller" and "blockbuster" mentality that ignores all other forms of creative expression that are not intended as acts of capitalism.
As someone who would still get this badge - I really dislike the idea and it makes me less inclined to recommend the platform to other creators who feel pressured by the gamification of creation.
The idea of Substack being a place for writers of all types is really important. There's a significant amount of content in here that is niche and long form. Stuff you wouldn't see on other platforms because the incentives lie with creating something from the heart that doesn't necessarily have a built-in audience.
The checkmarks distinguish a writer not only as a high earner on Substack, but somebody that happens to be playing the marketing game better than anyone else. It doesn't convey the depth and value of the niche writer, that creates for the sake of creating - not to amass the largest audience possible.
Whether intentional or not, the checkmark is demoralizing for writers of smaller audiences. It tells them to cater to what's popular, and then maybe one day, you too can be a purple badge creator. It places the incentive on reaching a broader audience and to create with that intention. Frankly, this should be an alarm for writers of medium and large-sized audiences that have thus far made a name for themselves by fulfilling a niche.
I have no doubt that this will impact company performance in positive ways in the short term. But I believe the long term impact of this signals a change in priorities that currently makes it feel different than other platforms out there.
Sorry Substack team, but I really hope you rethink this feature. I've praised the last couple, but this one is a loss for creativity.
Nails it x 100:
“The checkmarks distinguish a writer not only as a high earner on Substack, but somebody that happens to be playing the marketing game better than anyone else.“
There are many reasons that I appreciate Substack. This is not one of them. Terrible news for independent writers with a smaller audience. This only incentivizes appealing to the common denominator and *will* kill originality. Having a lot of paying subscribers (which many of us, of course, aspire to) is not a guarantee for quality or creativity. Substack used to be a community. Please don't turn it into a popularity contest. Far too many social media/writing platforms already do that. I hope the team will reconsider and refocus on lifting up all writers rather than putting a few on a pedestal.
Add me to the long list of those who are not a fan. BUT, there is one saving grace: writers can choose not to display it, and thus express where their focus lies.
Think about how this can go wrong:
Celebrity with mediocre writing skills starts blog, tweets about it and next day gets hundreds of paid subscribers.
Versus.... a nobody like me... I tweet about a post and I’m lucky to reach one person. Who likes it. My tweet... Not even the post itself.
If anyone needs badges... it’s people like me. #thestruggle
♥️
This is such a disappointing turn of events. What a way to completely disenfranchise writers who have chosen to keep their content free.
“It doesn’t have a badge. It is probably not worth my time.” is not the message Substack needs to be sending.
Exactly.
Totally.
This is incredibly disheartening.
Jesus, what about the hard working writers that offer their subscribers content for free.
I always loved the vibes here because they were so opposite the shrill Hunger Games-like social media-driven scrambling for numbers, followers, likes, friends, etc. A arrangement that tacitly pits artists against one another.
Please reconsider this move towards SS morphing into some sort of gated community for ‘elites.’
This is the first time I’ve thought OH NO no no no Substack! This is why we are here for the connects outside of vanity metrics. Pleasssse don’t roll this out!
Same here, felt my stomach lurch. Took a Xanax.
I was disheartened to hear this update. I’d support a method similar to how YouTube awards its creators with a physical plaque that stays behind the scenes. The badge hurts the community and the growth of smaller creators.
This is a great alternative!
To be pithy and exact: This is fucked.
I love substack but this is a terrible idea
Vanya is a great writer Everyone. And I have a white checkmark so you are all duty-bound to agree and respect my opinion on this!
(It’s all so silly, isn’t it?)
Rare substack miss.
How does this make the platform better? What exactly is substack trying to be? I genuinely thought it was intended to be the antithesis of social media, but every recent feature is just making it more like social media. You've invented checkmarks as status symbols eh? brilliant. What a joke. How about adding subscriber-only RSS feeds, so I can read content I'm paying for outside of your app?
As if writers aren’t insecure and doubtful enough as it is…
This is a HUGE fumble. Please turn it off. There is nothing to be gained from making writers feel inadequate.
The key difference for me is that prior to this, networking benefits on Substack were based entirely on curation and writer choice. Writer A recommends or links to Writer B. That gave those networked connections real value.
Shifting this towards algorithmic/mathematical networking based on specific criteria inevitably moves away from a curated, writerly experience and towards something very different and closer to traditional social media attention hunting. Whether it's paid subscribers, time spent reading, growth rates or any other metric.
I think I'd rather Substack remained curation and human-driven.
To be honest, I kind of liked that big and small publications basically looked the same on here, and each one stood on the merits of its content (leaderboards aside). This change feels reactionary to drama happening on a totally different website. What does that have to do with any of us?
I’m so glad that others have voiced their feelings about this... My first reaction was not positive, so I sat on it. But further consideration only makes me dislike this feature that much more.
As others have said, this metric values the money a writer brings in and nothing else. Not the quality. Not the dedication. Not the writers who share their work for free.
This is a competitive, gamifying feature, not one geared toward community.
I have 80 paid subscribers, but it's good to know I'm not "credible" until I get up to at least 100. Guess I better get on that marketing hamster wheel!
Honestly, I can't see how this isn't incredibly insulting and alienating to some of your most devoted advocates. To me, the best thing about Substack is that it has generated a dizzying array of ultra-specialized pubs written by joyful enthusiasts and experts - but many of them are SO niche I can't imagine they could ever achieve a badge of any level. So are they untrustworthy and worthless? Man, the more I think about this, the crappier I feel. I hope you'll reconsider.
I agree. And feel similarly disheartened.
It's Interesting reading so many of the other comments for this with the vast majority being with a relatively negative response to this idea. And I would echo most of those complaints too. The beauty of Substack in it's form up to now is that it has really felt like such a welcome relief from other platforms where people tend to judge following or social proof before the work itself. So while of course I understand the idea of having some greater way of rewarding / promoting the highest quality work on here - I really hope the Substack team change their mind with this. Let the work speak for itself - and give all writers the fairest possible chance to be seen; regardless of whether their work has thousands half engaged readers, or a handful of truly devoted fans.
The highly talented, experience, unique writers who are driven by art rather than (just) commerce are the ones who are going to be most demoralised by this initiative I believe. Which would be a loss for everyone.
We’re all writers which means we’re readers too. And I don’t want all of my friends and contemporaries without ‘badges’ and ‘checkmarks’ to feel like they are lesser. Because they are not.
Exactly! I know I have definitely felt that demoralisation a lot in the past with my own work too - and the sense of being lesser due to not having much of a starting place with following or checkmarks etc. So let's just hope the team at Substack really do take some of these perspectives on board, as it would be a shame for them to start turning this platform into something that it has no need to be.
I've used Substack since 2020, and their focus has been evident for a while now. When I started, they were offering real incentives for fledgeling writers, through mentorships and even grants to support writers. That withered down to the Office Hours and Shoutout threads, while focusing on attracting money-drivers from traditional publishing. It's almost as if the creative backbone was really only useful to lay the foundation to attract those big numbers. Does continually leave a worsening taste of being duped...
This is the first Substack update I don’t like.
I don’t think the Substack ecosystem needs anymore reminders of top earners...
Showcasing it based on, again, top earners, just feels like another way for us (maybe just me?) to compare myself to other writers.
I LOVE Substack, and I show up because I loooooove the community, features, and of course... writing!
But I notice the little snags my brain has when it notices “New York Times Best Seller, etc.” under bios and names that are repeated here over and over at Substack because they make a living wage showing up to write.
VERY amazing of them, NO doubt about that! And just having another way to--what feels like--throw it in our face makes me feel bad/behind/not good enough/like I need to compete.
I don’t want this space to turn into a competition.
I understand you all may want people to feel incentivized to get more writers with paid subscribers on the platform but I don’t think this is the way to do it at all.
More help and maybe even one-off classes for us “rejects” that don’t get into the Writers courses where you take us under your wing would be helpful.
Maybe even making it a paid long-term helping thing for those who’d want to invest and put skin into the game so that y’all have revenue and we can get into exclusive spaces to grow...
But a badge for largest amount of paid subscribers made me feel heavy and icky. 😕
Same
I don’t like this at all.
It’s ‘review’ culture. What happens - as with reviews - when established influencers ‘buy in’ people to ‘rate’ them?
No. This is open to massive corruption and doesn’t show a writer’s skill, relevance or worthiness at all.
As for ‘leaderboards’…..🤮
Part of me wonders if all the new features are helpful, or if they take away from what was once a simpler, more writer-led approach to sharing publicly. I'm not for or against most of the changes -- they're helpful in some ways and perhaps distracting in others -- but I just wonder when enough is enough. When cohesive, simple ways to share our writing and work here is enough, without the extra stuff. Does that make sense? I'm so grateful to get to share my writing here... and I'd hate to feel any sense of secret striving, of needing to add/do more, that somehow felt a lot less relevant before. Thank you for your continued dedication to support writers here -- it is appreciated. And thank you for welcoming feedback, too -- it's so important to hear how writers are being impacted by the changes, positively and not-so-positively.
Badges?
We don’t need no stinking badges.
😁
I am deeply put off by this. I have a feeling that readers will take it as a mark of authority and certification that these writers are top-quality. But just putting a dollar value on something doesn't make it top quality; perhaps it will mean that these authors have a better content marketing strategy than others or name-brand recognition -- but it doesn't necessarily mean the writing is going to be better. Intuition says this is going to turn the creators off and alienate the content-production base. Already seems like it from the comments.
As someone writing in a niche genre, this stings. My readers love what I write, but there aren’t tens of thousands of them. I also have many more free subscribers than paid, which means I may never reach the badge level, even though I write high quality content weekly and have worked hard to build my readership over the last two years. I’m disappointed to learn that my “success” (or lack there of) in terms of gaining paid subscribers will now be broadcast widely.
As someone very new to Substack this makes me feel defeated before I even really start. One of the things that really drew me here was it’s mostly egalitarian nature and lack of judgement. What seems like a simple “ enhancement” has the ability to change the whole ethos of the platform.
Great. I love getting stratified into media elites and poor bastards on this app too
Dying! 🤣 thank you!
I was so looking forward to joining Substack because it felt like an escape from the “more more more” of social media and the business spaces I’m in. I was inspired to come here to make art—not to have monetary metrics determine the quality or worthiness of my (and others’) creations 🤍✨
This feels gross. It’s like you’re handing out plastic trophies to the top sellers at some mandatory corporate retreat. If this is an attempt to increase revenue, then why not charge for pro features. Before Revue was purchased by Twitter, it cost $5 a month to be able to change the colors. I would gladly pay $5 to publish.
Maybe an “I tried” badge for the rest of us?
😂
It's funny because it's true 😭
Hmmm... I'm not sure how I feel about this. It seems to leave behind the "writing first" vibe that I truly love and appreciate about Substack. This is the one social media channel I actually enjoy spending time on. I love creating AND finding more great writing. I worry that adding in these popularity badges will lead to the same negativity I've experienced on other platforms (think how when Instagram removed the number of likes from posts) What I'd really like to see is a better way to find more great writing. Maybe more descriptive categories so readers can find us? Maybe a way to connect with other writers who are writing about similar things? Maybe connect writers with a similar number of subscribers? I am fully behind growing this platform and it has to be sustainable, but I think there are better ways that remain true to the community.
I really agree with this - categories would be so great, and more helpful to me as a reader to easily find what I'm interested in!
I hate this.
Bestsellers badges would show the wealth demographics of Substackers' readers,. Knowing that a writer attracts wealthy people is not impressive. I would rather know which writers have the most readers. Substack could advertise its numbers of paid and unpaid subscribers, without mentioning names, and without trying to make Substackers financially competitive to increase the income of Substack.
Nope. For many reasons, but mostly just a gut check- nope
I have to agree with the majority of comments here. I’ll just keep focusing on writing from the heart. Don’t need to chase another status symbol.
I hope this doesn’t make it harder for all the amazing writers with small audiences to more reach people who could really benefit from their ideas.
When you open a substack, you already see it says "has thousands of paid subscribers" or what not on the welcome page. What is this checkmark for then? It is completely pointless and just diminishes the content on this website.
If you want to do a checkmark system, make it based on ALL the readers a publication has (free and paid). That way, it actually rewards free publications who have many readers as well. That has been the missing piece on this site and everyone knows it.
Right now, a free publication has no way to market itself by indicating it has many readers. This is only visible if they are paid. This hurts growth and therefore also hurts the effectiveness of converting to paid later on (hence, bad for Substack the company).
In all, this badge system is completely useless and, at worst, harmful. Please make this include all readers, not just paid, if you want to actually salvage this.
Agree 💯%
The solution may be to give everyone a badge, both for free and paid newsletters, for four main tiers, plus an additional badge for paid, and the option for writers to "opt out of badge participation":
New or less than 100 subscribers (gray)
Hundreds of subscribers (white)
Thousands of subscribers (orange)
Tens of thousands of subscribers (purple)
Paid subscribers (no number listed, just a different badge, maybe red)
So a free newsletter like mine with hundreds of subscribers would get one badge, white, but if it was paid, it would get two badges, white and red, even if I only have one paid subscriber.
This is a bad idea. Don't get into the "Musk" territory of "badge-bluecheck-gate"
Or base it on total number of subscribers (not just paid) and number of 100% reads.
Number of 100% reads is the single best metric for doing this. Completely democratic and based on the quality of your work and loyalty of your readers. Fantastic idea, Sajayan.
This is the first new feature you've introduced that I'm not enthusiastic about.
So now you’re becoming Twitter too? You realize that as a result of this feature, you’re intentionally downgrading writers who don’t have paid subscribers or don’t have an established audience right?
People pay for things which aren’t good for them. The idea that trust is based on the financial support that a publication gets is faulty. There’s entire industries dedicated to getting people to put money they don’t have into things that are bad for them.
Gambling makes billions of dollars a year and creates the circumstances to bankrupt people. Yet according to the assumption that paying for something in large amounts is evidence of the trustworthiness of a business, gambling is a good thing.
Well said! Credibility, trustworthiness, and quality are not “proven” with popularity or income--nor are they disproven by their absence. Haven’t we learned this already?
Can we buy one for 8 dollars a month? I’m joking.
😆
No labels, please... Please. 😮💨
I come here for the writing, most to produce it in to read it. I’d hate for this place to become a Clickbait bazaar. 
Honestly ambivalent. Many of my most devoted readers work in culinary, and they've had a tough couple of years. I don't want to prod them to pay for my work just so I can get a badge. I'd never turn down a paid subscription, but I understand why that doesn't work at the moment.
Platform getting worse by the day :(
Don’t think it’s getting worse. I think this is just one bad idea out of the many hundreds of great ideas. They’re creative and not all endeavors are supposed to work. This is great for people with thousands of subscribers.
I wouldn’t go quite that far just yet. But there does seem to be a little more short term thinking rather than looking at second order effects imo.
Badges = more people monetise too soon/too aggressively/ in a corny way = substack erodes its current rep for being the home of high quality unique work = more artistic types jumpmship = Substack eventually becomes as humdrum as the other web 2.0 platforms.
Need to think several moves ahead.
If your core users, not the shinier names who've got no time / interest / need to jump on a comment thread about this sort of thing, are uniformly telling you this is an undesirable direction, and your response is, "great, this is fantastic feedback", and you don't switch tack...well, then it never really was about those users. Substack's product is great, Substack's direction, not so much.
Don’t do this. It’s so corny. There are better ways to mark credibility than (paid?!) followers.
Unfortunately I have to say that this idea gets the thumbs down from me.
I have intentionally moved away from platforms such as Instagram where large numbers of followers seems to be more important than providing quality content. Being on Substack feels like a refreshing opportunity to move away from the stressful "popularity contests" happening all over social media, and are actually what makes you different.
As well as writing about a rather niche topic, I am new to the platform, and so have a feeling it will take me a very long time to reach the lofty status of acquiring a badge. This is only important if it serves to undervalue my work. I don't have the luxury of an already established large audience, and so not having a badge may actually create a situation whereby new readers feel I am in some way less of a writer.
If anything, you should be trying to take the opposite approach by supporting those at the bottom of the ladder whose excellent work may be going under the radar. I have a lot of free subscribers (and that's also fine for me.) Although paid subscribers are nice, aren't free subscribers important too?
Please rethink your strategy and adhere to your principles of being different to everything that has gone before. I am not here to win a badge or be validated by your platform, but to have a channel where I can experiment with my work, connect with other writers, and find new niche corners of the internet that are curious, interesting, out of the box (are dare I say it,) not necessarily that bothered about being the most popular.
Seems a bit unfair as I don’t want to charge for my Substack. I enjoy the creative process and happily share for nothing. I get the idea behind it, but don’t like it.
I’m sure this has already been said, but it bears repeating: It’s no secret that people are jumping ship from other platforms in favour of what you’ve created here. And it’s only a matter of time before the marketers who are only after money will migrate too. Don’t give them an in to take advantage of and ruin Substack like they’ve done with every other good thing.
I love Substack, I love everything it has done so far, but I think this is a terrible idea.
Substack is about writers, all writers, big and small. Differentiating them like this depending, basically, on how much money they make (or how many "followers" they have) is opening the door to the same nastiness we see everywhere online. Substack shouldn't be a popularity contest. I know that the number of paid subscribers is important to you, that's how you make your money, but it shouldn't matter to the readers nor to other writers.
I'm going to add to the chorus saying I'm not in favour of this feature, sorry. I notice that, on my publication, I get a checkmark (as the founder) but my colleague, who does equally great work, doesn't. Yet readers subscribe to the publication, not to me personally. I'd get rid of this feature.
This is Competition vs. Collaboration. Many steps back in social growth. Sigh
Just wanna hop in to also register my disappointment with this feature/idea. We don't need more class signifiers in online discussions, and we don't need public rankings of writer's relative importance to be plastered across every part of the site.
Not sure how I feel about this. My concern is that it could create a disproportionate ripple effect sending more subscribers toward writers who already do well while detering others from subscribing to smaller creators because "oh, they don't have a badge, they mustn't be good"...
Agreed. Snowball effect which tends to already happen unfortunately.
Hi Chris, substack has changed my life, but waking to this is tough and ultimately disappointing
A year ago I published my first article and got over 10k hits. https://joeljenkins.substack.com/p/covid-19-shows-how-journalistic-class
Since then I’ve written close to 50 free articles on substack
I have been writing for just on a year and 1000 subscribers, and plan to make that 10 fold. I write about the intersection of the working poor to the political class, and I write for free for that reason
I get paid to write elsewhere.
I won’t charge my readers here, this shouldn’t diminish my standing on substack, if anything, I should feel this should be how substack really wants it’s people: artists above the gamification of thoughts and ideas
Check mark identification for those who strive to earn money on this platform , turns this into another 8 dollar vibe
Thanks for your time everyone
Joel Jenkins
Gosh, depressing news. I only started posting stories and essays on Substack a couple of months ago and haven’t met my first milestone of 100 subscribers. I was thinking of charging in the next few months, but I wouldn’t have the temerity to charge until I felt confident that I had attracted enough subscribers and could gauge the probability that a portion of these subscribers would be willing (and able) to pony up cash for my paywalled content.
The thing I love about Substack is that it doesn’t (yet) feel like a social media platform. I’ve had a chance to network with some incredibly intelligent, creative (often introverted) artists and scholars, who not only share my interest in obscure topics and indie writing, but who also share my aversion to algorithm-driven and overly metricized platforms that favor click-bait over creativity.
I think newcomers to Substack might feel disenchanted of their prospects of flourishing on the site and possibly a bit disincentivized to enter the ring with the heavyweights who’ve been on the platform long enough to rack up these colorful badges.
And I love that fiction writers have a place here. I, too, just pivoted from using Substack as a glorified notification method to sharing my more creative, freed-from SEO mandates content here. I feel freed from having to perform so I can get seen. If Substack does this, the heart break is real. BTW, love your Substack. Subscribed!
Thank you so much! You became my 100th subscriber! I just checked out your site as well. I love well-written sci-fi. I’ve subscribed!
Great perspective.
This is so off putting and the kind of thing that would make me leave the platform. Are we really only as good as the number of paid subscribers we’re bringing?
It's made me think about leaving, for sure.
My first through as I began the article was ‘hmmm they are trying to find a way to create more income growth for themselves/Substack .’ And you offered good positioning to distance yourself from that by clearly saying the author could decide if they wanted to show it.
But really it goes back to the clean intent in the badge development. Did authors identify and express a need for this feature? Did they feel they were missing something that this would fill?
At the heart of stubstack is the clean playing field that really makes the readers FIND what they most are interested in and value. It’s on Substack to find ways to help the readers and explorers find content that meets them where they are at. Whether paid or free. Good writer or not.
Substack is building an ecosystem. (Whether they realize it or not.) Do badges add value in our IRL ecosystems? In my experience they are often misleading. The color of our skin is a badge. As is our apparent outward gender. Those things are not a measure of value and don’t really help us know if a person is a fit for our life or needs.
Stellar comment. “The color of our skin is a badge.” Nails it.
This definitely feels like a leaderboard feature that only gives more attention to the blogs that have caught on or writers who already had a large following when they started up their Substack. Doesn’t really seem to do anything to help those who are still building an active readership.
Please, let's not do this. Substack is writers first, right? Writers that have a different perspective on the world and outlooks and can use the tools available to them in a creative way to attract new readers and eventually, hopefully those readers pay to support the writer. I'm all for making money. I truly am. I'm struggling to make money on Substack with my readership. However, introducing a badge to distinguish popular paid writers from free or lower paid writers will bury all of us. The money they make isn't going to trickle down to us smaller, decent or new newsletter writers who have awesome content and subscriptions turned on. Not everyone wants to make money on this platform, but the option is there. The new readers they get will not trickle down to a sports writer or someone else. The new readers will stay with that writer because they believe they are "creditable." Being the highest paid writer on Substack doesn't and shouldn't equal creditability. Money does not equate too creditably. Creditability is all about how many times a post gets vetted, questioned, make sure sources are right, and everything else that goes into it to provide an undeniable truth. Money talks; but does it produce truth? A reader should form their own opinion if a writer is creditable or not by reading the writers work and not being tricked into thinking that money equals creditability with the posting of truth. I don't want to chase for a badge that essentially will mean nothing and it's a marketing tactic to go against Twitter to bring people over. Again, I get it. I see the vision. But help us all out. The smaller publications and free publications help the platform just as much as the ones that make a lot of money. The smaller and free publications help with word of mouth and create a circle where readers can sign up and discover new reads. Please rethink this. Having badges can work similar to how a discord server is run. Let's do something fun like that where we don't have to chase for a badge. That's why I canceled my Medium subscription oh so long ago. I didn't want to chase to be the top writer. It's exhausting. I do want to chase having the best informative and educational wrestling content on Substack. I do want to chase improving overall networking with others, collaborating with others, you know the fundamentals for what makes Substack awesome. Money is great too; we all want to make cash; but we (me) don't need to chase after a badge. Thank you.
Meh.....this is not a good idea and honestly disappointing to see. More bullshit rankings and listings, it's more exclusionary than anything else. Do better.
I’ve been thrilled with your features, but this one I cannot support. Don’t like it.
This feels kind of stupid if you have a very low number of subs at a much higher ARPU - doesn't feel comparable :|
my free list is pretty large - my paid list is decent, i just don't have thousands since my price is like 3x the average subscription price! Iunno - feels like that should at least be slightly incorporated.
Thanks for the feedback. We went with very rough # of subs to start so that we weren't making new information public, but this is a very fair point.
The solution to a low number of subs but a higher "average revenue per user" is to give badges to everyone according to the number of subscribers, free and paid, and have an additional badge to denote newsletters with paid subscribers:
Give everyone a badge, both for free and paid newsletters, for four main tiers, plus an additional badge for paid, and the option for writers to "opt out of badge participation":
New or less than 100 subscribers (gray)
Hundreds of subscribers (white)
Thousands of subscribers (orange)
Tens of thousands of subscribers (purple)
Paid subscribers (no number listed, just a different badge, maybe red)
So a free newsletter like mine, "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies" with hundreds of subscribers would get one badge, white, but if it was paid, it would get two badges, white and red, even if I only have ONE paid subscriber.
Make a badge for the top free subscribers!
Or maybe make badges for type of content?
I'm going to add my voice here. Please don't go forward with this feature. The attraction of Substack is that it isn't the dopamine dump that Twitter, Instagram, and the others have become. Please continue to add great features like sharing and linking capabilities but keep away from superfluous status badges that will encourage the worst elements. I'm very much against this idea.
Why not do the opposite? Instead of a Best Seller badge have a badge to indicate when a publication has just begun to offer paid subscriptions? Or have a badge that communicates metrics that Substack associates with a quality publication? Consistent output, high open rate or read-through, lots of comments, etc. I think if you flip the focus to the struggling and up-and-coming publications that you not only create goodwill, but also strengthen the entire platform. Publications who deserve the Best Seller badge don’t really *need* additional validation. Yes, it can and probably would encourage new people to subscribe to them and for that reason maybe it is worth keeping, but I think the user base would find it easier to swallow if some type of badge-based-promotion were available to smaller publications as well.
This honestly felt like an April Fool's Day joke in November. You want to give writers "verified blue (I know you say purple, but that looks blue) checkmarks"? Just seems like a terrible idea with even worse timing around all of the negative Twitter press lately.
I've been mostly supportive of all the features Substack has been adding lately but this one just doesn't feel right at all. If someone is providing valuable writing, I'm happy to pay for it no matter what color checkmark they have. We don't need more status symbols on a platform that prides itself in letting anyone become a writer and build a community.
I'll echo the many sentiments here to rethink/drop this feature.
Yes, the purple badge is actually blue, while the orange badge appears to me red.
Others have eloquently stated why the checkmark isn't a great idea for Substack. I'm merely chiming in to say I agree with those writers, and that the designation feels icky to me, particularly right now while the Great Checkmark Discourse is ongoing.
Does it have to be paid subscriber? What if I want to keep my substack free?
One of the things I like about Substack is that it feels a bit more democratic than other platforms. I'm afraid installing a system like this would drive people with already massive followings to just get more followers, while leaving us smaller writers in the dust. And to be blunt, we probably need the cash more. If there is a way we could level the playing field more as opposed to making it more hierarchical, that would be really great. Thanks for listening :)
Been reading lots of writers’ comments and most agree with my view. Once Substack gamifies this platform, like Twitter and the rest, its savour is lost. I really hope this feature doesn’t see the light of the day, for its birth births the death of the very thing that drew writers like me here. I hope the Substack team listens!
Ugh must we rank and category everyone? I’m tired of tech-imposed hierarchies!
Exactly. I’m feeling stalked. I finally get away from the Zuckerbergian mindset and now here this shit is on SS.
Hmmm...unsure about this one. My gut's saying not so great...
I'd rather see a fix for the "like" button. Sometimes just can't get that heart to light up without multiple clicks or a page refresh. Not great.
Use the three bars to report the nonfunctional like button, as I did.
Thank you! Liking your comment took one click. :)
Let me know if Substack fixes it, at least for you. Do you use Android?
It's intermittent, so unclear what causes it. I've seen many people complain about it. Virtually all of my interaction on the site is via a desktop.
I used the reply button but my reply comment was posted regularly. You can find it from "new first."
Creativity is literally the (flow) state in which the self is absent. Signposting the writer ahead of the writing undermines everything. It takes a lot of bottle to stay true to a vision which is why Substack was like a breath of fresh air to all us creatives. Especially an embryonic writer like myself. Help me stay true to my vision Substack and I’ll help you succeed in yours. Don’t drop your arse now. Love ya.
So well articulated. Yes — and yes.
Sorry I feel this makes it seem like someone who doesn’t have a badge doesn’t have quality content. Is this the message u want to send? Not everyone wants to charge and if this is the way u are heading I might have to leave.
I'm relieved to find nearly everyone hates this as much as me. We came to Substack to escape this stuff. Do what you do best Substack. Don't go chasing every other social media platform the way Instagram does now. 🙄
Exactly. I migrated my entire biz model to this platform to escape grotesque Zuckerbergian logistics and now suddenly IT’S BACK.
You just made this feel like Instagram, where all I’m fed are reminders why everyone else is better looking and having more fun than I am.
I’m going to create a ‘handful of free and satisfied readers’ badge and put it next to my name.
I think you’re good looking Luke. Fuck Instagram.
I worry about the implication for free publications like mine.
Just to suggest a badge for a certain threshold of sign-ups too. I know some great stacks that are 100% free to read. They deserve some 'social proof' too.
Badges like these automatically represent credibility. Those without badges will go unnoticed in a search query and dismissed as unreliable sources.
It will help everyone if you create badges for type of content or genre, perhaps.
Sad for smaller or newer creators. It will likely prevent growth and create a tiered community which is unfortunate.
I wonder if they will go through with this. I also wonder if they won’t then create a badge system for those who need exposure. I am sure they mean well.
Like this idea
Lets not emulate everything Twitter does. We don't need no stinking badges on Substack. Keep it clean, community based and network driven as it has always been.
How about a badge for those of us still building our subscriber foundation but say, with an exceptional Open Rate? This badge idea overall, as it stands, certainly seems to leave out The Little Guy i.e. those of us working diligently to research, write and illustrate our Newsletter but without a huge following, yet. The Little Guy needs your help and also a badge, too, if you’re so set in hanging badges on newsletters.
Well, good thing I left that WP blog untouched. This obviously is an indirect kick off the platform to writers who don't care about subscriptions.
Ambivalent about this update, especially in the context of some of your recent ones which have been excellent.
Damnit, I paid 8 bucks yesterday to be a verified malignant narcissist Twitter Twat- now you’re telling me I have to earn my badge through good work, honest subscriber growth and engaging content? I’m doomed. 🤪
I hope the dev team is getting a massive holiday bonus for pushing all these updates in this impressive timeframe.
While killing the platform long term.
Man, I really like purple, now I will have to start growing my Substack seriously.
This drives less readers to free newsletters like mine that want to scale first before they monetize, this will hurt you in the long run.
Please, for the love of God, don't bring algorithms here. The reason why I love substack is because I'm free of the pressure of getting more subscribers JUST TO BE SEEN. It would be great if you can help new Substackers gain more visibility instead of highlighting the big players, who often already have an audience that will follow them here.
Having woken up to this news, I’m going back to bed.
I think a lot of artists are rightfully really worried about this feature, or at least, the way you are implementing it.
I feel that there ARE ways to very carefully navigate how to 'reward' good content, while also helping Substack keep its financial situation in a good place. But focusing solely on sales is exactly what has driven other platforms into the ground (and it is why most of us left those platforms to come here.) The danger is that this will essentially pull the floor out from under everyone except for a) those who are already at the top, or b) those who are willing to 'game' their way to the top.
Many of us are becoming better writers because of Substack. This might not always show itself in monetary ways. But collectively, I am certain that we are creating far more non-monetary value (eg: ecological, social, creative value) than we ever did on other platforms. The question for creatives has always been how to capture that value, rather than have it sucked away from us by those who are focused on profit. Substack seems to understand this (or it did early on?)
I think it is important to remember also, that monetary value is a secondary value. That is, the existence of monetary value relies on the creation of social and ecological values first. So highlighting sales at the expense of other values is inherently a losing proposition for any platform in the long term.
One solution would be to figure out how to reward those who build the other social / ecological / artistic / creative values on which capital relies, and to place those values visibly higher than sales (or at least on equal footing) in the psychological game of the Substack user experience. In other words, if you’re going to gamify the experience, at least point it at the proper indicators… that way you actually have a chance to shift the culture of what is hip.
Thanks for listening. I don’t have the answers for how to do this, but I am sure we can figure it out together ;-)
You are giving more exposure to authors that don't actually need the added value. There's a reason why you give the Medal of Honor to foot soldiers not generals. Please think about it. 💜
A couple of points:
1) Seems like a move to benefit future advertisers rather than readers or writers, as claimed. Is that part of the conversation and planning at Substack HQ?
2) Badges as described would reward mass popularity rather than quality. I’d hate to see niche interests de facto penalized for writing on, for example, the lives of 9th century Anglo-Saxon women, instead of a Kardashian’s latest fashion move.
And I say this as a writer who would qualify for a badge.
Actually, I guess I wouldn't qualify, if it's only measuring paid subscribers.
I’m not a fan of this. Many worthwhile newsletters have few paid subs. Many average newsletters have many subs. How many subs you have isn’t always a sign of worth, in fact I’d say it rarely is.
Why introduce more status and hierarchy? This approach is not useful to me as a reader or a writer.
In all honesty I hate this! I think my years on tumblr compared to other sites (twitter, facebook etc) have convinced me that the best system is one where popularity is hidden by default - more of a focus on the actual writing, no hierarchy system impeding thoughtful connections.
Hard agree.
Yikes
Respectfully, this seems pointless -- far more likely to produce undesirable behavior (vain status-chasing like has been seen on Twitter; discouragement of new or occasional writers) than anything positive.
Seems like a great way to lock in your current "elites" and stifle growth for your smaller classes. In other words: entirely in line with what little ethos Substack has shown so far!
Dumb idea, but certainly not unexpected from your leadership.
Must everything be the Hunger Games?
It certainly seems so.
Substack has done the hard, praiseworthy work to make this place an environment where all kinds of writers and writing can flourish, with a wide flexibility of business models or lackthereof. This measure seems like a great way to reward personalities who already have large followings elsewhere who can leverage those audiences into paid subscribers. Which is to say, the people who benefit the least from greater promotion, at the expense of your smaller fish on this platform.
You guys are doing great work and I love all the updates you’ve done recently. I won’t say much about this one though, I think you had enough replies telling you how most of us feel about it. It’s safe to say that we are a different type of audience. Definitely not the bird app type 😊
Bad idea. Is Substack a writer-forward platform, or is it just about the money? Whether or not someone has 10000, 100, or zero paid subscribers should make NO DIFFERENCE. I haven't enabled paid subscriptions, and have no intention of ever doing so, because I'm not writing for the money; now, my work will be perceived as sub-par simply because no one is paying for it. Please reconsider.
Hold on I’m gonna ask Stephen King what’s his opinion on this one
😂
I started a substack to fulfill my desire to write, not for revenue. Even though I have a free and paid substack I did so for substack to be paid for their support regardless of the pittance I may receive. I know who the good writers are and so do readers regardless of a check mark
I like the idea of substack very much but these badges do encourage readers to only focus on the most successfull creators.
In this sense, many thanks from the long tail of the internet. You just made it even longer.
Make badges to promote content type.
Not sure I like this, turns focus to making $ rather than producing interesting content for readers!
As a working social media strategist and manager, one of the reasons I wanted to join Substack is that it feels SEPARATE from the hierarchal game of all social media platforms. With the introduction of a check mark, it becomes just another game - plus, it delineates (as all social media platforms already do) who is "worth" listening to. This makes it incredibly difficult for new writers to show up to this platform and feel like they can have a valuable, honed voice, when it just becomes the same people over and over (who probably already have a check mark on other social platforms) who are continuing to have a large platform. This is a clear dig at the recent drama at Twitter - please don't put your writers, and future writers, in jeopardy just so you can "look better" than Twitter.
After a few seconds of further reflection I do not believe that as SubStack content creators we need or desire little badges as if we were still in Kindergarten and were after those gold stars. Badges today are gaining an unfortunate connotation, in light of history and in light of the present.
Totally agree. They reminded me of 2nd grade rather than Kindergarten, but. Close enough ;)
Probably correct. The current maturity level I observe in my twin seven year old grandsons.
Wouldn't it be better to praise writers for the number of actual reads than by such a vanity metric like paid subscribers. This looks like a Ouroboros style type of promotion because we all know that the platform takes a cut from each paid subscription. Web3 is all about a free, permissionless-framed digital landscape set for open knowledge sharing and where no compartmentalization of knowledge should coexist with open-source distribution. Food for thought here... Just saying.
In the late 90’s I wrote for a company called Themestream I was twice voted top humorist writer and I was runner up in their international writing contest that paid $50k. I didn’t care about subscribers. I was paid per view 10 cents per view. I find attracting viewers on Substack like pulling teeth. TS claimed to have a daily traffic of 500,000. The featured all of their writers on their front page and when it’s your turn you picked up a whole shitload of subscribers but we didn’t care because we were paid off anyone reading us. I could write a review on a rock concert and post a link in a rock forum and make $150.00. I only have 99 subscribers and haven’t even turned on the upgrade to paid. I’m waiting until I get to 100. Probably get there in a couple of months.
I feel very seen with the comments thus far, but wanted to highlight a few more thoughts:
1. The main thing that drew me to Substack was the opportunity to consume content that was grassroots and not derived from mainstream media. When I looked at my Substack Inbox today, I realized I felt much more demotivated to read posts from authors with checkmarks. It felt like the mainstream media of Substack, which is the opposite of what I'm looking for.
2. With the exception of mentions, the main Substack updates as of late (checkmarks and chats) seem explicitly aimed towards benefiting authors who already have built large audiences. I have not felt empowered to use chats due to seeing even accomplished authors fall flat with engaging their readers through chats. I would love to see features that highlight growing newsletters of potential interest. Discoverability is a must.
3. Wanted to amplify a suggestion below from Winston Malone to honor high-achieving writers in a more behind-the-scenes fashion, such as the YouTube plaques. This would be a moment that any newsletter audience would celebrate, not something that authors are now trying to hide.
A disheartening decision that compares apples to elephants, with potentially hideous consequences and almost no value for writers or readers. How can we (writers) support you (substack) in creating incentives and metrics that have value and meaning for all parties involved?
Judging by this vast comment thread, overwhelmingly negative, I wonder if this idea was tested out on your "core" writer group or not, the way you've said you've tested other new features. If so, and it went forward based on that feedback, perhaps that core writer group is too narrow. If not, then why not?
Since writers feel so invested in Substack, I wonder if it would help to bring potential new features up to a vote before they're implemented?
e.g.:
Should Substack create a text-link feed ala "Hacker News" of all the latest posts published by Substack writers on the front page?
Disappointing update. Attention economy. Must be a better way to highlight great writers besides being so intrusive and blatant. I’d hate this if i had a paid newsletter.
I agree with many here: it seems superfluous. Quality writing is quality writing, regardless of quantity of paid subscribers. All hail the readers; let them fairly decide what’s good or bad versus incentivizing them to focus more on Twitter-esque ‘blue check’ marks.
Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
Actually, I like it!
It's a choice whether to add it once you have reached over 100 subscribers (I'm guessing if you reach 101 paid subscribers is when the first level badge kicks in), so you can have a ton of paid subscribers or none at all and no one will ever know.
:(
I imagine Substack creators feeling most supported if and when new features are suggested, before they are rolled out -- our feedback is received proactively. If I were a successful writer on this platform with paying subscribers I would be happy to see this change. It feels the opposite (like my work will be buried even more). I imagine there are more creators in this position than the ticked. Leaving creators less motivated, and more ticked off.
There’s a lot of energy on this thread—most of it leaning in the “this is a bad idea” direction.
Okay. A few thoughts.
Familiar features from social media—like badges and whatever comes next—won’t make Substack like Twitter, Facebook, etc. Substack is different at the foundation. That difference isn’t found in the topcoat of features and add-ons like badges, but beneath the hood: the absence of surveillance capitalism, the commitment to intellectual freedom, and a creators-first approach to generating revenue.
We have a twisted relationship with many big tech companies that has somehow become normal. We use their products (think Gmail) for free, and they sell us (or our info) as products to advertisers and third parties. We’ve been lulled into expecting that we are entitled to use top-notch platforms and tools at no cost. But there is a cost—the prevalence of ads, lack of data respect, and addiction-feeding algorithms. The platforms we use aren’t free—but we aren't the paying customers, we are the products being sold.
Substack has created a model that invites us to be partners instead of products. The partnership has two sides. They provide an excellent platform and a vibrant network, and do it without charging a monthly fee like Ghost or serving up obnoxious ads like everyone else. Our side of the partnership is that when we get paid, Substack takes a cut.
So while badges aren’t my favorite new feature, I definitely get it. I want Substack to earn money. No money for them means no platform for me—and then I’m back to the same lame Wordpress blogs, crappy plugins, and social media nonsense. We are all stakeholders in the success of this business.
Everyone should turn on paid subscriptions. Your work is worth it! Give your readers the gift of being able to appreciate your work.
I have a couple Substack publications, some bigger than others. One of them is a passion project newsletter with 30 readers total. I turned on paid subscriptions, basically to offer a “thanks for writing” option—no extra benefits. Two people signed up on the first day. Now I’ve got four paying subscribers. It’s not much, but it covers a meal out each month, and gives me a spark of encouragement. Go paid!
*Product Ideas That Support The Substack Economy*
Add an “Email Opens Rate” badge or award. This celebrates writers based on their percentage of email opens—not the size of their audience. This is a great way to reward good writing, or at least highlight an engaged audience, regardless of size. There could be a leaderboard celebrating the top open rates. BUT: only writers with paid subscriptions turned on should be able to participate.
Two tiers of product offerings: one for free-only creators, another one for creators with paid subscriptions activated.
Cross Posting: We should only be able to cross-post from publications that have paid subscriptions turned on.
How about a badge or indicator to show which creators have turned on paid subscriptions? This might give the nudge that some folks need to flip that switch.
Offer annual-only subscriptions. This may be an easier pitch to some creators, who want to charge a lower amount like $20 per year. (That amount spread out over 12 months gets pricey because of the 30 cents per transaction Stripe fee.)
Require paid-only by default. Ugh. Hopefully it doesn’t come to this. But it is better than charging a fee to use the platform or a fee to access top-tier features.
If someone has thousands or more paid subscribers, there is no reason for me to support them. I can find similar or better content written by less famous people and those who really need support.
Hard agree.
Well, thanks for comijng up with ideas, Substack, but IMO this one's a turkey. Here are my reasons: https://terryfreedman.substack.com/p/substack-badges-what-a-rotten-idea?sd=pf
This is understandable but truly disappointing. You have now publicly trust those of us without paying subscribers to "less than" status. It feels inconsistent with your earlier encouragement to build our newsletter communities in multiple ways and over longer time frames. What about newsletters with hundreds or thousands of free subscribers with excellent engagement rates? How is this refected in your "badge" system?
Hmm. My gut dislikes the idea of these badges. I’m pretty new to Substack, I’ve come here as a reader only for now though I might start writing in a low key way. The only aspect that has niggled until now is the label that a particular writer has “thousands of paid subscribers” or whatever. That’s not what makes me want to connect with someone. Badges feel like a step further in this direction and closer to the model of the big shouty social media platforms. I’m not in favour, sorry.
I think these are useful, but that's just me. Substack already displays the estimated number of paid subscribers for a newsletter, so this just serves as a shorthand. I think there's too much fixation on these kinds of metrics as status symbols in online spaces, but I don't think that means they aren't useful for readers. People come to write—here and elsewhere—for so many reasons and to fulfill so many different functional purposes, from self expression to community building, to financial necessity. Out in the non-digital world, some people's books have "bestseller" printed on the cover while most don't, even though this does not mean that the "non-bestsellers" are in any way lesser books. Far from it. In some cases, the most special books will never be sold in an airport as a bestseller, and readers of such books know and treasure this. The reality is that many readers want a snapshot of existing readership, engagement, and commitment. These kinds of things might be hard for writers if we fixate on the competitive aspect, but READERS usually love it. Most readers are smart, and will not be as dismissive as many of us fear. To me it feels like extending the professional standards of an offline industry of book sales rather than the online world of social media. Ultimately it's a writer's responsibility not to be consumed by competition and to stay true to their own creative vision. That's true elsewhere as well as here. I think the badges are useful for people doing Substack professionally. Offline, I take great pride in writing the kinds of books that will never be labelled as bestsellers. Every writer has to figure out why they write and safeguard their creative integrity regardless of the market, without panicking that the market exists and that the publishing industry needs to make money. Anyway just some food for thought!
While I really don't like the status symbol feelings of the check marks, as if it's a who has the most contest, if there's any substack staff reading this, THANK YOU profoundly for this platform, for supporting free speech, and for having so many stacks that are far deeper than just people saying anti establishment words. There is so much wisdom, solid research that shows their work, insightful comments, etc, on this platform - you absolutely rock.
Please don't ever sell out, or let Big Brother get a foot in the door here.
I hope I can get a badge for my efforts soon.
I find this embarrassing. What's next, a pin for Stakhanovite Hero of Soviet Labor for building the most tractors and getting the most subscriptions to Pravda?
I think this is a quick way for readers to easier sort out who to check out first in the genre you search for, and as such a great way to filter out noise. Overall a good thing. For me as a writer i dont really care that much. But as a reader, this makes life easier.
I hope I get a purple badge soon.
sounds like despair for revenue.
This is great! Thank you for all you are doing to enhance the platform. I would like to see additional badges for top publications based on total subscriptions regardless of paid status.
Hmmm. Not sure I like this. Actually, I don't. It smacks too much of competition, who has more, who is better. And it kind of discriminates against those of us who keep their content free. Don't get me wrong, I love paid subscribers, but I NEVER will put stuff behind a pay wall.
‼️I wish you would include badges for free publications as well. ‼️
Eventually free publications with hundreds of subscribers will likely turn into paying publications.
If you ignore a newsletter while it's trying to build an audience by effectively marking it as "low quality" because it lacks a badge, then you just perpetuate "the rich get richer; the poor get poorer" outcome.
🚫🚫🚫
Fantastic news! Also, sorry to post this here, but Substack randomly deleted all my Sections just a moment ago and I was not even in my settings/dashboard –– any one else experience the same issue?
a fix is coming shortly; sorry for the confusion!
Thank you very much!
This is so silly that I love it!!!
I want one of those things.. long way to go but I’m going to get there
Focus on your readership, your originality, your creativity-- not the checkmark
No harm in working towards something with every box checked along the way. It’s not the end goal definitely but it’s an instrument to improve. Ultimately, it’s the readers who decide
It’s easier to look at the negative side, and I’m sure you’re no stranger to that but I find it better to look at the more difficult but beneficial - positive side 😃. Each to their own.
Everyone should get some sort of positive- minded badge in this case.
I love this!
👎
I like that it’s the readers who get to decide but I’m wary of how it will affect smaller creators. Time will tell.
Lots of haters here. I think it's a good way for the platform to incentivize growth for both the creator and the platform. If you don't care about that, there are tons of free alternatives. You know, like normal blogs outside of substack. Port them emails over and have at it!
I think if people feel they are trying to build a community at Substack, then they have every right to question a system that might run counter to that. It's not really about hating.
Preciesly, John. Well said.
Expressing concern does not make one a "hater". Please allow us to communicate our thoughts in an honest way.
No one is ‘hating’. Everyone is posting thoughtful reservations about what they believe to be (the first?) tactical misstep from a company they feel invested in. Myself included. It’s a short sighted idea, this.
I don’t think it’s so much hate as it is dread. I love Substack so much, and believe in the mission and vision. I have supported all its initiatives and think that everything it does is with good intentions, including this. But this creates a sense of defeat for starting writers or perhaps underperforming writers. There is a sense of hope that Substack has given my platform. I have believed in myself, I have so much pride - even without a single paid subscriber. This label automatically makes me feel less worthy -- and that could be reflective of my own insecurities which I may need to combat on my own. But does the label make a difference in my self-confidence? Yes... unfortunately.
It’s a huge problem. I try and encourage a lot of new/unsure writers and artists via ny community and I know that had this system of ranking existed when we first started many would’ve been demoralised by it.
Artistic value is not necessarily the same as commercial value.
Oh it’s absolutely demoralizing -- the pressure and competition in any creative community is undeniably anxiety ridden and so discouraging. Writers and creatives are sensitive and this is just shattering to our fragile egos. If Substack is beginning to see it’s ROI from it’s paid subscribers this explains this initiative... And we’ll all run away from this place that makes us non- badgers feel as unworthy of attention and self-depreciation as we believe we are.
I’ve tried to explain this to the announcement writer. I hope he grasps the full implications.
I agree with this.
Who needs more incentive? It’s relatively easy to monetize if you put the work in. (Working theory). If that isn’t incentive enough then I don’t think making it a competition will do anything but turn people away.
Hot crowd today! Yoikes!
This doesn't incentivize growth, though, because one of the main ways that Substack newsletters become paid is by first being free and gathering subscribers. This badge system that excludes the free newsletters means that it stops the free newsletters from growing by being branded as "low quality" for not having a badge, and thus prevents the conversion into paid, which hurts the platform and the writers in the long run.
I’m a bit late to this thread, but when does the badge appear? I know it says “hundreds.” Is that 100? 200? I’m at about 50 paying subscribers to my visual arts Substack, after exactly a year (yesterday was the anniversary). Maybe one day I’ll get there 😎
So to get the first one, do you need to reach 100 paid subscribers? Or 200? Since that would technically constitute "hundreds" of followers?
Hi, will the badge appear automatically once I cross 100?
I had no idea this existed and haven’t paid attention for months. Not having this is what made Substack stand apart. It gave everyone a chance to create wo competing. And writers are great at lifting one another. It’s just making the rich richer and disenchanting everyone else. And now notes is going the Twitter way.
I don't like this checkmark ranking system. Some authors provide content for free ... if only for philosophical reasons. They should not be punished. Furthermore, some of us readers (... e.g. students, retired on fixed income, poor, etc. ...) can't afford the cost of readership beyond perhaps 1 or 2 authors. The opinions of the "poor" among us will not be represented. This system selects out more well-to-do readers.
I take it that us small independent journalist don't matter. Just like all the other platform only those with Big Clout and Influence get shown over all of us smaller journalist. We need real true fairness not the corrupt Capitalist system we have today where money rules and truth is shunned. Platforms need to care more about those who have produce the most content instead of who has the most subscribers and money coming in.
It would be nice to have paid subscribers, but when stripe doesn’t support your region, it becomes useless.
https://twitter.com/BriefTheNation/status/1591917072090628096?s=20&t=RixhXxA0gE_gSGUyeajlhQ
This is a resoundingly bad concept—and it actually highlights one of Substack's biggest problems: The top accounts by numbers of paid subscribers are often simply platform manipulators or celebrities.
That is, when you browse the top individual Substack accounts by numbers of paid subscribers, the vast majority are either: 1. Celebrities who rarely post; 2. Very rich, minor celebrities who've bought paid subscribers for branding purposes; or 3. Misinformation factories staffed by ghostwriters. Because Substack promotes the accounts with the highest numbers of paid subscribers on its front page, this creates a feedback effect where these accounts keep getting more subscribers simply because they've always been the biggest.
The result is that the top accounts by numbers of paid subscribers are often some of the least credible accounts on Substack—but this checkmark system only gives them yet more "prestige."
Instead of focusing on numbers of paid subscribers, Substack could have a couple employees whose job it is to browse articles and find ones that authors put a lot of heart into to promote on its front page. This could be done on a politically-neutral basis, the only criterion being "Did this author put a lot of time and heart into this article?"
How about fixing the damn “like button” instead?
Nice app
Estoy muy contenta de pertenecer a esta comunidad de escritores, con experiencia y sin ella. Me siento acompañada, asistida, creciendo lentamente y disfrutando del camino. Creo que la plataforma ofrece muchísimo para seguir adelante. Es mi más sincero objetivo alcanzar varios suscriptores y poder vivir de ello. Pero insisto en disfrutar el camino. Venía cómoda pero las insignias me tiraron para atrás en el tiempo. Poniéndome nuevamente en el lugar de alcanzar cosas, ya me vengo estirando muchoooooo por lograr, finalmente lo hago con mucho esfuerzo. Pero pensé que aquí nadie me correría. Escribir tiene un tiempo propio y temo que, como en otros lados, sin una insignia te pasen por el costado sin verte. Quizá pueda haber otra manera, porque también es justo el reconocimiento. Habría que seguir pensando.
I think this is a nice thing to have in place! This said, I'm heavily biased - I have a paid Substack, and a white badge. But it's just a bit of visual shorthand to show a key sign of engagement - the number of folk who value your work enough to want to support it. It's certainly not the only metric of engagement, but it's a big one? (And something to be openly grateful for, rather than to be self-important about...)
It may not be a sign that someone knows what they're talking about (I certainly don't! Perhaps see: this whole comment) - but it *does* indicate their work is highly valued by a lot of people in one of the most obvious & visible ways? That's worth flagging up at a glance.
(That's not saying anything about quality. And I certainly don't see it as saying Paid Audience Is Good and Free Is Not So Good, or encouraging people to chase money instead of building an audience that really cares about the subject of the newsletter?)
But I think I might be in the minority here. 😁
Love this!
Thanks for improving the platform!
A new thought occurs to me (and I'm against the badges despite having one) - but it's very odd to have the badges attached to the PERSON. If you are going to have "Bestsellers" the badge should be attached to the PUBLICATION.
Good catch! I didn't even notice.
I just got my first paid subscriber today and am setting my sights on that white badge
Why would it be on subscriber count and not revenue? Average revenue per user is a very meaningful metric. Users like myself and FabricatedKnowledge have much higher ARPU compared to other newsletters. This system penalizes us