YouTube and Substack.
My two favorite vices...I mean platforms!
This past week I listened to an episode of Colin and Samir with Substack’s own .
I love this type of stuff. I had no idea who Rachel was before this show. This shows the power of podcast guesting giving access to a new audience.
The show is titled The Business of Email: How Substack Changed Everything.
I, of course, used Snipd to take a few highlights. They talked about Rachel’s journey and how Substack and newsletters have become a huge part of the creator economy.
Alas, I am here as well!
The Power of Direct Distribution
This shows the power of e-mail newsletters and direct to audience distribution.
No algorithm in the way, although Notes exists. But readers can find you, sign up and you know that what you create is being delivered right to them.
On YouTube, my other primary platform, I rely on the algorithm to promote the growth of the channel and the vast majority of my views are from people who don’t subscribe to me and have never heard of me before. Even after 300 some videos...
I will say, growth has been slower on Substack because of this, but I view it as a slow and steady rise, rather than some stratospheric growth that you get when a video goes viral.
It is far more rewarding as well.
Specificity wins.
Rachel offers actionable advice for creators considering newsletters:
Focus on the reader’s value and experience.
Brand your newsletter clearly.
Prioritize consistency and direct messaging.
Be open to evolving your strategy as the audience grows.
I’ve switched my strategy up a few times after launching at the beginning of this year.
Heck, some of you will remember the shoe reviews making their way into this mashup of a newsletter!
I think today’s Digital Pulse and Perspective Shifts sections make more sense while keeping the original ethos of why I wanted to start this in the first place.
Tech updates and my latest videos in The Digital Pulse, and why it matters, with the insights I’m learning along the way in Perspective Shifts.
This is a tighter package than I originally had, trying to be less of a Morning Brew and finding more of my own voice.
The Key Takeaway
One thing I’ve noticed about what I’m reading and subscribing to on Substack…
Most are hyper-specific:
Stay specific with your Substack content
Being very focused builds trust and allows you to deliver valuable insights
After all, I am simply human and I have a lot of interests, so if I have to trade a little bit of reach and growth speed for doing what makes me happy, I will do that, and that is ok.
Betting on Myself
That finally takes me to where I’ve landed via YouTube now. Tasting that little bit of freedom, even through the small amount of AdSense revenue, has been freeing.
It unlocked a new mindset of ways to make money, outside of my day job.
The reality is that eventually I may be able to bet on myself and be just as successful.
Towards the end of the show, Colin asked Rachel, “Would you ever go back to a big media company?”
“No.”
That says everything I need to know about this path to freedom.