Substack
| Created by |
|
|---|---|
| URL | substack |
| Commercial | Yes |
Substack is an online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription newsletters. [1]
Content
Many different types of users produce content on the platform, ranging from journalists to experts to large media sites.[2] By this point, major newsletters on the service included The Skimm, started by two former NBC producers and having millions of readers, and corporate newsletters started by large media companies such as Axios, Vox, BuzzFeed, and CNN. New York Times columnist Mike Isaac argues that some of these companies see newsletters as a more stable means to maintain readers through a more direct connection with writers.[3]
Finance
As of 2019, Substack took a 10 percent fee out of subscription payments.[2]
Substack has provided some content creators with advances to start working on their platform.[2]
Bill Bishop was among the first to put his newsletter, Sinocism, on Substack, providing his newsletter for $11 a month or $118 a year with daily content.[1]
Leadership
Chris Best, the co-founder of Kik Messenger, and Hamish McKenzie, a former tech reporter, founded the company. The two describe Ben Thompson's Stratechery, a subscription-based tech and media newsletter, as a major inspiration for their platform.[1] Christopher Best operated as chief executive as of March 2019.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Kafka, Peter (16 October 2017). "Meet the startup that wants to help you build a subscription newsletter business overnight". Vox.
- ^ a b c Smith, Ben (24 May 2020). "The New Model Media Star Is Famous Only to You". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Isaac, Mike (19 March 2019). "The New Social Network That Isn't New at All". The New York Times.