Should You Use Substack? Why I Decided Not to Join

Is Substack worth it for entrepreneurs and creators who already have an email newsletter?

That’s the question I found myself asking after seeing the extraordinary growth of Substack - and the amount of money some writers are reportedly earning through paid newsletters ($450m reported last year - and I bet it has been growing this year!)

For a moment, I had that familiar entrepreneurial thought:

Wait… should I be on Substack too?
Am I missing an opportunity?
Should I create a newsletter on Substack?
Is everyone quietly building an audience over there while I'm sitting here blissfully unaware?

So, naturally, I went down the rabbit hole...

I researched Substack, looked at how it compares with running an independent email newsletter, considered the benefits of its built-in discovery features - and seriously thought about adding it to my business.

My conclusion?

I'm not joining Substack. At least, not right now.

And interestingly, it has very little to do with whether Substack is a good platform.

It comes down to a much bigger question I'm asking about my business these days:

Just because something is a good opportunity, does that mean it's a good opportunity for me?

Let's start here because I don't want this to turn into a Substack-bashing article.

I completely understand the attraction. Substack has created an ecosystem where writers, experts and creators can build an audience around their content and monetize that audience through paid subscriptions.

And unlike building an audience entirely on traditional social media, email sits at the heart of Substack. That's a big plus in my book.

I've talked for years about the importance of building an email list because social media is borrowed land. You can have thousands of followers on LinkedIn, Instagram or YouTube, but ultimately, you don't control those platforms.

Algorithms change.
Reach changes.
Accounts can disappear.
And suddenly the audience you spent years building becomes much harder to reach.

An email list is different.

Those people have actively said:
Yes, I want to hear from you.
That's incredibly valuable.

So when I started looking into whether I should use Substack, I wasn't dismissing it. Quite the opposite. I could see exactly why so many creators are excited about it.

Is Substack Just Another Clubhouse?

Then my slightly cynical entrepreneurial brain kicked in. Because I've been around long enough to have lived through quite a few platform gold rushes.

Remember Clubhouse? For a while, Clubhouse was EVERYWHERE. People were spending hours in rooms. Businesses were creating entire Clubhouse strategies.

There was serious investment behind the platform.

And then…
Well.

When was the last time somebody invited you into a Clubhouse room?
Exactly.

So naturally I wondered:
Could Substack be another platform everyone rushes towards before moving onto the next shiny thing?

After looking into it, however, I don't think that's a fair comparison.

Substack has something fundamentally different going for it:

• The content has longevity, and the relationship is built around email.
• A newsletter doesn't disappear the moment you stop broadcasting.
• Your articles can continue to be discovered.
• You build a subscriber base.
• Your archive grows.

And there's a clear business model built into the platform.

So no, I don't think Substack is simply "the next Clubhouse."

Which actually made my decision slightly more annoying.

Because if Substack were obviously terrible, this article would be much easier to write.

Why I'm Not Moving My Newsletter to Substack

Here's where I landed.

It's not because I think Substack is a bad platform.

It's because I don't think my business needs another platform right now.

And that's an important distinction.

I already create content.
I have YouTube.
I use LinkedIn.
I use Instagram.
I have my website.
And, most importantly, I already have my own email list and newsletter.

Adding Substack wouldn't simply mean:
"Oh, I'll publish my newsletter over there too."

It would mean another platform to understand.

• Another audience to build.
• Another place to engage.
• Another set of analytics to look at.
• Another little red notification begging for my attention.
• Another thing to think about when I sit down on Monday morning.

And I'm increasingly interested in building a business with fewer moving parts, not more.

Substack vs an Independent Newsletter

This is where I think the decision becomes much more interesting.

If you're trying to decide between Substack and an independent newsletter using an email marketing platform such as Kit, Mailchimp or another provider, you're not necessarily choosing between "good" and "bad."

You're choosing between different business models.

One of Substack's biggest advantages is its ecosystem. People can discover writers within Substack, recommend publications and interact with content on the platform.

In other words, Substack can potentially help with audience discovery as well as email distribution.

A traditional email marketing platform doesn't necessarily give you that.

But I already have discovery channels.

People discover me through YouTube.
Through LinkedIn.
Through Instagram.
Through Google.

They can then join my email list, where I continue that relationship away from those platforms.

So for my business, Substack would largely be adding another discovery channel to a business that doesn't currently need one.

Your answer may be completely different.

More Platforms Don't Automatically Equal More Growth

And this is really where this whole Substack rabbit hole became about something much bigger for me.

There's a tendency in online business to look at every new platform as another potential source of clients.

And technically, it is.
TikTok could bring you clients.
Threads could bring you clients.
Substack could bring you clients.
LinkedIn could bring you clients.
YouTube could bring you clients.
Instagram could bring you clients.

But unless you've secretly discovered how to add another eight hours to your day, or has a large team, at some point you have to choose. Because every platform has a cost.

Not necessarily a financial one.

A time and attention cost.
You need to create.
Engage.
Learn what works.
Understand the culture.
Build relationships.
Track results.

And if you're a solopreneur or running a small business without a huge content team, that matters.

I don't want to build a business where I need to constantly feed six different algorithms just to stay visible.

That doesn't sound like freedom to me.
It sounds like I've accidentally created six new bosses.
And I left the corporate world partly because I didn't want one.

The Question That Matters More Than "Should I Join Substack?"

There's another question I think is far more important:

Do you have a way to reach your audience that you control?

Social media is fantastic for discovery.
But it's borrowed land.
Your reach can change overnight.

That's why I'm such a believer in building an email list alongside your social media presence.

I currently use Kit to manage mine, but there are plenty of email marketing platforms available.

The tool matters much less than the principle:

Create a way to stay connected with your audience that doesn't depend entirely on a social media algorithm.

If 10,000 people follow you on social media but only 200 are on your email list, personally I'd be thinking about how to close that gap.

Not necessarily how to open another social media account.

Who Should Consider Using Substack?

Despite deciding not to use it myself, I think Substack could make a lot of sense if:

1. Writing is one of your primary ways of creating content.
2. You want to build a newsletter-first business.
3. You're starting without an established email audience.
4. You want people to discover your writing within an existing platform.
5. You want to experiment with a paid newsletter or subscription model.
6. You genuinely have the capacity to build and engage with another audience.

But before signing up and throwing yourself into another content strategy, I'd ask yourself:

What job will Substack have in my business?
Am I replacing something - or simply adding something?
Do I realistically have the time to build another platform?
How does Substack fit into the rest of my business?

And perhaps most importantly:

Am I joining because it supports the business I want to build - or because I'm afraid I'm missing out?

Ouch.
I know.
I've had to ask myself that question more than once too.

Should I Use Substack If I Already Have an Email List?

For me, this was the deciding factor. I already have an established email list and a system for nurturing that audience. So, before adding Substack, I'd want a very clear reason for doing so.

Would I be moving my newsletter there?
Would I publish completely different content?
Would I eventually monetize through paid subscriptions?
Would Substack become a new audience-growth channel?

If I can't clearly explain its role in my business, I'm not going to add it simply because it's growing.

If you already have a newsletter, I'd ask yourself the same thing.

You may decide Substack offers something your existing setup doesn't. Fantastic! But make it a strategic decision rather than an automatic one.

Frequently Asked Questions About Substack

Is Substack worth it for entrepreneurs?

It can be, particularly if writing and newsletter content are central to your audience-growth strategy. The more important question is whether Substack fills a specific role in your business rather than simply becoming another platform you feel obligated to maintain.

Is Substack better than having your own email newsletter?

Not necessarily. Substack offers built-in discovery, recommendations and monetization features, while an independent email marketing platform can give you greater flexibility over how your email list connects with the rest of your business. The right choice depends on what you're trying to build.

Should I move my existing newsletter to Substack?

If you already have an established newsletter, I'd first ask what you expect to gain by moving. If Substack's discovery or paid subscription features support your strategy, it may be worth exploring. If you're simply worried you're missing out, maintaining and growing your existing newsletter may be the better use of your time.

Do I need Substack if I already use social media?

No. Substack is another possible channel, not a requirement. I'd rather choose a small number of channels that work together strategically than try to maintain a presence everywhere.

My Decision: I'm Keeping the Door Open

For now, I'm not becoming a Substack creator. But I did create an account and secure my name.

Because things change.

My business might change.

The platform might evolve.

There may come a point when Substack makes perfect sense for what I'm building.

And if that happens, lovely. The door is open.

But I don't need to walk through every open door just because it's there. And perhaps that's the bigger lesson here.

Building a freedom-based business isn't about doing everything that could grow your business.

It's about becoming much more deliberate about choosing the things that deserve your time, energy and attention.

Sometimes growth comes from adding something.

And sometimes it comes from having the confidence to say:

"That looks interesting. But not right now."

So now I'm curious. Are you team Substack, team independent newsletter - or still sitting on the fence like I was? Come and tell me in the comments on the YouTube video.

Watch the full video and join the conversation here: