Why Substack’s New Feature is a Game-Cha ...

Why Substack’s New Feature is a Game-Changer for Content Creators

Mar 14, 2024

Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

Medium has been on a witch hunt, suspending folks left and right for what they call ‘growth-hacking’. Basically, if you’re too friendly, you’re out. Makes total sense, right?

Because who needs community in a platform built on, well, community?

Enter Substack, stage right, with a shiny new toy: Direct Messaging.

Yes, folks, you heard it here first (or maybe second, but who’s counting?). Substack has decided to flip the script and encourage what others fear:

Genuine, unadulterated, human connection.

According to a recent update from the folks over at Substack, they’ve rolled out a feature allowing writers and readers to reach out to each other. And not in a creepy way, but in a “Hey, let’s build something cool together” kind of way.

Why is this a big deal, you ask? Well, for starters, it’s a giant middle finger to the notion that engagement equals manipulation. Substack gets it.

They understand that at the heart of any successful platform is a community.

Not just any community, but one that talks, laughs, shares, and maybe even cries together. They’re not just allowing it; they’re encouraging it. Build subscriber loyalty? Check. Connect with fellow writers? Double check. Cultivate a reader community? Triple check.

Imagine being able to directly message a reader who commented on your post. Or reaching out to a fellow writer whose work you admire for a potential collaboration. The possibilities are endless, and Substack is handing us the keys to the kingdom.

Image from Substack.

Now, I can hear the skeptics among you. “But Wesley, isn’t this just going to lead to spam and unwanted messages?” Sure, there’s always a risk. But Substack’s got you covered.

Messages from your connections land straight in your inbox, while the rest go to a ‘Requests’ folder, waiting for your royal nod of approval.

So, what does this mean for us: the content creators, the dreamers, the writers trying to make a living on platforms like Medium? It means there’s hope. It means that while one platform might be tightening the noose around community engagement, another is embracing it with open arms.

It means that maybe, just maybe, we’re not crazy for wanting to connect with our readers on a deeper level.

One thing though, because we have to talk about money. Let’s face it, we’re not just here for the digital high-fives. We’re here to make a few bucks, and we gotta be honest here — Medium has been a decent paycheck for many of us.

For that, hats off to Medium. But it’ damn freaky at the moment. On one side, you’ve got Medium, where too much engagement with the same folks could have them waving the red flag at you, accusing you of gaming the system. It’s like, “Hey, I’m just being sociable here, trying to build my tribe, but okay, I guess I’ll just sit in my corner?”

It’s a bit of a paradox, isn’t it?

We’re encouraged to engage, to comment, to clap, but then — bam! — do it too much and you might just find yourself in hot water.

And here’s where the fear kicks in. The fear of being misunderstood or, worse, penalized for simply doing what we thought was the bread and butter of content creation: engaging with our audience.

It puts us in a precarious position, balancing on the edge of engagement and over-engagement, all while trying to decipher the cryptic boundaries set by the platform.

So, we tread carefully through algorithms and policies, hoping our genuine attempts at building connections don’t get misinterpreted as strategic manipulation.

Because at the end of the day, isn’t the goal to create a community of engaged readers and fellow writers?

Yet, here we are, playing a guessing game of how much is too much, making the whole “engagement turns into dollars” thing not just a goal but a potential gamble.

Confusing, right? Photo by Ludovic Migneault on Unsplash

Substack’s monetization model is way different. It’s all about rounding up your posse — those folks who believe in your work enough to throw a few coins into your hat every month. You don’t need to be a good writer, but a compelling one. Someone worth betting on month after month.

When you manage to convince people to pay just for you, oh boy, it’s not just a transaction. It proves your ability to resonate, engage, and matter.

While Medium gives us a fantastic platform to hone our craft and earn through broader engagement, Substack challenges us to take it a step further. There we should build not ‘just’ an audience, but a true community willing to invest in us.

It’s a totally different kind of hustle, but one that could pay off in more meaningful ways, both financially and personally. I haven’t done enough yet to achieve that, but be sure I’m giving it another go in these times of uncertainty.

So, in a place where algorithms dictate our worth and engagement is a metric, Substack is reminding us that at the end of the day, it’s all about people.

To my fellow writers and creators, let’s not be discouraged by the setbacks.

Instead, let’s take a page out of Substack’s book and remember why we started this journey in the first place: to connect, to share, and to build something meaningful together.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some DMs to send.😜

If my words hit home for you or if this was valuable, consider showing some love — buy me a coffee. It’s cheaper than therapy!

And hey, connect with me on Substack so we can DM!

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