Research shows that readers have started to gravitate more towards the individual creator compared to large media publications that employ them. Now, as journalists are taking control of the distribution on Substack, weвЂ™re seeing the pendulum shift.

In years and decades past, readers might follow a large media publication on social media, but, rarely, individual journalists. As Emily advises, вЂњMarket your newsletter in a way that will almost make you uncomfortable, because it sounds like you're just talking and promoting yourself all the time.вЂќ Recognition comes at a cost of being vulnerable and developing that intimate connection with readers. ThatвЂ™s not, of course, to say recognition has come easy. Emily is earning more recognition and money on Substack than she earned at any salaried journalism job. Consider Emily Atkin, previously at The New Republic and ThinkProgress, and now author of the climate-focused Substack newsletter, Heated. By building trust, Substack writers are able to build recognized brands. As Substack writer, Emily Atkin, has said, вЂњThat's where I did my marketing. Once writers receive payments on Substack, they unlock the ability to write preambles to their newsletters. As Vanity Fair has said, вЂњNewsletters retain some of the intimacy of the early digital-media days, when online writing felt less polished, more vital.вЂќ And Substack gives journalists that opportunity to be authentic. In Substack, writers are able to engage in a more one-to-one conversation than in the past as the newsletters arrive directly in a readerвЂ™s inbox. Substack also promises to foster trust through intimacy and authenticity. Substack producer Valerio Bassan has argued, вЂњAs a publishing tool, newsletters provide a solid answer to the number one question in media today: how can we rebuild trust between us and our readers?вЂќ Not incentivized to game the algorithm, writers are pressed to do the work to discover what a reader finds interesting and engaging. Not incentivized to game view metrics or algorithms writers are motivated to produce work that readers find interesting and engagingДЄs a result of freedom-especially financial freedom-Substack also fosters trust. Substack aims to repair this severed trust. In 2019, one estimate pegged the percentage of people who had a great deal of confidence in the press at only 6%. Trust in the media has declined steadily over the years. Substack has committed to covering fees up to $1 million (sometimes more) once a case is picked up by Defender lawyers. This includes pre-publication legal review of stories, as well as responses to cease-and-desist letters. Its legal program-called Substack Defender-offers writers access to top-notch lawyers who provide advice on legal uncertainty or complexity related to their work. Perhaps most empowering, Substack supports its writers to pursue tough stories. It also offers grants-often six figures-similar to book advances that empower writers to get started building a lucrative audience without needing to publish a lot of content first. Substack also offers its writers various grants ranging from $3,000 to $100,000. But the opportunity to find financial freedom goes beyond pocketing the majority of earnings. As Substack CEO Chris Best has said, the overarching goal is вЂњto allow writers and creators to run their own personal media empire.вЂќ While Substack takes a 10% cut of earnings and payment company Stripe takes another 3%, writers pocket the rest. On Substack, journalists are also able to find financial freedom.

List of substack newsletters