my beef with Substack

i’ve been thinking about beefs recently. i usually keep my beefs to myself. but i’ve been thinking that i have some beefs that could be so generative to get publicly angry about.

i’ve tweeted crankily about Substack before but recent events (lots of fanfare in TPOT about migrating to Substack and one too many people asking “why aren’t U on substack?”) have me at peak-cranky, maximum mumble-grumble.

and then i had the mischievous idea that I could post about my beef with Substack on Substack. because what the hell. why not.

one of my rules for engaging with the internet is “treat others the way I want to be treated.” aka the good ol’ Golden Rule.

i especially try to follow this guideline with marketing. i try to “market” my efforts the way i like to be marketed to, and avoid marketing in ways I don’t like to be marketed to

as a reader, i feel sad and disrespected by their interface, choices 💜

i know authors choose it because it’s nice to have an easy way for people to start a newsletter + blog. and substack growth hacks really do work, so more people will read your writing! and above all it’s possible to make money on substack! yay! hooray!

but it doesn’t feel good to this reader. it gives me the sense that i am the product, that my attention is being sold, and makes me feel used and disrespected.

i don’t like the way Substack treats me as a reader, so why would I want to treat my readers that way?

here’s what they do, specifically:

in the web version:

• the “homepage” of every Substack is a sign-up page. they do be email-signup-maxxing

• when U browse any substack piece, there’s an annoying email signup pop-up every single time that U have to to click past to read anything

• there are multiple CTA sign-up buttons within every post, every few paragraphs. your “reading” experience is interrupted repeatedly

• by default, there’s a generic design for all substacks. no personality! i’m glad to see that a number of my favorite substacks have taken the time to customize their fonts and colors but it’s just a fresh coat of paint on the same old software engine

the situation is very similar by email:

• there are “new message” alerts for their chat app (i don’t have their app nor do i want it)

• “recommendation” emails from people i’m subscribed to

• “if you like this newsletter, you’ll also like...” kinda stuff

• and just lots of emails for every post! they want to notify U! that there are! new posts! so we’re! emailing! U! to tell U! about it! again! read! more! substacks! or! else!

i’ve seen boom-bust cycles of VC-funded profit-off-writing endeavors before. there was a time in the late 2010’s where Medium was all the rage and everyone was posting there and look where they are now. Medium is still limping along as far as I can tell but i’m a cranky old man.

i’m not convinced VC incentives and reader/writer flourishing are truly, genuinely aligned. “and never shall the twain meet” is my opinion!

no true Author can serve two masters, render unto Substack the things that are Substack and unto the Muses the things that are the Muses, etc.

here’s a gratuitous public-domain picture from a Japanese fairytale of a handsome fella fighting a big-eyed goblin with a sword and a lute

i am happy for my friends who write on Substack, because I know that means more people read their posts, which is something I really do want!

i am happy for my friends who make money from their Substacks, because cheers and mazel tov!

i am happy for my friend who works at Substack, because good for them!

mudita for all involved!

AND that doesn’t stop me from disliking it as a platform, not enjoying myself as a reader, being averse to posting my own content there

i will read what U write on your Substack.

i don’t have to enjoy the experience.

i don’t have to approve of the company.

i don’t have to stay silent about what is very obvious to me but seemingly not to everyone else!

i shall remain on my own blog for the time being!

U are welcome to read my writing on tasshin dot com!

(which is very clean and has lots of excellent and varied writing and no pop-ups whatsoever and an absolute maximum of one email sign up per page—at the very bottom!)

cheers!

❤️ tasshin