"So Why Do You Use Substack For Your Blog?"
How the powerful Substack platform took me from reader to writer in less than a weekend.
Over a year ago, I heard about Substack through one of my female entrepreneurs,
. Emily’s products have been my go-to’s for over 10 years and the community she has built is truly second-to-none. Where she leads, I will always follow.
So when Emily said she was going to be posting more of her writing on this new platform called Substack, I was intrigued and signed up immediately to receive her publications. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. The more I familiarized myself with the world of Substack, the more I really came to enjoy any amount of time I spent there.
The idea seed for creating a blog where I shared the stories behind my needlepoint (along with some needlepoint-adjacent content) was planted back in 2021 but it wasn’t until this Spring (2024) that I finally took action. You can read the whole origin story here. After months years of second guessing myself and becoming overly frustrated with the whole process of designing an entire website from scratch (not my strong suit), I almost called it quits.
Then the ligthbulb moment occured: “what if I hosted everything on Substack? I love spending time there, maybe others would too.”
And thus, here we are.
I am often asked why I use Substack and why someone should add another subscription (like this one) to their ever-exploding inbox. I posted a shortened version of my thoughts on Instagram, but here is the unabridged version:
👩🏼💻Low Barrier to Entry: I tinkered with trying to make my own blog website for 6+ months and was left feeling overwhelmed AND less than inspired trying to fill in the blanks, make the layouts / colors / fonts work, etc. Developing a website is not one of my strengths and once I had the lightbulb 💡 moment to publish on Substack I had everything done in a single weekend. Total beginner friendly tools, tutorials and simple (albeit full) customization? Sign me up.
📩 Direct to Consumer: As a subscriber of Substack myself for almost two years, I loved that when I went to read a publication there wasn’t a mess of ads banners, pop ups etc. I also love that all my favorite publications are in one spot and (if I choose) are sent directly to my inbox real time. I find that the inspiration I draw from Substack feels more intentional and thought-filled.
💸 Cost As a Writer: Another HUGE plus for me was not having to pay a monthly fee for a website domain and a site service to host my publication. Let alone the cost associated with having someone design my entire website from scratch. This was/is a grass roots type of initiative so for me every cent counted (especially since my publication is 100% free).
💸 Cost As a Reader: “Free vs Paid” - MANY (if not all) Substack publications offer a free version of their site. Many also offer a “paid” tier (usually less than $8/month) for a more intimate and exclusive content experience. Or perhaps the monthly fee is for an exclusive membership like one of our NDLPT faves, The Stitch Needlepoint Club. My entire publication is 100% free and I fully respect every writer’s decision to go paid or free (or both) because time is VERY limited and everyone’s time is valuable.
🤳🏼Mobile accessibility: I don’t know about you but I’m on my phone more than my laptop most days. I love that Substack has a built-in app (for Apple & Android) where all published content is instantly formatted for an easy viewing experience on a mobile device.
🎧Built-In Audio Capability: Having the ability to record my publications and have it embedded right in my blog post for readers to listen to (vs reading) is such an amazing perk that enriches the entire experience as a whole.
🛑“But why would I subscribe to one. more. thing. I already have *so* much flooding my inbox..”
Answer: You don’t have to subscribe. For many publications (including mine) when you enter the Substack website and are prompted to enter your email address, prior to reading, you can simply click “No Thanks” & still see the content without committing to a subscription of any sort.
📋 The Bottom Line: Substack has opened up a whole new world for writers by fostering a more organic approach to getting their written word and content in front of the eyes of the readers that want to see it most. When I open the app, my feed is curated by moi and I’m never beholden to an algorithm or bombarded with something I don’t want to see.
🌟 If you are like me and prefer going to non-social media sources for a more intentional approach to inspiration and connecting directly with you favorite writers and content creators, then Substack is the place.
Who knows - you may even find yourself starting your own Substack page with an idea that has been nagging at you. If you do, please let me know - I’d love to reciprocate to you the kind support you have so lovingly shown to me. Also if you have any Substack questions please feel free to reach out to me here or on Instagram
Talk soon,
Emily 🎀