be
→ use Substack notes as a healthier version of Twitter
→ embrace the messy middle of content creation
→ understand why you’re using a platform and what you’re getting from it
→ focus on community and digital products that solve real problems
→ always remember that even “successful” companies can fail forward
→ keep it real, talk about the ugly, the good, and the unexpected
→ attend as many in-person events as you can, but Please Hustle Responsibly
The Substack Gods probably didn’t like that we were being critical of the platform, and the video was lagging quite a bit.
Here’s the audio version if the video is too distracting for you.
Angela is simply brilliant, both strategically and creatively.
We dug deep into why she moved her newsletter from Substack to Beehiiv and how Substack continues to overlook low-hanging fruit.
This was a timely discussion, as many are infuriated by Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie’s decision to collaborate with a newsletter on a platform that actually listens to their users! Say what you want about Beehiiv, but it’s objectively a better product.
I’m so puzzled by this.
The back and forth between
and is bizarre.This is partly why I have a love / hate relationship with Substack.
They seem to be incompetent at best, arrogant at worst.
I enjoy the multi-player mode here, but I wish another platform would compete more directly with Substack so they would be forced to improve the product.
Yes, Beehiiv, Kit, and Twitter are all competitors, but only Substack has managed to be a legit replacement for both short-form and long-form content.
But maybe we should have a clear separation between the two forms?
Remember when Twitter bought the newsletter platform Revue and you could subscribe to someone’s newsletter directly on Twitter?
“Our goal is to make it easy for them to connect with their subscribers, while also helping readers better discover writers and their content,” Beykpour and Park wrote. “We’re imagining a lot of ways to do this, from allowing people to sign up for newsletters from their favorite follows on Twitter, to new settings for writers to host conversations with their subscribers. It will all work seamlessly within Twitter.”
— Mike Park, Former VP of Publisher Products at Twitter (source)
I’m crying real tears right now.
I want another platform to find the right balance between newsletters and social media. Competition is the mother of innovation.
Without it, we’ll keep shouting into the void.
— Daniel
Share this post