Substack recently released its new Notes feature, which works similarly to Twitter and is poised to be an alternative to Elon Musk’s social media platform.
This comes after Musk banned all Substack links from Twitter after Substack announced Notes. Twitter then hid from search results any news stories mentioning Substack.
Substack’s Notes will appear on their own tab, apart from the complete newsletters available in the Inbox page or the threads available in the Chat tab, where newsletters can be read. Substack advocates utilizing Notes to share things like “posts, quotes, comments, images, and links,” according to a blog post, and there is no character limit, according to Substack spokesperson Helen Tobin.
Each post can contain up to six photos or GIFs, but no video. Notes you share will not be delivered to subscribers’ inboxes; instead, they will remain on the Substack website and app. You can also interact with other Notes by clicking the like, reply, and “restack” (retweet) buttons.
In a similar Twitter-like fashion, the Notes tab has two separate feeds: “Home” and “Subscribed.” “Home” displays notes from writers you subscribe to as well as “writers they recommend,” which means you’ll see notes from folks you’re unfamiliar with. “Subscribed” only displays remarks from persons to whom you have subscribed.
Substack is just the latest startup to try to sever some of Twitter’s users as the company’s services have degraded in recent months. Others attempting to profit on the upheaval that followed Musk’s takeover of Twitter include T2, Mastodon, and Post, all of which offer similar functionality to Twitter but have yet to establish a dominating position.
However, Notes has one benefit that the others do not: Substack is already used by many important names in journalism, entertainment, and politics.
Notes allows Substack users to post short status updates as well as photographs, GIFs, and links. Many prominent journalists have embraced Notes as a means of strengthening their bonds with their audience.
Some major Substack creators have stated that they will be going to Notes, therefore Substack may gain traction if it becomes the only location to read specific writers.
Substack revealed last month that the platform had 35 million active newsletter subscriptions and that readers had paid writers more than $300 million through the service. The top ten Substack writers earn a combined $25 million per year, while Substack takes a 10% cut of all subscription earnings from writers on the platform.
Information for this briefing was found via Verge, The Washington Post, and the sources mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
