Become a Writer Today

How Newsletters Make Money for Writers with Hamish McKenzie of Substack

10 snips
Jan 29, 2020
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Host's Career Setback Led To Exploring Newsletters

  • Bryan Collins shared his 2008–2009 experience of being a struggling technology journalist who relied on social welfare and left journalism for a while.
  • That personal hardship motivated his interest in new income models for writers and led him to try Substack.
INSIGHT

Substack Fixes The Attention Economy

  • Substack was created as an alternative to the attention-economy that rewards shouting and outrage via ad-driven platforms.
  • By enabling direct reader subscriptions, Substack shifts incentives so writers serve paying readers rather than advertisers, preserving independence.
ADVICE

Write Regularly For A Small Paying Audience

  • To succeed on Substack write consistently and produce work that resonates with a specific audience rather than aiming for massive reach.
  • Small paying groups scale income quickly; 100 people paying $100/year equals about $10,000 annually.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app