Terms
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Publishing platforms and newsletters give writers the opportunity to monetize their writing in a meaningful way. Instead of establishing affiliate programs, or saturating the platforms with ads the writers are able to focus on the things they enjoy -- writing.
It is a mutually beneficial exchange for both members and creators. Writers get paid to create articles, while readers get the chance to read the content they like, while having an uninterrupted and ad-free experience. Whether you're a blogger, journalist or student of writing the following comparisons will aid you in making an informed choice on which platform best meets the needs of your.
Substack
Substack's principal goal is to support writers by providing them with the tools they need to achieve their goals. It offers a variety of options that meet the demands of self-employed creators of content. From monetization opportunities to audience ownership, Substack lets writers take charge of their creative career and develop a sustainable career.
Pricing and features
The site is advertised as "a place for independent writing," Substack offers writers the opportunity to launch a paid newsletter business, build community, and earn income from subscriptions. It claims that there is no tech knowledge is required and they strive to "take care of everything except the most difficult aspect (the creation of course)." They promise "true autonomy" which means that the author retains the copyright for all of their writing.
How it works is fairly simple. Writers are able to import posts they've written on different platforms, such as Mailchimp, WordPress, Tinyletter, Medium, Tumblr, or even custom-designed sites and build a new site completely from scratch in just less than a minute. When the website is up and running, the creator decides what content is available for free, and those that are locked by Substack's Substack paywall. Substack takes 10% from creators when the latter is monetizing their site, but up to then, the platform is entirely free. Substack claims that Substack team says it is possible to "start the process of establishing your Substack at breakfast; start earning money by lunchtime." Learn how to do just that.
Dashboard/Posts
The Dashboard page lists any blog articles you've previously posted, as well as high-level stats of your latest post. These stats include: all views, the number of email recipients, and open rate.
There's also several buttons you can use for you to begin creating your next work of art. The buttons allow you to Create a brand new blog post, new podcast episode, or a new thread. In this dashboard, you can also get access to Subscribers, Stats and settings.
Within Substack newsletters, the posts are referred to as 'posts' and each post is also published on the writer's Substack profile page. Once an account is active, Substack automatically creates a initial draft of the post. This auto-message invites users to sign-up for the creator's paid newsletter and share the launch through social networks. You can edit or delete the initial pre-populated post or write the following post.
Substack's posts on the homepage
The process begins by adding a title, subtitle, and the author's name -- you may even ask guest authors to contribute -- then a rich text editor that gives you the possibility of adding paragraph copy, headings, images, buttons as well as bold and italic texts, quotes, and bullet points.
When you hit the Settings button, you'll have the chance to edit the visibility of your post. The page can be made either public or private and decide whether or not to let comments be posted. In this section, you can also edit the article's date of publication along with the URL and hidden "draft URL" If you wish to share the article with relatives or friends (even prior to publication). It is possible to send a trial email, or alter the preview for social media to get the visuals just right before you send it to your readers.
After you've scheduled or sent the post, you go back to your Posts page to find out how many people read each of your posts.
Subscribers
The dashboard of subscribers shows the number of your subscribers as well as paid subscribers, their gross annualized revenue, and subscription numbers for the last 30-day period, 90-day period and all time. It displays your subscribers' email addresses for each of your subscribers along with the type of subscription they have (free or paid), date the sign-up date, and revenue per person.
To add more subscribers You can include them using their email address or export your existing mailing list from MailChimp, TinyLetter, Patreon or similar platforms into a CSV file, and then transfer it. Substack's upload tool Substack upload tool will import any email address it locates, so only upload those who have opted in to your list.
Stats
On the Stats page, you'll find information about the number of visitors which was directed to your site and the number of emails you've sent out over a 30 interval, 90 days or since you launched the newsletter.
The Traffic tab shows the latest month's website users, and the site from which they came. This could be from the article itself, your substack profile page or other social media platforms including Twitter.
The Email tabs will provide the full details of each article such as title, publication date, and the audience (public and private) in addition to delivery stats such as openings, opens rate, paid or free subscriptions following one day, as well as participation (likes as well as comments).
Settings
Here you can change your publication name and description. Also, you can alter the discoverability settings (such tags) and customize the About page to explain the benefits of reading the publication as well as being a subscriber.
You also have plenty of options to customize the voice and visual brand of your blog, such as your logo, cover photo as well as your email banner and welcome email text (which is emailed to users immediately after they subscribe). Editing your email send options, such as the sender's name, the date you wish to receive email responses to your posts and your email address for RSS feeds, such as email protected[email protected]. You can connect and disconnect your social media accounts as well as Stripe to process payments.
Compatibility and integrations
A crucial element of Substack's offering is the possibility to import content that is already on different platforms. This can save you time because it's not necessary to duplicate your contents from every platform that you use. Substack allows you to import content from the Emailchimp platform, WordPress, TinyLetter, Tumblr web RSS feed Podcast RSS feed Stripe and much more.
The truth is that a large portion of Substack's attention to integrations is data and tracking, so you can add a Facebook Pixel ID, Twitter Pixel ID, Parse.ly Pixel ID, Google Analytics Pixel ID, Google Tag Manager ID, Google Site Verification as well as Facebook Site Verification.
These pixels allow for monitoring your readership/engagement levels and some create an integration with advertising platforms. As an example, if you add your Facebook Pixel ID (found on your Facebook Business Page) to your Substack, Facebook can track the audience for ads that are relevant to them.
Medium
Medium however it is a content-creation and publishing platform which houses various articles by different writers. It serves as a community-driven platform for discovery, where authors are able to reach out to a wide public and connect with readers and online publications with similar interests. Medium has a user-friendly interface, extensive social features, and a built-in distribution network.
Features and pricing
Medium.com provides a variety of features and functions for users and creators of content. It has become a go-to site for both organizations and individuals to share their thoughts, stories, and knowledge with a global audience.
You can easily create and edit your articles with a simple and intuitive editor. Medium provides a distraction-free editing environment that includes essential formatting choices like lists, headings, images, and embedding multimedia information. Once you have written an article, you are able to post it on Medium to open it to everyone or limit it to specific audiences.
Unlimited access costs $5 USD/month if paid each month or $50 USD/year if the year is paid up front.
Dashboard/Home
Like other social media platforms, Medium offers an extensive audience of followers and readers that are always looking for new information. Through the platform's algorithms and curation process, including an editor's choice' newsletter, articles have the potential to gain exposure and reach an extensive audience. It can assist creators as well as writers reach out to the public, establish an following and boost their influence in their respective field.
Medium boasts a vast user base, providing writers with the opportunity to communicate to a wider audience and gain recognition for their work. Its wide reach means that your content has the chance of being discovered by those who have an interest in the topics.
The platform's curate sections assist present your content to readers who are interested and increase the chance of exposure and interaction. Through these discovery tools You can take advantage of Medium's distribution network and maximize the visibility of your content.
Post editor
Medium comes with a wide range of tools to create content, including advanced formatting options as well as embedded media support that includes videos and images, as well as the capability to include specific code snippets. Medium allows writers to create visually appealing pieces that contain rich media which makes it ideal to digital writers who want an aesthetic approach to writing.
With Medium's flexible post editor, writers can customize the style and appearance of their articles to align with their own personal branding. Medium supports the integration of multimedia which allows seamless addition of photos as well as videos and other interactive elements. If you're looking to show off your photography skills or present facts through graphs and illustrations Medium lets you produce stunning material.
Network effect
Medium encourages the sense of community with features such as comments, highlights, and guidelines, that allow writers to interact with their users. Engaging tools help facilitate meaningful conversations and provide a welcoming atmosphere for writers to communicate with their followers.
Medium's network effect plays a crucial role in amplifying the impact of authors' articles. When readers interact with content by clapping, commenting, and sharing, the algorithm of Medium take note of the interactions and surface the content in a more broader way to an public. The network effect allows writers to increase their visibility beyond the existing followers and attract new readers who are interested in the subject matter they write about.
How to monetize: Medium's Partner Program
Medium is based on a distinct monetization model called"the Medium Partner Program. Writers can join this program and make money on the basis of the amount of engagement they receive for their posts which includes the claps (Medium's equivalent of likes) and reading time. (While the potential for earnings is present on Medium, it's possible that the earnings is less certain when compared with Substack's subscription-based system.)
The medium Partner Program encourages authors to focus on creating engaging and thought-provoking content that resonates with readers. By rewarding articles based on the reader's feedback and interactions, Medium promotes the development of content with high-quality that engages and entertains its readers. This is a great way for publishers to earn a profit while maintaining a free and open publishing platform.
Conclusion: Medium vs Substack
Substack and Medium offer different things to cater to different creators -- the best way to choose the platform for you is to consider what you want to get out of your newsletter/publishing platform. Substack supports independent authors through monetization possibilities along with audience-owned content, as well as an intuitive and specific experience for writing. On the other hand, Medium offers a vast reader base, discoverability features as well as a feeling of community.
In providing unique and valuable information to your readers, you can generate income and sustain your creative endeavors. Both options serve a different purpose, and it's your responsibility to determine which option is right for you and your audience. Have fun writing!