Terms
Photo taken by Lucas George Wendt on Unsplash
Publishing platforms and newsletters give writers the opportunity to monetize their writing in a meaningful manner. Instead of launching affiliate programs or filling their websites with advertisements, they are able to focus on their passion: writing.
This exchange benefits both between members and the creators. Writers get paid to create material, and users are given the opportunity to browse the articles they enjoy, all with a completely free of ads. No matter if you're a writer, journalist, or even a aspiring writer the following comparisons will help you make an informed choice about the platform is best suited to your needs.
Substack
Substack's main goal is to support writers by providing them with the tools they need to succeed. The platform offers various tools that address the demands of self-employed content creators. From audience monetization options to control, Substack lets writers be in control of their artistic process and create a long-lasting career.
Prices and Features
It is marketed as "a place for independent writing," Substack offers writers an opportunity to create an online newsletter, build community, and earn money through subscriptions. It claims that there is no tech experience is required, and intend to "take charge of everything, except for the hard portion (the creation itself)." They guarantee "true freedom" which means that the author retains the copyright for all of the content they publish.
The process is easy. Writers have the option of importing writings they've created on other platforms like Mailchimp, WordPress, Tinyletter, Medium, Tumblr, and even some custom-built sites and set up a new site by starting from scratch within a couple of minutes. After the site is live, the author decides what content is completely free and others are placed by the Substack paywall. Substack charges 10% of the revenue when a creator starts monetizing, but until it is entirely cost-free. Substack claims that Substack team says you can "start your Substack at breakfast; start bringing in revenue by lunchtime." Here's how to achieve this.
Dashboard/Posts
The Dashboard page lists any blog articles you've previously posted, as well as basic statistics of your latest posting. The stats you see include the number of views total, email recipients, and open rate.
Here you'll also see several buttons you can use to start crafting your latest article. The buttons allow you to create a new post, new podcast episode, or a new thread. On this dashboard, you can also access Subscribers, Stats, and Settings.
Within Substack newsletters, the posts are referred to as 'posts' and each post is posted on the author's Substack page for profile. After an account has been activated, Substack automatically creates a first draft article. It will prompt users to sign-up for Substack's newsletter for paid subscribers and share the launch through social networks. You are able to edit or delete this first pre-populated post, or begin writing your next article.
Substack's posts on the homepage
The process begins by adding a title, subtitle, and an author. You may even ask guests authors to write -and then you can use a powerful text editor that gives you the chance to add paragraph copy, headings, images, buttons, codes for bold and italic fonts, quotes, and bullet points.
If you click the Settings button, you'll have an opportunity to alter the post's visibility. You can make the page private or public and choose whether or not to let comments be posted. In this section, you can edit your post's publication date along with the URL and hidden "draft link" in case you'd like to share the article with your family or friends (even before it's published). It is possible to send a trial email or edit the social media preview in order to ensure that the images are perfect before sending it to your readers.
After you've scheduled or published the post, return to the Posts page to find out how many people read each of your posts.
Subscribers
The subscribers dashboard shows you the number of your subscribers as well as paid subscribers, their gross annualized revenue and number of subscribers over the past 30 days, 90 days and throughout the day. You can see your subscribers' email addresses for every subscriber and the kind of subscription (free or paid) the date when they signed up, and revenue per person.
To add more subscribers to your list, manually join them via the email address they provide or you can export your existing mailing list from MailChimp, TinyLetter, Patreon or similar platforms into an CSV file. Then, transfer it. The Substack uploader will load every email address it can find therefore, only upload the ones that have signed up to your mailing list.
Stats
In the Stats page, you'll find information about the volume of traffic which was directed to your site, and the amount of emails that you've sent out over a 30 or 90-day time frame, or since you launched the newsletter.
The tab for traffic displays the most recent month's web visitors, as well as the source. It could come from the article itself as well as your personal profile page on Substack, or social media channels including Twitter.
The Email tabs provide you with detailed information on each post such as title, publication date and public or private audience (public or private), as well as statistics on delivery, such as the number of opens, open rate, free/paid subscriptions after 1 day, and participation (likes as well as comments).
Settings
You can edit the title and description of your publication. You can also modify discoverability options (such as tags) as well as personalize the About page to provide the benefits of having the publication as well as becoming subscribers.
There are a variety of options to customize the tone and style of your publication, including the cover image, your logo as well as your email banner as well as welcome message (which will be sent out to subscribers immediately after they subscribe). You can edit email sending options such as your sender name, whether you would like to receive emails with replies to your articles, and also the email address for RSS feeds like email protected[email protected]. Here you can also link and detach the social media platforms as well as Stripe to process payments.
Compatibility and integrations
A crucial element of Substack's services is the chance to import content that is already on other platforms. This saves you time since it's not necessary to manually copy and paste contents from every platform that you use. Substack provides import functionality for the Mailchimp, WordPress, TinyLetter, Tumblr web RSS feed Podcast RSS feed Stripe and more.
The truth is that a large portion of Substack's focus on integrations is tracking and data and you're able to include the following: 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. For example, if you include your Facebook Pixel ID (found on your Facebook Business Page) to your Substack, Facebook can track audiences for relevant advertisements.
Medium
Medium On the other hand is a publishing and publishing platform, which hosts various articles by many authors. It serves as a community-driven platform for discovery, where authors can reach a large public and connect with people who read online and have the same interests. Medium offers a simple interface, extensive social functions, and a built-in distribution network.
Prices and Features
Medium.com has a broad range of functions and features for readers and content creators. Medium.com has evolved into a preferred platform for individuals and organizations to share their thoughts or stories to an international community.
It is easy to create and format your content using a simple and intuitive editor. Medium is a free editing environment that includes essential formatting options such as list headings, headings as well as images and embedding multimedia information. When you've completed your article, you may publish it to open it to everyone or limit it to certain audiences.
Access to unlimited access is $5 USD/month if you pay monthly or $50USD/year when a year is paid for upfront.
Dashboard/Home
Similar to social media platforms, Medium offers an extensive audience of followers and readers who actively seek out interesting content. With the help of algorithms and a curation process, including an editor's selection' magazine, content can gain visibility and reach a large public. It can assist creators as well as writers reach out to people who read their articles, develop an audience, and expand their impact in their specific areas of expertise.
Medium boasts a vast user base, providing writers with an opportunity to reach more people and receive publicity for their works. Its wide reach means that your articles have potential for being read by people who share a genuine interest in your topics.
The features of the platform that are curated help surface content to relevant readers which increases the likelihood of exposure and interaction. By leveraging these discovery mechanisms You can take advantage of Medium's distribution system and increase the visibility of your content.
Post editor
Medium comes with a wide range of tools for creating content which include advanced formatting tools as well as embedded media support that includes videos and images, as well as the capability to include custom code snippets. The platform enables writers to produce visually attractive articles with rich media elements, making it suitable for digital creators who prefer a more visually engaging approach.
With Medium's flexible post editor, writers can customize the appearance and style of their articles to align with their personal brand. Media integration is supported by the platform which allows seamless integration of images as well as videos and other interactive elements. It doesn't matter if you'd like to display your photography skills or present data through visualizations Medium lets you make engaging material.
Network effect
Medium encourages the sense of community with features such as remarks, highlights and recommendations, allowing writers to interact with readers. The tools for engagement facilitate deep discussion and help create an environment for writers to connect to their readers.
The network effect of Medium plays a vital role in enhancing the visibility of writer's content. If readers interact with the content through claps, comments, and shares, the algorithms of Medium take note of the interactions and display the articles in a more broader way to an readership. This network effect enables writers to gain exposure beyond their existing follower base and attract new readers interested in the subject matter they write about.
How to monetize: Medium's Partner Program
Medium uses a unique monetization model that is known as the Medium Partner Program. Journalists can sign up to this program and earn money based on how much engagement their content receives, including claps (Medium's equivalent to likes) as well as reading time. (While earning potential is present on Medium, the income is less certain in comparison to Substack's subscription model.)
The medium Partner Program encourages authors to focus on creating interesting and stimulating content that resonates with people who read it. By rewarding articles based on comments from readers and their interactions, Medium promotes the development of quality content that is captivating and entertains its readers. The model offers the chance for you to earn income 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 empowers independent writers through monetization possibilities as well as audience control. an easy and focused experience for writing. On the other hand, Medium offers a vast reader base, discoverability features, and a strong sense of community.
By providing valuable and exclusive information to your readers You can earn money and continue to pursue your creativity. Both options serve a different function, but it's your responsibility to choose which one is the best for you and your audience. Happy writing!