Why Substack, why now?

I’ve determinedly ignored Substack for a while now. It’s hovered on my radar, I’ve watched as people whose writing I admire have set up a home here. But I mentally filed it under the category of ‘not for me, thank you’.

But little by insistent little, it persisted in drawing my attention.

It’s hard to ignore - but in a good way.

There is something really personal and really engaging when someone whose writing you like pops into your inbox. They might have posted every day on Instagram and written some amazing things. But thanks to the algorithim, the mental clutter of everyday life and just the general busyness of life you might not have seen a word of it.

But a little email, a little reminder or a notification in your Substack reader and it’s right there, waiting for you to grab a coffee and have a read and a little think.

Part of of Substack’s appeal for me is the fact that it reminds me very much of the old Google Reader days. When you followed blogs and any updates or notifications magically appeared, collated all ready for you to dive in when you have a moment. I know there are services like Feedly now which purport to do a similar job but I’ve never really gelled with them the way I have with the late, much missed Google Reader.

An additional benefit of Substack is the ability to have much more in depth chats with people - both on your own posts and on the posts of others. I have discovered some brilliant new connections this way and it’s a real bonus of the platform that you feel as though you are able to spend time really connecting with people and with content.

On Instagram or Twitter, stuff moves fast. Really fast. Recently I’ve found myself being aware of how hurried I feel when I’m there. I might see a post that I really like, and I want to stop a minute, to leave a comment and maybe chat for a while but I’m aware that I only have a few minutes to spare so I hurry past, thinking I’ll go back later. Although of course I never do.

For me, my morning coffee is rapidly becoming synonymous with my unhurried browse through my Substack inbox. It’s a far nicer way to start the day - and there are no jarring Reels or fast moving videos too. Always a bonus.

Hint: if you do find yourself suffering from inbox overwhelm you can just turn off the notifications in your Substack settings. You’ll still see updates from people who you subscribe to - just in your Substack inbox rather than your own personal one.

What do you enjoy most about Substack, or do you have any questions about how it works? It’s a new place for a lot of us so there’s really no such thing as a daft question. Let me know - and let’s figure it out together.