Terms
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Newsletters and publishing platforms give writers the opportunity to monetize their works in a sensible way. Instead of creating affiliate programs, or saturating their platforms with advertising, they are able to spend their time doing what they love -- writing.
This exchange benefits both for both members and creators. The writers are compensated for the creation of content, and readers are given the opportunity to access the content they love, and all the while enjoying a pristine free of ads. If you're a blogger journalist, or even a aspiring writer This comparison can aid you in making an informed choice on which platform is best suited to the needs of your.
Substack
Substack's primary focus is to support writers by providing them with the necessary tools to achieve their goals. The platform offers various tools that address the requirements of freelance content creators. From opportunities for monetization to audience control, Substack gives writers the ability to take charge of their creative journey and build a sustainable career.
Pricing and features
It is marketed as "a platform for writers to write independently," Substack offers writers the chance to start an online newsletter that builds community, as well as earn money through subscriptions. It claims that there is no tech knowledge is required and they aim to "take care of everything except the most difficult part (the creation in itself)." The company promises "true freedom" where the writer keeps the copyright on all their writing.
How it works is fairly simple. Writers can import existing content they wrote on other platforms such as Mailchimp, WordPress, Tinyletter, Medium, Tumblr, as well as some custom-built websites, or they can set up a new site completely from scratch in just less than a minute. After the site is live, the author chooses which posts are free and which are gated by substack's Substack paywall. Substack will take 10% when a creator starts monetizing, but until that point, it's completely accessible for free. The Substack team says they can "start your Substack at breakfast; start earning money by lunchtime." This is how you can do just this.
Dashboard/Posts
The Dashboard page shows any previous articles you've previously posted, as well as general statistics for your latest posting. These stats include: all views, the number of emails received, as well as the open rate.
Here you'll also see various buttons that you can click for you to begin creating your next piece of content. Buttons include: Create a brand new blog post, a new podcast episode or new thread. On this dashboard, you can also view Subscribers, Stats and Settings.
Within Substack newsletters, they are known as "posts as well as each one is also published on the writer's Substack page for profile. After an account has been activated, Substack automatically creates a initial draft of the post. The auto-message encourages people to join Substack's newsletter for paid subscribers and share the launch on social networks. You are able to edit or delete this first pre-populated post, or write the following article.
Substack posts homepage
Editing or writing begins with the addition of a title, subtitle, and author -- you could even invite guests authors to write -and then you can use a powerful text editor gives the chance to add paragraphs, headings, images, buttons, codes for bold and italic fonts as well as quotes and bullet points.
If you click the Settings button, you'll be given an opportunity to alter the visibility of your post. You can make the page either public or private and decide to allow comments or not. In this section, you can also edit the blog's date of publication, URL, as well as the an unofficial "draft link" if you want to distribute the content to relatives or friends (even after it's been published). It is possible to send a trial email or modify the social media preview in order to make sure the image is perfect before sending it to your followers.
After you've scheduled or published the post, go back on the Posts page, where you will see how many people have seen each one of your posts.
Subscribers
The dashboard of subscribers shows the entire number of paid and paid customers, as well as the gross annualized revenue and number of subscribers over the past 30-day period, 90-day period and throughout the day. The dashboard shows the email address of all your subscribers along with their subscription type (free or paid) the date when the sign-up date, and the amount of revenue they earn per user.
To add more subscribers, you can manually join them via the email address they provide or you can export the existing list of subscribers from MailChimp, TinyLetter, Patreon as well as similar platforms to a CSV file, and then transfer it. The Substack upload tool will import any email address it locates and only allow those who have opted in to your mailing list.
Stats
On the Stats page, you'll find information about the volume of traffic that was driven towards your website, as well as the quantity of emails you've send out in a 30-day or 90-day period, or after you've launched your newsletter.
The tab for traffic displays the latest month's website users, and the source. It could come from the article itself as well as your personal profile page on Substack or other social media platforms like Twitter.
The Email tabs shows you the full details of each article such as titles, date of publication and the audience (public and private) in addition to statistics on delivery, such as the number of opens, open rate, subscriptions that are free or paid after one day, as well as engagement (likes and comments).
Settings
This is where you can alter the title and description of your publication. It is also possible to alter the discoverability settings (such tags) and personalize the About page to provide the benefits of having the publication as well as being a subscriber.
There are a variety of possibilities to alter the voice and visual brand of your blog, such as your logo, cover image along with your banner for email and the welcome email message (which is emailed to users shortly after signing up). You can edit email sending options such as your sender name, whether you would like to receive email responses to your posts and email addresses to RSS feeds like email protectedemail protected]. Here you can also link and detach your social media accounts as well as Stripe to process payments.
Compatibility and integrations
A crucial element of Substack's service is the ability to import content from many different platforms. This can save you time because it's not necessary to manually copy and paste content on every platform you frequent. Substack provides import functionality for such platforms as Mailchimp, WordPress, TinyLetter, Tumblr and website RSS feed RSS feed for podcasts, Stripe and many more.
That said, much of Substack's attention to integrations is tracking and data and you're able to include a Facebook Pixel ID, Twitter Pixel ID, Parse.ly Pixel ID, Google Analytics Pixel ID, Google Tag Manager ID Google Site Verification and Facebook Site Verification.
These pixels allow for monitoring your readership/engagement levels and some create an integration with advertising platforms. In the case of Facebook, for instance, if include 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 that hosts a range of articles from various authors. Medium is a social-based discovery platform, where writers can reach a large readership and interact with other people who read online and have the same interests. Medium offers a simple interface, extensive social functions along with an inbuilt distribution network.
Prices and Features
Medium.com offers a wide range of features and functions for readers and content creators. It is now a must-have website for organizations and individuals to share their thoughts or stories to a worldwide community.
You can easily create and edit your articles with a simple and intuitive editor. Medium is a free writing environment with essential formatting options like headings, lists as well as images and embedding multimedia information. After you've written your article, you may publish it to make it available to everyone or limit it to certain audiences.
Access to unlimited access is $5 USD/month when paid each month or $50 USD/year if an entire year's cost is paid up front.
Dashboard/Home
Similar to social media platforms, Medium offers an extensive community of users and readers that are always looking for new content. Thanks to the algorithm and curation system including an 'editor's choice' newsletter, articles can gain recognition and reach a huge public. The exposure will help authors and authors connect with their the public, establish a following, and increase the influence they have in their field.
Medium has a large audience, providing authors the chance to connect with an even larger audience and get publicity for their works. Medium's vast reach guarantees that your content has the chance of being discovered by people who share a genuine interest in your subject matter.
The features of the platform that are curated help expose your articles to the right readers which increases the likelihood of engagement and visibility. By leveraging these discovery mechanisms it is possible to tap into Medium's distribution system and increase the exposure of your articles.
Post editor
Medium provides an extensive set of content creation tools that include advanced formatting options as well as embedded media support that includes images and video, and the ability to add customized code fragments. Medium allows writers to produce visually attractive pieces that contain rich media and is suitable to digital writers who want an approach that is more visual.
Through Medium's post editor, which is flexible editors can alter the style and appearance of their articles to align with their personal brand. Media integration is supported by the platform, allowing for the seamless addition of photos video, audio, as well as interactive elements. If you're looking to show off your photography skills or present data through visualizations, Medium allows you to make stunning content.
Network effect
Medium creates a sense community with features such as remarks, highlights and recommendations, allowing writers to connect with their users. The tools for engagement facilitate deep discussion and help create an setting for writers to interact to their readers.
Medium's network effect plays an important role in increasing the visibility of writer's content. When readers interact with content through claps, comments, and shares, the algorithms of Medium observe the interaction and present the article to a broader audience. This effect of the network allows authors to reach out beyond their existing follower base and also attract readers interested in the subject matter they write about.
How to monetize: Medium's Partner Program
Medium uses a unique method of monetization known as"the Medium Partner Program. Writers can join this program to make money on the basis of the amount of engagement they receive for their posts, including the claps (Medium's equivalent of likes) and reading time. (While the potential for earnings exists in Medium, earnings may be less predictable compared to Substack's subscription-based model.)
The Medium Partner Program encourages authors to create engaging and thought-provoking material that is resonant with readers. Through rewarding content based on the reader's feedback and interactions, Medium promotes the development of quality content that is captivating and has the ability to inspire its viewers. The model offers the chance to make money as well as maintain a cost-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 by providing monetization opportunities along with audience-owned content, as well as an intuitive and targeted publishing experience. On the other hand, Medium offers a vast reader base, discoverability features as well as a sense of belonging.
In providing unique and valuable information to your readers You can earn money as well as sustain your artistic endeavors. Both choices serve a unique goal, so it's up to you to determine which option is right for you and your audience. Enjoy writing!