Last week marked the five-year anniversary of the WHO declaring COVID-19 a pandemic. There are few trends I would choose to keep from those early days and months of lockdown – Zoom happy hours and remote weddings can remain a relic – but some trends have stood the test of time, like how, when and where we work.
This is especially true for journalists. Over 16,000 news media personnel were laid off in 2020, and unfortunately, the trend seems to be ticking upward again. For some of those journalists who found themselves without a newsroom or editor, they chose to take their writing talents to a new home: Substack.
What is Substack?
Substack was founded in 2017 as a media publishing platform where writers and content creators can publish their work and cultivate an audience of subscribers who value and support their work directly. Articles live on Substack and can be delivered to subscribers’ inboxes like a traditional e-newsletter subscription. Importantly, writers on Substack can make money from paid subscriptions.
Today, 50,000 publishers monetize their content through Substack. The network has more than 35 million active subscriptions and just passed 5 million paid subscriptions – or a few million more website visits than Variety.com received in February. Newsweek has an excellent overview of why so many journalists, many of whom are political correspondents, have flocked to Substack: “Why Is Everyone Suddenly on Substack?”
How does Substack impact PR?
Substack gives journalists the reins of and rights to their content without the traditional checks and balances of editors. There are pros and cons to this lack of “editorial heft,” as Allison Carter of PRDaily shares:
“Each Substack can be very personality-driven, relying on the personal brand of each journalist to get readers,” she says. “That might mean a looser tone than you could expect from traditional media.” And therefore, may mean Substack isn’t right for all brands all the time.
That said, trust in traditional media remains low. According to Gallup, more than two-thirds of Americans have “not very much confidence” or “no trust at all” in the media’s ability to report news fully, accurately and fairly. When readers have little confidence in traditional media but are willing to pay for subscriptions to individual journalists, “editorial heft” may not matter as much.
Third-party platforms are taking note. Muck Rack, for example, is a software database that helps PR professionals find journalists, monitor news stories and much more. The company recently invested in adding newsletters and Substacks to its library of media outlets so PR professionals can more accurately track metrics, lending them further credence as news sources that are as worthy of pitching as traditional media.
Putting the relationship in public relations.
PR has always been about building relationships with reporters and journalists at different media outlets. When those same journalists move to Substack, the relationships don’t really change. The principles we deploy to connect with journalists at a local TV station, a trade magazine, or even the New York Times are the same we use to reach out to Substack authors.
Connecting goes both ways. Journalists are often looking for particular sources for their stories, and some have migrated to seeking those sources on Substack itself. Muck Rack shares how some freelance journalists are leveraging the platform to find sources, educate PR pros and, of course, build stronger relationships.
One major difference between traditional media and Substack is the audience, but that also boils down to relationships. While no single Substack will have as big of an audience as USA Today or the Washington Post, Substack subscribers tend to genuinely care about the author and content they subscribe to, particularly if they pay to access it.
How do you get coverage with a Substack author?
Much like podcasts, there are a literal ton of Substack publications, and more crop up every day. Success and subscription numbers can vary wildly, so the key is to home in on the right story in the right place at the right time to the right audience. Simple, right?
This is where our pros at Dittoe PR come in. We can help identify ideal Substack placements, whether it’s for a new product, your founder’s story, your business growth and more. Keep in mind that not every story will be a fit for this platform, just as not every story is a fit for traditional media. One-to-one targeted outreach is key, which is why Dittoe PR has been operating this way for over 25 years.
Final thoughts.
Personally, I like how Substack feels like an old-school blog that brings all my interests into one place and then delivers content to me directly. There are writers for every topic under the sun, from art history to politics to parenting. I primarily follow fiction and non-fiction writers who talk about writing craft and storytelling; it just feels like the right place for that content to me.
What Substacks do you follow? Who are your favorites? Let me know!
If you’re interested in garnering media coverage on Substrack or with traditional media or need assistance in telling your story, get in touch with us.
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