What is Substack - Part I

Why Substack is going to change the future of social media and why newcomers to Canada should take it seriously?

Substack.com is an extremely popular e-newsletter and blogging platform. So if you love platforms like Instagram and TikTok, reading this article won't be interesting for you, and maybe it's hard and impossible for people like you to believe so much power in an e-newsletter and blogging system. But the continuation of this article will be so interesting that it can attract any kind of audience.

Especially if you are the manager of a start-up business in Canada or an entrepreneur and content creator, starting Substack will definitely be one of your important choices sooner or later. So maybe in order to shorten this period and avoid falling behind the competitors, it is not bad to stay with me until the end of this article.

Now let's see what is substack and what are its features and how easy is it to use in practice that has caused so much noise?

And apart from all technical distinctions and substack facilities, let's see what distinctions it will create for your business and why it must be included in your digital marketing strategy.

Substack in plain language

Now in the 2020s, there are so many platforms for content creation and sharing that it can be overwhelming, if not impossible, to consider all the options.

For video, YouTube and Vimeo, for music Spotify and Soundcloud, and for podcasts, oh my god, the list is ridiculously long. Now, in addition to these sharing platforms, consider the numerous social networks, each of which allows us to upload long and detailed content. For example, in addition to the YouTube platform, it is also possible to post several hours long videos on Instagram.

However, until recently, writers, journalists and bloggers felt left behind and lacked a comprehensive and robust platform for their work.

It is true that every author and content creator can, or rather, should have a personal website and publish their content and podcasts like me, but having a website is not the whole story.

Content producers need technical support, facilities to talk and brainstorm with the world, as well as a revenue handlin platform. A website that is usually like a remote island is not always an attractive way of working for professional activities.

In short, substack was created and changed the whole story... and it is not an exaggeration to say that it changed the game completely.

Nowadays, if you are a reader of media such as New York Times or Guardian (I wish I could mention some Persian language media as well), you have noticed that the possibility that your favorite author in these media also has a substack account and you can pay to read a monthly amount of his exclusive content. By paying your favorite author, you are supporting and encouraging him to continue producing content, you are receiving his content directly in your email inbox, and you are consuming content without the crow and noise of giant media outlets. .

Those who already have a large audience on other platforms can multiply their income this way. In fact, Substack's top 10 authors collectively earn million dollars per year.

For those of us who don't already have a massive, loyal audience, this may seem like a dream. But there are still many reasons why Substack can be useful for creative people and entrepreneurs who have something to say and content to share.

Substack has a special benefits for creative people and entrepreneurs

I want to focus on newcomers to Canada because the next example may appeal to this category of people. Especially those who are in the first months of immigrating to Canada, always think about starting their own business. For them (and I am one of these people), after entering Canada and seeing the facilities, support, and numerous governmental and non-governmental helps, maybe even years after working for others and earning enough income, starting a business remains as a dream. Starting a personal business or creating side income will always be in the corner of their mind.

Now imagine that you have a special interest in a topic and you can even create content about it as a hobby. Of course, I don't really mean fun and entertainment, but I mean it as a side job and activity. For example, if you are an agent of insurance services and you work as a representative of a certain insurance company in Canada, you can spend some time writing about services and the insurance industry for a specific group of your contacts in addition to your daily activities.

Or if you are in the business of cooking cakes and sweets and homemade food and even have your own shop, you can publish interesting and educational content for your audience.

If you're a florist, a craftsman, a commercial loan officer, a school teacher, a home repairer, a psychotherapist, or whatever specialty you're working in, you still can, as a side hustle (which I'm telling you in confidence that has the potential to become your main job) create valuable and informative content. And I promise you that for good and informative content, there will always be people who will read your content and become your loyal audience.

Now let's say you can convince, say, 50 people to subscribe to your content for just $5 a month. After all fees are factored in, that adds up to over $200 automatically deposited into your bank account every month, just for writing about something you love.

Now suppose that after some time of activity, these 50 people will increase to 100 or 200 or 500 people. Do the math yourself and then think, is there a similar platform with this much reward just for doing what you love?

I recall this sentence again:

Those who already have large audiences on other platforms can double, triple, or quadruple their income this way. In fact, Substack's top 10 authors collectively earn millions of dollars per year.

Of course, keep in mind that you don't actually have to create a paid for Substack newsletter. So, if you don't have a specific strategy to get paid for your newsletter and are just thinking about starting a free newsletter, for example to promote your personal brand and showcase your creativity and expertise, Substack offers an easy way to do it that costs you no money. In fact, all Substack services are free for content creators and authors.

Since Substack automatically archives your posts online, it also acts as one of the best free blogging platforms by default. And excitingly, you own the intellectual property (IP) and your contact list. You can leave the Substack whenever you decide and take everything with you.

Now let's see how easy it is to use Substack in practice. Definitely, since I have been working with Substack for a long time, I can share my information and experience with you.

Read more in the upcoming issue...

You can read my articles in Farsi language on https://digitalk.substack.com

Mahmood from Toronto??