Why I'm switching from Mailchimp to Substack

BREAKING NEWS: I’m switching from Mailchimp to Substack for my weekly e-newsletter.

OK, so it’s not breaking news. Far from it, in fact. But it’s a pretty big change for me and one I’m really excited about. I’m fully aware most people could care less. But for those who are interested or curious to hear more about Substack (especially compared to MC), here’s my rationale for making the change:

* Price. When MC was bought by Intuit I was suddenly forced to pay $45/month because I had more than 2,000 subscribers. Not great for me. So I’ve been looking for a better alternative for a while. Substack is not only “free”, but I could end up making a little money if people buy the paid subscription (spoiler alert: It won’t be expensive and it will get you access to even more useful social media marketing content).

* Too many features. MC is a great option for small businesses or companies looking to build a complete email marketing system. However, as a solo consultant who really just wants to send out a newsletter each week it's too much. MC is pretty much complete overkill for me.

* Cool factor. There’s no doubt that Substack still has a little cool factor to it. I know I’m a little late to Substack, but it still has more cache than MC. A lot more.

* It’s a writers-first platform. I’m 100% a writer at heart. It’s a big part of why I got into social in the first place—at the time, it was all about writing! Sadly for me, that’s gone by the way side as video and imagery have taken over. However, I still love to write and I think Substack gives me the best platform to do that, make a little money (hopefully) and connect with other writers and creators.

So, what can you expect if you’re already a subscriber to my weekly newsletter? I am making a few changes:

* Mondays instead of Fridays. Over the last few years, I’ve realized fewer people are working on Fridays. News flash, I know! I get a LOT of “out of the offices” messages when I’ve sent my newsletter out on Friday mornings the last few years. Plus, by sending Monday I’ll have time over the weekend to fine-tune things and reflect on the week that was, which fits with…

* New title. For a while now, my newsletter really hasn’t had a name. So, I’m giving it one: This Week in Social Media. It’ll include a round-up of posts I read from the previous week. It’ll include a brief summary of what I was up to last week. And it’ll also include a new “advice of the week” section where I will cover a range of topics. The idea, as always, TO BE HELPFUL!

* No more jobs, events or people info. I’m a little sad to get rid of this since I know people appreciated it. I’m just ready to do something different. Besides, you can get the info I was sharing in these sections pretty easily. I was simply aggregating (which I know has value, but again, changes!). Plus, other people are doing this better than I am—see Mark Jenson’s round-up on LinkedIn for one great example.

The first official edition of “This Week in Social Media” will be sent on Monday, Sept. 30. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can sign up here. If you already are a subscriber, I’d love to hear your feedback after you receive the first revised edition from Substack on Monday—send me a note at [email protected]