9 Reasons Top Creators Are Moving to Substack in 2025 — Join before is too late
The smartest creators are already on Substack. Don’t get left behind — there’s still time to lead
Why is Substack rising now?
We’re experiencing interesting times.
From the revival of newsletters, email, and email marketing, not only as a viable but a vital part of the funnel of creators and businesses. It’s quickly becoming the most important tool in the fight against the enshittification of social media platforms and Google search (SEO). In today’s current chaotic environment. Newsletters are the best channel to have a direct channel, independent of unpredictable policies and AI algorithms. People are tired of social media.
Customers’ trust in companies is very low - taking more time to convince a client to buy.
There are two lines of thinking.
On one hand, we have the people who believe in short-form content, pro-AI, and pro-social media. People who think attention is the new currency. Many of them follow trends, obey the algorithm, and sell sponsored products/services to their audiences with a “generous” discount. Short-form content has been growing in relevance over the years - sadly, creating long-lasting consequences that only now are visible to us. Attention spam has been greatly diminishing, social media has caused too much psychological damage.
AI content has created trust issues for the users who consume content on these platforms.
On the other hand, we have the old guard (pre-social media era).
Email marketers and creators. Forum guys. Private community folks. Even bloggers. All separated from the chaos of social media. All becoming increasingly attractive as an alternative to social media, Google search, YouTube search, and AI. People are looking for:
Trust.
Honesty.
Connection.
The new platforms were supposed to help us connect. At the beginning, it was like that, but then over time, the goals changed. It was more about collecting users’ data to show more ads. Connection was secondary. Keeping users from leaving the platform was the #1 priority. After many years, we’re tired of the grind.
We’re tired of AI algorithms and corporations controlling so much of our lives and business.
The Writing Experience
Writing is the most important skill to learn in 2025.
Any type of media you could think of needs writing. However, you might think maybe we shouldn’t care at all about it since short-form content and video is the king of the hill, for now.
What’s the difference between an average video and an excellent one?
Exactly… the writing.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that many creators are choosing this platform. If we compare it with others:
Medium: Owns your followers, their paid program locks an entire post, and doesn’t even pay a lot.
Quora: The platform controls everything and doesn’t have good monetization options.
Reddit: Half of their user base is AI bots, Reddit mods are the worst, and there aren’t monetization options.
Wattpad: Owns your followers, only pays top creators, and there’s an algorithm.
All of these platforms suffer from problems that limit our brand.
Even social media platforms don’t offer the same benefits.
X/Twitter: Engagement is low, polarization, Twitter mob, and notes on Substack are basically tweets, but better.
Instagram: Completely saturated, has many bugs, the content feels fake, and over-edited content.
Facebook: Has a bot problem like Reddit, AI is becoming a huge problem, engagement is low, and it aggressively compresses the quality of media content.
TikTok: It has an algorithm, it’s destroying people’s ability to focus, raises security concerns, and lacks other features.
YouTube: The algorithm is a mess, search is becoming increasingly worse each day, stupid policy changes, and the introduction of ads aggressively - even trying to ban ad blockers.
You don’t own your audience, you have to deal with questionable policy changes, and an AI is getting in your way.
Short/Long Videos + Podcast Potential
Short-form content is still quite popular. However, long-form is making an epic comeback.
In ancient times, blogs, forums, and email were the norm, but everything changed when social media attacked. Substack offers amazing experiences to write short posts like tweets. It recently included a tab for reels. We can create a video post and generate clips from it while also having the ability to upload the video to YouTube. We can create an audio post to share our podcast episodes and interviews.
Not only that, but we can link our Substack to other podcast platforms to upload it there, just like we can do with videos to YouTube.
The quality of media content doesn’t suffer as much as on other platforms.
It has many of the basic YouTube features to post a video without having to rely on an algorithm. Our content is sent directly to the inbox of our subscribers without having to deal with an uncanny amount of ads. Not only that, but we can also transform our post from a regular post to a guest post, allowing subscribers from other publications to see our content.
On Substack, collaboration and networking are crucial for growing and expanding your network.
Substack is more than a writing platform, although writing is the main focus.
You can now post:
Notes (short posts like tweets)
Video (short & long form): Both for notes or posts.\
Audio (podcasts or voice notes): Both for notes and posts.
Livestreams: Scheduling or instantly go live - alone or with other creators.
It’s an all-in-one publishing platform, not just “email.”
You don’t have to face this alone.
If you’re tired of finishing courses that overpromise and underdeliver...
If you’re still new, short on time, or just don’t want to waste energy figuring it all out solo, then I can help you with that.
I’ve helped dozens of creators build sustainable Substack strategies.
We’ll shape a newsletter that speaks to your audience, builds loyalty, and grows with smart, bulletproof strategies — not gimmicks.
You don’t need to write into the void for years.
Let’s make your newsletter something people want to come back to — and pay for.
Community building
Audience Ownership is the most important thing for any business or creator.
Unlike the old social platforms’ modus operandi, Substack gives you access to your actual subscribers. You’ve chats that allow you to invite your followers and subscribers to participate. Every time you create a new chat, you can:
Notify your audience by email.
Add a picture or video to the chat.
Allow everyone to comment in the chat.
Paywall the replays for paid or founder members.
Make a private chat room for paid or founder members only.
Paywall everything in the chat room for paid or founder members.
There’s no algorithm getting in the way between you and your community. The creation of the chat, replays, or new messages is notified via email to the participants of the chat. We can edit the paywall level of the chat and disable it, too. You’re free to invite anyone to participate in the chat without suffering penalization from the AI’s trying to keep your audience addicted to “x” platform.
This is not about sending emails. It’s about having a direct channel without noise with you’re audience. To interact and talk with them without third-party intrusions.
Substack isn’t just for broadcasting — it’s for dialogue.
Comments on posts add great reader interaction and feedback. Not only can the readers share their thoughts, but also help the creator comment and share their comments as a note on Substack. Also, readers can select a section from a post to share it as a note to boost visibility - something like retweets and quotes from Twitter/X.
Chat rooms allow your community to continue the conversation.
Notes are like Tweets, but focused on your audience, not the masses.
The Result? You build loyalty, insight, and relevance through real conversations. This powerful growth engine allows you to collaborate a lot with other Substack creators in the same way your audience interacts with you. You can:
Invite them to their chat rooms.
Share notes, like Twitter quotes, from other creators’ notes.
You can invite and remind your audience to schedule a livestream.
Promote their latest post by sharing the link in your note or selecting a section of it.
Here, trust is key to your success.
A strong community means you have a higher conversion to paid subscriptions.
More word-of-mouth referrals instead of depending on an algorithm. You’ve gotten more feedback to improve your work and offers. A warm audience trusts you. They will buy your products, coaching, and join your live sessions - because they know you understand their problems, their struggles. While others focus only on the “attention economy” for short gains and 5s of virality, serious creators are instead focusing on the Trust Economy. Where value, stories, authenticity, and authority are of vital importance.
Trust is the new currency of conversion.
Collaboration + Recommendations
You don’t have to depend on an algorithm or continue your journey alone.
Substack is more than a newsletter tool, but a network of passionate creators. Unlike other platforms where you compete for attention, here you collaborate to grow together. You join in many collab activities like guest posting, cross-promotion, co-hosting livestreams, and much more. Instead of relying on a machine that doesn’t have your best interests in mind, you can join forces with like-minded creators to recommend each other’s newsletters. Every time someone subscribes to your publication, or publications from creators that recommend you.
The users are going to be able to choose if they also want to subscribe to other creators you recommend.
Every writer has the chance to recommend others, and be recommended in return — no follower “stealing,” no shady algorithms.
Substack lets you:
Be recommended by other writers to their audiences.
Build a mutual support network, not a competitive mess.
Recommend other newsletters at the end of your posts or on your home page
Every time someone subscribes to a newsletter that recommends you, you get a warm, contextual invite to their inbox. This is the way of community-driven marketing.
Focus on networking. Expand your list of contacts. Create content worth sharing.
There are many opportunities to collaborate with other creators. By working with others, you’re permitted to show your work to bigger audiences. Instead of relying on a questionable AI and suffering from absurd policy changes from a platform, you can grow so much faster and in a more predictable way.
You’re no longer limited. You’re free and with tons of opportunities for you to take.
Why You Should Start Today
No more paying ads, low conversions, and limited visibility.
Here we grow organically with high-conversion discovery. Between social media and email. Email has by far the biggest conversion rate. Readers are more likely to trust a newsletter recommendation from another writer they already love than from an ad or random social post. The post-life expectancy is greater than a SMP.
The results?
We get:
Greater retention.
More conversions.
Higher open rates.
Huge engagement (%).
Working with others is more than a shout-out.
With endless collaboration possibilities in different niches, formats, and joint events.
It’s no surprise that collabs can go beyond just recommendations. Aside from Newsletter swaps, where we promote each other in our posts. Creators often work together in Co-written posts or debates. Some prefer to Cross-posts by sharing a guest post from another writer with your audience. However, the teamwork doesn’t end there since there’s also the possibility of Joint offers with a bundle of both your and your collaborator’s services or products.
And what better place to promote them and build trust than starting a chat room or co-hosted streams?
Every collaboration is a chance to cross-pollinate audiences and build trust at scale.
In 2025, algorithms are becoming a problem. Engagement is decreasing in many of the major social platforms. Ads are quickly becoming more expensive and less effective. Audiences are tired of so much unrealistic and AI-generated content. They crave real authenticity, personal stories. In today’s age, there are 2 types of people.
Those who blindly believe in AI and algorithms.
Those who make connections and alliances with other creators.
Creators who collaborate build faster, stronger, longer-lasting growth
Livestreams
Streaming and long-form content are making a huge comeback.
Unlike YouTube or Twitch, the main consumers of lives are loyal readers and email subscribers. On one hand, the discoverability is lower than the other sites since there’s not an algo to push it. Monetization, on the other hand, is a different story since Substack only takes 10% of your income instead of the 30% YouTube takes. The experience is more intimate and special between the creator and the people.
The best part?
After finishing a live, the platform will upload the video to a draft post so you can edit it. Create shorts with captions and orientations.
This posts work like the other since you can put a pay wall so only paid or founder subscribers can access the record.
The only downside I see with what we have here is how simple the chat is compared to the experiences of other streaming platforms.
Use Substack livestreams when you want to deepen your connection with existing readers, to collab, or promote a product/service you’re offering. Run live coaching, Q&As, or thought leader interviews. Keep content exclusive or paid-only. Is great when you want to avoid distraction-heavy platforms and my favorite…
Execute masterclasses, masterminds, cohorts, or workshops.
Think of it like a private salon — not a stage for strangers.
It doesn’t end there!
You can’t only expect Substack to give you the record of the stream, but it also allows you to upload your video to your linked YouTube channel. By any means, you should think of this platform as a replacement for the king of video. Combining the strengths of both platforms is a powerful combo. Where one attracts and helps you build your newsletter.
The other strengthens the relationship with your followers and solves the monetization problem, too.
Monetization Made Simple
Substack is built for creators who want to own their audience and get paid directly by their most loyal fans without ads, sponsorship deals, or algorithm tricks.
🧱 Core Monetization Features:
Paid Subscriptions: Readers pay monthly or annually for exclusive content.
Founding Member Tiers: Higher-priced support tiers (for superfans, early backers).
One-Time Promotions: Discounts, trials, or launch offers to attract paid subs.
Subscriber-Only Chat: Add value + exclusivity through access to private community chat
And much more…
Monetizing your work on Substack doesn’t have to be hard.
You’ve many strategies to get paid for your work.
You can offer Premium Weekly or Monthly Series like A writer offering “Deep Dive Fridays”, only to paid subs, with exclusive essays, templates, or case studies. You can offer Behind-the-Scenes Content like:
Personal stories.
Drafts in progress.
Extended versions of public posts.
You can monetize more than your writing.
You can offer a Private Podcast or Audio since Substack lets you run a podcast with exclusive episodes for paying subscribers.
Not only that, but you can offer Toolkits, Templates, Swipe Files, downloadable content for subscribers, like PDFs, Notion docs, writing guides, etc. If your style is more interaction-based base then you can host Live Workshops or AMAs - running sessions only for paid readers. You don’t need millions of followers. You need super fans. Fans like Founding Members.
But how do you attract them?
Well, you can offer amazing benefits like 1:1 calls, early access to offers, or behind-the-scenes videos for your top-tier members.
Platform Independence (own your audience)
There’s no need to depend on unreliable AIs.
Substack shows us many useful tools to see what pieces of content resonate with our audience. For example, we can see the total views, recipients, and open rates to give us an overview of how our post was received. Notes spark quick replies or reader suggestions. Chats give you insight into their language, struggles, and goals.
You don’t have to guess what to write next — your community can guide you.
AI and the greed of corporations have been ruining the search and algos experience in many platforms just to serve more ads.
Here we grow organically via Recommendations & collabs.
Substack’s recommendation engine works best when you have an active community.
It’s Sustainable Marketing. When you build a community, you don’t need to post daily on 6 different platforms. Chase random trends or suffer from burnout. Instead, you create a space where people want to return — because they value your voice and each other.
Work under your own terms. Work without having to obey a machine, but most importantly, work with others and offer value to your audience.