Do you really need a... Substack?

by Ruby ConwayAdvicePublished 6th May 2026

Chapters

Who doesn’t have a Substack at this point? Charli XCX, Nike, New York Magazine, Hinge. Alarmingly, alt-right figures like Andrew Tate are even now lurking there, with his Substack sitting at #1 on the 'new bestsellers' list last month. Once a space for lesser-known writers and creatives, lauded by Substack as for ‘independent voices’, the platform has changed a lot in the last year alone. Arguably, it’s now another saturated social media platform, albeit for longer-form, more in-depth content.

So do you really need to start a Substack as a creative in 2026? On the one hand, it offers accountability and experimental freedom when it comes to creating work, as well as a chance to establish your platform. On the other hand, its hard to make money from, there’s no editorial process and you're at the whims of a third-party platform. To really figure it out, we asked a panel of creatives to weigh in:

Kyle MacNeill is a freelance writer based in Manchester, currently contributing to Rolling Stone, GQ, Vogue, Esquire and Playboy. After focusing on fashion and culture for the likes of THE FACE, Dazed and i-D, he has since entered the longread world.

Carolyn Yoo is a New York-based artist and writer whose work sits at the intersection of creative practice and inner life. She helps creatives build more authentic and fulfilling practices through her workshops and her Substack, See You.

Rhys Thomas is a writer and editorial consultant, and previously a full-time journalist. Alongside writing, he now works on storytelling and brand strategy for good organisations.

Alice Zoo is a photographer and writer based in London. Her work has been commissioned by National Geographic, The New York Times and The New Yorker, and has been exhibited internationally. Her writing has been published by the British Journal of Photography, FT Weekend and Granta, and she has given lectures on photography at Tate Modern, MK Gallery, and universities across the UK. Her photography Substack is called INTERLOPER.

Can you actually make money from it?

Overall, there are currently 5 million paid subscriptions on Substack. And while Substack has provided many creatives with a revenue stream – with some people earning 6-digit figures, and some 50-plus earning more than $1 million annually – that’s by no means an accurate picture of the wider landscape. While Substack itself claims that ‘A few hundred paid subscribers at $5/month can replace a salary’, in this economy, that’s unlikely. Plus, Substack takes 10% of your fee.

Unless you have a preexisting following, it's probably unlikely that you’ll make anything significant from your Substack, although it might eventually be enough to justify your time. And for the journalists and writers out there, there’s still the option of pitching your ideas to editors. Although undeniably, hit rates are low right now.

Carolyn: “Substack cannot magically grow your audience or bring you a large amount of money just because you turned on paid subscriptions. It is increasingly difficult to grow a following on Substack, especially from scratch.”

Alice: “It's enough that it feels like I'm getting a little payment for each piece that I write, which is maybe not so far off what I might be getting editorially.”

Rhys: “I think because I have written for established publications – and been paid to – I feel like any energy I have for writing should go into that form. [...] If you are trying to build a portfolio, I’d still pitch paying publications first, but things are slow out there. If the convenience of potential career acceleration outweighs the lack of money, fine.”

Kyle: “I want to save my best ideas for places that pay, rather than dish them out in a newsletter that I don’t think will cut through.”

Who’s it for?

When it comes to creatives, you can pretty much find every kind on Substack: writers, strategists, illustrators, designers, musicians. That said, Substack is first and foremost writing-led, so if you’re not interested in writing, or writing about your work, it's probably best you stick to a visual-first platform (like Instagram).

For word-smiths, deciphering if a Substack is for you depends on your style, with first-person pieces and explorative essays popular on the platform. Or, if you're starting out and looking to build a portfolio, Substack offers a good place to house your work.

Kyle: “For me, Substack is great for writers starting out and looking to build up a portfolio, or established writers with dedicated followings and, for the most part, a focus on first-person writing. The diaristic vibe of Substack lends itself really well to writers who mainly focus on opinion and personal essays [...] It’s a fun way to shoot-from-the-lip and be chatty and gossipy and funny.”

Carolyn: “Substack is useful for creatives who want to experimentally share their process, use the longform format to develop a deeper relationship with their audience, and value documentation and self-exploration as a vital part of creative work. It's also great if you have an offering for your audience (whether it's analogue mail, a community gathering or bonus essays/comics/etc) that you want to paywall.”

Rhys: “It can be used just like any other platform, in which you can grow a following, exposure and validation as a creator. Editors will be on there commissioning writers for their publications, if they aren’t already. In these regards, it’s a very fruitful place to lurk as an “emerging” talent.”

The pros

Working on your own creative practice

You might not necessarily be earning a salary from your Substack, but that doesn’t make it an unworthy pursuit. Instead, you might see it as a place to work on your own ideas in a more disciplined way. Do you have a tendency to start projects without finishing them? Substack might help you to set and stick to more solid deadlines.

Alice: “I would often start projects and start writing various things that wouldn't get finished, because I just wasn't accountable to anyone, or there wasn't any deadline. Creatively speaking, I think it's [Substack] been incredibly useful for me to formalise my personal writing practice. [...] Having some kind of system where you're accountable to an audience, however small, is useful.”

If you’re constantly working for brands and publications, it can often feel like your voice is cast aside or that you’re unable to take creative risks. Having a space to develop personal ideas and a unique style has proved useful to some.

Alice: “I think for quite a long time, I was feeling like I was writing for other people a lot. [...] [On Substack] I felt like I could put more of my own voice in it, or perhaps take on ideas that were more unwieldy or experimental or ambiguous in some way.”

Rhys: “I have at times tested out creative ideas to gauge a basic reaction from people who are interested in reading what I do.”

In a tough media landscape, it's increasingly difficult to land an article pitch with an editor, meaning Substack can act as a vessel for ideas that wouldn’t otherwise get out there. On the flipside, this has led to a space where everyone seems to have an opinion on everything, begging the question: do we really need to publicise every thought?

Alice: “There's just this immediacy where if I have an idea, even if it's a bit odd or personal, it means that I can just turn it into a newsletter quite quickly without going through that pitching process.”

Kyle: “Column inches are becoming millimetres, print publications are folding like pancakes and doors in the media industry are continually closing. Which is all to say, it’s never been harder to find work as a writer. Substack gives you an instant platform to get your ideas out there.”

Rhys: “I don’t constantly need my voice and name to be out there. I probably write less than 5% of the ideas I think about; I pitch even less of them to publications. For me, that’s how things should be. It isn’t how you “win” though.”

Building a personal brand and an audience

With Substack essentially now another social media platform, it follows that it acts as another way to firm your identity as a creative and grow an audience.

Kyle: “If writing is all about a personal brand now (sigh!) then Substack is a useful way to build one.”

Alice: “It's given me another platform where my identity as a writer has been established a bit more clearly.”

Rhys: “I feel incredibly unrepresented by media, and I think had Substack been around when I was younger, I’d likely have used it to force my way into or against the traditional media industry, which doesn’t pay people enough to live on if they aren’t from London or rich. I can see ways in which Substack, like other social media, democratises the playing field. But ultimately, this isn’t currently Substack’s priority, nor is it a good solution.”

If done well, work opportunities might follow, though nothing is guaranteed.

Alice: “Teaching and lecturing and workshop opportunities have come directly from my Substack. For example, I teach on the faculty of the International Centre of Photography now; the course is called Dialogue and Correspondences, and it's about the interview as a creative form. I think that opportunity came to me on the basis of the interviews that they'd read on my Substack.”

Rhys: “It’s similar to how Twitter used to be, but with extra space for thoughtfulness. Followings let you do things more easily. Money may fall in from there, or a book deal, or simply some clients giving you a shot.”

Carolyn: “It used to be that Instagram was the place to be – to share your art, connect with brands and art directors, and get inbound inquiries and opportunities through sharing on the platform. With Instagram's various policy shifts and algorithm changes over the years that prioritise reels and carousels, creatives are no longer seen (or don't want to adapt to ways of sharing that they don't relate to). I think a lot of people are attracted to Substack because it can house long-form content and build a more solid relationship with readers/subscribers.”

The cons

No editorial process

Typically, publishing is a team effort. If you’ve ever published any writing, you’ll know how much value a good editor brings and how much you stand to learn from the process. When it comes to reporting – where fact-checking and legal are necessary – Substack is best avoided.

Alice: “The drawback is that I miss out on editorial guidance. There's a huge amount of value in the editorial process and working with a great editor. When I do write for publications and I have those experiences of working with a great editor, I can really see and feel how much my writing improves.”

Rhys: “[Substack can’t] teach you how to write well, help you to find editorial sharpness, train you in the diligent, legal, and ethical ramifications of non-fiction reporting – these things are much more important than we give them credit for.”

Kyle: “I feel Substack dilutes the editorial process to a detrimental level, where some entries end up reading like spontaneous prose (that’s probably a kind way to put it) and others lack the quality control of a second pair of eyes. I wouldn’t personally feel comfortable presenting some deep reporting in Substack form. [...] For budding writers, it doesn’t teach you how to work with an editor or the production process of a story.”

Oversaturation

Then there’s the Substack hype, which has resulted in over-saturation on the platform. When Charli XCX launched a Substack back in November, alarm bells started ringing – who was this platform now for? Alongside celebrities, brands and publications are also now dominating the platform, making it hard to keep up with the noise and pace of content.

Kyle: “It’s become saturated, with existing publications and platforms and celebrities, meaning it’s harder to cut through the noise as a new sign-up, which was kind of the whole point.”

Carolyn: “Many of the biggest Substack publications have a team or work with an editor. Don't compare yourself to their output!”

'The Death of Cool' from Charli XCX's Substack

The pitfalls of third-party platforms

You might have seen people claiming online that you’ll never be fired with a profitable Substack. It goes without saying that this just isn’t true: Substack is a third-party platform, just like any other form of social media. It is by no means a constant: at risk of going down, going bust or being changed by law, tech or the whims of CEOs. That's certainly not a job guarantee. We all saw the threat that the TikTok ban in the US posed – Substack is no different.

Carolyn: “Most Substack writers I talk to are somewhat begrudgingly on the platform, making sure to export their data/subscribers for when things go further awry.”

Rhys: “Beware the timeless trap: reliance on a middle party, and consequently, being at the peril of whatever formula lets that platform show investors how it grows, not how good the writing is [...] We are all user-generated content for the platforms’ own growth first and foremost. [...] Substack is social media for long-form. In my opinion, social media platforms have caused the downfall of media and it makes me a cynic about any new media platform. Independent media teams are good; individuals writing alone are less good; individuals writing alone using a massive company’s platform which pulls 10% of the fee anyway is even less good.”

It also should be noted that some creatives avoid Substack for ethical reasons, citing its platforming of 'harmful' voices.

Carolyn: “Substack also allows Nazi newsletters and Andrew Tate on their platform (and makes money from them), increasingly making it an unsafe environment for marginalised folks.”

The baseline: make good work

When all is said and done, the work you create, not the means of dissemination, should be your priority. Hopefully, good work will find an audience. But most importantly, it will lead to creative fulfilment.

Alice: “I like to think that really good work does find its audience and does get seen. So even if you're coming to a platform without a pre-established following elsewhere, I think if the work is good, then people share it around.”

Rhys: “Doing good work is the only thing that should matter, wherever it is. If Substack is distracting you from that, you should ignore it. If it’s a healthy distraction or in some way enables you to feel better or get opportunities, great. If it is a place in which you can thrive, go for it.”

Having a Substack, however, is by no means essential. As with anything, don’t force it – if you don't have an idea for one, or a real desire to create one, then it's probably best you don’t.

Rhys: “If you’re sitting there feeling like you have to figure out what your Substack should be, consider how authentic that is to your art and soul and life, and also how conducive it is to writing anything good at all.”