Timeline of Substack
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This is a timeline of Substack, a United States online platform that provides users with tools to publish paid (or free) subscription newsletters.
Contents
Sample questions
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Big picture
| Time period | Development summary | More details |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Substack grows in prominence as several well-known opinion journalists abandon their longtime employers to start their own subscriptions on the platform.[1] |
Full timeline
| Year | Month and date | Event type | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | May | Initial launch | Substack is launched by Chris Best, Jairaj Sethi, and Hamish McKenzie[2] with the mission to make it simple to start publications that make money from subscriptions.[3] |
| 2018 | May 1 | Funding | Substack raises US$2 million in seed funding.[4] |
| 2019 | February | Service | Substack launches audio content support for creators who want to sell podcast subscriptions to their audience.[5] |
| 2020 | December 28 | Review | Anna Wiener at the The New Yorker writes that while "Substack has advertised itself as a friendly home for journalism, [...] few of its newsletters publish original reporting; the majority offer personal writing, opinion pieces, research, and analysis."[6] |
| 2021 | January 28 | Competition | Twitter's acquisition of Revue, a newsletter platform, marks its entry into the email subscription business, directly competing with Substack. Revue offers similar services to Substack, which has been popular among journalists for monetizing newsletters. Twitter’s move includes reducing Revue's fee to 5% and plans to integrate newsletter subscriptions with Twitter accounts. Despite Twitter's vast resources and potential advantages, analysts like Ben Thompson caution that successful execution is crucial. Substack, backed by significant investments and notable writers, may still hold a strong position in the market. Critics question if Substack perpetuates media inequities by favoring already influential voices.[7] |
| 2021 | March 16 | Competition | Facebook announces it has plans to launch its paid newsletter product “in the coming months.”[8] |
| 2021 | March 17 | Substack publishes a statement titled Substack is for independent writers.[9] | |
| 2021 | March 24 | Review | Eric Levitz publishes article titled Substack Is a Scam in the Same Way That All Media Is.[1] |
| 2021 | May 30 | Funding | Substack confirms US$65 million raise in new venture capital funding that values the company at around US$650 million. Andreessen Horowitz leads the investor round.[10][11] |
| 2024 | January 3 | Controversy | Substack experiences a user revolt after its CEO defended hosting and handling payments for neo-Nazis on the platform, citing anti-censorship reasons. Chief Writing Officer Hamish McKenzie states that while Substack opposes Nazi views, it believes censorship exacerbates the problem. Prominent newsletter writers, including Casey Newton of Platformer, threaten to leave if Substack doesn't remove pro-Nazi content. By this time, Talia Lavin moved her newsletter to Buttondown. Substack, taking a firm stance against content moderation, remains committed to free expression despite criticism and potential revenue losses. The platform also faces scrutiny over its opaque Substack Pro service.[12] |
| 2024 | January 29 | Substack launches new tools to support international writers and audiences, including local payment methods, support for more currencies, and default language settings for newsletters. By this time, the platform supports payments in 13 currencies such as USD, EUR, and BRL, removing the need for users to deal with dollar conversion rates. European subscribers can use local payment methods like direct debit. It is observed an 85% increase in paid conversions when local payment options are available. Additionally, Substack introduces default language options for newsletters, supporting Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese. However, geo-specific pricing is not yet available.[13] | |
| 2024 | February 28 | Substack introduces direct messaging (DM) capabilities, enabling writers and readers to send private one-on-one messages, similar to features on social networks like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. This optional feature can be disabled, and DMs can be initiated from profiles or the Chat tab. Messages from non-connections land in a "Requests" folder. Writers can limit DMs to paid members. This addition is part of Substack’s evolution into a social network, following the launch of its Notes feature.[14] | |
| 2024 | April 11 | Partnership | Spotify and Substack partner to allow Substack podcast creators to distribute their content, both free and premium, on Spotify. This integration, part of Spotify Open Access, aims to expand the reach of Substack podcasts like "Rich Text," "Split Zone Duo," and "Culture Study" to Spotify’s 602 million monthly active users. Podcast creators can now effortlessly add Spotify distribution, enabling listeners to link their Substack and Spotify accounts or subscribe via Substack to access premium content. This partnership aims to enhance the podcast experience for both creators and subscribers, providing broader accessibility and control over content and revenue.[15] |
| 2024 | May 1 | Substack announces updates to its chat feature, allowing newsletter creators to paywall chat access for paid subscribers or founding members. Free subscribers and non-subscribers need to upgrade to access these chats. The updates also include improved navigation and usability, such as chat search on web and iOS, better access to notifications, and real-time messaging for live event participation. These enhancements aim to facilitate direct engagement between writers and their audiences, supporting Substack's growth alongside features like Notes and DMs.[16] | |
| 2024 | June 5 | Substack adds video capabilities to its Chat feature, allowing writers to share videos with subscribers. This follows the introduction of video to Notes, Substack’s short-form content platform similar to X/Twitter. The new feature aims to enhance communication between newsletter creators and their audiences, enabling them to share exclusive content and updates. Writers can upload or record videos up to five minutes long, add captions, and choose to put videos behind a paywall. Subscribers receive push notifications for new videos. This addition positions Substack as a competitor to social media platforms, expanding its appeal to various types of creators.[17] | |
| 2024 | June 11 | Substack launches the Substack Creator Studio, a year-long incubator program for TikTok creators to expand their reach and businesses. The program supports influencers like Coco Mocoe, Gabi Jones, and Jeauni Cassanova in using Substack's multimedia platform, which now includes video capabilities. This initiative aims to help creators move beyond TikTok’s algorithm-driven model, offering a more direct way to connect with audiences. Substack allows creators to charge for paywalled content and provides additional support to those in the program. The platform seeks to attract creators by offering a stable, responsive alternative to other social media platforms.[18] |
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The initial version of the timeline was written by FIXME.
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What the timeline is still missing
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See also
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Levitz, Eric (24 March 2021). "Substack Is a Scam in the Same Way That All Media Is". Intelligencer.
- ↑ "Substack History: An Overview of Substack". Blogging Guide. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ↑ "Chris Best". linkedin.com. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ↑ Kokalitcheva, Kia. "Substack raises $2 million to prove newsletters can help media". Axios. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ↑ Botticello, Casey (21 June 2021). "What is Substack?". Substack Writing.
- ↑ Nast, Condé (21 December 2020). "Is Substack the Media Future We Want?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ↑ Ingram, Mathew (January 28, 2021). "Twitter gets into the newsletter business—should Substack be worried?". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ↑ "Supporting Independent Voices". Supporting Independent Voices | Facebook Media. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ↑ Jairaj, Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, and (17 March 2021). "Substack is for independent writers". Substack. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ↑ Primack, Kia Kokalitcheva,Dan. "Substack raising $65 million in venture capital amid newsletter boom". Axios. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ↑ "Substack confirms $65M raise, promises to 'rapidly' expand its financial backing of newly independent writers". TechCrunch. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ↑ Hern, Alex (2024-01-03). "Substack faces user revolt over anti-censorship stance on neo-Nazis". The Guardian. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
- ↑ Mehta, Ivan (January 29, 2024). "Substack introduces new payment methods for international markets". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ↑ Vasani, Sheena (February 28, 2024). "Substack's platform now has direct messages". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ↑ "Spotify and Substack Partner To Bring Even More Podcasts to Listeners". Spotify Newsroom. April 11, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ↑ Navlakha, Meera (May 1, 2024). "Substack will allow writers to paywall the chat feature". Mashable. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ↑ Lauren Forristal (June 5, 2024). "Substack brings video to its Chat feature". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ↑ Taylor Lorenz (June 11, 2024). "TikTok creators experiment with Substack". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
