Why I chose Substack over Instagram

And why you should consider doing the same...

Quitting Instagram was one of the best decisions I ever made.

I’ll admit, it was a bold move. Many people questioned it. I’d had fantastic growth on this platform. It had allowed me to finally start monetising my content, establish my brand and turn a hobby into a business.

I’ve detailed the full reasons why I made this decision here. At its heart, it was a personal rather than a business decision. The growth was not worth the negative impact on my mental health.

However, since this point, I have been delighted to watch my business go from strength to strength. The main driver of this growth has been through my YouTube, which has flourished since I’ve had far more time to really hone my skills.

I started my Substack at the same time as leaving Instagram.

In all honesty, I didn’t know much about this platform. I’d hosted a blog for years on my website and this is how my business started. However, as more and more of my time had been sucked into Instagram, my blogging become inconsistent at best.

Writing has always been my biggest passion and long-term vision when it comes to my career. Setting up a Substack was my way of prioritising this by sending weekly newsletters. It was also somewhere that I could connect with my ‘super fans’ and share more personal content.

If you don’t know much about Substack, apart from perhaps a few newsletters that hit your inbox, I like to describe it as a mix between a blog, email newsletter and Pateron. It is a space for writers first and foremost. Somewhere that celebrates high quality long form content, without the ads and algorithms of social media.

I’ve really enjoyed the simplicity of this space. It has not only allowed me to grow my email list and overall readership, but I also enjoy this platform as a subscriber myself and its a wonderful way to connect with other writers.

I am not the first person to rave about Substack. It has drawn the attention of other highly successful writers and creators that I deeply admire, such as

Emma Gannon

and

Sara Tasker - Me & Orla

.

Then, the Notes feature was launched.

In all honesty, I really wasn’t sure how to react to this new feature. Essentially, Notes is a way to share short form content with your subscribers. Basically, a form of social media.

Although alarm bells were initially engaged, on further inspection, I think that this feature is actually rather marvellous.

There are big differences that make it stand out from the typical social media. You only have two feeds, where you will see Notes from those who’ve you’ve subscribed too (‘subscribed’) in addition to those that these people have recommended (‘home’). All in chronological order, with no algorithms or paid ads interfering.

So far, its felt like a wonderfully wholesome place to spend time. It allows creators to better connect with their audiences and each other. So I’ve decided to give it a whirl myself and started publishing my own notes. (P.S. it works better if you get the Substack app).

Time will tell how this feature develops. For me, it adds another tool to my box. Somewhere where I can share what’s fuelling me creatively and those ordinary moments of every day life. Without taking time away from the deeper connections I get with my weekly newsletters.

All in all, it feels like Substack has taken the best bits of blogging, social media etc and crafted something that is very simple but effective. I really think that this is just the start of its growth as more and more people are stepping away from social media.

I’m excited to be part of it and cannot wait to see where it goes next!

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you spend much time on Substack as a creator or reader? What do you think of the Notes function?

Until next week,

Molly xx