The Difference of Writing on Substack vs. Medium
What to choose?
The classic debate in writing circles this year has been Substack vs. Medium. It pits a fledgling app against a recently unstable pillar.
Each platform has a feel and identity, so the writing style that works on one will not necessarily work on the other.
This comparison is purely based on my experiences with the two after trying them out for about a year, as they continue to shift and change with me.
Your mileage may vary.
What’s the difference?
Substack
The platform you’re currently reading. Right now, it’s finally breaking through the beginning stages. The popularity of the platform is on the rise. If that’s true for you, welcome in.
Substack is constantly updated, with features rolling out slowly, like this semi-recent update to write posts on the go and DM’s.
Posts, or newsletters, are long-form.
Notes on the main feed offer a short-form method for writing what is on your mind, such as quotes, nature, or what your pet is up to.
The more social media-looking part of Substack.
An excellent way to get eyes on your work
Newsletter pages are created individually, and you have complete control as the creator of your work. You are your writer, editor, and promoter.
These pages can be curated however you like to suit the theme of your newsletter.
Stats for each post provide a ton of specific and relatively well-updated information for you to use.
Like growth reports, subscribers, views, and where a viewer found what you posted.
Substack has free and paid settings for the newsletters that you set.
Paid posts require a subscription and the flat fee that you designate.
Substack shows great promise for growth while also lending creative control to curate the vision you have in mind. Yet, the subscription model is a tougher sell. Convincing people not only to read your work in the first place is difficult enough. To get them to offer their hard-earned money? It is another push to ensure your work’s quality is as high as possible. In a roundabout way, this can be an extra push for your motivation or a wall.
Medium
Medium is a touchstone for writing. It is a place to write on a YouTube-like system where readership is a direct award (as long as the reader is a site member). Membership is a $5 monthly fee to support the site and allow for no ads.
Membership isn’t necessary to post, but it is if you want to get paid. It depends on your purposes for using Medium.
A significant benefit of Medium used to be the large pool of users, and Substack felt slightly like a fringe secret. Over this past summer, things have changed. Substack has become much more popular than it used to be.
Publications, hubs for specific kinds of articles, are the staples of how Medium drives traffic. Pieces can be submitted to a publication for review. From there, posts are either accepted or denied.
Each has its rules and requirements for a successful submission. Publication editors can make changes, but they usually point out problem areas to rewrite.
Generally, these editors are fantastic, and they want the best for you and their publication.
There’s been concern about the platform lately. It’s inflated, and creating a sustainable livelihood is much more challenging.
You can post without publication but rely heavily on topic tags and your audience.
Boosting from the platform (from editors or the internal Medium team) has become the best way to get eyes on your content.
Recent updates to post stats have made the information more readable, yet some stats only update every 24 hours while others update somewhat more frequently.
Once you are a member of the Medium Partner Program, your posts are eligible to earn money. They depend on how long a member stays on an article to read it. If it takes off, the sky is the limit on your earnings.
You don’t have to pay to use Medium, but most posts are locked behind a paywall. Plus, Medium offers very few free handouts to read a paywalled post. The writer also receives no compensation.
Despite a rough patch, Medium is still a safe choice to put your work. Sure, there are extra hoops and hurdles, but plenty of articles are posted each day for readers waiting for something new and exciting to read. The Medium team works hard to balance the daily needs of the platform, writers, readers, and publications. It takes work to carve a place for yourself, but it is still possible. Like most ventures, it takes determination, adaptation, and the perspective only you can offer.
While Substack newsletters can be made with whatever theme you want, there is an odd pressure to stick to one broad topic. Multiple topics might need their own newsletters unless various subjects and ideas are distinct in their identity from the start. If not, a transitional period of re-establishing a newsletter’s goals may be necessary.
With Medium, I can post more of what I want to talk about as randomly as I want. The profile is about me and my interests rather than a branded or conceptual theme.
At the end of the day, online platforms are what you make of them.
While cheesy, we do have a way of synthesizing information into something unique. No two newsletters are alike on Substack, and posts on Substack can feel closer than those on Medium. That style might have a more challenging time succeeding on Medium similarly—necessary adjustments must be made. Once you’re through the initial ropes of Medium, the platform can feel clean-cut and efficient. It’s a longstanding site for a reason.
These two set out to achieve the same goal: providing a place to write and express yourself in nearly opposite ways. Yet, you’ll find increasingly familiar names between both as everyone also seeks the same goal… a place to have their writing thrive.
The differing life cycles of each app offer a unique experience regardless of which you choose—or if you choose both.
Thank you for reading! Please consider subscribing to The Strolling Writer for more ramblings about the writing process and the stories I find along the way.