re-evaluating my stance on Substack & why I’m back despite my (many) gripes with it
This isn’t my first Substack post, though it’s the only one you’ll see I have currently published.
I technically joined Substack and started this publication almost two years ago in December 2024.
I began like I imagine every new Substacker does — brewing with excitement at all the possibilities, the opportunities to be discovered, the chance to share in a space where others would actually SEE IT and, hopefully, resonate.
I was newly diagnosed with ADHD, and I wanted a place to reflect and share about it. Substack was a no-brainer, though I naively thought I would immediately find an audience and my publication would take off. HA.
Of course, that didn’t happen.
I grew sort of disillusioned with the platform after a few months, but I still really wanted to be part of it. So I stuck around, publishing very inconsistently, every few months completely wiping my publication and revamping it — determined with renewed vigor to actually cultivate a platform here.
And here I am once again, because I’m an indecisive creative and to be honest, I’m addicted to starting new things.
Whyyyy do I keep coming back to Substack?
In terms of vibes, Substack feels like the closest thing to the 2010s blogging scene that exists in the big year of 2026.
I used to spend hours reading posts from college bloggers, creative gurus, and regular peeps like you and me that ran self-hosted websites. People would actually leave comments on other people’s sites, there were little blogger communities everywhere you could join, and the community just felt, well, ALIVE.
This platform feels a lot like those days, or maybe even better, dare I say???
But I also have some complicated feelings about Substack. Like, I’m in a constant debate with myself whether it’s a wise decision to write here, OR an ethical one.
At least once per week I tell someone on Threads NOT to start a Substack.
I even wrote an entire blog post about whether Substack is a worthwhile platform for business owners (spoiler: my answer is no).
The TL;DR is basically:
As a blog writer for business owners, I believe you should OWN your shiz and be in control of the platform you’re pouring your time and energy into.
Substack is the antithesis of basically all the reasons I believe in blogging as a marketing strategy.
Not to mention the numerous controversies Substack has been involved in that I won’t dive into, but definitely make me question the ethics of participating here.
I’d be lying if I said that knowing allllll that, I don’t feel sort of like a big ole hypocrite for jumping back on this platform.
And yet…
I’m also feeling super inspired and excited to be here again.
Call it FOMO, shiny object syndrome, or procrastivity.
In reality, it’s probably a mixture of all three.
What can I say?
Despite its issues, Substack continues to grow and I predict it’ll keep on growing. I feel like it’s in its heyday right now, and it’s had a hand in some of the biggest online publishing shifts since I’ve been on the internet.
There are celebrities and huge household names joining Substack.
It feels like THE place to be online.
Substack ain’t going away, so I’m getting with the program (for the fiftyleventh time).
When Substack first started gaining popularity, there was a part of me that brushed it off. I never thought it would surpass Medium or traditional blogging.
Well, we all know what happened with Medium. And while I don’t believe Substack has or ever will replace traditional blogging, I’m becoming more open to the idea that it can be extremely valuable when used in tandem with it.
So that’s essentially how I’ll be approaching Substack and how I’ll be using it.
Like I said, I’ve been on and off the platform for about 2 years. I keep abandoning it for the aforementioned reasons above, then coming back to it. It’s kind of like I’m in a toxic relationship with it.
There’s just something about it that keeps drawing me back in.
If I wanna be one of the “cool kids” and experience the platform for myself, what’s really so wrong with that?
Not only that, I also want to make sure I stay in the “know” on it. As a blog strategist and self-proclaimed long-form girlie, if I’m going to be giving recommendations to people about whether or not to be on Substack, I feel like I NEED to actually have boots on the ground, so to speak.
All that said…
I’m still a blog girl. I’ve got my business blog AND a personal blog.
In my eyes, Substack serves a completely different purpose than blogging.
I see it as a tool for personal branding, something that lives adjacent to your main platform. If you’re an online business owner, that’s your website.
Personally, I decided to get back on Substack because I want to share things about existing online as a creative and the weirdddd world of online business that don’t make sense to share on my business blog (because it would dilute my actual marketing efforts).
I’m pretty clear on what I intend to share here and why it doesn’t fit on my other platforms (maybe I’ll share more about this in another post later), so I feel good about my decision to come back to Substack.
Orrrr maybe it’s just the squirrel in me, who can’t resist the allure of something new and shiny.
Either way, me and Substack are officially back together.
-Charlee 🐿️
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