Congratulations on getting into that program, Seamus. We’ll be sad to see you leave Substack, but we are rooting for your success.
Just in case your readers are interested, I wanted to briefly address some of the points you raised.
We are backed by venture capital, but so is the company whose product you are now going to use.
We are in a strong financial position, with robust growth and the ability to go profitable if we need to. We are choosing to invest in growth of the platform for the time being.
I hope you find success with the boosts program. It will be interesting to learn how it compares to the growth that is driven from the Substack app and our other discovery features. The app drives more than 50% of all subscriptions across Substack, and 30% of paid subscriptions.
I hear your doubts about the app not feeling like a good fit for you, and those concerns are reasonable and understandable. We are taking that feedback on board. We are working to improve the app every day, since it gives writers a way to grow their audience without having to be so reliant on other social media platforms, and without needing to revert to growth programs that are explicitly transactional (like boosts).
And by the way, the reason we take a cut of subscription revenue (and Substack is otherwise totally free to use) is because it aligns us with you. We can only make money when you make money. That means we work very hard to build a system that helps you succeed as much as possible.
But that’s enough of that! I wish you all the best and sincerely hope for your continued success. If you ever decide to come back to Substack, we’ll be waiting with open arms.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I sincerely appreciate it and the opportunity your company gave us grow through Substack these last two years. I wish you the best in your continued success as well.
I always find educational value in your posts. Thank you for the reporting that you do. It is important, and becoming even more so in this time. I’m unable to be a paid subscriber at this time, but wish you all the best in this new venture.
First post, last post for me on Substack, but -- on the recommendation of Michael Estrin -- I'm hoping to tag along on your way to beehiv. I'm signing up here and trust you'll make that happen on the backend. Looking forward to seeing you on the flip side.
Hi, the "drop us a line" link doesn't seem to be working, so I'll ask here (plus, others might have a similar concern): I paid for a year subscription to CW on Substack just a month or so ago, when you asked folks to become paid subscribers. What happens with my paid sub now? I'm happy for you and looking forward to going with you!
No changes, your paid subscription continues until the one year is up, then you can renew or cancel. It's the same processing system, so nothing is needed on your end to fix or adjust it. When we move to beehiiv tomorrow, past issues will be paywalled but as a paid subscriber you'll have full access.
It's a good move. The substack app is not great for clicking links if you have your phone's security locked down like I do. So I always read the court docket summaries in the email.
Congratulations on getting into that program, Seamus. We’ll be sad to see you leave Substack, but we are rooting for your success.
Just in case your readers are interested, I wanted to briefly address some of the points you raised.
We are backed by venture capital, but so is the company whose product you are now going to use.
We are in a strong financial position, with robust growth and the ability to go profitable if we need to. We are choosing to invest in growth of the platform for the time being.
I hope you find success with the boosts program. It will be interesting to learn how it compares to the growth that is driven from the Substack app and our other discovery features. The app drives more than 50% of all subscriptions across Substack, and 30% of paid subscriptions.
I hear your doubts about the app not feeling like a good fit for you, and those concerns are reasonable and understandable. We are taking that feedback on board. We are working to improve the app every day, since it gives writers a way to grow their audience without having to be so reliant on other social media platforms, and without needing to revert to growth programs that are explicitly transactional (like boosts).
And by the way, the reason we take a cut of subscription revenue (and Substack is otherwise totally free to use) is because it aligns us with you. We can only make money when you make money. That means we work very hard to build a system that helps you succeed as much as possible.
But that’s enough of that! I wish you all the best and sincerely hope for your continued success. If you ever decide to come back to Substack, we’ll be waiting with open arms.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I sincerely appreciate it and the opportunity your company gave us grow through Substack these last two years. I wish you the best in your continued success as well.
I always find educational value in your posts. Thank you for the reporting that you do. It is important, and becoming even more so in this time. I’m unable to be a paid subscriber at this time, but wish you all the best in this new venture.
Enjoyed reading about your whole thought process on leaving Substack and going with your new venture. Good luck and I’ll be along for the ride!
First post, last post for me on Substack, but -- on the recommendation of Michael Estrin -- I'm hoping to tag along on your way to beehiv. I'm signing up here and trust you'll make that happen on the backend. Looking forward to seeing you on the flip side.
Hi, the "drop us a line" link doesn't seem to be working, so I'll ask here (plus, others might have a similar concern): I paid for a year subscription to CW on Substack just a month or so ago, when you asked folks to become paid subscribers. What happens with my paid sub now? I'm happy for you and looking forward to going with you!
No changes, your paid subscription continues until the one year is up, then you can renew or cancel. It's the same processing system, so nothing is needed on your end to fix or adjust it. When we move to beehiiv tomorrow, past issues will be paywalled but as a paid subscriber you'll have full access.
Awesome, thanks so much for the quick reply!
Not going to miss Court Watch (because I'm coming with). Appreciate the thoughtful post & hard work.
Super stoked about this move away from Substack. I’ll leave it at that.
It's a good move. The substack app is not great for clicking links if you have your phone's security locked down like I do. So I always read the court docket summaries in the email.