Why EVERYONE should be on Substack | What it is, How it Works, $$$

Erin On Demand

25 Jul 202408:41

Summary

TLDRIn this video, Aaron from 'Aaron on Demand' highlights the benefits of Substack, a platform blending email marketing with social media. Aaron shares his personal experience using Substack for newsletters, explaining its ability to generate income through paid subscriptions and offer multimedia options like podcasts and videos. He emphasizes Substack’s versatility, allowing creators to own their content and build deeper connections with followers, all while growing a sustainable revenue stream. Aaron encourages creators to leverage this growing platform for its unique features and potential for sponsorships.

Takeaways

📧 Aaron is excited about using Substack for email marketing and content distribution.
📝 Substack combines email marketing with social media, making it an ideal tool for content creators.
📈 Aaron has grown his Substack following to nearly 10,000 subscribers and has secured sponsorships through the platform.
💰 Substack allows creators to monetize their content with paid subscriptions for exclusive newsletters.
🎙️ The platform supports multiple formats, including newsletters, podcasts, and even video content.
🔗 Unlike traditional email platforms, Substack creates a blog-like experience, allowing subscribers to access content via email, the web, or the Substack app.
💼 Substack offers creators more control over their audience and content compared to platforms like Instagram or TikTok, where income is more unpredictable.
💡 Aaron sees Substack as a crucial part of his content strategy and revenue stream, and he plans to activate paid subscriptions soon.
🎧 He is also planning to launch a podcast on Substack and sees the platform's new features, like video, as beneficial.
🚀 Aaron believes now is the perfect time for creators to join Substack due to its growing potential for sponsorships and brand partnerships.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?
-The video focuses on the benefits of using Substack as a platform for email marketing and content creation, particularly for content creators who want to monetize their audience and grow their email lists.
Why does the speaker prefer Substack over other email platforms?
-The speaker prefers Substack because it merges social media with email marketing, offers paid subscriptions, and allows creators to build a blog-like experience through newsletters. It also provides multiple contact points with subscribers and offers features like podcasts and video content.
What are some of the platforms the speaker used before Substack?
-The speaker previously used Kartra, Kajabi, ConvertKit, and MailChimp for email marketing.
What makes Substack stand out from other email marketing platforms?
-Substack stands out because it allows creators to monetize their newsletters by offering paid subscriptions, hosts written content in a blog-like format, and integrates features like podcasts and video content. It also helps creators maintain control of their email lists.
How can content creators make money on Substack?
-Content creators can make money on Substack by offering paid subscriptions to their newsletters, podcasts, or exclusive content. They can also accept donations or set fixed subscription fees.
What additional features does Substack offer besides newsletters?
-In addition to newsletters, Substack offers podcast hosting, video content uploads, and a feature called 'Notes,' which functions like a social media feed for shorter posts.
What does the speaker mean by 'owning your content' on Substack?
-By 'owning your content,' the speaker means that creators have full control over their email list and subscriber base. If a social media platform fails or a creator wants to switch to a different platform, they can retain their subscribers' email information and move it elsewhere.
How does Substack provide more predictable income compared to other social media platforms?
-Substack offers more predictable income by allowing creators to monetize through paid subscriptions rather than relying on fluctuating ad revenue or views, which can vary widely from month to month on platforms like Instagram or TikTok.
How is the speaker planning to grow their Substack community?
-The speaker plans to grow their Substack community by posting regularly, offering paid subscriptions in the future, and leveraging the platform’s podcasting and video features. Their goal is to reach at least 1,000 paid subscribers by the end of the year.
What future plans does the speaker have for Substack?
-The speaker plans to activate paid subscriptions, launch a podcast on Substack, and focus on growing their Substack community as part of their 'Millionaire in a Year' series.

Outlines

00:00

📧 Leveraging Email for Social Media Success

Aaron introduces the topic of leveraging email as a crucial part of growing on social media. He shares his experience using various email platforms like Kartra, Kajabi, ConvertKit, and MailChimp but reveals that he has now transitioned to Substack. He highlights how Substack combines the benefits of blogging and email marketing, offering creators more ways to reach their audience. Despite using other tools like ConvertKit and Klaviyo for his businesses, Aaron emphasizes Substack's unique power as an email tool, especially for content creators.

05:02

💡 Why Substack is a Game-Changer for Content Creators

Aaron explains why he strongly recommends Substack to other content creators, highlighting its versatility. Substack allows creators to merge social media with email marketing, providing a blog-like experience via email. He praises Substack's multiple points of contact with subscribers, like online viewing or via the Substack app. What sets Substack apart is the ability to implement paid subscriptions, allowing creators to monetize their content and build a community of dedicated supporters. Aaron also touches on the platform’s features, such as the ability to offer exclusive content and podcasts.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Substack

Substack is an email-based platform that merges blog-style content with email marketing, allowing users to publish newsletters, podcasts, and even video content. In the video, Aaron highlights Substack’s strength in providing content creators with more control over their email lists, monetization options, and audience engagement. It serves as a key platform for creators to build paid subscriptions and engage with their audience across multiple channels.

💡Email Marketing

Email marketing is a strategy of using email to promote content, products, or services. In the video, Aaron emphasizes how essential email marketing is for leveraging social media power, and discusses how Substack’s email marketing tools surpass other platforms like ConvertKit, offering more interaction and monetization features through subscriptions.

💡Paid Subscriptions

Paid subscriptions refer to a monetization model where content creators charge subscribers a fee to access exclusive content. In this video, Aaron explains how Substack allows creators to offer both free and paid newsletters, podcasts, or videos, providing a way to generate a predictable income stream while nurturing a paid community.

💡ConvertKit

ConvertKit is another email marketing tool mentioned in the video. Aaron contrasts it with Substack, stating that ConvertKit is more limited in terms of content types and interaction options, but still uses it alongside Substack for different purposes. The comparison highlights Substack's versatility and edge in community building and monetization.

💡Newsletter

A newsletter is a regularly distributed email containing updates, articles, or other content. Aaron explains how newsletters are central to Substack, where users can publish content that is both public and private (for paid subscribers), providing a mix of free and premium information to build and engage their audience.

💡Podcasting

Podcasting is a form of digital audio content that can be distributed via platforms like Substack. Aaron talks about how Substack supports podcasts, allowing creators to offer them as either free or paid content. He views this as a key benefit for creators looking to diversify their content offerings.

💡Content Ownership

Content ownership refers to the ability of creators to maintain control over their audience and email lists, even if they leave a platform. Aaron emphasizes how Substack ensures that creators own their audience data, meaning they can migrate their lists to another platform if needed, which is crucial for long-term sustainability compared to relying solely on social media.

💡Sponsorships

Sponsorships are financial arrangements where brands pay creators to promote their products or services. Aaron explains that Substack has opened up new sponsorship opportunities for content creators, noting that despite having fewer subscribers than others, he has secured sponsorship deals through his Substack, showing its potential as a revenue stream.

💡Monetization

Monetization is the process of generating revenue from content or services. Aaron highlights how Substack provides multiple avenues for monetization, from paid subscriptions to podcasting and sponsorships. This flexibility allows creators to diversify their income beyond ad-based revenue from social media platforms.

💡Notes

Notes is a feature on Substack that functions like a Twitter feed, where users can post short, informal updates. Aaron mentions this as one of Substack’s social media-like features that helps creators engage with their audience in a more casual, real-time manner, further enhancing interaction and community building.

Highlights

Aaron shares excitement about the benefits of using Substack as a new email platform.

He highlights the importance of leveraging email alongside social media for creators.

Substack offers a unique blend of email marketing and blogging, acting as both an email tool and blog website.

Aaron compares Substack to other platforms like ConvertKit, MailChimp, Kajabi, and Klaviyo but favors Substack for its flexibility and features.

Substack allows creators to publish free content but also create paid subscriptions for exclusive content.

Substack helps creators build a more predictable income stream compared to social media platforms that rely on viral posts.

Substack allows for multi-format content including newsletters, podcasts, and video content, all in one place.

Aaron mentions that Substack supports video content, which is a recent addition and appeals to content creators using video formats.

Substack offers a ‘Notes’ feature, similar to Twitter, where creators can post short updates and interact with their community.

He discusses the benefit of owning the email list through Substack, which ensures content creators can maintain contact with their audience if other platforms fail.

Aaron emphasizes that Substack's paid subscriptions can be flexible, allowing creators to charge monthly fees for exclusive content.

Creators can recommend other Substack publications, helping grow both their own and others' subscriber bases.

Aaron reveals that brands are starting to sponsor content creators on Substack, providing another revenue stream.

He shares his personal experience of landing a significant sponsorship deal through Substack despite having fewer subscribers than some larger accounts.

Aaron plans to focus on growing his Substack community and use it as a major revenue stream in the future, aiming for 1,000 paid subscribers by year-end.