SUBSTACK DRAMA IS ALL A DISTRACTION

The sky isn’t falling, and most people don’t even know what “a Substack” is, let alone Pangram.

This was the common theme that carried through our two “WHO’S WATCHING THE WATCHERS?” Escape Pod Zoom calls. While, sure, there’s a lot of hot takes from multiple fronts within the Substack eco-system about this subject matter (read Substack CEO Chris Best’s piece here), we need to step back and remember that there’s a big real world out there.

We probably don’t need to quit using Substack today, but as always, don’t put all your eggs into any one platform. Export your email list. Back up your work. Even better, put the bulk of your work on your own site, so if any platform goes away tomorrow, your work is safe.

Then write for the people who showed up, who read your emails and bookmark your blog. Have more conversations than hot takes, and focus on the existing relationships you already have in your creative orbit.