With Substack’s recent announcement, anyone can now publish content on its platform without setting up a publication. Substack likely hopes to attract a wider range of content creators with this change, not just those interested in creating regularly distributed long-form content.
Now on Substack, you don’t need a newsletter to share your writing, videos, or audio. You can simply make a Substack account and post whatever content you’d like. People can still choose to pay you if they love your stuff too. If later you do want to make a regular newsletter, you get to keep all your past posts and any supporters too.
Substack has also been working to make their app easier to use on phones. A few weeks ago they updated their iOS app so you can write and post new items right from your iPhone. An Android version is coming soon too. Live videos and in-app payments are also being tested now.
It seems Substack wants to be more like a social media site now instead of just a place for newsletters. This started when Twitter changed owners. Many Twitter users weren’t happy with the changes. Sites like Substack, Bluesky, and Threads tried to get these people to join them instead.
Now on Substack, you can chat with short notes like tweets. You can also send direct messages to connect with others. In the future Substack may add more social features so people can discover and discuss topics they care about. But for now, the main thing is that anybody can share their work without needing a full-blown newsletter first.
