Substack’s new in-app podcast delivery system is a major step in its its foray into the billion-dollar industry. One of the app’s four main tabs is a “discover” page for exploring top newsletters another is the “library,” which includes podcasts. It’s now a bona fide platform - and a decisive winner in the great print media unbundling. ![]() But Substack’s app release shows that the five-year-old company is more than an email delivery service. ![]() You don’t have to conjure up the energy to think, “ I should read an article,” when the article pops up right in front of you. There’s no app to download there are no links you must click there’s no maze of pop-up ads to deftly navigate. It’s not about email anymore - Some of the great success of the email newsletter- a boom that seemed unlikely a decade ago - can be chalked up to newsletters meeting you right where you are, in the inbox you check anyway. The Substack Reader app can also connect to Twitter to better find what their favorite tweeters are writing about - which is surprising, given that Twitter has owned the competing newsletter platform Revue for over a year and doesn’t have to let Substack scrape its data about who users are following. “But now you also get instant, reliable delivery (no more Promotions folder!), multiple media formats in a single package, and another way for readers to connect with you and your work.” Substack emphasizes that the app will be beneficial to writers, not just readers: “As ever, you retain total ownership of your content and mailing list,” reads the announcement. Users can also add RSS feeds to the app, and, for now, it’s only available on iPhone and iPad - though Android users can sign up for a waiting list. ![]() (Perhaps Substack wants to avoid the notorious App Store tax that scrapes 30 percent off the top of in-app purchases). To actually pay for subscriptions, though, users will have to head off the app. The app, with its minimalist and ad-free layout, allows readers to subscribe to new publications.
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