WordPress vs. Substack: Which Platform Holds the Secret to Exploding Your Newsletter’s Growth?
Substack: Simple but limited
Substack invented itself as a newsletter-first platform, offering creators a straightforward way to write, publish, and monetize newsletter content.
Substack’s strengths:
- Simple setup: Launch a newsletter quickly with minimal technical knowledge.
- Built-in discovery: Potential exposure through Substack’s recommendation system.
- Integrated monetization: Easy paid subscription setup.
Substack’s limitations:
- Platform dependency: Your entire business exists within Substack’s ecosystem. If they make changes you don’t like—whether to pricing, features, or policies—you’re forced to accept them or start over completely on another platform.
- Unsustainable revenue sharing: Substack takes 10% of your subscription revenue forever. This becomes extremely expensive as you scale. A creator earning $5,000 pays Substack $500 per month.
- Limited customization: Substack offers minimal branding and design options. Your newsletter looks like everyone else’s, making it difficult to establish a unique brand identity.
- Growth ceiling: While Substack has expanded beyond newsletters to include podcasts and video, it remains limited to basic communication mediums. You can’t easily sell products, courses, or memberships without using separate platforms.
- Platform evolution: Substack has increasingly focused on social features like tweets and shorts. This shift toward chasing cheap engagement rather than fostering meaningful creator-audience relationships contradicts why many chose newsletters in the first place.
WordPress: Built for ownership and growth
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites because it offers something Substack can’t: complete ownership and unlimited potential for growth. As the world’s most popular website software that’s endured for decades, WordPress provides the foundation for creators who want to build something lasting.
