Moving My Primary Blogging Platform from Medium to Substack: Part 2 — Why Substack?
I will continue to keep my presence on Medium, with regular new articles, just less frequently. There will be more articles on Substack, as well as other benefits for serious readers.
In Part 1, I expressed my disappointment with Medium (after publishing ~500 tech articles on it for ~4 years), due to its drastic change last year. My current choice of the blogging platform is Substack.
All past Medium articles (500+) will be available on my Substack Newsletter.
Table of Contents:
· More followers do not matter for regular tech bloggers
· My Subscribers Will Still Find My Articles on Substack
· The Newsletter Authors, Topics, …
· Substack Seems More Suitable for Technical Readers
· Substack Provides Closer Connections Between Readers and the Blogger
· Benefits for My Readers
∘ 1. Free eBook for paid subscribers (every year)
∘ 2. More articles, More authors.
∘ 3. More interactive.
· FAQ
More followers do not matter for regular tech bloggers
One key thing that I learned with the technical blog platforms:
The so-called large audience does not matter for regular tech bloggers.
What truly matters is participation. I’d love to hear about readers’ achievements — like promotions, landing better jobs, or developing apps — that were inspired or aided by my articles. However, after reviewing the statistics for 14 months following Medium’s changes last year, I’ve come to realize it no longer aligns with my goals.
Despite having over 5,000 followers on Medium, my typical paywalled articles usually receive fewer than 100 reads in the first week (with significantly fewer views after that). My content is original, time-lasting and recognized as high-quality (see proof). Because of this, I’ve decided to gradually transition to a more dedicated writing platform that fosters a closer connection with engaged readers.
I’ve noticed a growing trend (see below): tech bloggers suggesting a move to Substack.
- Migrating from Medium to substack by Branko Blagojevic
- Writers Are Massively Leaving Medium For Substack. Here’s Why by Matt Giaro
- Why I Quit Medium With 60,000 Followers And Moved To Substack by Tom Kuegler
- Why I Moved My Writing To Substack
Substack Seems More Suitable for Technical Readers
For example, Kent Beck (the father of Agile) did.
The substack audience seems growing well, at least on the technical field. For example, The Pragmatic Engineer, a claimed “The #1 technology newsletter on Substack” has over “700,000+ subscribers”.
My Subscribers Will Still Find My Articles on Substack
Shifting to Substack and publishing less on Medium wasn’t a hasty decision. In fact, I already have around 500 articles on Substack, as most of my Medium content has been republished there.
For Medium readers who might consider cancelling their membership and joining my Substack newsletter, you’ll still have access to those past articles (and many upcoming new ones).
If you prefer not to sign up for my Substack newsletter (which, BTW, starts with a free plan), this publication will still be valuable — I plan to release one article per week here, with two or three on Substack. All my Medium articles are still accessible, so your bookmarks will continue to work
The Substack Newsletter Authors, Topics, …
I will be the primary author of this newsletter, aiming to publish two articles each week. My daughter will also contribute her articles, roughly once a week. I’d also like to invite seasoned professionals with similar mindsets to join us as contributing authors.
The Topics:
- End-to-End Test Automation: Web, Mobile, Desktop and API
- Continuous Testing
- Side Hustle for Software Professionals
- Performance/Load Testing
- How to become a Micro-ISV (Independent Software Vendor)
- Self-Grow as a software professional
- The philosophy that applies to software development
Substack Provides Closer Connections Between Readers and the Blogger
While Medium stumbles with its new partnership program, Substack is seizing the opportunity by rolling out new features to capitalize on its competitor’s missteps
Specifically, I prefer serif fonts for easier reading and have been trying to set it on Substack, but had no luck — until a recent attempt, when it finally worked.
Referrals on Substack Could Earn You Free Access for a Period
I’m not entirely sure how this works yet, but there’s currently one member with a ‘gifted’ status, which I believe is due to the referral program.
I think this referral program is quite generous for referrals, quite easy to achieve.
Medium does not have something like this (actually worse, it totally discontinued its referral programs).
Below is what Tim Dening (legendary blogger) had to say about Substack:
Benefits for My Readers
1. Free eBook for paid subscribers (every year)
I have 12 eBooks (and several upcoming ones, including my daughter’s ‘Practical Mobile Test Automation’) on Leanpub. Each paid (annually) subscriber will get a free eBook, every year on sign-up or renewal.
In fact, it already started. I messaged the existing paid subscribers (in Substack) and provided free coupons to get their free books.
2. More articles, More authors.
I still have a lot to write about E2E test automation, continuous testing, side hustle, …, etc.
Besides me, my daughter also writes for the newsletter. The first topic of hers is mobile test automation with Appium, based on her upcoming books.
Also, with Substack, it is possible to add contributing authors. If you think and work like us and would like to share your experience, contact me, I may add you as contributing author of this newsletter (which shall help with your profile).
3. More interactive.
With the Substack newsletter, we are in a more closed and focused group. This saves me from dealing with hostile and spam messages on Medium.
For example, Substack Chat has the potential to work well as a discussion board (though that’s yet to be proven). It would allow me to answer questions quickly there.
Let’s explore.
FAQ
- Will your existing Medium articles remain?
Yes. - Will your Substack newsletter include ALL your Medium articles?
Yes. As of today, I have 536 published articles on Medium and 500 on Substack. If you notice one missing on Substack, just let me know! - Will you still publish articles on Medium?
Yes, but less frequently, the current plan is once per week. - I signed up for Medium because of you, but now you are leaving …
A Medium membership gives access to paywalled articles by all authors, there is no direct reader-author relationship. Medium has discontinued its referral program, and I’ve been blogging here for about four years.
You’re welcome to stay with Medium or switch over and subscribe to my Substack newsletter (the price is the same, $50/year. Factoring the free eBook/year, it is 20–30% cheaper). - I am not in a position to sign up as a paid member for your Substack newsletter. What is it for me?
A small percentage of my articles on Substack will be free to access. For paywalled articles, I’ll typically make 30–40% free preview — which is better than Medium.
BTW, I have re-published 99 articles on Vocal, completely free (and no ads). However, the reading stats there are extremely disappointing, which has diminished my interest in publishing articles in free-to-read form, especially since I don’t do ads or promotions (said NOs to all commercial requests).
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