If there’s one takeaway from my interview with
it’s this:The web is evolving. Followers are no longer the end goal—subscribers, genuine relationships, finding “your tribe” and real engagement are.
Owens is a media strategist, journalist, newsletter expert and someone who grew up with the old-school blogosphere.
In his opinion, subscription-based platforms like Substack are giving creators a way to build sustainable businesses without being at the mercy of an algorithm. An email list is protecting us from the ups and downs of social media.
That’s why I’m psyched about today’s podcast interview.
Let me explain.
The Rise and Fall of the Follower
The golden era of "followers" as the primary metric for creators is fading fast.
What’s replacing it? Subscribers. Paid communities. Sustainable businesses.
But how do you transition from chasing followers and virality to building a reliable audience that likes, loves and trusts you and actually votes with their wallets for your work?
To answer that, I sat down with Simon Owens who has written for The Atlantic, Politico, and Forbes. He also helped building a social media network and built his own thriving subscription-based business through Substack with Simon Owens's Media Newsletter
and media podast with top long form creators in the industry.
Our conversation covered everything from leaving Medium to the rise of Notes on Substack, how Patreon proved people will pay for creators they trust to the future of social media and the use of AI.
Here are three moments from our interview that I hope will make you rethink your content strategy for 2025:
1. Substack Notes is More Than Just "Twitter for Writers"
Simon believes the internal short form social media network, Substack Notes, might be the next big thing for creators looking for engagement without the toxicity of traditional social media.
Unlike X, where you're battling an algorithm designed for outrage, Notes creates an environment where content is naturally distributed to an audience interested in the topics you cover and eager to learn more about you.
“I’m seeing posts get thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. That’s real reach."
As engagement on mainstream social platforms declines to sometimes even less than 1%, Notes is offering a powerful alternative—one that is designed for depth and not just fleeting clicks.
In my podcast with insider
from Substack’s Writer Partnerships team she shared:“Two years ago, I would have started the conversation with recommendations… but today, I start the conversation with Notes and with the app.”
It's the #1 growth tool on Substack.
About 25% of my subscribers found me through Notes!
Most of the tribe members of The Online Writing Club see a huge amount of subscribers coming via the app that now belongs to the top downloads in America.
We now also have analytics to check how our posts on Notes are performing and also see if we created a post that paid, meaning converted a casual reader, follower or free subscriber (which is already awesome to have!) into a paid member.
Here’s an example from tribe member
2. Goodbye Medium! Substack Is The Place To Be
The buzzy publishing platform Medium once seemed like the holy grail for writers, but Simon left after years of inconsistent pivots and algorithm changes.
At first, he had over 15,000 followers on Medium, but as the platform deprioritized individual writers in favor of mainstream publishers, his reach plummeted.
"They pivoted too often. They couldn’t figure out what they wanted to do, and they kept on pivoting. Like first they tried to court mainstream publishers… And then, you know, like a year into that, they completely abandoned all those publishers and p****d those off and went back to a social network. But then it was like trying to have like an algorithm that figured out what you wanted to read. But the algorithm was just really bad.”
This is why Simon transitioned to Substack:
control over his audience
no reliance on a central algorithm
protection from the ups-and-downs of social media
and a direct connection with readers who genuinely want his insights and analysis.
Moral of the story?
You shouldn’t grow your writing business on rented land, AKA social media.
It’s smart to build a Medium-Substack Flywheel (a term I coined) or Hourglass though.
3. “The Subscription Economy” & Why People Feel Stressed by It
However, Simon acknowledges that people are getting fatigued by the endless stream of monthly subscriptions. Some call it “subscription fatigue”.
Every new tool, course, or piece of content asks for another recurring payment. This has led many to reconsider:
“Do I actually get enough value upfront to justify paying every month?
So “forever transactions”, as the “Queen of subscriptions”, Robbie Kellman Baxter, calls them, are trending:
"I think it's a really good option in any kind of subscription strategy because there are a lot of people who are becoming more skeptical of subscriptions because then they have to be constantly monitoring. Every time their subscription is up for renewal, am I getting enough value for that? They find it very stressful. (…) Offering a lifetime subscription… could create some cushion in your bank account that can help you get through those first six to 12 months as you're trying to build up your recurring subscription base.”
Long before Substack, in 2013, Patreon kickstarted the whole “subscription economy” and changed the game for creators by making it easier for them to earn recurring income from their “true fans”.
Before Patreon, artists, musicians, writers, and other creators had to rely on big platforms, advertising, or one-time brand deals to make money.
Patreon introduced a subscription-based model, where fans (or "patrons") could support their favorite creators with small, recurring payments—like $5 or $10 per month, allowing creators to focus on their work without worrying about making every single project a big hit.
It’s all about creating
a community,
providing ongoing value,
and making subscribers (members of your tribe) feel like they belong.
🎙️If you say, Kristina, let me listen to the interview!🎙️
You can listen to it as Substack podcast, on Spotify or watch it on YouTube.
If you’re listening via Spotify it would be awesome to get a review from you ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Thanks 🙏🏻
Enjoy the show!
🎤 Meet Simon Owens LIVE
Oh, want to learn more about…
the future of social media
the “right” social media strategy
the use of AI when creating content
what the generic word “value” means for YOUR newsletter and writing
what to put behind the paywall (based on the topic you’re covering and time you have)
Meet Simon Owens inside The Online Writing Club.
One of our key pillars is making you a (freelance) writer, kickstarting your business and getting paid to be you.
Join our workshop with Simon Owens on the future of social media, the role of Substack and how to be strategic about using social media.
Wednesday, March 12
2pm EST
ZOOM link: If you’re an annual member, you can add the event to your calendar HERE. Zoom room link will be shared in the Chat and via email for monthly members
Replays: You can’t make it live? No worries. You can catch up! The replay will be available within 24 hours!
Become an annual Club Member and Grab ALL Bonuses
Besides my content library with more than 80 posts, you’ll get:
Access to all 35+ replays
Access to 50+ video tutorials
1 Month Substack Content Planner (value $29)
12 Month Substack Content Calendar (value $59)
Invite-only community access ticket (value $29/month)
NEW Substack Course “From Beginner to Substack Pro” (value $149)
NEW “Medium School” Course (value $199)
Invite to weekly LIVE workshops with my interview guests & with me and the tribe
I’m not kidding!
That’s ALL included in an annual membership!
In March 2025, inside The Online Writing Club…
Today you can join our Notes Rockstar Session with
(he told me he’s using only half of his head anyway and I should keep it “on brand”, so the headshot would be fine ^^).These 6 smallstack rockstars are writing Notes (about):
satire
poetry
humor
politics
nursing
writing
productivity
motherhood
book publishing
self actualization
entrepreneurship
I promise:
You’ll get a dose of sanity
You will have a good laugh
You'll feel seen, connected and like you belong
You’ll feel inspired to joyfully start writing and keep writing on Notes.
You’ll connect in our breakout sessions with bootcampers, tribe members and rockstars for a meet & greet, finding friends and your tribe
📅As member CLICK HERE to add it to your calendar.
You can meet solopreneur
for a woskshop on how to GET AHEAD OF 99% of most creators and writers by starting a one-person-business and join the 9-5 quitter club - full of freedom and true wealth.📅As member CLICK HERE to add it to your calendar.
You’ll meet me for a SUBSTACK RECOMMENDATION MASTERCLASS (value $49). In addition to Notes, the recommendation function is a growth driver on autopilot!
I see this in my 1:1 sessions, many are missing out on this.
Together we’ll update our list of more than 300 smallstackers and midstackers who’d love to grow on autopilot by connecting with people in their niche and recommending each other.
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