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Sep 13, 2021
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Cole Noble's avatar

I actually just made this point a few comments up before I scrolled down and realized you beat me to it! if we all keep doing this, Substack will eventually become a household name.

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Emma Schütz's avatar

I call it a "newsletter" (or "infolettre") as I'm French and write in French. Substack is pretty much unknown in France, so saying "a Substack" would just confuse whomever I might be talking to.

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argyle's avatar

Definitely substack

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Frederick Woodruff's avatar

Substack. ‘Newsletter’ triggers subliminal panic in the potential reader’s unconscious — as in, “OMG, not more email.”

Too, SS is modern and the future. And I write about futures, with some dalliance in the past.

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Cole Noble's avatar

I actually agree with this assessment. But I also think newsletters have gotten a weird connotation with marketing lately, and so people like to beat around the bush. I hear a lot of podcast hosts call them "show notes," which I think is interesting. I usually call individual posts "issues" or "articles" as if it is a traditional magazine.

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Dainius's avatar

"newsletter", because of convenience.

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Dave Cowen's avatar

Substack!

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Annette Laing's avatar

Substack. And then I have to explain what that is. 😂

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Chevanne Scordinsky's avatar

Extended promotion.

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Annette Laing's avatar

Exactly! I bore them until they beg to sign up!

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Nathan A Drescher's avatar

I call it a newsletter. A lot of people still aren't sure what Substack is, but they all know a newsletter.

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Cole Noble's avatar

Substack will gain in prominence eventually, I think. Video creators on Youtube don't say "subscribe to my video uploads page," they say "subscribe to my channel." I'm hoping that with all the good work we're doing, Substack will become a household name too.

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Jackie Dana's avatar

I do you both, but mostly call it a Substack, because that suggests real content, not just a “this is what I’ve been up to” email.

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Jackie Dana's avatar

I don’t know where that stray “you” came from. I blame voice to text. :-)

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Tyrone B.'s avatar

I like calling it a Substack but I eventually resort to explaining that it's a newsletter to people who don't know what a Substack is.

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ric leczel's avatar

I call it my platform, or my Substack

I am still interested in the lingering perceptions that Substack is a haven for right wringers! Yeah right!

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Cole Noble's avatar

This is a smear that I see come out often — never mind the fact that some of the biggest voices on this platform are journalists who are left of center, but felt stifled by their publications.

There are people who stand to lose a lot of money from the independence and real conversations this site has allowed to flourish.

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Sep 14, 2021
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ric leczel's avatar

I subscribe to you, your writing is very poetic in a way. I enjoy it.

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ric leczel's avatar

One read of Steven Benchless would confirm that. Seems like the power of freedom and independence is attractive across the political spectrum. Too bad they cannot publicly acknowledge the capitalistic meritocratic they participate in. More shameful than sad

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Robert C. Gilbert's avatar

Usually Substack or Substack newsletter - feel that it's important to mention the platform, makes it clear that isn't just an emailed newsletter.

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Rosy Gee's avatar

I just refer to Rosy’s Ramblings and give my Substack address.

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Behrouz Jafarnezhad's avatar

I usually go with "newsletter." As much as I want everyone to know what Substack is, not everyone does... It's just a lot less confusing to call it a newsletter.

But I might try calling it my "substack" and see people's reactions.

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Ramona Grigg's avatar

'Substack newsletter' most of the time, but I worry that the word 'newsletter' could be a turn-off. Still, it's the most accurate so I use it.

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Bill Adler's avatar

I like that: Substack newsletter. It encompasses both.

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Lynn Childress's avatar

I call it a "newsletter on Substack." I assume that most people have not heard of Substack.

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Bill Adler's avatar

I've been struggling over this. I might start calling my newsletter an "email magazine."

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Erica Drayton's avatar

I call is my Substack or my ‘Stack for the most part. I don’t feel right calling it a newsletter because that simplifies it and it’s so much more than that. So the the ability to have multiple sections I think of those sections as my ‘Stacks of writings. Cool and unique and different like me and my various kinds of writing.

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Karmela Padavic Callaghan's avatar

I still almost always say "newsletter" or "letter" though very often I am just recommending other Substacks. I think I'm mostly still trying to wrap my head around what to call my own work - I still refer to my essays as "letters" out of some misplaced romanticism, probably.

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Lucy Socha's avatar

I call it a "newsletter", but think it's a whole lot more, such as, in "real" news. There are many different subjects I'd like to write about. I like to draw emphasis on the things that for one reason or another get sort of skipped over quickly by the media. While I'm stuck in the "record grove" everyone else seems to have moved on. The things everyone else seems to have moved on from should have been drawn attention to. It's the equivalent of TFG stating that he started the negotiations to get our troops out of Afghanistan, but Biden mucked it all up. Wait a minute! If anyone is the King of Muckups it is Trump! So I would says let's look over what happened with Kasshogi. Why did Trump just let it go with the Prince? Why did Trump leave our troops out on a limb and lay to being completely vulnerable to the Taliban? What were those meetings with the Taliban and our Secretary of State all about? To me, it's important to know the truth and not move on. I would love to expand my readership, I just don't know how to get the max, yet.

I also wanted to write health articles, food articles, and recipes. And, on top of it all, I wanted to write about some humoristic stuff and even blessings and prayer. Hopefully, it will rollerball into something people will read with interest and love my writings. I guess, I should calling it "substack". Hmmm.

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Jenna's avatar

Newsletter. Substack is their brand, not mine. It's a platform/tool/communication device. I wouldn't call it a Substack any way more than I would call a cell phone call an AT&T.

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Cole Noble's avatar

What I call it depends on who I'm pitching the idea to. But I think this distinction is like asking for an adhesive bandage vs. a Band-Aid.

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Anne Murphy's avatar

Good question! I've been calling mine a newsletter (I started on a different platform). I just changed the description on my IG bio to say "occasional email musings." That might appeal to folks in a different way.

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Mary Ann Archibald's avatar

On my website I refer to it as “newsletter and podcast” - the podcast is such a game changer. After reading through these comments, thinking of just saying “news and podcast” - i think that may be the cleanest way, am rolling it over in my mind now. Thanks for a great discussion.

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