Substack or X's article feature for long-form content?

[Borderless CLTV]

I have a Premium+ account on X, which is a new feature allowing only those with such tiered membership to write long-form content akin to a Substack feel. It allows media to be inserted within text, bullet points, and many other features simply not available in a typical post fashion.

X now allows Premium+ users and organizations to publish articles | TechCrunch

Elon Musk-owned social network X announced a new long-form format called Articles today for Premium+ and verified organizations.

techcrunch.com

It feels a lot like the Substack modality, which I have as my main landing page. This also allows for an email list to be curated, whereas X doesn't have that.

I recently published an article on Substack, and subsequently learned about this X feature so I copy/pasted it over as an X article too. Both platforms allow videos to be embedded too.

X is becoming the 'super app,' which means it's also punishing those who try to steer people away from the platform. I like the idea of collecting emails though too.

Anyone familiar with both platforms have advice or insights as to which should be pursued more aggressively?

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

How did the article do on X?

I got a feeling X is going to prioritize Article content, so it might be something you can expose as an early adopter.

 

[Andy Black]

How did the article do on X?

I got a feeling X is going to prioritize Article content, so it might be something you can expose as an early adopter.

I get the same feeling. It will encourage more people to go Premium, and they wouldn't introduce a new content format and not at least test it. I'm super tempted to start posting to Twitter because of these longer articles. Those threads were annoying to create.

 

[Borderless CLTV]

How did the article do on X?

I got a feeling X is going to prioritize Article content, so it might be something you can expose as an early adopter.

Well, I just started my X account over there and aggressively being a 'reply guy' and pushing content, so both have limited movement.

This early adopter angle is a good point too. I might need to research a bit more if the algo is pushing Articles.

It just adds work because I can't exactly copy/paste from one to the other, but it's not exactly a doubling of effort either.

 

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[Borderless CLTV]

I get the same feeling. It will encourage more people to go Premium, and they wouldn't introduce a new content format and not at least test it. I'm super tempted to start posting to Twitter because of these longer articles. Those threads were annoying to create.

Yep, the Article function is very intuitive. But this lack of email collection as compared to Substack is a big downside. Sure, I can setup a Link Tree or similar, but SS also acts as a good landing page.

Note that there are still two tiers of Premium...regular Premium and Premium+. The latter enables the Article function.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

But this lack of email collection

As always with any platform, this is a huge drawback as you don't own the list and can't directly push to them other than platform access.

Worldwide, with all my language translations, I've quite likely sold 2,000,000 books. But Amazon and my publishers have access to the client list, not me. My list is not even 100K. It gives me anxiety thinking about it and it was one of my big mistakes when I started writing books not to focus more on list building, but then again, I didn't expect to sell 1M books, much less 10K.

 

[Borderless CLTV]

And with

As always with any platform, this is a huge drawback as you don't own the list and can't directly push to them other than platform access.

Worldwide, with all my language translations, I've quite likely sold 2,000,000 books. But Amazon and my publishers have access to the client list, not me. My list is not even 100K. It gives me anxiety thinking about it and it was one of my big mistakes when I started writing books not to focus more on list building, but then again, I didn't expect to sell 1M books, much less 10K.

And with those two million sales, them having the list isn't as impactful in the grand scheme of things because your reach has allowed you to largely circumvent it. This forum being another avenue.

I follow Eddy Quan's content and he pushes the email list as the #1 priority. So perhaps I'll just stick to both for the time being and see which has a better ROI. And then, let's say, I build enough of an X following and other mediums that the lack of Substack email collection is a moot point to a large degree as in your case.

I see X becoming a much more popular platform - a true super app - and think it'd be silly not to push hard there.

Thanks for the insight/comment.

 

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[Smartyads]

I have a Premium+ account on X, which is a new feature allowing only those with such tiered membership to write long-form content akin to a Substack feel. It allows media to be inserted within text, bullet points, and many other features simply not available in a typical post fashion.

X now allows Premium+ users and organizations to publish articles | TechCrunch

Elon Musk-owned social network X announced a new long-form format called Articles today for Premium+ and verified organizations.

techcrunch.com

It feels a lot like the Substack modality, which I have as my main landing page. This also allows for an email list to be curated, whereas X doesn't have that.

I recently published an article on Substack, and subsequently learned about this X feature so I copy/pasted it over as an X article too. Both platforms allow videos to be embedded too.

X is becoming the 'super app,' which means it's also punishing those who try to steer people away from the platform. I like the idea of collecting emails though too.

Anyone familiar with both platforms have advice or insights as to which should be pursued more aggressively?

As someone familiar with both platforms, my advice would be to consider your specific content goals and audience preferences when deciding which platform to pursue more aggressively.

If your primary focus is on building a dedicated email list and fostering a strong community around your content, Substack might be the better option. It's well-established in the newsletter space and offers robust email list management features.

However, if you prioritize multimedia content and want more flexibility in formatting and presentation, X's Premium+ feature could be worth pursuing more aggressively. It allows for the integration of videos, images, and other multimedia elements directly into your content.

 

[MTF]

So is potential increased organic reach the main benefit of writing long form on X? Or do you get paid by views? I'm a little confused about this platform now.

 

[Borderless CLTV]

As someone familiar with both platforms, my advice would be to consider your specific content goals and audience preferences when deciding which platform to pursue more aggressively.

If your primary focus is on building a dedicated email list and fostering a strong community around your content, Substack might be the better option. It's well-established in the newsletter space and offers robust email list management features.

However, if you prioritize multimedia content and want more flexibility in formatting and presentation, X's Premium+ feature could be worth pursuing more aggressively. It allows for the integration of videos, images, and other multimedia elements directly into your content.

Substack allows all of that as well - inserting videos directly into a page for example. I like that I can do such things as article voiceovers or even free-form audio commentary on a given post and put it below a paywall.

The main benefit of Substack, if X Articles really doesn't take off globally, is the email collection. And perhaps lack of censorship that X suffers from.

 

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[Borderless CLTV]

So is potential increased organic reach the main benefit of writing long form on X? Or do you get paid by views? I'm a little confused about this platform now.

Yes. It's just a different form of content to attract writers to the platform. Combining with video, streaming, short-form content, etc. Musk wants it to be the all-in-one platform for creators.

The algorithm punishes those that try to link to outside sites such as Substack, so it further encourages creators over there to write directly on X.

 

[Smartyads]

So is potential increased organic reach the main benefit of writing long form on X? Or do you get paid by views? I'm a little confused about this platform now.

The main benefit of writing long-form content on X is indeed the potential for increased organic reach and engagement. While X does not directly pay creators based on views, the platform's algorithm rewards high-quality, engaging content by promoting it to a wider audience.

 

[MTF]

Yes. It's just a different form of content to attract writers to the platform. Combining with video, streaming, short-form content, etc. Musk wants it to be the all-in-one platform for creators.

The algorithm punishes those that try to link to outside sites such as Substack, so it further encourages creators over there to write directly on X.

So what is the point? You get views but you can't direct them anywhere else and you aren't getting paid for it. I don't get it.

 

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[StrikingViper69]

As always with any platform, this is a huge drawback as you don't own the list and can't directly push to them other than platform access.

Worldwide, with all my language translations, I've quite likely sold 2,000,000 books. But Amazon and my publishers have access to the client list, not me. My list is not even 100K. It gives me anxiety thinking about it and it was one of my big mistakes when I started writing books not to focus more on list building, but then again, I didn't expect to sell 1M books, much less 10K.

If you use a fulfilment company outside of Amazon, you get your list as fulfilment data is sent to your provider… and you do what you want with it.

A bit of a ballache to setup though. Might be cheaper than Amazon depending on how you do it.

 

[Smartyads]

Substack allows all of that as well - inserting videos directly into a page for example. I like that I can do such things as article voiceovers or even free-form audio commentary on a given post and put it below a paywall.

The main benefit of Substack, if X Articles really doesn't take off globally, is the email collection. And perhaps lack of censorship that X suffers from.

Thank you for sharing your insights! Indeed, Substack offers robust features for multimedia content and community building, including email list management and content flexibility. The ability to insert videos directly into posts and utilize audio commentary can enhance engagement and provide unique content experiences for subscribers. Additionally, the email collection feature and relative lack of censorship on Substack may be advantageous for content creators looking to grow their audience and maintain creative control. It's essential to weigh these factors against X's Premium+ features and consider which platform aligns best with your content goals and audience preferences

 

[Smartyads]

How did the article do on X?

I got a feeling X is going to prioritize Article content, so it might be something you can expose as an early adopter.

The article on X might fare well, especially considering the platform's potential focus on article content. This insight could encourage further exploration or promotion of the article on X.

 

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[Borderless CLTV]

So what is the point? You get views but you can't direct them anywhere else and you aren't getting paid for it. I don't get it.

Once an account gets 500 followers and hits 5 million impressions the last three months, they're eligible for monetization too. So more eyeballs and engagement allows income to be generated directly from the platform. But I hear it's still quite low.

One can also put a linktree in the bio to direct towards whatever offers are applicable. Six figure and above follower accounts have free guides to collect emails or linktrees for that and merch, etc. too.

 

[Borderless CLTV]

The article on X might fare well, especially considering the platform's potential focus on article content. This insight could encourage further exploration or promotion of the article on X.

Glad to see this account was banned. It read exactly like a robot...