There's a persistent idea about Substack—that if your ideas are compelling and your writing consistent, readers will naturally appear, magically drawn by the platform's supposed openness. But reality paints a very different picture. Yes, I can certainly generate readers on Substack—if, and only if, I bring a large audience along with me. This is the hidden truth, one shared across all modern content platforms: visibility isn't granted; it's earned elsewhere.
Just like other popular platforms—be it YouTube, Instagram, or Twitter—Substack operates under algorithms designed to prioritize content with proven engagement. Such algorithms aren't neutral gatekeepers; they're biased curators, selectively amplifying voices already resonating loudly. Without a pre-established following, my posts become whispers in an algorithmic void—never recommended, rarely discovered, perpetually obscured.
What Substack implicitly demands is something far beyond thoughtful writing or creative consistency. It demands that writers arrive fully-formed, audience-in-hand, followers preassembled from elsewhere. The platform does little to break new voices from obscurity. Instead, it expects us, the creators, to bear the full burden of visibility—building audience elsewhere, then bringing them back to enrich its ecosystem.
This isn't empowering; it's exhausting. It means writers aren't judged purely on their content quality or originality, but by how effectively they can leverage external networks to overcome algorithmic inertia. For new voices—especially nuanced, niche, or innovative perspectives—the barrier to being found is daunting, often insurmountable.
True creativity deserves better. We deserve algorithms and platforms that actively surface fresh ideas, reward originality, and intentionally connect writers to potential readers—not simply reward those already established. Until Substack—and platforms like it—move beyond mere algorithmic gatekeeping and toward genuine discoverability, the promise of independent writing remains a privilege accessible mostly to those who've already built their communities elsewhere.
