What it does
Substack is a platform designed to connect writers and podcasters directly with their audience. The app serves as a dedicated reader for discovering and consuming content from various publications without the noise of traditional social media feeds. It offers a clean, focused reading experience, an inbox for new posts, and community features like chats to foster interaction around shared interests.
Where it shines
Substack excels at creating a focused, high-signal environment for reading. The main 'Inbox' at 01:36 presents new articles as large, inviting cards, clearly separating them from the more dynamic 'Notes' social feed below. The reading experience itself is clean and customizable, with display settings (02:42) for font and text size. A key strength is the integrated community layer; users can seamlessly switch from reading an article to discussing it in that publication's dedicated chat space (03:08), keeping the conversation on-platform.
UX highlights
- Dual-Purpose Home: The main screen cleverly splits into a private 'Inbox' for long-form content and a public 'Notes' feed for short-form updates and community chatter (01:36).
- Efficient Content Management: Actionable cards in the inbox allow users to save (01:42) or archive (02:32) posts directly from the feed, streamlining content triage.
- Skippable Onboarding Steps: High-commitment steps like phone number verification are presented as optional, with a clear 'Skip' button (00:31) that reduces user friction.
- Contextual Actions: Long-pressing a chat message (03:22) reveals a context menu with specific actions like 'Copy text' and 'Turn on notifications' for that thread.
- Integrated Author Profiles: Tapping an author's name (04:26) leads to their full profile, which aggregates their posts, notes, and liked content, acting as a central hub for each creator.
- Thoughtful Customization: The settings menu offers meaningful appearance choices, including theme controls and a variety of custom app icons (07:34) for personalization.
Monetization & growth
Monetization in Substack is creator-centric and presented contextually. Instead of a single app-wide paywall, users encounter subscription prompts on individual publication pages. For example, at 02:56, an 'Upgrade' button leads to a paywall specific to the 'Hung Up' newsletter. This screen clearly compares the benefits of free versus paid tiers for that creator. This 'soft paywall' approach encourages users to support the specific writers they value most, rather than forcing a universal subscription.
Who it’s for
Substack is for avid readers who want a direct, curated connection to their favorite writers, thinkers, and journalists. It appeals to users fatigued by algorithmic feeds who seek a more intentional content experience. It's also for creators who want to build and monetize a direct relationship with their audience through newsletters, podcasts, and community discussions. The app serves both the dedicated consumer and the independent publisher.
Notes & opportunities
The app offers a polished experience, but there are small areas for improvement. The distinction between 'Inbox' (for new posts) and 'Archive' (viewable in settings at 07:15) could be clearer. A dedicated 'Archive' tab on a main navigation bar might be more intuitive than burying it in settings. Additionally, while the 'Notes' feed is a great social layer, its vertical split with the inbox on the home screen might feel crowded on smaller devices. Testing a tabbed approach for 'Inbox' and 'Notes' could be a worthwhile experiment.