The publishing platform Substack is rolling out a new product called Notes for posting and sharing short-form content online that resembles Twitter.
Substack’s co-founders said this week that the lifeblood of their forthcoming service is converting their audience into paying subscribers rather than how legacy social media platforms depend on advertising where people are rewarded for holding others’ attention.
Notes will give Substack writers the ability to post short-form content and recommend posts, quotes, comments, images and links, according to co-founders Hamish McKenzie, Chris Best and Jairaj Sethi.
“While Notes may look like familiar social media feeds, the key difference is in what you don’t see,” the co-founders wrote on Substack this week. “The Substack network runs on paid subscriptions, not ads. This changes everything.”
The co-founders said Substack intends to give writers greater control to shape the boundaries of their subscription universe so they can exclude trolls.
Some Substack users said on Friday that their Twitter posts linking to Substack faced fresh restrictions following the publishing platform’s announcement this week. Substack writer Erik Hoel published a tweet linking to his Substack page, and Twitter users were blocked on Friday from liking and retweeting the post.
Substack said Thursday on Twitter it was investigating reports that embedding tweets no longer worked on Substack.
Mr. McKenzie criticized Twitter in the aftermath of Elon Musk’s takeover and promoted the need for an option.
“We don’t think Twitter is going to disappear anytime soon, nor should it,” Mr. McKenzie wrote in November. “It has its uses, and even cage fights can be fun. But it’s time for a real alternative.”
Mr. Musk has recognized value in Substack and said in December that he was open to the idea of acquiring the company.
Substack does not appear to share that interest. Its co-founders said many people have grown accustomed to “talk of hellsites and doomscrolling” for social media but people should not forget that the internet can be a tool for good.
“The goal here is not to create a perfectly sanitized information environment, but to set the conditions for constructive discussion where there is enough common ground to seek understanding while holding onto the worthwhile tension needed for great art and new ideas,” the co-founders wrote. “It won’t feel like the social media we know today.”
