Substack vs Medium: Why You’re Losing Money Renting Your Audience

Substack vs Medium: Stop Renting Your Audience

Most writers choose the wrong platform and spend months building an audience they don't actually own. Are you a tenant or a landlord?

The Problem: The "Crumbs" Economy

Medium is fantastic for reach. It has a built-in discovery engine that can put your work in front of thousands. However, there is a catch: you are fighting for crumbs in a shared pool of pennies.

The Tenant Trap: On platforms like Medium, you don't own the relationship. If the algorithm changes or the platform disappears, your "audience" goes with it. You are essentially a tenant on someone else's land.

The Solution: Direct Ownership

Substack represents the "Game of the 1%." Instead of relying on a platform's internal traffic, you focus on direct ownership. You aren't just a writer; you're the landlord of your own digital real estate.

Pro Tip: Reach is Vanity, Ownership is Sanity. The goal isn't just to be "seen"—it's to capture the connection. Owning an email list means you can reach your audience whenever you want, without an algorithm standing in the way.

The Creator's ROI

The difference in revenue potential is staggering. It’s the gap between earning $100 in ad-share revenue versus $5,000 in direct subscriptions.

// Revenue Engine Comparison
Medium_Model = (Ad_Pool / Total_Writers) * Engagement_Weight;
Substack_Model = Total_Subscribers * Monthly_Fee - Processing_Fee;

// The Winner
Result = "Direct Ownership (Substack) Wins for Long-term ROI";

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