Media Briefing: Why publishers are flocking to Substack

Substack's ability to attract prominent publishers such as The Economist, The FT, and The New Yorker to its platform, with varying strategies to find new audiences, marks a significant shift in the way media companies approach audience engagement and revenue streams. This development means that website owners, particularly those in the publishing and media industries, need to reassess their content distribution strategies and consider how they can leverage platforms like Substack to reach new audiences and diversify their revenue streams. As more publishers flock to Substack, website owners may see changes in how users interact with their content, potentially leading to increased competition for attention and revenue. To adapt to this shift, website owners can take several actionable steps: first, monitor their AI bot traffic to identify potential areas where Substack's growth may impact their own audience engagement; second, review their llms.txt files to ensure they are accurately tracking and managing Substack's crawlers and bots; and third, consider integrating Substack's API into their own platforms to expand their reach and offer more targeted content to their users.