How PR should adapt to the rise of Substack and the niche newsletters

The media industry hasn’t been immune to the direct-to-consumer revolution of the past few years.

Now, instead of subscribing to a newspaper or magazine, more and more subscribers are paying directly for a newsletter produced by their favorite writer. Platforms like Substack have created an industry where writers with a following are able to drive big numbers with their creativity.

The New York Times wrote recently:

Substack has captivated an anxious industry because it embodies larger forces and contradictions. For one, the new media economy promises both to make some writers rich and to turn others into the content-creation equivalent of Uber drivers, even as journalists turn increasingly to labor unions to level out pay scales.

But what are the brand opportunities for this new platform capturing audiences online? Substack has promised no ads, ever—leaving a perfect opportunity for PR pros to connect with audiences through popular writers. And it’s a big opportunity—the platform has more than 1 million paid subscriptions, up from about 250,000 last November.

Of course, traditional media outlets are trying to get in on the trend.