Substack is updating its peer-to-peer recommendation system, the company announced today. With this new update, Substack now allows writers to help other writers expand their reach and gain more subscribers and followers. This allows the company to share a curated list of publications that writers subscribe to for their readers.
The company said in a blog post that the changes mark a move away from the era of social media based on “centralized discovery and management.” Substack facilitates a peer-to-peer recommendation system that helps writers grow their audience by allowing writers to recommend a network of other writers to their subscribers. While most social media networks currently leverage algorithms for their recommendation systems, Substack instead focuses on allowing writers to curate their own network of recommendations.
Currently, when a reader subscribes to someone's publication on Substack, they have the option to opt-in to a package of people to follow based on the writer's recommendations. Previously, this screen displayed up to three books recommended by writers. Now readers can see a list of as many publications and profiles as the author wants to recommend.
Readers can select or deselect the people and publications they are interested in. Your feed will then include notes and posts from people in that network.
Image credits: substack
According to Substack, this new update will help writers build friendships with other writers by allowing them to reach more people, while also helping readers curate their worldview. It's said to be helpful. This platform shows how many subscriptions and follows a writer has brought to people in their network.
The company says recommendations on its platform drive 50% of all new subscriptions and 25% of new paid subscriptions. Substack notes that early data shows that its approach to recommendations increases both the number of subscribers and followers that publications and users gain.
Substack also announced today that more than 3 million readers subscribe to paid newsletters on its platform, up from 2 million a year ago.
Substack is looking to expand its recommendation system, but the company got off to a controversial start to the year by saying it would not ban Nazi newsletters on its platform. Substack CEO Hamish McKenzie said Substack prohibits posts containing “incitement of violence” but remains committed to a “decentralized approach to content moderation.” As a result of this stance, prominent authors such as Casey Newton and Ryan Broderick decided to leave his Substack.