9 reasons why I’m writing on Substack

What you can expect from re: writes

During the summer holidays we rented a gatehouse on a Scottish estate. It looked like a mini castle. The gates it was attached to were nearly as wide as the cottage. On the living room walls there were photos of people who looked like they had stepped out of Downton Abbey, going fishing or playing golf.

It had damp, a stark reminder of the practicalities of living in a historic building. It also didn’t have wifi. What better place to disconnect and wonder?

I bought a notebook and wrote: “I need to write myself out of a funk.”

When Substack introduced Notes, I signed up to see if it could fill the gap left by Twitter. I never did anything with it. But it’s sat there, at the back of my mind, as a ‘what if…’

And so I started writing down ideas about where I saw things and what I wanted to say.

I know that if you’re going to subscribe to a Substack, let alone pay actual money to read one (thank you ever so much) then you’re going to need a reason. I also need reasons to write one, otherwise it will just be another idea that came and went.

Reason 1. I keep thinking things and not saying them

I’m an introvert. I live inside my head most of the time. That means I think a lot of things but never express them and then beat myself up when I see someone else saying it and think, ‘why didn’t I…?’

I always say to other people: no-one knows if you don’t tell them. It’s time to take my own advice.

Reason 2: The online world is changing

I think we’re moving past social media. Keeping up with the Joneses is exhausting and we don’t want to play that game. While it is still a place of connection for a few of us, it’s become a noisy marketplace.

Reason 3: I want to write somewhere readers get what they ask for

One of the complaints I see from friends about Facebook is that they’re not seeing posts from friends, which is why they signed up, but posts from others, and of course, adverts. My Facebook has become increasingly peculiar over the past few months as the algorithm serves me posts in the hope of pinning down which box I fit into. It feels like a lot of noise and distraction created for the sake of it. Here, if you subscribe to my articles, they land in your inbox.

Reason 4: I want to write for the joy of it

Writing to jump through a hoop isn’t my idea of fun (school English essays, anyone?) Writing to express an idea is much more satisfying to me. This feels like a place where you can write for self-expression and have a conversation about something that matters.

Reason 5: I want to experiment

While I’m a professional writer, it’s a skill that benefits from continuous practice. I’d like to get better at writing and I’d like to play with different kinds of articles and topics. I think of this a bit like a newspaper column. I can pick the topic to write about. It doesn’t have to follow a set of rules. 

Reason 6: I want to learn how Substack works

Every now and then, someone asks me what I know about Substack. Would it be a good place for them? I don’t know. This gives me the opportunity to have something more useful to say than, ‘well I have an account and subscribe to some people’.

Reason 7: I like there’s a comments section

I have comments on my business blog. I mostly get spam. There’s an opportunity to encourage a conversation here with people who are genuinely interested in what you’re talking about. As an introvert who tends to hang around at the edges, and is much happier typing than talking, this takes me back to the early days of internet forums when the internet was more sociable.

Reason 8: People can pay for your writing if they want to

How to get paid for writing has been a question I’ve grappled with since I was a teenager! It’s why I became a journalist. You get paid for writing. I probably make it all far more difficult in my head than it should be but this platform makes it clear up front that you can earn money and I like that I can make that an option. If you’re a paying subscriber, thank you! You’re helping me pay my mortgage.

Reason 9: I can share interesting things

I’ve always been into sharing ideas. Substack feels like a place where I can talk about things I find interesting, inspiring, or fun. There’ll be things I learn from others, there’ll be what I’m reading or listening to, and there’ll be tips I’ve picked up as I try to navigate my way though living more environmentally sustainably. There’ll be some totally random stuff too.

Can I sustain writing here? I’ve got a rough idea of what I want to do with it and I’m setting aside time in my week to write here. I plan to publish every Friday. If you’d like to follow me, hit the subscribe button. Thank you.

Update: February 23, 2025