I'm Taking Back My Content from Substack
Hey everybody, it's Karen A Parker.
Allow me to explain the title of this post since you may or may not have noticed that I have unpublished all the posts I've ever made on Substack and have instead moved them to my website's blog. For those who are worried, don't be. I'm not going through some crisis or anything like that. I've just made a couple of discoveries that have changed my views on where I want my content to be and how I want to interact with folks on social media.
I originally made my Substack account on May 11th, 2024 and garnered 40 plus subscribers over the course of a year and some change. Thank you to all who subscribe up to this point. I even learned that I like to read what I write and post the audio recording of it for accessibility purposes, which Substack made easy to do. However, as of me writing and sharing this post, I decided that I no longer want to post blogs and podcasts on Substack because everything that I can do on Substack, I can do on my own website, (which is karenaparker.com, by the way).
Posting blogs? My Squarespace domain can do that.
Adding audio files to posts? My Squarespace domain can do that, which blew my mind when I learned that.
Creating a podcast with my own RSS feed? My Squarespace domain can do that, which also blew my mind when I learned that.
Running an entirely paywalled newsletter? My Squarespace domain can do that, which blew my mind for a third time when I learned that.
Granted, there are a few things that my Squarespace domain can't do that Substack can do. For instance, I can't pick and choose which posts go behind a paywall or not on the same blog. I'd have to make an entirely separate paid newsletter or blog feed to do that. I also can't add audio files to the email versions of my blog posts like Substack does, so users who prefer listening to the audio version will have to tap a link in the email to go to my website and listen to it there, or they can listen to it on their favorite podcast app. That's the beauty of RSS feeds.
And whenever I make a blog post, I have to do a few extra steps to get it sent as an email in Squarespace rather than have everything done for me. Substack also replicates the feel of other social media websites with notes, likes, reshares, and quote features.
It's an everything platform, essentially.
But you know what else is an everything platform?
The website that I'm paying a good sum for each year to maintain.
Also, I don't want to live just in people's email boxes. Or email inboxes. I want to live on the internet and everything that I happen to share on my website can be shared publicly on different platforms.
Don't get me wrong, Substack is good for the right people and it offers a bustling community to get behind.
But if you have an ounce of web development savvy and your hosting provider is powerful enough to do what you want it to do, I'd recommend making your website your main home and getting the most bang for your buck. Stop chasing likes, comments, and subscribes, and start owning as much of your content as possible. Make your website the place that people want to visit and stay at. Make your home the home of your future fans, clients, and customers.
Oof. I sounded a little capitalist and advertise-y there, but you know what? It's true. Social media networks come and go, but websites outlive them all with enough money.
I'm just doing what I can.
Anyway, instead of posting on networks like Substack or LinkedIn, I'm going to be interacting with folks on Substack and LinkedIn. Liking posts, leaving comments, sharing, engaging in literary citizenship. In exchange, I'll be spending more time on social media networks and apps that focus on one thing rather than try to be everything to everybody such as YouTube, Instagram, and Blue Sky. More importantly, anything I post will go on my website first unless it's something super specific and random.
So...
If all that sounds good to you and you want to follow my blog, which will get emailed to you, here are the steps.
Head to karenaparker.com.
Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page where it says, subscribe to my blog.
Enter your first name, last name, and email address in the blank fields.
Click the “Sign up” button in orange.
Prove that you're human with the CAPTCHAs and confirmation emails.
Join the wave!
(optional) check out the rest of my website if you're interested.
If you want to subscribe to the Immovable Wisdom Writing Podcast, which is my podcast, I distribute it to other platforms via Buzzsprout. This means that it should be listed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and other platforms of your choice.
However, if you'd rather get an email notification about when the podcast goes live so that you can click it and listen to the audio in your web browser, maybe on your phone or your computer, follow these steps.
Head to karenaparker.com/podcast.
Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page where it says, “Don't like podcast apps, but still want to stay updated?”
Enter your first name, last name, and email address in the blank fields.
Prove that you're human with the CAPTCHAs and confirmation emails.
Join the wave!
(optional) Check out the rest of my website if you're interested.
Also, in case you missed it, the Immovable Wisdom Writing Podcast just dropped its trailer, and the first season launches on August 1st, 2025
I'd love for you to listen to it and share it if it's your jam, and I hope to see you on your favorite podcast app or my podcast's email list.
Otherwise, this'll be the last you hear from me in this capacity. While it appears to be legal to import subscribers to another platform, I'm not going to import you all to my website's email thing. I want following me on my website to be something that you decide to do rather than me assuming you want to do it.
Anyway, that's it for me.
Karen A. Parker, out!