Substack: the great return of blogging and "better influence"
Substack and many influencers are launching new editorial projects based on text and long-form content. A return to meaning and connection. And to "better influence"?
Tuesday evening in Paris, new edition! Welcome to new subscribers, we are now a little over 1200 (and you can read this letter in French over there). This week, we're taking a trip back to the future...
Blogging is back. Many authors, journalists, stylists, insiders are bringing a revival to long-form content, primarily written. *The Guardian* noted as early as January 2024 that even shopping influencers are rushing to Substack to consume better and discover new brands.
A fundamental trend that underscores the deep aspirations of citizens worldwide for social media that makes more sense, that questions.
A weariness of feeds and the desire to restore meaning.
We cannot spend more time online than what our lives - and our physical constraints - allow us. This was one of the conclusions of the GWI report in 2022 which proves that we have reached a plateau in terms of average time spent on the internet after the peaks of various lockdowns.
While the intensity of the experience can still increase, many observers note a certain fatigue among users. The ocean of often similar content and the exacerbated feed culture on TikTok or Instagram lead to a certain apathy, even a certain rejection of social networks.
Conversely, newsletters - or the blog format - allow us to hear the inner voice of an author, a writer, a stylist, etc. Readers find a certain pleasure in receiving, sparingly, well-written content for which they have chosen to subscribe.
Nina Miyashita for Vogue Australia explains that subscribing to a newsletter is an eminently intimate act: "subscribing to a newsletter brings a sense of intimacy to our reading habits, almost pen pal-esque in its style and the way it regularly lands in our inbox."
A valorization of correspondence, in short. While social networks like TikTok give us a sense of proximity, shared writing curiously gives more strength to the bonds that form between an author and their community.
A social network is inherently very intrusive: it demands numerous photos and a versatility of personal information. By being a member of a newsletter, it only appears in a still rather protected space (our email inbox); it's up to the subscriber to engage in conversation with the author (or not), who primarily seeks to be read (rather than liked).
Thus, an expectation is created, undoubtedly a longer time; the letter must be opened at will or actively sought. We are not obliged to suffer through videos suggested by any algorithm: blogging or newsletter platforms give members a certain freedom.
Quality authors, growing audiences: the "better influence".
As after the Internet bubble of the early 2000s, many talents have been laid off in recent months: specialists in new technologies, engineers in certain innovation laboratories of major brands, not to mention stylists, journalists, or other individuals revolving around the media. There are plenty of examples. On the other hand, the creation of video content seems quite saturated with an increasingly exceptional level that paradoxically does not lend itself to all subjects. A reservoir of sharp authors suddenly had time. People who know how to write with brilliance and who are adopting platforms in full expansion like Substack (launched in 2007) or Kessel in France (launched in 2022).
At the same time, former bloggers like Garance Doré are setting up very well-made newsletters, giving them a platform to develop more personal narratives.
Business Of Fashion even talks about the Substack-ification of beauty: according to Jessica DeFino, the magic recipe lies in the remuneration model of authors that rejects the advertising logic of social networks.
"You take advertisers out of the equation, you take affiliate sales out of the equation, and what lies on the other side of that is just like a much richer discussion and exploration of beauty."
Jessica DeFino
Talents, publishing technologies, real audience demands: this conjecture leads in all cases to a strong adoption of the newsletter/blogging format. A format that seduces because it allows authors to take back control of the relationship with their communities (what is stronger and more intimate than an email vs an Instagram post?), and to document a passion on a chosen timeline. And simply to be under less pressure!
Rebecca Fishbein tweeted a very relevant thought: rather than chasing a ever larger audience, by sharing every detail of our lives, it would be more interesting to cultivate a reputation among audiences that feel truly involved, staying within our sphere, in the domain in which we bring value.
Against more influence, we feel the desire for "better influence".
Content producers find themselves a little more masters of their destinies and their business models: subscribers can decide to take out a paid subscription for even more exclusive content; affiliate systems can provide additional income without compromising the reason why the person is influential (no credibility, no influence, therefore no cash); opportunities can arise through word of mouth; being able to have a base of emails allows for a direct link to qualified individuals rather than relying on an algorithm.
The figure of the week: 125km
According to HarrisX, a smartphone owner scrolls on their screen an average of the equivalent of 125km per year, or about 3 marathons. Digital liveness is physical.
Amazing links
Marc Andreessen, idol of some startups in short or less short pants, talks to us about Oxytocin and video games. A marker of our time to read about in The American Prospect to understand a certain vision of humanity. Obviously scary for me.
Daniel Shiffman has updated his magical book "The Nature of Code". Exceptional.
The Guardian talks about the impact of the series *Baby Reindeer* on the notion of "real-life drama".
Have a great week! And feel free to share this newsletter, to like, to comment, to send me your correspondences or recommendations, to continue sending me emails: these notifications are (always) a joy.
As of now, I have mixed feelings about the 'better influence' dispatch.
Yes, long-form blogging enables creators to better connect and serve both casual onlookers and faithful readers.
However, as we revisit the blogging era, the transition is tarnished by the haste of social media consumption. A flood of posts often echo words from others, lacking the concrete depth of integrated knowledge gleaned from real-life experiences for instance.