The Scoop: Big media names continue to flock to Substack for creative freedom

The list of major media figures striking out on their own via newsletter platform Substack continues to grow.

Just weeks after media star Taylor Lorenz left the Washington Post to start her own newsletter, prolific author James Patterson and legendary magazine editor Tina Brown have also joined Substack.

“Like most writers — even in my situation — you’re always at the beck and call of editors,” Patterson told The Hollywood Reporter. “With Substack, we’re totally free, we get to do whatever the hell we want to do. So I can write opinion pieces. I can write whatever the hell I want to write, and that’s liberating.”

And whatever the hell Patterson wants turns out to be a list of heavy-hitter interview subjects, including Bill Clinton, novelist David Baldacci and maybe even Dolly Parton.

“They’re kind of fresh and fun, and you’re gonna find out stuff that you’re not used to, and they’re filmed so you can either watch it or or read it,” he explained.

Brown, meanwhile, is taking a more casual, diary-like approach. “This is just an extra something I’ll be doing on a Monday afternoon,” she told The New York Times.

Why it matters: Writers  on Substack  offer a new, exciting avenue for PR professionals. The platform boasts 35 million total users, including 3 million paying customers who subscribe directly to individual newsletters (Substack, of course, gets a cut). Its email-based delivery model also offers a more surefire delivery method than many traditional media outlets, which continue to rely on algorithmically fickle social media sites and search engine rankings for their traffic for digital spread.

But while there are possibilities, there are also risks. Patterson exulted in his ability to evade editors with Substack, which certainly can encourage creativity and allow for new ideas. But without an editor helping to fact check, serve as a hedge against defamatory content or just to say “maybe this isn’t a great idea,” it can pose new reputational risks for organizations – and in a way that could be tricky to monitor, since they are not easily indexable.

By all means, incorporate Substack authors into your pitching routine. But  be aware of the new risks posed by this Wild West of journalism-adjacent content.

Editor’s Top Reads

• In other media strategy news, Kamala Harris is making a foray into what is likely to be unfriendly territory: Fox News. The conservative news outlet will air an interview with the Democratic presidential nominee and Chief Political Anchor Brett Baier tonight at 6 p.m., featuring roughly a half hour of questions, The New York Times reported. Harris is following in the footsteps of her running mate, Tim Walz, who has appeared on the network the last two weekends. This media appearance can serve two key purposes. First, it’s a chance to get in front of skeptical conservative voters and perhaps pick off a few votes. It also will serve as an answer to criticism that she’s afraid to face tough questions – it’s unlikely that she’ll receive the kind of kid-glove treatment her opponent often receives on the network. Harris’ media strategy has received a great deal of scrutiny: Is she doing enough? Is she going on shows and podcasts that are too niche? Ultimately, we won’t know until after the election – but for right now, it’s certainly interesting to watch.
• Bath & Body Works faced a nightmarish crisis over the weekend when social media users pointed out that the brand’s new “Snowed In” candle featured a paper snowflake that bore an unfortunate resemblance to a Ku Klux Klan hood. Given the catchy moniker “klandle,” images and criticism spread like wildfire on social media. To its credit, Bath & Body Works responded quickly by both pulling the candle from shelves and issuing a statement to the media: “At Bath & Body Works, we are committed to listening to our teams and customers, and committed to fixing any mistakes we make-even those that are unintentional like this one. We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and are evaluating our process going forward.” Some hammered Bath & Body Works for what they saw as a lack of diversity that allowed the candle to make it to shelves in the first place. But NBC News reported that one Instagram user summed up the situation almost perfectly: “This was an honest mistake it looks like a snowflake. But they still took accountability.” And sometimes, that’s all you can do.
• As new sports teams, especially women’s leagues, pop up across the country, many are facing a problem: they need names, and many of the good ones are taken. The branding team for the yet-unnamed Toronto WNBA expansion shared some of the trials of selecting a new name, the Wall Street Journal reported: Wildfire (“although tough and fast, they have had devastating effects on Canada,” an Instagram post reads), Vipers (“snakes are a sign of deceit in some cultures”) and Asteroids (“the nickname just won’t fly when shortened”). The naming process for the team is being carried out publicly, including a podcast, to explain the thought process behind the name – a great way to get fans involved before a team even exists. Meanwhile in Boston, their women’s soccer club is taking a different approach, shunning the animal or disaster names that often give a team its identity, instead choosing the play on words of BOS Nation FC. “BOS Nation, an anagram of ‘Bostonian,” is meant to evoke ‘boss energy,’ suggest a fan-centric identity and nod to the city’s three-letter airport code,” the Journal said. These commitments to branding in public and bringing in fan perspectives is a fantastic way to marry marketing and PR and build a strong foundation for names and teams that will endure for years to come.

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.