Erica Holthausen

How the Substack Content Moderation Debate Shapes How You Choose a Newsletter Platform

Substack has been the topic of a lot of conversations lately. Some people on the platform encourage everyone they know to join them immediately because the platform offers several tools to help grow your following. Others refuse to use Substack and harshly criticize those who do, accusing them of being devoid of moral values because it espouses a decentralized content moderation policy and thus permits content that many find repugnant.

But what is Substack?

Substack is a popular subscription-based newsletter publishing platform used by journalists, writers, and experts to share articles, podcasts, and videos with their subscribers. Those who use the platform (referred to as “Substackers”) can adopt a tiered subscription plan that allows them to share all their content for free or limit access to some or all of their content to paid subscribers. Substack is based on a shared-revenue model, which means it takes a commission on all subscription income. The more money Substackers make, the more money Substack makes.

Substack was the first platform to offer a shared-revenue model and to make it easy for writers to create a subscription-based newsletter. When it first came on the scene in 2017, Substack actively recruited journalists and other well-known writers to build their digital home on the platform. Since then, Substack has refined its built-in social network and recommendation engine, making it even easier for Substackers to find their audience and connect with one another.

Substack’s content guidelines are much less stringent than other platforms. Substack explicitly prohibits “credible threats of physical harm” but otherwise states that “critique and discussion of controversial issues are part of robust discourse.” Unfortunately, its approach to content moderation has served as a siren call to conspiracy theorists, hatemongers, and bigots, who can freely share on Substack that which may have gotten them banned elsewhere.

And that is where the content moderation debate begins.

The dark side of free expression.

On November 28, 2023, Jonathan M. Katz published "Substack Has a Nazi Problem" in The Atlantic. He reported finding several newsletters that feature Nazi symbols and promote white nationalism and noted that while Substack has a largely hands-off approach to content moderation, its content guidelines do prohibit hate.

Within weeks of this article being published, more than 200 Substackers, including Katz, published an open letter to Substack’s founders, officially launching the Substackers Against Nazis campaign. The letter starts by asking Substack’s founders why they are “platforming and monetizing Nazis” when it is against the platform’s content guidelines, which state that the platform cannot be used “to publish content or fund initiatives that incite violence based on protected classes.”

Meanwhile, more than 100 other Substackers co-signed a note written by Elle Griffin of The Elysian supporting Substack’s decentralized approach to content moderation. Griffin noted that calls for moderation are calls for “the platform to decide who can say what, and who can be here.” She noted that social media platforms with more robust content moderation policies have struggled to moderate hate speech and misinformation. She applauds Substack’s approach: “Rather than rely on . . . a team of moderators, Substack democratized the process, giving full moderation control to writers.”

It is important to note that hate speech is constitutionally protected under the First Amendment. However, the First Amendment only applies to government entities, not private businesses. Those who publish on Substack (or any other platform) have no constitutional right to free speech on that platform. Private companies can, with few exceptions, restrict whatever speech they wish.

With these opposing viewpoints, the battle lines were drawn.

Hamish McKenzie, one of the co-founders of Substack, responded to these open letters by acknowledging that Substack has “narrowly defined proscriptions” and confirming that the company will "stick to our decentralized approach to content moderation, which gives power to readers and writers." He also acknowledged that not everyone would agree with their position, but that they welcome a “robust debate about these issues.”

By the new year, several of those who joined the Substackers Against Nazis campaign left the platform, including Casey Newton of Platformer. A well-respected technology reporter, Newton left his job as a senior editor at The Verge in 2020 to launch Platformer on Substack. Substack actively recruited Newton to join the platform, offering a year of healthcare subsidies and ongoing legal support. Over three years, Platformer grew to more than 170,000 subscribers.

On January 11, 2024, Newton shared how and why he decided to leave Substack: “I’m not aware of any major US consumer internet platform that does not explicitly ban praise for Nazi hate speech, much less one that welcomes them to set up shop and start selling subscriptions.” Platformer grew their audience by taking full advantage of Substack’s built-in social network and recommendation engine. These tools are designed to help publications grow and monetize quickly because the more money these publications make, the more Substack makes. “That design demands responsible thinking about who will be promoted and how.”

In July 2025, Substack accidentally sent a push alert promoting one of the pro-Nazi publications on its platform. In an article on Engadget, Substack apologized for the error and noted that the relevant system was taken offline until the problems were addressed.

The next day, Casey Newton of Platformer responded to the story: “[B]ecause the platform invests heavily in social media-style growth hacks, it was inevitable that Substack would actively promote Nazi blogs across various surfaces."

Substack continues to stand by its decentralized approach to content moderation. Their laissez-faire approach, when combined with the platform’s social network and algorithmic recommendation engine, means that it still permits, promotes, and profits from hate speech. It also still relies on readers to decide what they read and writers to decide what they write.

So, how do you choose a newsletter platform?

When Substack started, it was the only subscription-based newsletter platform designed for those who wanted to adopt a paid subscription model. That’s no longer true. Today, you have options. To determine which option is right for you, ask yourself these five questions:

1. Do you want your newsletter to be a source of revenue? It may sound like a great idea to turn your newsletter into a source of revenue while also using it as a marketing tool, but doing so requires you to build out a second business. A subscription-based publication is a different business model from consulting, and it takes time, energy, and effort to build an audience large enough to ensure that your newsletter is self-supporting. If paid subscriptions are not essential to your business model, you can always stick with a traditional email newsletter service like SendFox, Kit, or Aweber.

2. Do you prefer decentralized content moderation? If you want your newsletter to be a source of revenue, and you prefer to be on a platform that espouses rigorous debate and practices decentralized content moderation, consider Substack. Just be ready to explain your rationale should anyone challenge your decision. Many people have only heard positive things about the platform, while some know only that it is associated with hate groups and right-wing influencers. Few have looked closely at the underlying debate about content moderation and free expression.

3. Do you prefer more robust content moderation? If you want your newsletter to be a source of revenue, and you prefer to be on a platform with a more robust content moderation policy, consider beehiiv. Just make sure you review their Acceptable Use Policy first, especially the sections on content violations and prohibited content. While beehiiv explicitly prohibits content that “incites violence, spreads hate speech, or uses dehumanizing language to target individuals or groups,” it also categorizes any content that “disparage[s] beehiiv or our partners, vendors, or affiliates” as a content violation.

4. Do you want sole responsibility for content moderation? If you want your newsletter to be a source of revenue, and you want to own the platform and be fully responsible for content moderation, consider Ghost.

5. Do you prioritize growth over the debate about content moderation? If you want your newsletter to be a source of revenue, you’re neutral about content moderation, and you want to be on a platform that makes setting up a subscription-based newsletter easy, consider Substack and beehiiv. If you prefer to build your audience through content marketing methods, beehiiv is the better option. If you prefer to build your audience through social networking, especially with other writers on the platform, Substack is the better option.

Regardless of which tool you choose for your email newsletter, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of their business models, content moderation policies, and approaches to growth. In addition to those core questions, make sure you can move off a platform (and take your subscribers with you) should you choose to do so. Also, review any policies related to privacy and copyright.

Your business is built on your reputation and your intellectual property. Protect those assets fiercely.

by Erica Holthausen

Are You in Danger of Building the Wrong Reputation?

What are you known for? How do other people introduce you? Now, what do you want to be known for?

Building a reputation as an authoritative expert takes time and a focused, consistent effort. But before you put in that time and effort, you need to know exactly what reputation you want to build. You need to know exactly how you want others to describe you and the work you do, even when you aren’t in the room.

Once you’ve clearly defined the reputation you intend to build, you can use it as a filter. Everything you do — every article you write, every presentation you give, and every offer you make — either enhances or diminishes your reputation. As a result, it’s remarkably easy to inadvertently confuse your audience and diminish your reputation.

The good news is that you can always get back on track.

Not every opportunity is an opportunity.

Many of us got into consulting because we want to be of service. But if you’re not careful, your desire to be of service can erode the reputation you seek to build.

The erosion of your reputation starts innocently. A client or a colleague asks you to do something that is not core to your work, but is tangentially related. Because you know you can help, and you value the relationship, you say yes.

That leads to another request related to the first, but even less related to our core work.

Before long, most of your time is taken up doing work that is far removed from the work you want to do. And the grateful client or colleague you helped? They eagerly refer you to others so you can do more of the work you don’t want to do.

You’ve built an excellent reputation. But it’s the wrong one.

Several years ago, a colleague asked me if I would step in after a last-minute cancellation to facilitate a conversation with her community of emerging business leaders. Because she was in a jam, and I value our relationship, I wanted to help. She shared that several members of her community were feeling trapped into doing work that was neither part of their job description nor what they wanted to do. I’m quite familiar with that challenge, so we decided to focus the session on how to build and maintain a reputation that advances your career by knowing when to take on outside tasks and when to pass them along to colleagues.

We had a great conversation.

Two weeks later, my colleague invited me to join her and her planning committee to discuss having me speak at a digital summit for emerging leaders. In the email, she raved about the session I led for her community and shared some participant feedback. I was flattered and nervous. She clearly thought highly of me, but for all the wrong reasons.

Where you focus matters.

While it is easy to be led astray by our own good intentions, that’s not the only way to diminish our reputations.

As a consultant, your work is multifaceted. Each facet is part of a cohesive whole. The interconnected nature of your work allows you to tailor each engagement to meet the client’s needs. The facets of your work thus come in and out of focus during an engagement, with one more important at the beginning and another taking priority toward the end of the engagement. That ebb and flow is expected. But when you emphasize one element and fail to balance it with the bigger picture, you risk becoming better known for that part than you are for the whole.

When generative AI hit the mainstream in 2023, it was heralded as a panacea, especially for consultants. With a well-written prompt and the click of a button, you could generate social media posts, articles, client reports, legal briefs, graphics — anything you need. It’s like having a team of associates at your beck and call.

Or so we were told.

I never bought into the hype, but because my work is centered on writing, I am often asked about generative AI. From the very beginning, I have encouraged people to proceed with caution. In many spaces, especially in those heady early days, I was one of only a handful of voices asking that we pump the brakes. As a result, I was getting a reputation as a generative AI curmudgeon.

I don’t mind being thought of as a curmudgeon, but I was becoming better known for my stance on generative AI than I was for the work I actually do. Generative AI is a useful tool for the work I do — it is neither a panacea nor the devil in digital form. But it is only a tool; it isn’t my work.

So, when I stumbled across a Forbes article on generative AI that made my blood boil, I had to stop and take a deep breath. If I reacted to the article, I would further enhance my reputation as a generative AI curmudgeon. In so doing, I would diminish my reputation as someone who equips consultants with the tools they need to write articles for high-visibility publications and use those articles to achieve their business goals.

Recalibrate to get back on track.

When you realize you’re in danger of building the wrong reputation, it’s time to stop and take stock of everything you are doing so you can rebuild the reputation you intend to build. How you recalibrate depends on how you got to this point.

If your reputation eroded over time as a result of agreeing to do something only tangentially related to your core work, it’s important to shift your thinking. Not every opportunity is an opportunity.

Sometimes what appears to be an opportunity is really a distraction.

When I was asked to speak at the digital summit for emerging leaders, I was hesitant. I could certainly speak to emerging leaders about building their reputations through thought leadership, but I’m not qualified to talk about traditional leadership topics. And since this wasn’t a paid speaking opportunity, I had to evaluate whether accepting this invitation would help me get in front of the right audience. The more I learned about the summit, the more I knew it wasn’t the right fit for me, and I wasn’t the right fit for them.

I declined the invitation to speak at the summit.

But just because this opportunity was not a good fit for me, didn’t mean it wasn’t a perfect fit for someone else. I introduced my colleague to my friend, Kristen. A leadership coach who had risen through the ranks of corporate America, she could provide valuable insights to the emerging leaders attending the summit.

And she did.

When you are faced with an opportunity that is really a distraction, think about how you might turn that distraction into a gift. Who do you know who would appreciate such an opportunity? Who do you know who would be the perfect fit for such an opportunity? By making that connection, you not only protect your reputation, you also serve the person who extended the opportunity to you and the person you recommend in your place.

Accepting opportunities that are not directly related to your work is only one way to inadvertently diminish your reputation. The other? Focusing on one element of your work at the expense of the bigger picture.

When I first read the Forbes article about ways to improve your ChatGPT prompts “according to science,” I wanted to hop up on my LinkedIn soapbox and go on a full-throated rant. The article weaponizes science, implying the results of a single study are incontrovertible. (That’s not how science works.) It also explains that ChatGPT generates better responses when users lie and threaten punishment. It thus trains its users to be deceitful bullies in their written communication.

I love the dopamine hit that comes with a good rant, but I needed to take a step back.

I decided to share the article, my thoughts about the article, and my internal debate about whether I should or shouldn’t write about it on LinkedIn with my colleagues on a private Slack channel. The thoughtful exchange on Slack helped me clarify how and when I talk about generative AI. It also served as the genesis of this article.

When you find that you are spending too much time and energy focused on one element of your work, take a step back. What do you want to be known for? How important is this particular element to the whole of your work? Does it really warrant this much attention? If you are particularly energized about this part of your work, can you find a private outlet for conversations around that piece? How can you give the people you are here to serve a more complete picture of the work you do? By answering these questions, you can bring balance back to your body of work and build the reputation you want to build.

Building a reputation as an authoritative expert takes time and a focused, consistent effort. While you cannot control how your audience regards you and the work you do, you can choose what you share with them. And if you find that your audience’s perception is something other than you want it to be, you can change course.

Your reputation is your most valuable asset.

Protect it.

by Erica Holthausen

How to Exponentially Increase Your Impact

If you want to increase your impact, expand your community, narrow your focus, and equip others with the tools they need to do the work you are uniquely suited to do in a way that is uniquely suited to them.

Many consultants work on specific projects within specific industries. They may work on one project for months or even years. If that’s true for you, it may be hard to see the extent of the impact of your work. While you can see the difference your work makes to that client, you might not see much impact outside of that sphere.

Some consultants are content to work with a handful of clients for their entire careers. They get to know those clients well and see projects through from beginning to end. They are part of a team, and for many folks, being part of a team is immensely satisfying. It can also feel safe and familiar.

But if you limit yourself to working with a handful of clients, and don’t take the opportunity to share your wisdom and insights with a larger audience, you are limiting the scope of your impact.

Create a vision for the future.

You got into this business to make a difference in your corner of the world. But you cannot create what you cannot see.

If you cannot see a vision for the future or how your work helps bring that vision to fruition, it’s almost impossible to create that future and incredibly easy to get mired in the day-to-day work of consulting.

Yes, you have bills to pay, invoices to send, networking groups to attend, and clients to serve. But you also have important work to do — work that makes a difference. And if you are focused on the minutia, it’s hard to see what you are working towards or why it really matters.

Take some time to envision the transformation you seek to make in the world, especially as it relates to the work you do with your clients. What would you like your clients to know? What would you like them to do differently? What skills and resources do they need to operate that way? What gets in the way and keeps them from making the necessary changes? What have they tried before? Why hasn’t that worked?

By answering these questions, you will more clearly define your BIG idea — the bold, insightful, and galvanizing idea that serves as the foundation of your business and your reputation. Your BIG idea is a guiding principle for your business; it will define the services you offer, the topics you talk about, and the subjects you write about. The more intentionally you focus your work around that one overarching idea, the easier it will be for you to build your reputation around and to become known for that idea.

Build a community with a shared vision.

If your professional inner circle is currently smaller than you would like it to be, that’s okay. Even a small inner circle can provide you with a strong foundation. As you share your vision for the future with the people in your inner circle, including your clients, colleagues, and partners, start to build a community around that vision.

A strong inner circle is a great place to stress test and refine your vision for the future. The members of your inner circle who are most engaged with your vision can add to it, point out areas of weakness, and help you refine and strengthen it. The stronger your vision for the future, the easier it will be to share it with a larger audience.

As you start to expand your community, think about who else might share your vision and who you will need to collaborate with to make your vision a reality. Is your vision focused on a specific industry or people who serve in a specific role? What do those who share your vision have in common?

Remember that you don’t need to share your vision with everyone. Think of your community as a series of concentric circles centered on a shared vision. As you share your vision with your inner circle, your reach expands along with the size of your community.

One of the best ways to share your vision with people you don’t yet know, but who would be interested, is to write for high-visibility publications. When you write for the right publication, you are able to share your vision with a well-established, targeted audience.

But that’s not all. Writing for high-visibility publications also allows you to enjoy the imprimatur of the publication — their editorial team vetted you, and by publishing your work, they are signaling to their audience that you are an authority in your field. You are effectively borrowing the publication’s reputation and relationship with its audience and using that social proof to build your own reputation and relationships.

As you build a community around this shared vision, others will add their perspectives and experiences to it — they will start taking ownership of the vision and actively work toward implementing it. That may sound frightening, but it’s the only way your vision will ever be realized.

While it may have started with you, a shared vision isn’t actually yours — nor was it ever meant to be. But you still have a crucial role to play in realizing that vision.

Define how your work contributes to the shared vision.

How does your work contribute to this shared vision? Which part of that shared vision are you uniquely suited to address? Which part energizes and inspires you?

Everything we do has ripple effects. But it’s hard to see the effect those ripples have on others, and easy to believe that the impact we have is smaller than it is. When we can’t see the impact we’re making, it can be tempting to expand your focus. But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Expanding your focus and taking on even more work — especially work that isn’t particularly interesting — is a sure-fire way to spread yourself too thin and burn out.

Not all of the work that needs to be done to realize a shared vision is yours to do.

So, what work is yours to do? What is your greatest gift to give? What work belongs to someone else (even if you aren’t sure who that someone else is)?

Knowing what work is yours, and what work belongs to someone else, will help you focus on where you can make the biggest impact. It is possible to scale your impact even as you narrow your focus. Writing for high-visibility publications and speaking to other people’s audiences will help you accomplish this goal. More sophisticated tactics include developing a signature method so you can serve more people at once and licensing your expertise to enable others to do the work you do.

Creating change is hard, and you cannot do it alone. You need others working alongside you doing the same work and spreading the same message. And you need them to be able to bring their full selves to that work. Not everyone who needs your help will want that help from you. It is impossible for you to serve everyone who needs your help, and the truth is, you won’t want to serve everyone who needs your help.

If you really want to make a difference, you must share your perspective with others. You must build your community around a shared vision for the future, and you must allow, and even celebrate, others doing the same work you do.

Once you are clear about the change you want to see and the work that is yours to do, use it as a guide for everything you do. Your focused efforts will have a profound ripple effect.

by Erica Holthausen