Substack launches Substack Reader, an RSS reader for tracking newsletter subscriptions and other feeds, in beta

Substack Reader is now available in beta — If you're worried about all your newsletter subscriptions getting lost in your inbox, Substack may have a solution.

The Verge 2020-12-17 Jacob Kastrenakes

Context & Ripple Effects

Substack's business is paid newsletters delivered by email, which makes the inbox its single point of failure — cluttered folders mean lapsed reads and churned subscriptions. The beta of Substack Reader moves reading onto Substack's own surface, tracking both Substack publications and other RSS feeds.

The move is the seed of a broader client strategy: Substack later shipped a native iOS reading app, then added a pause-email option so subscribers read only in the app, and finally brought the Reader to the web with search, recommendations, and support for non-Substack RSS feeds.

First-order effects

Newsletter subscribers get a dedicated place to read Substack and non-Substack feeds without digging through their inbox, reducing missed issues at the moment of launch.

Second-order effects

Owning the reading surface lets Substack convert email delivery from a necessity into an option — once readers live in the app or Reader, competitors' newsletters reach those users through Substack's client rather than their own channel.

Third-order effects

If the pattern holds, newsletter platforms consolidate around owned reading clients the way social platforms own their feeds, turning open email and RSS into back-end transport while discovery, recommendations, and retention happen inside the platform.

The trend: Newsletter publishing is shifting from email-as-product to platform-owned reading clients, with RSS and inbox delivery demoted to plumbing.

Discussion

@substackinc Substack on x
Introducing Reader, a cozy space for you to keep up with your newsletters, as well as more ways for you to discover writers from our new homepage. https://blog.substack.com/...
@delia_cai Delia Cai on x
oooooh the new Substack Reader is so nice!! all your favorite writers on one URL.......a concept! https://twitter.com/...
@charlesflehman Charles Fain Lehman on x
Substack leaning fully into its “early 2000s bloggers” brand https://twitter.com/...
@film_girl Christina Warren on x
Nice move from @SubstackInc — my favorite RSS service @feedbin has a similar feature but also supports all feeds and has more customizations so if you love the idea of a newsletter reader but want something more robust check it out https://www.theverge.com/...
@kimmaicutler Kim-Mai Cutler on x
I miss Google Reader so much. It should've never died. https://twitter.com/...
@rklau Rick Klau on x
3/ HOWEVER, I now have close to 200 emails welcoming me to their newsletter. This is... not great. https://twitter.com/...
@britnidlc Britni de la Cretaz on x
did they just re-invent google reader https://twitter.com/...
@rklau Rick Klau on x
6/ From a usability POV, the inbox is... full of room for improvement. You can't actually read any of the items from the stream - whether you click on an item or a newsletter in the left nav, it opens a new window. This makes reading feel choppy, and requires way too many clicks.
@pratikpoddar Pratik Poddar on x
As expected :-) Difficult to capture value as a tool. They had to go towards discovery model! https://twitter.com/...
@rklau Rick Klau on x
2/ it took me through a warm welcome flow to find newsletters from folks I already follow on Twitter. Which is a great way to solve the cold start problem, and a nice way to leverage intent expressed elsewhere.
@jbenton Joshua Benton on x
I hope people aren't sleeping on what an incredible source of competitive data this will be for @SubstackInc if it takes off. https://www.theverge.com/...
@seldo Laurie Voss on x
After the death of Google Reader, the turn to email, we have turned all the way back to... an RSS reader, except this time you pay https://www.theverge.com/...
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on x
Substack launching an RSS reader is the most predictable yet necessary evolution of their product. Being based on email means they're a Gmail spam filter tweak from going out of business (ask Groupon) and subscribers lack dedicated tools for reading. https://www.theverge.com/...
@nathanblawrence Nathan Lawrence on x
Really Smart, Substack Readers Somehow Seem to Require Some Syndication. Rightly, Substack Supplied. But, use Remains Solely Substack. :( https://twitter.com/...
@thestalwart Joe Weisenthal on x
Wonder if paid subscription newsletters that don't use Substack willl be readable in this. If not, could create a big implicit penalty for using a competitor. https://twitter.com/...
@sub8u Subrahmanyam Kvj on x
No bad ideas. Only bad timing. Coupled with people who don't understand value of great apps & shut them down. https://twitter.com/...
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
RSS is reborn (but privatized) Seriously though, this is really smart on Substack's part https://twitter.com/...
@silviakillings Silvia Killingsworth on x
AHEM GOOGLE https://twitter.com/...
@pjvogt PJ Vogt on x
That was fast and I appreciate it https://twitter.com/...
@can Can Duruk on x
Remember email? https://twitter.com/...
@ebencuya Eitan Bencuya on x
This is great and long overdue. I look forward to a world where we think of newsletters more like podcasts than emails. https://twitter.com/...
@jake_k Jake Kastrenakes on x
eventually, substack is looking at adding discovery features inside the reader to help people find new newsletters to read https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@edbott Ed Bott on x
Placing my bets on Google buying Substack just so they can kill another RSS reader. https://twitter.com/...
@tim_stevens Tim Stevens on x
Everything old is new again. https://twitter.com/...
@prsarahevans Sarah Evans on x
.@jaycodon moved “A Media Operator” newsletter away from Substack and built an alternative. Here's what he used: -WordPress & WP Engine -MailChimp -Pico -Stripe -Captivate More on why he decided to leave: https://www.amediaoperator.com/ ...

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