In early August, Doomberg, the leading publication in the finance category on Substack, announced that they were opting out of X (fka Twitter) and putting all their focus on Substack.
The Doomberg team had built much of their brand and reach on Twitter through a strategy that leaned on getting their goggle-eyed green chicken avatar in front of as many people as possible through timely tweets, threads, and storytelling around their Substack posts. They coupled this active Twitter presence with appearing on as many podcasts as they possibly could to deepen their relationship with finance-minded readers (listen to our interview with Doomberg for The Active Voice for more on that strategy).
Shifting their focus entirely to Substack, with an emphasis on Notes, was a bold move by the green chicken, but they say the decision was ultimately straightforward. They came to feel that X was operating against their interests, while Substack was directly aligned with them. “We settled on Notes because the team at Substack has been our partner from the beginning,” Doomberg wrote.
I got on a Zoom call with the green chicken to dive deeper into their thinking behind the move and explore what it says about long-term thinking. I hope some of these takeaways are useful for all independent writers. You can listen to the interview above, read the full transcript attached to this post, or enjoy a condensed version of the discussion below.
Dear writer: Advice on creating a sacred writing space
Introducing new audio transcription tools for Substack
Dear writer: Advice on conjuring good ideas
Dear writer: Advice on facing the behemoths
Dear writer: Advice on prioritizing your to-do list
Dear writer: Advice on tackling difficult stories
Dear Writer: Advice on writing like it matters
Introducing The Active Voice, a new podcast about writing and the internet
Dear Writer: Advice on bringing your unique skills together
Dear Writer: Advice on writing through isolation
Coming Soon: A special opportunity for sound-centric publications
Learnings from one year of Writer Office Hours
Dear writer: Advice on preserving your energy
Dear Writer: Advice on conducting a great interview
Podcasting, but better
Dear Writer: Advice on creating trust with your readers
Dear Writer: Advice on recognizing what you've accomplished
George Saunders, welcome to Substack
Four years on Substack: A conversation with Bill Bishop, Substacker #1
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Gulliver’s Travels
Pollyanna
Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame