Here to say that I completely share your view on affiliate links--I am happy to have a way to support those who are creating content that I value and sharing quality recommendations. I always appreciate the disclosure, of course. They are not a deal-breaker for me at all; if anything, they are helpful as I can decide when to spend money vs. having a monthly subscription fee.
Hi! Just here to say that affiliate links don’t bother me at all. I guess what does bother me is when all content becomes shopping-focused, when I am here for the musings :) Tbh sponsorships and ads don’t bother me much either -- I know writers need to make money, and I always appreciate when content is free to me.
I also have to admit that Substack paywalls are tough as a reader. Like you say, I want to pay writers for their work but paying each individual quickly becomes unrealistic with other budgetary priorities and the cost of living.
I really appreciated the unpacking of the grey zone here! $15 per fleece!!!! That kind of pay transparency IS helpful to understand.
Where I lost trust in another blog you mention that no longer creates posts is that it was packed to the brim with “recommendations” in a way that lacked all credibility and perpetuated consumerism in a way that felt disingenuous. There is a threshold I think. Do you love it, or are you trying to make $15 per fleece? It becomes a REALLY fine line as a reader.
I can actually see some kind of “agreement” with readers being beneficial. A check in. How many links to keep your trust? Lol. Like right now my gut would say 2-3 links per issue, and the reiteration in every issue of a creator’s commitment to low affiliate link usage, would *probably* maintain my trust. More than that, and the motive is too murky. I online shop all day long, I too can find cool things on the internet, but there’s no curation when it’s packed. I don’t care about everything you love. I tell my husband this all the time: “you can’t LOVE everything, if you love absolutely everything, you really love nothing.” It’s just too obvious what is happening, and it perpetuates consumerism in the worst way.
I think people are over that level of consumerism which is why TikTok/Instagram are just ads and losing momentum. We don’t need every pair of jeans. We don’t need 5 tan trench coats. We don’t need 45 sweatsuits. It’s not realistic, our closets are too small. But what is TRULY special— what is really a great find— that can matter.
I guess this is to say that “no affiliate links” as a brand is similarly problematic. Okay so you still are telling me to buy things. I think maybe there’s something to your idea about communities of friendship and connection— I don’t want to buy more things. I can find enough things to buy. I do lack connection and avenues to foster more. That’s real.
Just wanted to say I thought this was a really refreshing take!! Have also been struggling with a lot of my favorite content being behind small paywalls now--feels very much akin to the streaming saga: breaking the cable monolith, having more consumer choice, but then ending up with more subscriptions and realizing you’re paying more overall per month than you might’ve been for your original cable bill. Now, I’m paying more for individual creator subscriptions than my NYT subscriptions. This makes me think of a similar convo I’ve been having recently with friends: we’re placing blame and responsibility with ourselves, when the system(s) should be held accountable. For example, online publications should hire writers, support unions, pay them well, and give them creative freedom. However, *we* are the aspects we can most easily control, and that type of larger change takes much more time. Making changes on individual levels gives us agency, but can take away + act as an immediate salve to the initiative needed to keep solving the larger problem en masse. Those publications are also just another entity within capitalism (#tearitalldown). So the brunt of solving systemic problems ends up being up to individual creators, although I equally understand how not having an editor to report into can feel like a huge sigh of relief. There are a lot of good reasons to say fuck it to a boss and work for yourself. All in all: I love the way you’re thinking about this, and would be down to see a few affiliate links per issue.
Fellow marketer here going through the same identity/internet crisis you are. The joy! The night sweats!
In the name of transparency (your fave) I use to be a paying subscriber, but after buying a home and taking a hard look at finances, I realized my paid-subscriptions had snowballed and I needed to significantly cut back on all but a core few.
However, I too have come around on affiliate links, and hold the same position as you. Since I am only fed links from sources I choose to follow and trust, they feel less (spamy? pushy? markety?) and allow me to support voices with purchases that benefit my interests (win-win!)
The only thing that still gives me the heebie-jeebies are sponsored posts/ads. I 100% understand their place, but when I see 3, 5, 10 voices hawking the same product in the same week, it feels like I am deduced to a # that makes them money. It's the same, but it's different, ya know?
TL;DR: Affiliate links away! Would appreciate a different path to support while I recover from my subscription burnout.
Also, I just noticed the asterick, but I don't think you need an editor! I think the same purpose would be achieved with some headers and subheaders to break it down a bit (instead of cutting down on the actual words/ content)
I’m completely ok with affiliate links! I agree that it’s kind of a finders fee and like you, I try to seek them out if buying something that was recommended.
The issue for me is more the business model of churning out a ton of gift guides etc that are hocking mostly high priced items so that there is a bigger roi (rather than genuine recommendations). Like when Shopbop has a sale and there is a gift guide on favorite items, it doesn’t really seem authentic, so much as an opportunity to use affiliate links on expensive items.
…But it’s also a catch 22 because I’d probably be ok with that kind of gift guide too, if I trusted the writer!
I am ok with affiliate links from a creator I trust. Joining the chorus here that I am constantly torn between wanting to support writers I love on Substack, and simply not being able to afford sooo many subscriptions. There are a core few, including yours, that I open without fail, but many (like Downtime) just remain unopened now as they are a bit pointless when I’m not behind the paywall.
Also, I love your long form essays, and I hope you continue doing them in some form even if not weekly. There is such a gap for honest, personal/cultural long form thinking and writing the way you do it.
Agree that if the creators you’re following are open and honest about the products they’re promoting, affiliate links are more than okay!
As the consumers in this market, it’s up to us to decide if we like how our chosen creators are running their businesses. If you think a creator is toxic and only schilling products to make a buck, *unfollow*
I think you hit it on the head by mentioning if everything is behind a paywall, only those with the means are able to access the breadth of content that could benefit us all. The internet is weird and ever-evolving and I wish there was a simple way for everyone to make a living by simply creating good, solid content, but that’s just not the current climate.
I also wish you could recoup the money for those people who bought that coat! I almost bought it haha but realized I moved to Texas and probably don’t need another jacket.
All in all, you have an audience, and I don’t think you should feel bad about using your sphere of influence to make a buck if you genuinely enjoy a product. Hell, if I enjoy it, I’d be more than glad that you got a small cut of my original purchase! You’re providing a service at the end of the day, or none of us would be here.
At the risk of being long-winded, I think this long rambling issue of yours hit on so many valid parts of this larger conversation. We all like free stuff, but I think most of us here also want you and our other favorite content creators to be paid for their efforts. I would want to be paid for my work, and I think you deserve to be paid for yours.
Honestly, I so appreciate being let into your whole thought process here, even if it made it a longer read! I love the transparency and have also been struggling to figure out just how many Substacks I can subscribe to in order to support such brilliant writers while also being financial responsible to myself? I have no answers but fully support affiliate links!
Absolutely agree with everything you said about affiliate links. Please use them!
And I LOVE your essays. Will continue to follow and pay for the newsletter no matter what you do with it, but I do really really love your long form writing.
Affiliate links don’t bother me at all!!! I, like you, will purposely try to find one from the influencer who first introduced me to something. I never feel forced to buy anything. I’m a grown woman! I choose when to hit purchase! lol
Tbh, I subscribe to a handful of substack newsletters, but it’s not in my budget to pay for subscriptions for any of them. So instead, I enjoy the free content and work at not having FOMO on the content behind the paywall. I miss the Google reader/blog days!
I really respect how you’ve handled your newsletter and understand your dilemma!
If it’s an affiliate link to a product someone would recommend naturally, then I’m totally fine with it. But when people recommend a different “best X ever” every few weeks I feel taken advantage of, like there was a particularly good deal on the influencer side of the product.
I’d happily follow affiliate links if they came from you, because your writing style and thoughtful balance between paid and free posts makes me feel respected as a reader. I live in Europe though, so 99% of the products I see recommended can’t be easily purchased here. That can be pretty frustrating.
I also think that substack fees are difficult to afford! I just realised after a year that I accidentally had TWO paid subscriptions to the same substack. Ouch! Generally I feel like I need to decide on one substack to subscribe to, when it would be so wonderful to read them intertextually (for example, you and Leslie!)
Hi Kelly! Just wanted to say that I don’t have (and never had) an issue with affiliate links :)
I can understand why some people might. But to me what feels ‘icky’ is more Instagram/blog post ads that really feel like an ad (as in, not something the person is genuinely excited about) or aren’t clearly signalled as such. Or when Prime puts an ad in-between every episode of a series *eyeroll*
And as another person said in the comments, for me ultimately it goes back to whether I ‘trust’ the writer to recommend items they actually like. And (again, for me) it’s done through reading honest/vulnerable/personalised essays like your newsletter usually are. For work I spend my days on LinkedIn sifting through AI or ‘catchy’ content about… nothing. Reading essays like yours is a personalised and human experience that takes me back to the early days of blogging :)
I completely agree with your view on affiliate links and am happy to support that shift for you! But, I really subscribed to you for the long-form essay content...so I hope that when you say "slightly less essay-heavy and more fun," there is still a focus on that piece in the revamped version!
As a marketer and person who is thoughtful about capitalism and overconsumption, I trust you to do affiliate links in a way that is not annoying or problematic. One thing I think about is with so many individual creators going behind paywalls and our budgets to subscribe to a few being finite, are our media diets going to shrink and we'll be listening to fewer voices? I know that I can only subscribe to a few and usually try to follow the free version of newsletters for months or years before I finally commit to a monthly payment. But since there are fewer publications pulling in a bunch of voices and I'm paying for insights piecemeal, am I actually limiting who I'm being influenced by? Obviously, you have to trust publications to vet their contributors and come with judgment to entertain ideas without just accepting them in an environment where there are a bunch big platforms that have a lot of contributors making content available for free. I've had all this same stuff on my mind, and none of it feels good or easy.
Here to say that I completely share your view on affiliate links--I am happy to have a way to support those who are creating content that I value and sharing quality recommendations. I always appreciate the disclosure, of course. They are not a deal-breaker for me at all; if anything, they are helpful as I can decide when to spend money vs. having a monthly subscription fee.
Hi! Just here to say that affiliate links don’t bother me at all. I guess what does bother me is when all content becomes shopping-focused, when I am here for the musings :) Tbh sponsorships and ads don’t bother me much either -- I know writers need to make money, and I always appreciate when content is free to me.
I also have to admit that Substack paywalls are tough as a reader. Like you say, I want to pay writers for their work but paying each individual quickly becomes unrealistic with other budgetary priorities and the cost of living.
I really appreciated the unpacking of the grey zone here! $15 per fleece!!!! That kind of pay transparency IS helpful to understand.
Where I lost trust in another blog you mention that no longer creates posts is that it was packed to the brim with “recommendations” in a way that lacked all credibility and perpetuated consumerism in a way that felt disingenuous. There is a threshold I think. Do you love it, or are you trying to make $15 per fleece? It becomes a REALLY fine line as a reader.
I can actually see some kind of “agreement” with readers being beneficial. A check in. How many links to keep your trust? Lol. Like right now my gut would say 2-3 links per issue, and the reiteration in every issue of a creator’s commitment to low affiliate link usage, would *probably* maintain my trust. More than that, and the motive is too murky. I online shop all day long, I too can find cool things on the internet, but there’s no curation when it’s packed. I don’t care about everything you love. I tell my husband this all the time: “you can’t LOVE everything, if you love absolutely everything, you really love nothing.” It’s just too obvious what is happening, and it perpetuates consumerism in the worst way.
I think people are over that level of consumerism which is why TikTok/Instagram are just ads and losing momentum. We don’t need every pair of jeans. We don’t need 5 tan trench coats. We don’t need 45 sweatsuits. It’s not realistic, our closets are too small. But what is TRULY special— what is really a great find— that can matter.
I guess this is to say that “no affiliate links” as a brand is similarly problematic. Okay so you still are telling me to buy things. I think maybe there’s something to your idea about communities of friendship and connection— I don’t want to buy more things. I can find enough things to buy. I do lack connection and avenues to foster more. That’s real.
What a topic!!!
Just wanted to say I thought this was a really refreshing take!! Have also been struggling with a lot of my favorite content being behind small paywalls now--feels very much akin to the streaming saga: breaking the cable monolith, having more consumer choice, but then ending up with more subscriptions and realizing you’re paying more overall per month than you might’ve been for your original cable bill. Now, I’m paying more for individual creator subscriptions than my NYT subscriptions. This makes me think of a similar convo I’ve been having recently with friends: we’re placing blame and responsibility with ourselves, when the system(s) should be held accountable. For example, online publications should hire writers, support unions, pay them well, and give them creative freedom. However, *we* are the aspects we can most easily control, and that type of larger change takes much more time. Making changes on individual levels gives us agency, but can take away + act as an immediate salve to the initiative needed to keep solving the larger problem en masse. Those publications are also just another entity within capitalism (#tearitalldown). So the brunt of solving systemic problems ends up being up to individual creators, although I equally understand how not having an editor to report into can feel like a huge sigh of relief. There are a lot of good reasons to say fuck it to a boss and work for yourself. All in all: I love the way you’re thinking about this, and would be down to see a few affiliate links per issue.
Fellow marketer here going through the same identity/internet crisis you are. The joy! The night sweats!
In the name of transparency (your fave) I use to be a paying subscriber, but after buying a home and taking a hard look at finances, I realized my paid-subscriptions had snowballed and I needed to significantly cut back on all but a core few.
However, I too have come around on affiliate links, and hold the same position as you. Since I am only fed links from sources I choose to follow and trust, they feel less (spamy? pushy? markety?) and allow me to support voices with purchases that benefit my interests (win-win!)
The only thing that still gives me the heebie-jeebies are sponsored posts/ads. I 100% understand their place, but when I see 3, 5, 10 voices hawking the same product in the same week, it feels like I am deduced to a # that makes them money. It's the same, but it's different, ya know?
TL;DR: Affiliate links away! Would appreciate a different path to support while I recover from my subscription burnout.
Also, I just noticed the asterick, but I don't think you need an editor! I think the same purpose would be achieved with some headers and subheaders to break it down a bit (instead of cutting down on the actual words/ content)
I’m completely ok with affiliate links! I agree that it’s kind of a finders fee and like you, I try to seek them out if buying something that was recommended.
The issue for me is more the business model of churning out a ton of gift guides etc that are hocking mostly high priced items so that there is a bigger roi (rather than genuine recommendations). Like when Shopbop has a sale and there is a gift guide on favorite items, it doesn’t really seem authentic, so much as an opportunity to use affiliate links on expensive items.
…But it’s also a catch 22 because I’d probably be ok with that kind of gift guide too, if I trusted the writer!
I am ok with affiliate links from a creator I trust. Joining the chorus here that I am constantly torn between wanting to support writers I love on Substack, and simply not being able to afford sooo many subscriptions. There are a core few, including yours, that I open without fail, but many (like Downtime) just remain unopened now as they are a bit pointless when I’m not behind the paywall.
Also, I love your long form essays, and I hope you continue doing them in some form even if not weekly. There is such a gap for honest, personal/cultural long form thinking and writing the way you do it.
Agree that if the creators you’re following are open and honest about the products they’re promoting, affiliate links are more than okay!
As the consumers in this market, it’s up to us to decide if we like how our chosen creators are running their businesses. If you think a creator is toxic and only schilling products to make a buck, *unfollow*
I think you hit it on the head by mentioning if everything is behind a paywall, only those with the means are able to access the breadth of content that could benefit us all. The internet is weird and ever-evolving and I wish there was a simple way for everyone to make a living by simply creating good, solid content, but that’s just not the current climate.
I also wish you could recoup the money for those people who bought that coat! I almost bought it haha but realized I moved to Texas and probably don’t need another jacket.
All in all, you have an audience, and I don’t think you should feel bad about using your sphere of influence to make a buck if you genuinely enjoy a product. Hell, if I enjoy it, I’d be more than glad that you got a small cut of my original purchase! You’re providing a service at the end of the day, or none of us would be here.
At the risk of being long-winded, I think this long rambling issue of yours hit on so many valid parts of this larger conversation. We all like free stuff, but I think most of us here also want you and our other favorite content creators to be paid for their efforts. I would want to be paid for my work, and I think you deserve to be paid for yours.
Honestly, I so appreciate being let into your whole thought process here, even if it made it a longer read! I love the transparency and have also been struggling to figure out just how many Substacks I can subscribe to in order to support such brilliant writers while also being financial responsible to myself? I have no answers but fully support affiliate links!
Absolutely agree with everything you said about affiliate links. Please use them!
And I LOVE your essays. Will continue to follow and pay for the newsletter no matter what you do with it, but I do really really love your long form writing.
Affiliate links don’t bother me at all!!! I, like you, will purposely try to find one from the influencer who first introduced me to something. I never feel forced to buy anything. I’m a grown woman! I choose when to hit purchase! lol
Tbh, I subscribe to a handful of substack newsletters, but it’s not in my budget to pay for subscriptions for any of them. So instead, I enjoy the free content and work at not having FOMO on the content behind the paywall. I miss the Google reader/blog days!
I really respect how you’ve handled your newsletter and understand your dilemma!
If it’s an affiliate link to a product someone would recommend naturally, then I’m totally fine with it. But when people recommend a different “best X ever” every few weeks I feel taken advantage of, like there was a particularly good deal on the influencer side of the product.
I’d happily follow affiliate links if they came from you, because your writing style and thoughtful balance between paid and free posts makes me feel respected as a reader. I live in Europe though, so 99% of the products I see recommended can’t be easily purchased here. That can be pretty frustrating.
I also think that substack fees are difficult to afford! I just realised after a year that I accidentally had TWO paid subscriptions to the same substack. Ouch! Generally I feel like I need to decide on one substack to subscribe to, when it would be so wonderful to read them intertextually (for example, you and Leslie!)
Hi Kelly! Just wanted to say that I don’t have (and never had) an issue with affiliate links :)
I can understand why some people might. But to me what feels ‘icky’ is more Instagram/blog post ads that really feel like an ad (as in, not something the person is genuinely excited about) or aren’t clearly signalled as such. Or when Prime puts an ad in-between every episode of a series *eyeroll*
And as another person said in the comments, for me ultimately it goes back to whether I ‘trust’ the writer to recommend items they actually like. And (again, for me) it’s done through reading honest/vulnerable/personalised essays like your newsletter usually are. For work I spend my days on LinkedIn sifting through AI or ‘catchy’ content about… nothing. Reading essays like yours is a personalised and human experience that takes me back to the early days of blogging :)
I completely agree with your view on affiliate links and am happy to support that shift for you! But, I really subscribed to you for the long-form essay content...so I hope that when you say "slightly less essay-heavy and more fun," there is still a focus on that piece in the revamped version!
As a marketer and person who is thoughtful about capitalism and overconsumption, I trust you to do affiliate links in a way that is not annoying or problematic. One thing I think about is with so many individual creators going behind paywalls and our budgets to subscribe to a few being finite, are our media diets going to shrink and we'll be listening to fewer voices? I know that I can only subscribe to a few and usually try to follow the free version of newsletters for months or years before I finally commit to a monthly payment. But since there are fewer publications pulling in a bunch of voices and I'm paying for insights piecemeal, am I actually limiting who I'm being influenced by? Obviously, you have to trust publications to vet their contributors and come with judgment to entertain ideas without just accepting them in an environment where there are a bunch big platforms that have a lot of contributors making content available for free. I've had all this same stuff on my mind, and none of it feels good or easy.