Newsletter ❤️ with Farrah Storr
Meet the first head of UK writer partnerships at Substack | #75
I’ve asked Farrah Storr to come and talk to the NUJ about her new role as the first head of UK writer partnerships at Substack and best practices for running a paid publication on the platform.
NUJ London Freelance: Newsletter ❤️ with Farrah Storr, Monday 14 February, details here.
Press Gazette ran a piece with the former Cosmopolitan and Elle UK editor-in-chief on the new role, why she left magazines for newspapers, and what kind of writing she’d like to see on the platform: “very strong independent voices”, many of whom cover “quite niche subjects”.
And although she will go after some “big names” with “large followings”, “what I’m really interested in is bringing a really broad cross-section to the platform.
Which includes more female writers. And a concerted push for UK-based writers - the company has said the UK is its second-largest market for readers and writers.
Interesting to hear her views on the kinds of writing that do well on Substack:
It’s not actually what you’re writing about. It’s not the content. It’s those who are passionate about what they write about, and therefore they probably write more frequently.
If you write what you’re passionate about, you’re going to engage with your audience on a more regular basis. And because that means you’re going to be popping into your audience’s inbox more frequently, the intimacy between audience and writer becomes stronger. And that’s something I would have killed for when I was editing a magazine.
Looking forward to it! Come along if you’re an NUJ member. There will be a follow-up report on the LFB website, and I’ll do a recap.
Have a question for Farrah or the partnerships team?
Farrah’s newsletter: Things Worth Knowing
Press Gazette’s series exploring new ways to make journalism pay. Inspiring to see Substack has over half a million paid subscribers 🙌
Substack Go, a month-long programme for Substack writers - just started this and finding the small squads inspiring
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