Substack's co-founder wants to save the media
Smarter Substack | Feb 25, 2026
Substack’s co-founder just announced a book about why independent creators are the future of media — and it’s built on what you’re already doing.
Today’s 3 resources dig into the big picture, the growth engine most creators underuse, and a brutally honest take on AI-generated content.
📈 Growth
How to Use Substack Notes to Grow Your Newsletter in 2026 — Carrie Loranger grew from 11 to 5,800+ subscribers in six months, and Notes drove over 60% of that growth. She breaks down her 7 rotating Note formats, the posting cadence that compounds, and why generosity Notes convert faster than tactical ones. If you’re posting fewer than 3 Notes a day, this is your wake-up call.
📣 Substack News
Substack Co-Founder Announces “How to Save the Media” — McKenzie is writing a book about the state of media and why the direct-to-audience model is the way forward. The big picture for creators: Substack’s leadership is doubling down on the vision that independent writers can replace legacy media — and the platform now has over 5 million paid subscriptions to back it up. Worth paying attention to where the platform is heading.
🧠 Strategy
Why AI Won’t Get You to 1,000,000 Followers — This creator breaks down why most AI-generated content fails on LinkedIn, and the same arguments apply to Substack as well. The core insight: AI eliminated the value of effort and strategy — what’s left is taste and consistency. He shares the exact Claude prompts he uses to create content that’s useful to the reader instead of self-congratulatory.
P.S. Want to go deeper on Notes? Substack Notes Demystified breaks down the exact systems behind viral Notes.
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The gif choice is brilliant 😂
Thank you for these recommendations, I saved a couple of them to carefully read later! 👍