Elon Musk Blocks "Hostile Rival" Substack - Here's Why
Rude surprise for Substack creators. Most creators rely on Twitter. It's their number one driver for growth - Musk knows this and bans links and content from Substack.
Within the last past days, Elon Musk has been making some unexplained and perplexing changes to Twitter.
He swapped the iconic bird logo for a Dogecoin-associated Shiba Inu
In what some spectators saw to be a crude prank, he covered the letter "w" in the name of Twitter at the San Francisco headquarters.
However, the most concerning change for Substack creators came a few hours ago when Twitter started blocking links to Substack content.
Apparently, Substack joined the ranks of unwelcome sites such as Mastodon, Facebook, and Instagram.
Yesterday, I logged into Twitter and checked my latest tweets which linked to Substack because some users informed me that my links weren’t working.
Rude surprise! This irritating warning popped up:
This means if you share a Substack link on Twitter users can’t access your content— unless they click on “Ignore this warning and continue”. But who does this?
Of course, our Substack links are not unsafe and not spammy… but apparently Elon Musk doesn’t want users to leave the platform and check out a post on Substack.
In addition, users can’t like or reshare a tweet with a Substack link anymore.
They also can’t bookmark a tweet to check back on it later.
Why does Elon Musk block Substack?
Musk’s decision is believed to stem from the perception of Substack as a rival to Twitter.
Musk doesn’t shy from restricting competitors such as Mastodon (the Anti-Twitter), Instagram, or Facebook and content (from the mainstream media) he doesn’t like.
Many Substack creators rely on Twitter.
It’s their number one driver for growth. Most of their traffic and subscribers come from Twitter.
Elon knows about this.
What do Substack’s founders say?
Apparently, Substack can’t do anything about the ban on tweets featuring Substack content right now.
The three Substack founders, Chris Best Hamish McKenzie Killed Someone Jairaj Sethi shared with The Verge that they were “disappointed” by Twitter’s decision.
“Writers deserve the freedom to share links to Substack or anywhere else,” they added.
“This abrupt change is a reminder of why writers deserve a model that puts them in charge, that rewards great work with money and that protects the free press and free speech.”
Yesterday, Hamish shared on Twitter a thread starting with “Today, Twitter started blocking links to Substack. We hope this action was made in error and is only temporary.”
Why did Musk ban Substack now?
Last Wednesday, Substack introduced a new feature called Substack Notes.
You could say it mimics Twitter (or other social media platforms).
Why?
It lets creators post short updates and readers can like, repost and reply.
“Notes lets writers publish short-form posts and recommend almost anything: quotes, links, images, and comments”, Hamish McKenzie shared on Twitter.
What do Substack creators say?
Simon Rosenberg with Hopium Chronicles With Simon Rosenberg
“In cutting off access to Substack, Elon is banning access to free and highly informative content on the internet,” shared Simon Rosenberg on Twitter. He added: “It is censorship of the very worst kind.”
Hunter Harris with Hung Up
“This is a huge inconvenience,” she shared and added, “It’s incredibly petty.”
Jonathan M. Katz with The Racket
Matt Taibbi, one of Substack's most successful creators, with Racket News
If you search for Substack on Twitter, this happens…
The first hit is Substack Twitter because so many creators and (former) Musk fans are shocked about this move.
However, some also shared some helpful tips and tricks on what you can do to continue to drive traffic to your site from Twitter:
You can still post a linked screenshot.
You can embed a Substack link as a quote-tweet — but only by pasting its URL into a fresh tweet.
You can link to your Medium (LinkedIn, Vocal, NewsBreak) article where you embed a link to your Substack newsletter.
Any other ideas?
What’s your opinion?
A - It’s the abandonment of Musk’s free speech principle.
B - This rude surprise is concerning.
C - It’s time to re-evaluate my strategy on Twitter. Maybe I’ll leave Twitter and move to Substack and Substack Notes.
D - Mastodon isn’t a real alternative… we need another Twitter.
E - I’m disappointed with Twitter for pulling such a stunt.
F - Writers deserve the freedom to share links to Substack from Twitter. We should start a petition.
E - …
Call to action!
As a community of writers and creators, we should be able to share our work freely and without fear of censorship.
What do you think about this turn of events?
Let’s start a conversation and support each other as we navigate this challenging situation.
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If you enjoyed this write-up and would like to recommend my Substack, I would certainly welcome it!
E. Another reason to keep writing for Medium, because he clearly doesn't care about that.
Wondering if link shorteners work (like bit.ly or Buffer)?