Is the Substack Bubble About to Burst? Here's How to Survive the Shift to Ad-Driven Creator Economy
The counterintuitive strategy for thriving when Substack shifts from indie writer haven to mainstream creator platform—and why the writers who adapt now will dominate in 2025
It’s a new month. I'm staring at my Substack dashboard, and honestly, it still feels surreal.
12,000+ subscribers. $5K+ in revenue last month. Numbers that seemed completely impossible when I restarted this thing from absolute zero less than a year ago.
But then I see the notification that's been all over my feed this week: Substack's $100 million funding round. The rumors about ads coming to the platform. The shift from indie writer-driven newsletter platform to "creator universe."
And I'll be honest, it got me thinking.
I've watched this pattern before:
Instagram morphing from a simple photo app into a TikTok clone…
LinkedIn transforming from a professional network into a content circus where people post selfies with fake inspirational stories…
Medium going from a writer's paradise to... well, whatever it is now (honestly, does anyone even know?)
I cut back on my burnt-out coaching practice partly to escape this exact cycle. I built this newsletter because Substack felt different. It was the place where writers could actually connect with readers without algorithms deciding who sees what. Where quality mattered more than viral moments.
So naturally, I'm wondering: "Is this about to become just another ad-driven platform like everything else?"
Every Platform Follows the Same Playbook (And Substack Just Hit Stage 3)
Here's the thing about every creator platform: they all start the same way.
First, it's creator-first. Organic reach. Authentic community. The platform needs creators to build content, so they make everything easy and fair. You post something good, people see it. Simple.
Then comes growth. Real growth. The kind that attracts investors and headlines.
Then comes the pressure for returns.
And suddenly, it's all about ad revenue and algorithm manipulation. The creators who built the platform get pushed aside for whoever can pay for reach. The authentic community becomes a marketplace. The thing you loved about the platform disappears.
Because that's exactly what's happening to Substack right now. (But don’t worry because you’re going to be just fine…)
In July 2025, they announced that $100 million funding round led by BOND and The Chernin Group. The company is now valued at $1.1 billion—billion with a "B."
But here's what really caught my attention: Hamish McKenzie, one of Substack's co-founders, used to call the advertising model "busted." Now he's talking about "new possibilities" and how they're exploring "native forms of advertisement within the Substack ecosystem."
Translation: ads are coming, whether we like it or not.
And let's be honest about what else is happening. The platform is getting flooded with big-name creators jumping ship from mainstream media. Jim Acosta from CNN got 10,000 paid subscribers in weeks. Joy Reid and Mehdi Hasan leveraged their MSNBC exits to build massive Substack presences practically overnight.
Don't get me wrong—I'm not mad at these creators for finding success. But there's no denying what this means for the rest of us.
The cozy indie writer community that many of us fell in love with is becoming something else entirely. My Substack feed used to be full of unique voices and niche experts. Now it's increasingly dominated by the same big names I was trying to escape from traditional media.
Meanwhile, smaller creators are reporting slower growth, harder discovery, and more competition than ever. The organic growth opportunities that existed even six months ago feel like they're disappearing.
This isn't just about Substack changing. It's about the last bastion of indie creator culture potentially going mainstream. The place where writers could escape social media's chaos might become just another attention economy battlefield.
And that feeling you're having right now—that mix of betrayal and dread? I get it. I felt it too.
The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
I spent about an hour doom-scrolling about this news. Reading think pieces about "the death of independent media" and "why Substack sold out." Getting increasingly frustrated about platforms changing the rules after we've invested so much time and energy.
Then I realized something that completely shifted how I was thinking about this.
Every platform evolution creates winners and losers. The losers spend their energy complaining about the good old days. The winners adapt and use the change to their advantage.
And here's the counterintuitive truth: you're not a victim of platform changes if you see them coming and position yourself accordingly.
Instead of asking "How do I survive this?" the better question is "How do I use this transition to my advantage?"
Think about it. You're not some random person who just discovered Substack last week. You've been here. You've built an audience. You understand how the platform works and what readers want.
You're not trying to catch up—you're ahead of the curve.
How I Proved the "Too Late" Theory Wrong (And You Can Too)
When I decided to restart my Substack less than a year ago, everyone told me I was "too late."
The newsletter space was saturated, they said. All the good niches were taken. The early adopters had already won.
But here's what actually happened: I went from burnt-out coach working 60-hour weeks to 12,000+ subscribers and $5K monthly revenue in under 12 months. Not because I got lucky, but because I didn't try to replicate what everyone else was doing.
I combined my coaching background with newsletter strategy with digital product creation. I built a business model that didn't rely solely on $5 monthly subscriptions. I created content that served my entire audience while building multiple revenue streams.
That unique intersection—that combination of experiences and perspectives that only I could offer—is what made me stand out in a supposedly "saturated" market.
The same opportunity exists right now with this Substack transition.
While everyone else is panicking about ads and complaining about big creators, you can position yourself as the expert who helps people navigate this new landscape. While others are mourning the "good old days," you can be building the systems and voice that will dominate the "new Substack era."
The Early Adapter Advantage (Why Timing Is Everything)
Here's the business logic that most creators miss: platform transitions always reward early adapters who understand the new rules first.
When Instagram introduced Reels, the creators who pivoted early got massive organic reach while everyone else was still posting static images…
When LinkedIn shifted to become content-focused, the professionals who started posting consistently built huge audiences while their competitors were still treating it like a resume repository…
When TikTok started gaining traction, the early creators who understood the platform's culture dominated before it became oversaturated…
The pattern is always the same: change creates opportunity, but only for the people who embrace it instead of resisting it.
And here's what's interesting about Substack's current moment: it's where Instagram was in 2013—just becoming mainstream but still figuring out its identity. The creators who establish themselves now, who understand both the old Substack and the new direction, will have compound advantages as the platform grows.
While your competitors are busy being nostalgic, you can be building the foundation for long-term success.
The writers who thrive in 2025 and beyond won't be the ones who resist change—they'll be the ones who see it coming and position themselves accordingly.
Your 5-Step Evolution Strategy (Start This Week)
After thinking through this transition and what it means for creators like us, I've developed a specific strategy for not just surviving this shift, but using it to accelerate your growth. Here's exactly what you need to do:
Step 1: Find Your Unique Intersection (Not Your Niche)
Stop trying to sound like everyone else in your niche. The future belongs to writers with distinctive perspectives, not generic advice-givers.
Here's what I mean: instead of writing about "parenting tips," what if you wrote about "building a tech startup while homeschooling three kids"? Instead of generic "productivity advice," what about "productivity systems for neurodivergent entrepreneurs"?
The magic happens when you combine multiple interests, experiences, or perspectives into something only you can write about. Maybe it's "investing + minimalism + single mom life." Or "career advice + meditation + former military."
Look at your own background. What unique combination of experiences do you have that others don't? That intersection is your competitive advantage.
I combined "newsletter growth + digital product creation + escaping the coaching burnout cycle." Nobody else was writing from that exact perspective, which is why my content stood out even in a crowded space.
Your goal isn't to find an empty niche—it's to create a niche that only you can fill.
Step 2: Pick Your Controversial Hill to Die On
Safe, vanilla content gets lost in the noise. And with more competition coming to Substack, vanilla content is going to get buried even faster.
You need opinions that 70% of people agree with and 30% think you're completely wrong about. Those controversial-but-defensible takes become your signature. They're what people remember, share, and argue about in the comments.
For example, I regularly argue that paid subscriptions are the wrong monetization strategy for most newsletter writers. That's polarizing in the Substack world, but it's based on my experience and data. It starts conversations, attracts the right audience, and repels people who wouldn't be good customers anyway.
What beliefs do you hold that go against conventional wisdom in your space?
What advice do you give that makes other experts cringe?
What approaches have worked for you that contradict the popular playbook?
Those contrarian viewpoints aren't weaknesses—they're your differentiators.
Step 3: Build Your Platform Insurance Policy
Don't put all your eggs in Substack's basket. I don't care how much you love the platform—smart creators always have multiple traffic sources.
Use your newsletter as the hub, but build audiences on LinkedIn, Twitter, podcasts, YouTube, wherever your readers hang out. When platform changes happen (and they always do), you have multiple ways to drive traffic back to your owned audience.
I've seen too many creators get devastated when one platform changes its algorithm or policies. They had 50,000 followers and suddenly couldn't reach anyone. Don't let that be you.
Spend 20% of your content creation time building audiences elsewhere. Not to replace your newsletter, but to protect it.
Step 4: Ditch the $5 Subscription (Only) Trap
The $5/month subscription model is already getting harder, and it's going to get even more challenging as the platform becomes more crowded.
Focus on higher-value digital products, coaching, consulting, and services. Build an ecosystem where your newsletter is the lead magnet for bigger revenue streams.
I make $5K+ monthly from my newsletter without a single paid subscriber. Now before I make anyone mad, I’m not anti-subscriptions. I’m just anti-subscriptions only. I just want you to diversify, ok?
My newsletter builds trust and authority, which makes selling these higher-value offers much easier.
Digital products are also an excellent steppingstone toward 1on1 consulting or group coaching programs. You qualify higher-quality potential clients, people who are joining your digital products first.
Think about what your audience really needs help with, then create solutions that actually transform their situation. A $97 product that solves a real problem will always outperform a $5 subscription that provides general information.
Step 5: Claim Your Territory Before the Land Rush
Position yourself as a thought leader in your space now, while there's still room to breathe. In 12 months, your niche is going to be much more crowded.
Write the definitive guides. Create the frameworks people reference. Become the go-to expert before your topic gets flooded with newcomers.
I established myself as "the guy who helps people grow newsletters without paid subscriptions" before that became a popular topic. Now when people think about alternative monetization strategies for newsletters, my name comes up. That positioning is incredibly valuable and nearly impossible to replicate.
What do you want to be known for? What expertise do you want to own? Start claiming that territory now, because it's going to get much harder to establish authority once everyone else arrives.
You've Already Survived Harder Things
For some writers, I know this feels overwhelming. Platform changes always do. You're not wrong to feel frustrated or worried about what's coming.
But remember why you started writing in the first place. It wasn't because Substack was perfect—it was because you had something important to say. That hasn't changed.
You've already proven you can adapt. You built your newsletter from zero to wherever you are now. You survived the learning curve, the imposter syndrome, the weeks when nobody seemed to care about what you were writing.
You figured out how to create content people actually want to read. You learned how to build relationships with strangers through words on a screen. You developed your own voice in a sea of millions of other writers.
Those skills don't disappear when a platform changes direction. If anything, they become more valuable.
The writers who are going to struggle with Substack's evolution are the ones who never developed a real voice or built genuine relationships with their audience. The ones who were just following templates and hoping for the best.
But that's not you. You've put in the work. You've built something real.
A year from now, you'll either be complaining about how Substack "used to be better," or you'll be running a thriving creator business that adapted and grew with the platform.
I know which future I'm choosing. And I'm betting you do too.
Ready to Future-Proof Your Newsletter?
This is exactly why I created my Six Figure Substack Growth Masterclass. Not to teach you how to write better newsletters—you already know how to do that. But to show you how to build a creator business that thrives regardless of platform changes.
Inside, I'll show you the exact strategies I used to go from burnt-out coach to $5K monthly newsletter revenue in less than a year. But more importantly, how to build a system that works whether Substack stays indie or goes full corporate.
You'll learn:
How to monetize without relying on paid subscriptions (the strategy that generates 90% of my revenue)
The content framework that builds authority and attracts higher-value opportunities
How to create digital products that sell themselves while you sleep
The cross-platform promotion system that insures your growth against algorithm changes
How to position yourself as the obvious expert in your niche before it gets crowded
And here's the thing: Through this weekend only, when you join the masterclass, you're also getting my Newsletter Freedom Workshop (my complete system for monetizing without paid subscriptions), my Personal Substack Swipe File (the exact templates behind my highest-performing posts), and my $1K Digital Product Roadmaps.
That's over $800 worth of additional training, included free when you join before Monday.
The writers who thrive in 2025 and beyond won't be the ones who resist change—they'll be the ones who see it coming and position themselves accordingly.
The question isn't whether Substack will change. It's whether you'll be ready when it does.
Because there's always a next wave. And I want to make sure you're ready to catch it.
You missed it, Wes.
The real “burst” isn’t just Silicon Valley hustle culture —it’s the entire business model built on free content, fake traction, and influencer delusion. It hijacked global culture and sold it back to us as empowerment. The big winners on YouTube are Mr. Beast and the Squatty Potty. Google led to the Russell Brunson Potato Gun empire and Clear Choice Dentists. Don't let them inside.
But it was never real. It doesn’t work. And it props up the “how-to-succeed” crowd—modern-day gold rush vendors selling pickaxes and dreams while creators chase success from the digital slums. That's what happened on LinkedIn. Organic led to Gary Vaynerchuck's media buy.
We’re waking up now. Taking back the economy. Building from real products, working business models, and the ability to actually find and serve a market. This is the realm of Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger, and the opposite of Alex Hormozi, Tony Robbins, and Paris Hilton.
That’s been the through-line of my life’s work. I’ve been in the trenches since I was a teenager. I’ve watched the hustle evolve—funded by venture capital, private equity, and momentum traders—into a machine that extracts more than it gives. I've been part of it my entire life surviving and thriving in the cheap seats staying one yard ahead of the financial attack bots.
Invincible victory starts when we see through the illusion, stop feeding it, and start using their tools without becoming a tool. First step: know this—traffic is not a business model.
Thanks Wes. Ironically I was doing some creative and critical thinking about this potential change over coffee. This advice helps solidify some ideas I was exploring and reinforces some thoughts I was unsure of.