I enjoyed reading this, you wrote a lot of the same things I have been thinking about but haven't been able to articulate. I really enjoy this platform, although I think it has put a spotlight on some of the most frustrating things in influencer/consumer culture. There is good / bad. Candid insights and descriptive styling / paywalled referral links. Fabulous advice and community in the group chats / people trying to sell each other pre owned items for retail price (am I the only one seeing this??)
I hope you continue this train of thought. Thank you so much for the shoutout- it truly made my day. <3
Elle! Thank you so much for such an insightful comment - I have been LOVING your content, everything has been very relatable to me. Style and fashion musings aren’t usually my corner, but I consume so much of it here that I couldn’t help but write about it myself. We will see where it goes :)
Hi Elle and Meighan, after considering the pluses and minuses, I decided to turn my community chats off since Day 1. My main reason was looking ahead months/years down the road, and seeing how reddit/instagram/x platform chats tend towards entropy. When Substack was new, everyone was mostly on their best behaviour, and for the most part that is still the case, but entropy is inevitable, and I couldn't see myself being able to moderate all the chats.
I loved this post because of the way you so eloquently wrote about many of the things that I think and feel about Substack and shopping. I love the Substack community and it feels more authentic than previous social media because the conversation feels more fluid via the Substack chats. I also think that Substack is interesting because of it’s written form versus visual form, there’s some thing about the visual form that lends itself to posing, editing, etc.
The conversation of affiliate linking is such a sticky one, because, to your point, it works because consumers want to be told what to buy. But it doesn’t work, because ultimately an influencer can be corrupted through linking items that may not actually exist in their real life.
I am ALL about this conversation and the critical thinking that is happening around styling!
Kelly!! Thank you!! You prove your own points by engaging in such a thoughtful way. Substack does feel more authentic, and it continues to grow that way because of these type of interactions. I have personally always preferred the written form of things, which is why I have always loved Substack. As someone who loves personal style content, my nervous system is happy to have found this little corner of the Internet. I can choose to engage thoughtfully vs. passively, I can choose to stop reading and come back later, and I don't feel inundated with ads. It's really refreshing!
Oh my gosh, yes!! We may have similar nervous systems because I often have to check out of things like this for mental health 😉 but I love that Substack is here to welcome me back.
Hi Meighan, thank you so much for reading and supporting my work, and for the shoutout!
I really appreciate you expressing your thoughts on this subject. It feels like the lustre of Substack's "new" way of talking about of fashion is starting to fade and people are now thinking more deeply about all the things you mention in your post, and what Elle and Christina mention below.
I was chatting about this with a reader on my most recent post, and I think it comes down to what the creator wants their Substack to be. For me, I consider it an extension of my IRL job as a personal stylist. Broadly that means helping real people dress for real life and solving their style issues.
I think it's fair to say if someone is reading my newsletter, they can relate to my approach, my style... But there is a broad range of people within that group. I have posted my IRL outfits for a year and link where available to what I'm wearing. Because a lot of my stuff is old, they're aren't links anymore, and inevitably I get DMs asking for links to similar items which is why I include them sometimes. There are things I don't need for my own wardrobe but I know my clients/readers wold definitely be interested in. They will go into my newsletter (e.g. Massimo red mesh flats, Donni kick flares). They go in whether or not an affiliate link is available for the item. I always try to link to the lowest price of the item I can find online (and second hand where available). At the same time, a good proportion of my articles stress the importance of thoughtful buying and using what you already own.
Like Christina said, it's not a science, and I'm trying my best to find a good balance between sharing my knowledge, meeting the needs of the reader, and importantly, valuing my decade plus of practical experience doing this work (plus the time, thought, research it takes me to put together my newsletters)! There is value to this, and if a reader doesn't see the value proposition in my newsletter, no offence taken!
I would love to continue this discussion here and see it discussed further elsewhere and am always open to feedback on my newsletter as well!
Irene, as a reader and recent subscriber to your content, your outfits feels incredibly genuine so your linking is a natural extension of seeing you style the same shorts multiple ways and thinking “oh I can see how this has a place in MY wardrobe too.”
Thank you, Kelly. That means so much to me! Truly. Because they really are my IRL outfits, that need to work for my lifestyle of mom, fashion consultant and generally introverted person who likes to stay at home 😌. It’s not a science, so how I do I keep it general so the take home message is useful to most readers, yet at the same time, I’m sharing my actual style and outfits? I think about it a lot!
!!! I was in Dune 2 for 3 hours and came out to so many of my favorite writers commenting here, this is so exciting. Thank you Irene for choosing to engage in the conversation further :)
You brought up so many good points. It's so interesting to hear about you think about bringing recommendations to your audience. One of the things you brought up which I didn't speak on, as someone who isn't monetizing on Substack, is the value that you're bringing to each post. It reminds me of the Pablo Picasso quote about his 30 second doodle taking 40 years to make. A lot of the time as readers, we don't recognize the time and effort behind this type of free content, probably because it arrives in an email much like everything else these days? You wouldn't be able to write the things you do without all of the experiences you have had, so you absolutely should place value on that (well, I guess you could but would people value/trust it as much? who knows, that's probably another tangent about having a unique voice and hoping people relate to it).
Another thing that sticks out to me is that people can choose to opt in and opt of the content here, which I believe gets lost in the era of the algorithm. You can make a personal decision to receive posts on here, or you can move on and not give it the time of day. No one will be offended by an unfollow!
I think you may realize I could go on and on here. I've been on Substack since 2020 and it's so interesting to see it's growth even in the past few months. It's nice to know that there are so many thoughtful people on the other side of these new publications.
Thanks so much for the shoutout, Meighan! I am loving the context and longer-form style of Substack to share thoughts, information and context. Your point about the chats, and whether or not the *honest* feedback is given is making me think! I love the chats, and I have actually seen some conversations where people ask for styling advice BEFORE buying something - which is a great sign -- those are the questions we should all be asking ourselves -- when you see something and you like it, you still have to think through -- will I wear it? do i feel good in it...getting good at that takes practice, repetitions, and honestly, mistakes! I think about the monetization a lot, bc i do make (a very, very small to be fair, but still dollars) money when people buy from my links (when an affiliate program is available). For me - I either share things I have and love, or, when it's something I'm eyeing, or maybe I love but isn't my style and I share it, I try to share as much context as possible (how might you style it, other ways to wear it, who it might be a great piece for, etc.) I follow and trust others who do the same thing -- it's a gut decision though, not a science! I love that substack gives us all the chance to slow down -- maybe you put something on a wishlist, or pin it, or put it in a cart and come back to it - it doesn't feel as urgent as when you find something via a list on instagram, where I am way more likely to feel like i HAVE to buy something without thinking it through first! xx
Christina! I appreciate this extremely thoughtful comment, especially coming from someone writing the very content I love and am referencing above. I agree, I've seen the chats be so productive (I've used them myself and it's so fun to see other people struggle finding cute tops that aren't a vest nowadays) and the sense of community building is real.
Seems like the overall theme is we are human! We make mistakes, things change, nothing is a science, and we just have to trust ourselves, even when sometimes we make the wrong decision. Context is everything, and being able to have a little more space and an engaged audience is really benefiting not only Substack readers but the writers as well. Lots to nooooodle upon so I really appreciate you taking the time to read :)
I enjoyed reading this, you wrote a lot of the same things I have been thinking about but haven't been able to articulate. I really enjoy this platform, although I think it has put a spotlight on some of the most frustrating things in influencer/consumer culture. There is good / bad. Candid insights and descriptive styling / paywalled referral links. Fabulous advice and community in the group chats / people trying to sell each other pre owned items for retail price (am I the only one seeing this??)
I hope you continue this train of thought. Thank you so much for the shoutout- it truly made my day. <3
Elle! Thank you so much for such an insightful comment - I have been LOVING your content, everything has been very relatable to me. Style and fashion musings aren’t usually my corner, but I consume so much of it here that I couldn’t help but write about it myself. We will see where it goes :)
Hi Elle and Meighan, after considering the pluses and minuses, I decided to turn my community chats off since Day 1. My main reason was looking ahead months/years down the road, and seeing how reddit/instagram/x platform chats tend towards entropy. When Substack was new, everyone was mostly on their best behaviour, and for the most part that is still the case, but entropy is inevitable, and I couldn't see myself being able to moderate all the chats.
Hi Elle! I just made a comment on Meighan's article and would love to hear your thoughts and continue the conversation!
I loved this post because of the way you so eloquently wrote about many of the things that I think and feel about Substack and shopping. I love the Substack community and it feels more authentic than previous social media because the conversation feels more fluid via the Substack chats. I also think that Substack is interesting because of it’s written form versus visual form, there’s some thing about the visual form that lends itself to posing, editing, etc.
The conversation of affiliate linking is such a sticky one, because, to your point, it works because consumers want to be told what to buy. But it doesn’t work, because ultimately an influencer can be corrupted through linking items that may not actually exist in their real life.
I am ALL about this conversation and the critical thinking that is happening around styling!
Kelly!! Thank you!! You prove your own points by engaging in such a thoughtful way. Substack does feel more authentic, and it continues to grow that way because of these type of interactions. I have personally always preferred the written form of things, which is why I have always loved Substack. As someone who loves personal style content, my nervous system is happy to have found this little corner of the Internet. I can choose to engage thoughtfully vs. passively, I can choose to stop reading and come back later, and I don't feel inundated with ads. It's really refreshing!
Oh my gosh, yes!! We may have similar nervous systems because I often have to check out of things like this for mental health 😉 but I love that Substack is here to welcome me back.
Hi Meighan, thank you so much for reading and supporting my work, and for the shoutout!
I really appreciate you expressing your thoughts on this subject. It feels like the lustre of Substack's "new" way of talking about of fashion is starting to fade and people are now thinking more deeply about all the things you mention in your post, and what Elle and Christina mention below.
I was chatting about this with a reader on my most recent post, and I think it comes down to what the creator wants their Substack to be. For me, I consider it an extension of my IRL job as a personal stylist. Broadly that means helping real people dress for real life and solving their style issues.
I think it's fair to say if someone is reading my newsletter, they can relate to my approach, my style... But there is a broad range of people within that group. I have posted my IRL outfits for a year and link where available to what I'm wearing. Because a lot of my stuff is old, they're aren't links anymore, and inevitably I get DMs asking for links to similar items which is why I include them sometimes. There are things I don't need for my own wardrobe but I know my clients/readers wold definitely be interested in. They will go into my newsletter (e.g. Massimo red mesh flats, Donni kick flares). They go in whether or not an affiliate link is available for the item. I always try to link to the lowest price of the item I can find online (and second hand where available). At the same time, a good proportion of my articles stress the importance of thoughtful buying and using what you already own.
Like Christina said, it's not a science, and I'm trying my best to find a good balance between sharing my knowledge, meeting the needs of the reader, and importantly, valuing my decade plus of practical experience doing this work (plus the time, thought, research it takes me to put together my newsletters)! There is value to this, and if a reader doesn't see the value proposition in my newsletter, no offence taken!
I would love to continue this discussion here and see it discussed further elsewhere and am always open to feedback on my newsletter as well!
Thank you for reading this!
Irene
Irene, as a reader and recent subscriber to your content, your outfits feels incredibly genuine so your linking is a natural extension of seeing you style the same shorts multiple ways and thinking “oh I can see how this has a place in MY wardrobe too.”
Thank you, Kelly. That means so much to me! Truly. Because they really are my IRL outfits, that need to work for my lifestyle of mom, fashion consultant and generally introverted person who likes to stay at home 😌. It’s not a science, so how I do I keep it general so the take home message is useful to most readers, yet at the same time, I’m sharing my actual style and outfits? I think about it a lot!
!!! I was in Dune 2 for 3 hours and came out to so many of my favorite writers commenting here, this is so exciting. Thank you Irene for choosing to engage in the conversation further :)
You brought up so many good points. It's so interesting to hear about you think about bringing recommendations to your audience. One of the things you brought up which I didn't speak on, as someone who isn't monetizing on Substack, is the value that you're bringing to each post. It reminds me of the Pablo Picasso quote about his 30 second doodle taking 40 years to make. A lot of the time as readers, we don't recognize the time and effort behind this type of free content, probably because it arrives in an email much like everything else these days? You wouldn't be able to write the things you do without all of the experiences you have had, so you absolutely should place value on that (well, I guess you could but would people value/trust it as much? who knows, that's probably another tangent about having a unique voice and hoping people relate to it).
Another thing that sticks out to me is that people can choose to opt in and opt of the content here, which I believe gets lost in the era of the algorithm. You can make a personal decision to receive posts on here, or you can move on and not give it the time of day. No one will be offended by an unfollow!
I think you may realize I could go on and on here. I've been on Substack since 2020 and it's so interesting to see it's growth even in the past few months. It's nice to know that there are so many thoughtful people on the other side of these new publications.
Thanks so much for the shoutout, Meighan! I am loving the context and longer-form style of Substack to share thoughts, information and context. Your point about the chats, and whether or not the *honest* feedback is given is making me think! I love the chats, and I have actually seen some conversations where people ask for styling advice BEFORE buying something - which is a great sign -- those are the questions we should all be asking ourselves -- when you see something and you like it, you still have to think through -- will I wear it? do i feel good in it...getting good at that takes practice, repetitions, and honestly, mistakes! I think about the monetization a lot, bc i do make (a very, very small to be fair, but still dollars) money when people buy from my links (when an affiliate program is available). For me - I either share things I have and love, or, when it's something I'm eyeing, or maybe I love but isn't my style and I share it, I try to share as much context as possible (how might you style it, other ways to wear it, who it might be a great piece for, etc.) I follow and trust others who do the same thing -- it's a gut decision though, not a science! I love that substack gives us all the chance to slow down -- maybe you put something on a wishlist, or pin it, or put it in a cart and come back to it - it doesn't feel as urgent as when you find something via a list on instagram, where I am way more likely to feel like i HAVE to buy something without thinking it through first! xx
Christina! I appreciate this extremely thoughtful comment, especially coming from someone writing the very content I love and am referencing above. I agree, I've seen the chats be so productive (I've used them myself and it's so fun to see other people struggle finding cute tops that aren't a vest nowadays) and the sense of community building is real.
Seems like the overall theme is we are human! We make mistakes, things change, nothing is a science, and we just have to trust ourselves, even when sometimes we make the wrong decision. Context is everything, and being able to have a little more space and an engaged audience is really benefiting not only Substack readers but the writers as well. Lots to nooooodle upon so I really appreciate you taking the time to read :)
Hi Christina! I just made a comment on Meighan's article and would love to hear your thoughts and continue the conversation!
Agreed. I’m new to Substack but have really been enjoying the articles on “WHY” we wear what wear…