LinkedIn Versus Substack for Personal Platform Building
Plus, do authors and thought leaders even need a website anymore?
Five, 10, even 15 years ago, having an online presence was crucial for emerging authors and thought leaders hoping to carve out their brand. A personal website was the home for that presence. But today, thanks to platforms such as Substack and LinkedIn's evolving features, “Do I still need a personal website?” is a reasonable question to ask, and it’s one I get all the time. Budding authors, thought leaders, speakers, podcasters, and other experts face a pivotal decision in whether to invest in one. This post will delve into some of the key considerations and offer insights into alternatives that may serve your branding and visibility needs.
What this post will not be disputing is the value of an author or thought platform. This is still a vital tool that acts as a bridge connecting authors with their readers, industry peers, and potential opportunities. And it’s never too early to establish one (in fact, it’s better to build your platform before you publish).
Why You Still Need an Author Platform
Here's why building and nurturing an author platform is so important:
Visibility and Discoverability: An author platform elevates your presence and makes it easier for readers and industry professionals to find you and your work. It provides a home for your work across channels, increasing your visibility.
Establishes Authority and Credibility: A well-crafted author platform showcases your expertise and credentials. It builds legitimacy for your work, helping you form trust with your audience and peers.
Direct Connection with Your Audience: Your platform allows for direct engagement with readers, providing a space to share updates and insights, and potentially make a more personal connection.
Marketing and Promotion: An author platform is a powerful marketing tool, enabling you to promote your latest work, events, or appearances all in one place.
Long-Term Career Growth: Beyond the immediate benefits, an author platform contributes to long-term success. As your platform grows, so does your influence and potential impact in your field.
A platform is a crucial part of establishing your identity as an author and thought leader. It provides a foundation for building relationships, establishing your reputation, and achieving lasting success in the literary world.
Do Authors and Thought Leaders Still Need a Personal Website?
While authors still need a platform, the better question is: Do they still need a personal website?
While this was traditionally the cornerstone of an author or thought leader's online presence and allowed them to do all the things outlined above, there are more alternatives now than there have ever been.
The Benefits of a Personal Website
Total Control Over Branding and Content: Your personal website serves as a blank canvas for your personal brand. It allows you to present your work and ideas exactly how you envision them, free from the constraints of third-party platforms.
SEO Benefits: A well-optimized website can rank well in search engine results, making you more discoverable to those searching for the topics you specialize in. It is also the foundation for your branded keywords.
Monetization Opportunities: Your website can host a store, membership sections, or exclusive content, offering direct monetization routes that many platforms, including LinkedIn and Substack, do not. Substack does allow for the monetization of your subscribers, however.
I’m not going to beat around the bush here. It’s my belief that a personal website is still the best way to showcase your brand. But there are so many complicated decisions that have to get made when you create a website, that many folks get overwhelmed and give up. If the idea of creating a website is just too much and you’re just getting started, Substack and LinkedIn are pretty good intro options.
2 Strong Alternatives to a Personal Website
Substack
Substack is a hybrid blogging and newsletter platform, letting you publish content that is sent directly to your subscribers’ inboxes and creating a home for your content online. It also offers robust options for hosting your own podcast, and creating audio and video content.
It’s a powerful tool for building and owning your audience, if you plan to write about topics adjacent to or on your book’s subject matter. That said, it is not a great place to just promote yourself. In fact, just tooting your own horn is the quickest way to zero growth on the platform. So, it’s not a great option if you don’t plan to do a lot of writing.
The cons of Substack are that it is fairly limited in its design, doesn’t do a great job of allowing you to create additional custom website pages, and can’t be used for monetization beyond offering a paid tier of content to subscribers. While you can use it for SEO, you will have less control over it than you would on your own website.
Many solopreneurs and small business owners use Substack in connection with their personal website, and this is my recommendation. If you’re an author who wants to grow a platform fast, plans to write about book-adjacent topics long term, and/or seeks another income stream for your writing, it’s a solid option.
LinkedIn is easily the most important platform for thought leadership. It connects you with professionals in your field and beyond, facilitating networking opportunities and brand visibility without need for a personal website.
It has also rolled out more tools to do just this in the last few years, including the ability to publish your own articles and newsletters. Unlike Substack, you do not “own” your subscribers here and can’t, for example, email them directly, but many of you don’t care about that. You also don’t have a way to create your own website pages and have even less control than you do on Substack, but I mention LinkedIn because if you are really allergic to creating a website and don’t plan to do a ton of media outreach for your book, you could at least start on LinkedIn.
Your content is searchable on LinkedIn, and for now there is higher reach for newsletters than most other types of content on LinkedIn. Meaning, you are rewarded by the algorithm when you publish a newsletter on LinkedIn, so this is a good choice if you already have a strong presence on LinkedIn or have a topic that aligns strongly with the platform and would prefer to build your audience there.
Keep in mind, you would need to use your profile as your home page, about page, and book promotion page, using the existing headline, about, and featured sections for this.
In summary, while I consider both an option for building author platforms, I still believe a simple 1-3 page standalone website is the better “base” for budding authors and thought leaders. From there, you can decide what to add on based on your specific needs.
Here’s where I confess, I have all three. I have a basic Wordpress site that includes my work as an author, and my content and brand services, two Substack newsletters (this one right here and one chronicling my quest to detox from diet culture), and one LinkedIn newsletter that is a repackaging of Content Clarity. Most people don’t need all three of these, but part of my work is in exploring options so I can provide the best guidance to my audience.
Final Things to Think About
Audience Location: Where does your target audience hang out online? If you’re writing a technical, niche book on a business topic, LinkedIn is a natural fit. If you already have many connections there in your field of expertise, it makes even more sense. You could write about any topic on Substack and find a niche, but the focus there is on creating.
Content Type and Frequency: If you plan to publish long-form articles, video or podcast episodes, Substack is probably the better bet over LinkedIn. For shorter, professional insights, LinkedIn might be the way to go.
Long-Term Goals: Consider where you see your brand in the future. A personal website can evolve with you, offering a level of flexibility platforms may not. While you can take your content with you from Substack, you won’t be able to on LinkedIn.
Conclusion
Building an author platform is as important as it’s ever been (some might argue it’s even more important than it used to be). A personal website offers unparalleled control and branding opportunities, but it’s not the only way to establish your presence online. Platforms such as Substack and LinkedIn can complement or at least serve as a starting space for some authors and thought leaders, especially when starting out or looking to reach audiences directly on familiar platforms. Assess your long-term goals, the nature of your content, and where your audience is most active to make the best choice for your brand.
Now, here’s where I’d love to hear from you, especially if you’re an author, aspiring author, or thought leader. Do you have a personal website? Why or why not? Are you publishing on LinkedIn or Substack? Which do you prefer and why?
This was so good! I have all three just like you: my website (OK, two), LinkedIn and Substack. I am looking forward to leveraging Substack to earn more, I'm only one month in since I launched. What are your thoughts on Medium?
This very helpful! I have thought about writing more professional (as in more related to my work) articles on Linkedin in my mothertongue while writing in English on Substack. Keeping a slightly different focus here.