Your newsletter is a small media business.
Once readers start paying you, you're running one, whether it feels that way or not. And the parts that matter most (your subscriber list, your archive, how readers pay you, and whether you can leave) can sit on your terms or on somebody else's.
I called this project Hoagiestack because I think a newsletter should be built around your work and your readers, from ingredients you pick. A premade sub is convenient. You just don't get much say in the recipe.
I'm Joe Taylor Jr., managing director of Johns & Taylor, a user experience and web development agency just outside Philadelphia. I've been building content tools for newsrooms and media businesses since 1998.
I'm not trying to talk anyone off Substack who's happy there. If you're happy on it and none of these arguments sway you, I won't push you off a platform you like. I'd just like the choice to be a deliberate one.
What I look at
When I compare publishing setups for clients, a few questions carry most of the weight. Does the tool get out of your way enough that you'll actually publish? Can you take your list and your archive with you if you need to leave? And do its compromises line up with what you care about, including how much maintenance you're willing to take on? There's rarely one right answer, which is why we usually start with a conversation.
Got a half-formed plan? Bring it. → Let's talk