The hottest Audience Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Note from the Editor

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 4518 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🎙 Podcasts Audience
  1. A regular segment was paused this week because the host was too sick to record, and it will return next week.
  2. The publication has been light on content lately, and changes meant to fix that will be implemented after the weekend with readers asked to check back Monday.
  3. An apology was offered for the interruption, and readers were wished a good weekend and reminded to tune in Monday morning.

Help me figure out what to do with Read Max

Read Max • 737 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Audience
  1. A short reader survey is being circulated and readers are asked to fill it out to help shape the newsletter.
  2. The newsletter began in 2021 and has grown into a full-time project, so it's entering a long-term phase.
  3. The goal is to use reader feedback to figure out what's working, what isn't, and what new features or changes to add.

When your audience owns you

Random Minds by Katherine Brodsky • 140 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Audience
  1. Creators and commentators can get trapped by their audience and ecosystem because their income, status, and belonging depend on sticking to predictable beliefs.
  2. The incentive structure rewards certainty, consistency, and performance while punishing nuance or changing your mind, so people often double down or stay silent instead of revising views.
  3. The escape is to build an audience that values curiosity and principled reasoning and to refuse to perform for applause — follow the evidence and be willing to change even if it costs you.

How The Dossier will stand out in a sea of AI slop

The Dossier • 89 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
🎙 Podcasts Audience
  1. AI is flooding the internet with quickly generated, low-quality content that often looks like human writing, so creators must adapt or get lost in the noise.
  2. Authentic video and audio—especially podcasting—are the clearest ways to prove a real human is behind the work and to stand out from AI-generated “slop.”
  3. Pairing traditional writing with verifiable multimedia keeps journalistic quality while highlighting genuine human insight, turning the AI surge into an opportunity for creators who can prove they’re real.
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Inside Pickleball's Plan to Become a Billion-Dollar Platform

Huddle Up • 58 implied HN points • 13 Feb 26
🎾 Sports Audience
  1. Pickleball is rapidly growing on TV, with the Carvana PPA Masters drawing 791,000 viewers — the most-watched pickleball event ever.
  2. Pickleball broadcasts can outperform other live sports in their time slots, proving the sport can compete on mainstream networks.
  3. That strong viewership and broadcast success position pickleball to scale into a billion-dollar platform with major commercial potential.

How the Kyiv Independent used global sympathy to generate membership revenue

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 124 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
📰 News Audience
  1. Being the main English-language outlet on the ground during Russia’s invasion brought massive global attention and traffic.
  2. They turned international sympathy into income by shifting from one-off donations to a Guardian-style membership model without using a paywall, growing recurring revenue.
  3. They’ve also started producing longform documentaries as part of their editorial and revenue strategy.

Platforms Redux

Agents and Books • 1533 implied HN points • 05 Sep 23
💼 Business Audience
  1. A platform connects you to readers and can lead to sales.
  2. Platforms are not just limited to social media; spread your presence to reach readers better.
  3. Different authors need different platforms based on their genre and audience.

Music News Has Lost Its Appeal

First Floor • 511 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Audience
  1. Music journalism is struggling to connect with younger audiences.
  2. The changing nature of music consumption is impacting the relevance of music news.
  3. Streaming platforms and online communities are changing how music fans discover new music, affecting the need for traditional music journalism.

The Future of Media

Growth Croissant • 982 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
💼 Business Audience
  1. Shift from large media companies to niche media led by individuals and small teams.
  2. Move from renting audiences on big tech platforms to owning audiences through platforms like Substack.
  3. Transition from an ads-based internet to subscription-based ecosystems for media companies.

I’m Pausing for January, Help Keep Going Alive

Startup Strategies • 57 implied HN points • 02 Jan 26
🎙 Podcasts Audience
  1. The Keep Going podcast and The Innovators will pause for the rest of January so other work can be finished.
  2. The break isn’t permanent but will help decide how much of the show can continue and how often it will appear.
  3. Readers are being asked to become paid subscribers to help keep the show alive, with a 20% discount on the annual plan.

Important Question

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 14 implied HN points • 31 Jan 26
🎙 Podcasts Audience
  1. There’s a worry that essays attached to podcast episodes don’t show up in podcast apps, so subscribers might not see them.
  2. A specific attached essay is cited as an example and readers are being asked whether they received and read it.
  3. If those essays aren’t being seen, it’s upsetting because they’re valued content and could make people rethink subscribing.

You're Never Going to Be Original! (And Neither Am I)

Default Wisdom • 222 implied HN points • 31 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Audience
  1. Originality isn't everything for writers. Instead, it's about how well you can market your ideas and connect with your audience.
  2. Many writers face idea theft, but it's often just a matter of timing and who presents an idea first, rather than straightforward copying.
  3. Success today relies more on adaptability than being original. The best writers understand their audience and keep creating content consistently.

Improving Retention with Audience Surveys

Growth Croissant • 452 implied HN points • 12 May 23
💼 Business Audience
  1. Improving retention by solving the customer's problem in a deeper way can have a noticeable impact on retention.
  2. Focus on your core audience for a 10x improvement in solving their problem, even if it means neglecting parts of your audience for better problem-solving.
  3. Running surveys, especially cancel surveys, can provide valuable feedback to enhance your product, understand audience needs, and improve retention.

The Magic Hotline

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 8 implied HN points • 03 Feb 26
🎙 Podcasts Audience
  1. Essays attached to podcast posts are often hidden or hard to find in the app, so many readers miss them.
  2. A Substack podcast developer confirmed the essays should be delivered and shared troubleshooting tips like checking podcast-email settings, Gmail tabs, and the app’s sort order, and even offered direct help.
  3. A webinar with that developer is being planned so subscribers can ask questions, give feedback, and get help, and readers are invited to say if they’d attend and introduce themselves.

Starting a Substack

My Home Office Hacks • 10 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
💼 Business Audience
  1. Treat a Substack like self‑publishing: building it doesn’t automatically bring readers, so you must actively market and consistently work to grow an audience.
  2. Right after publishing, post a Note and share your issue on your social channels; also subscribe to and recommend other Substacks to get visibility and attract curious readers.
  3. Good content starts with genuine interest, your own voice, and a clear point of view; stories build trust and engagement, and free subscribers can become paid ones later.

That Other Me

Painful Signs, Or, Joel's Substack • 119 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
📚 Literature Audience
  1. Achilles' lament for Patroklos in Iliad 19 explores the impact of Patroklos' death on others, showcasing themes of personal loss and grief.
  2. Achilles expresses a collapse of identities with Patroklos and projects the loss of a single person onto his living father and son, illustrating a narrative of replacement and surrogacy.
  3. Grief is associative and unpredictable, touching not only the mourner but also the internal and external audiences, encouraging reflection on personal losses and the importance of responding to others' suffering.

My call with a YouTuber with 2 million subscribers | #34

The Pole • 199 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
💼 Business Audience
  1. Making money by selling to your audience is more lucrative than relying solely on ad revenue on YouTube
  2. Focusing on a specific niche makes marketing and positioning videos easier, but finding a balance is crucial to avoid burnout
  3. Understanding the value of your audience, such as their purchasing power, is essential for creating valuable content and solving pertinent problems

This is the dream

Odds and Ends of History • 804 implied HN points • 01 Aug 23
💼 Business Audience
  1. The author is considering launching a paid tier on Substack to support their writing.
  2. They have calculated that converting a small percentage of their subscribers could make it financially viable.
  3. If the paid tier is launched, the author plans to alternate free and paid content and provide additional posts for subscribers.

Asking the hard questions

My Home Office Hacks • 5 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Audience
  1. The goal is to make My HOH a noticeably better read in the very near future, ideally by the next issue.
  2. The piece poses a few final questions to prompt feedback and sharpen what should change next.
  3. The mood is a blue Monday vibe, giving the conversation a reflective, slightly downbeat tone.

Is Sports Coverage Dying?

C.W.’s Newsletter • 98 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
🎾 Sports Audience
  1. Newspapers are shifting away from traditional sports coverage due to the rise of digital platforms like The Athletic and team-specific internet sites.
  2. Printed newspapers are adapting to the decline in sports coverage by transforming into sports magazines with less emphasis on game stories.
  3. Gen Z is showing a lower interest in traditional sports viewing, preferring social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram to stay updated on sports content.

How to do developer marketing that doesn’t suck

Developer GTM – by Calyx Consulting • 59 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
💼 Business Audience
  1. Good developer marketing copy should be concise, use language that resonates with the target audience, and focus on addressing their pain points.
  2. Even if your company doesn't have an official marketing team, you are still doing marketing through how you present your brand and product to the world.
  3. In developer products, it's crucial to have a strong product first before attempting to out-market with weak marketing strategies.

AI Slop and the end of all things

The Author Is Dumb • 3 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Audience
  1. Generative AI is basically a next-word predictor that prefers the safest, most probable choices. As more AI output becomes training data, models can collapse toward sameness and erase edge-case creativity.
  2. Audience habits and market economics push creators to favor quick, predictable content, so indie authors are incentivized to use AI to churn out books fast. This demand for shortcuts, not the technology itself, drives the flood of middling art.
  3. The bigger worry isn't an AI takeover but that culture will stop valuing weird, risky, or ambitious work, making true innovation rare. AI enables the problem but the responsibility lies with what audiences, publishers, and the market reward.

Disintermediation, Dollars, and Dopamine

Reactionary Feminist • 13 implied HN points • 04 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Audience
  1. Audience capture happens when creators change their content based on what their audience wants. This can make them exaggerate their personalities and lead to extreme or bizarre behavior.
  2. The pressure to stand out online pushes people to be more radical or shocking. This quest for attention can change how people communicate about politics and other serious topics.
  3. In today's fast-paced online environment, feedback is immediate and intense. This creates a powerful effect on creators, making it harder for them to keep their own opinions and not just follow trends.

10,000 Newsletter Subscribers

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 36 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
💼 Business Audience
  1. Exponential growth for newsletters comes from high conversion rates and small starting numbers.
  2. Email newsletters are more impactful than social media for connecting with an audience.
  3. Steady growth and consistent content quality can lead to significant subscriber growth over time.

The Audience Does Not Exist

Never Met a Science • 55 implied HN points • 15 May 23
🎭️ Culture Audience
  1. The concept of audiences is constructed through measurement and influenced by technological determinism.
  2. Social media provides an explosion of public audience measures, leading to anxiety and self-assessment.
  3. Creators of online content receive specific feedback, shaping their content based on quantitative metrics and engagement measures.

Nói chuyện đại chúng: 05/09/2022 ở Đại học Bách Khoa Tp.HCM

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 19 implied HN points • 02 Sep 22
🚌 Education Audience
  1. Event happening at Đại học Bách Khoa Tp.HCM on 5/9/2022, organized by Grokking Vietnam and CyberSecurity Lab
  2. Event is free but requires registration via Google Form, with limited seats available
  3. Speaker will deliver an extended version of a previous talk that had technical issues, hoping for a smoother event this time

✅ Monday briefing: Kremlin comment trolls, news audiences, in-house comms effectiveness, functional comms standard, links limited, Twitter communities, and more

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 13 Sep 21
📰 News Audience
  1. Kremlin comment trolls are influencing Western news sites to promote Russian interests. This shows how public opinion can be swayed by online comments.
  2. For in-house communication teams, strong internal relationships are key to their performance. It's not just about size or money; how you connect with each other matters a lot.
  3. Twitter is introducing features like Safety Mode and Communities to help users manage interactions better. These changes aim to create a safer and more focused online space.

The ABCs

Achee Alpha • 3 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
💼 Business Audience
  1. Focus on the foundations in marketing - Audience, Behavior, Content. These are the ABCs that matter most.
  2. Targeting the right audience is crucial. It's not about reaching everyone, but connecting with those who need your solution.
  3. Listen to your user's problems, understand their behavior, and create valuable content to attract and engage them.

Ask Who It's For

Tigerfeathers! • 4 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
💼 Business Audience
  1. Gary Dahl's success with the Pet Rock stemmed from targeting a specific audience that resonated with his product.
  2. Identifying a smallest viable audience is crucial for entrepreneurs and creators to tailor their offerings effectively.
  3. Rather than trying to appeal to everyone, focus on finding the right audience that is already interested in what you have to offer.

The audience should think.

Joe Tourville • 4 implied HN points • 02 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Audience
  1. Audiences should think critically about the responsibilities of consuming film.
  2. Filmmakers should challenge audiences to prioritize nuances and aesthetic elements over traditional narrative structures.
  3. Viewers and filmmakers share a responsibility in imparting meaning to films.

Is this the end of my newsletter? 🥺

Business & Marketing with Nika • 0 implied HN points • 19 May 24
💼 Business Audience
  1. Sending newsletters on Mondays might not be the best idea, as people are usually busy and could forget to read them.
  2. Emails sent after work hours may get better engagement, so timing matters when scheduling newsletters.
  3. Consider sending newsletters biweekly instead of weekly, and adjust the sending time based on your audience's time zone for better results.

Have you been thinking about content creation like this? 🤔

Business & Marketing with Nika • 0 implied HN points • 13 May 24
💼 Business Audience
  1. Focus on making a few high-quality pieces of content. Just a small part of your work can attract a lot of attention over time.
  2. Evergreen content is super valuable. It shows your expertise and can keep bringing people in long after it's published.
  3. To create great content, think about what people care about and how to present it in a fun way. Quality matters, so make sure your work is up to par.

November Summary

The Hive • 0 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
💼 Business Audience
  1. November saw a significant increase in visitors by 593%.
  2. Side project marketing may not always resonate with your main project's audience.
  3. Adding purchasable credits to a side project can quickly generate revenue.

Serialization’s a Smart Move — If Done Correctly

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 03 Nov 19
📚 Literature Audience
  1. Serialization can be successful with hard work and proper resources.
  2. Building an audience for serialization requires serious legwork and utilizing available platforms and technologies.
  3. Technology is a valuable tool for writers, enabling them to reach audiences, monetize their work, and deliver serialized content effectively.