Substack Goes Local, Or At Least Statewide
NC's top Substacks, according to a Google search
Blogging became a mass phenomenon in the early 2000s, launching dreams of “citizen journalists,” independent of major newspapers, making a difference. They could break stories and cover their communities as a supplement to shrinking newsrooms in legacy media. But those so-called citizen journalists mostly burned out along with blogging in the 2010s due to insufficient revenue among other obstacles. Now Substack and a couple of other online publishing platforms have shown a way for independent publishers to potentially make a living if they can garner an audience of at least 1,000 subscribers paying $5 a month. This generally requires a free subscriber base of at least 10,000, as it’s difficult to get more than 10 percent of a Substack audience to pay. How to get a lot of subscribers, keep them, and get more than half of subscribers to open the barrage of emails and more than 10 percent to pay are super-challenges.
What would compel readers to view a Substack as essential? If you write about national politics, how do you distinguish yourself from the thousands of other Substacks on national politics?
Internet publications, unlike newspapers, are not generally rooted in a strong sense of place. But some Substacks are rooted in a particular place. I want to use this space to list Substacks in which the authors are based in North Carolina, where I live. Here are the top 11, as well as I can discern from a Google search, at this moment. The official Substack tally of their subscribers may change on a daily or weekly basis. Feel free to add others in the comments.
Congressman Jeff Jackson (D-NC)
Jeff Jackson, quick updates from soon-to-be former Democratic member of Congress from Charlotte who was just elected NC Attorney General. He has given candid first-person accounts of what it’s like to be a member of Congress. He appears to have thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of subscribers.
NC Rabbit Hole, by Jeremy Markovich, a journalist writing about the most remote, interesting, and forgotten places and people in North Carolina. 10,000+ subscribers.
NC-based musician and writer Tift Merritt. More than 10,000 subscribers.
Ya’ll Weekly, mostly movies and arts reviews. 5,000 subscribers.
Democratic House leader Robert Reives’ report, “Newsletter updates from the office of House Democratic Leader Robert Reives, representing Chatham and Randolph Counties in the NCGA.” 2000+ subscribers.
Longleaf Politics, by political scientist Andrew Dunn, from a conservative point of view. Over 2,000 subscribers.
PoliticsNC, a weekly analysis of NC politics by Thomas Mills, a real estate and political consultant based in Carrboro. Nearly 9,000 subscribers.
NCPrimer, by journalist Jeffrey Billman. 1,000 subscribers.
Perilous Times, by Duke public policy professor David Schanzer. 1,000 subscribers.
The Carolina Foodie, “a lawyer by training who loves going to great places, meeting nice people, and eating delicious food. Each week I’m searching for the best restaurants in the Carolinas and beyond and telling you about them.” 900 subscribers.
State Library of NC. A monthly newsletter about the innovative, creative, and impactful work North Carolina libraries do to benefit their communities and the state. 600 subscribers.
Anderson Alerts on NC Politics, by freelance journalist Bryan Anderson. More than 1,000 paid subscribers.
Up and Coming
These are relatively new Substacks:
Ken Eudy: Journalist, CEO, policy advisor in North Carolina, where the nicest white nationalists live and serve in pulpits and public office.
New Branchhead, by Alexander H. Jones. A Substack on North Carolina and national politics that is named for the political supporters of the great liberal Governor Kerr Scott.
Kelly White, a public historian focusing on the history, archaeology, and anthropology of North Carolina and Southern Appalachia.
Local Substacks?
I excluded county-based, city-based, and town-based Substacks from that list, which belong to a separate category. I’ll do a separate, more comprehensive post on them at some point. Early examples:
Charlotte Ledger, “Smart and essential news to Charlotte.” 21,000 subscribers.
Brevard Newsbeat, local politics, environmental, and land use, which has over 4,000 subscribers.
Frog-Trouble Times, by Belle Boggs and Beatrice Allen, a mother-daughter team, writing about “parenthood and childhood on a warming planet.” 500+ subscribers.
Plant People, by Jenks Farmer: “Meet quirky people who find solace and connection in plant passions. With a few essays, photos and video of unusual plants & the ethos of gardens, landscapes, and farms. Post include stories about plant people and usually include some garden lesson.” 1000+ subscribers.
Again, Feel free to tell me about other NC-based Substacks in the comments.
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