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Substack VS Carbon Ads

Compare Substack VS Carbon Ads and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

Substack logo Substack

With Substack, anyone can start a publication that combines a personal website, blog, and email newsletter or podcast. It's quick and simple.

Carbon Ads logo Carbon Ads

Carbon Ads connects advertisers to highly-relevant users through targeted verticals.
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26
  • Carbon Ads Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-15

Substack features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Substack offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for writers to publish and monetize their newsletters.
  • Built-in Monetization
    Writers can easily charge readers for subscriptions, allowing for straightforward monetization.
  • Direct Audience Connection
    Substack allows writers to build a direct relationship with their audience via email, which can lead to a more engaged readership.
  • Discovery and Community
    Features like staff picks and recommendations help writers get discovered by new readers.
  • No Upfront Costs
    Substack does not charge upfront fees; instead, it takes a percentage of subscription revenues, making it easier to start.
  • Content Ownership
    Writers retain full ownership of their content, giving them more control over their work.

Possible disadvantages of Substack

  • Revenue Share
    Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenues, which can add up for writers with a large subscriber base.
  • Limited Customization
    The platform has limited customization options compared to building a custom website or using more flexible CMS options.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying on Substack means depending on its policies and infrastructure, which could pose risks if the platform changes its terms or features.
  • Competition
    As more writers join Substack, it can become challenging to stand out amidst the growing competition.
  • Email Deliverability
    Writers may face issues with email deliverability, as some newsletters may end up in spam folders.
  • Payment Processing Fees
    Besides Substack's fee, payment processors like Stripe also take a percentage, further reducing net earnings for writers.

Carbon Ads features and specs

  • High-Quality Audience
    Carbon Ads is known for its focus on developers, designers, and tech-savvy audiences, ensuring targeted exposure to a niche market.
  • Minimalistic Ad Design
    The ads are designed to be unobtrusive and blend seamlessly with website content, enhancing user experience without disrupting it.
  • Higher Engagement
    Due to their focused and relevant nature, Carbon Ads typically see higher engagement rates from the audience they target.
  • No User Tracking
    Carbon Ads does not track users across the web, respecting user privacy and making it an ethical choice for publishers.

Possible disadvantages of Carbon Ads

  • Limited Reach
    As it targets a specific niche, the reach of Carbon Ads is limited compared to broader ad networks like Google Ads.
  • Higher Cost
    Due to its premium placement and targeted audience, Carbon Ads can be more expensive than other ad networks.
  • Selective Approval
    Carbon Ads has a selective approval process for publishers, meaning not all websites will be accepted into the network.
  • Less Variety in Ad Formats
    The focus on minimalism means there are fewer options for ad formats and customization compared to other networks.

Analysis of Substack

Overall verdict

  • Substack is a good choice for writers seeking autonomy and a straightforward way to monetize their content. However, it may not be the best fit for those who prefer working within the framework of a larger publication or those unfamiliar with the challenges of building and maintaining a subscriber base.

Why this product is good

  • Substack is a platform that allows writers, journalists, and content creators to publish and monetize their newsletters. It is praised for its ease of use, built-in subscription system, and direct-to-consumer model which enables writers to retain control over their audience and content. The platform has attracted both independent writers and established journalists seeking the freedom to monetize their work without traditional media constraints.

Recommended for

  • Independent writers and journalists
  • Content creators looking to monetize their work
  • Individuals seeking a direct relationship with their audience
  • Those who appreciate simplicity in publishing

Substack videos

+ Add

Monetizing Podcasts and Newsletters - Chris Best of Substack and Jonathan Gill of Backtracks

More videos:

  • Review - E1016 Substack CEO Chris Best empowers writers via email newsletter platform, raised $15M from a16z
  • Review - Why EVERYONE should be on Substack | What it is, How it Works, $$$
  • Review - Beehiiv vs Substack (2024) - Which is Better?
  • Review - My Experience with SUBSTACK: An Honest Review of Substack

Carbon Ads videos

+ Add

Install Carbon Ads on A Wordpress Blog in Less Than 5 Minutes

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Substack and Carbon Ads)

Substack

Carbon Ads

Blogging
100 100%
Blogging
0% 0
Marketing
0 0%
Marketing
100% 100
CMS
100 100%
CMS
0% 0
Advertising
0 0%
Advertising
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Substack and Carbon Ads

Substack Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Substack offers writers of all experience levels the ability to write an email newsletter thatโ€™s profitable through subscriptions. Substack provides purpose-built web and newsletter publishing tools to enable writers to monetize their newsletters. It is a service often favoured by readers because itโ€™s a convenient all-in-one solution for writing a successful podcast that...
Source: forgefusion.io
10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing
What sะตts Substack apart is its sะตamlะตss intะตgration of contะตnt crะตation and subscription-basะตd monะตtization. Substackโ€™s usะตr-friะตndly intะตrfacะต, distribution tools, and support for various contะตnt formats make it a popular choice for indะตpะตndะตnt crะตators looking to connะตct dirะตctly with thะตir audiะตncะต and turn thะตir passion into a sustainablะต incomะต strะตam.
Source: www.geeksforgeeks.org
9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
Substack and Medium differ primarily in their monetization methods. Medium pays creators based on reader engagement, while Substack enables writers to monetize directly through paid subscriptions to their newsletters. This business model allows Substack users to build a direct relationship with their readers via their email inboxes, whereas Medium interactions primarily...
Source: www.authorityhacker.com
11 Patreon Alternatives for Audience Monetization in 2023
Like a few of the other platforms weโ€™ve looked at, Substack takes a cut of your earnings rather than charging a 10% platform fee.
Source: www.uscreen.tv
Any good Mailchimp alternatives?
My question for you is, what is keeping you from making $31 per month from your list? Are you using any feature that Substack (free until you get paid) can't handle?
Source: www.indiehackers.com

Carbon Ads Reviews

Top 25 Google Adsense Alternatives For Your Website/Blog in 2022
Owned by BuySellAds, Carbon Ads is the perfect choice for an ad platform if the main audience youโ€™re working with and writing to are developers or designers. As a tech-based website or blog, you can showcase ads that are highly specific for these niches, meaning the chances are much higher your readers will interact more, and youโ€™ll make more money.
Source: www.izooto.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack seems to be a lot more popular than Carbon Ads. While we know about 102 links to Substack, we've tracked only 1 mention of Carbon Ads. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Substack mentions (102)

  • Writing by Hand is Good for your Brain
    It's ironic that the article that caused him to write this post (https://substack.com/@justindeschamps/note/c-261265212?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=7y05q) is written by AI. I see this style of informational writing all over the place now. - Source: Hacker News / 5 days ago
  • Ask HN: What are your favorite blogs not about AI?
    Https://substack.com/@yelluwcomedy. - Source: Hacker News / 9 days ago
  • Kids (With Phones) Are Alright
    Sure there was basically a cartel in social media. You saw coordinated censorship campaigns to ban the former president of the United States for example. But I wouldn't discount the amount of political interference there as well. The last administration admitted to flagging individual posts for the social media companies. But it's also true there is a lot of coordinated censorship even without state interference.... - Source: Hacker News / 18 days ago
  • Financing the AI boom: from cash flows to debt [pdf]
    Manhattan Project: $36B, 5 years โ–ซ Apollo Program: $257B, 14 years โ–ซ Interstate Highway System: $620B, 37 years โ–ซ AI data centers: $930B, 6 years and still accelerating From: https://substack.com/@rubendominguez/note/c-244929068. - Source: Hacker News / 14 days ago
  • SpaceX to buy Cursor AI coding agent operator Anysphere for $60B
    The thing is, even the center of the road academics who refrain from such comparisons are noting the similarity. The MAGA movement meets the traditional defining characteristics of fascio. We can be rigid and say that only Mussoliniโ€˜s political movement can be properly be called fascist. But if we call Hitler and the Nazis fascists as well, then we open the door to any movement that meets the criteria. And Trump... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
View more

Carbon Ads mentions (1)

  • How to do marketing to developers. A big guide
    To attract developers, you can use classic advertising networks such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads, and niche sites like Carbon Ads which are specifically built to promote developer tools. You can also use ads on Quora or Stackoverflow where the main audience is software engineers. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Substack and Carbon Ads, you can also consider the following products

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

EthicalAds - EthicalAds is an ad network exclusively focused on developers but without the need for invasive tracking.

Medium - Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

WaitSpin - Developers earn from one opt-in status line while agents run. Dev-tool makers buy that moment to get seen.

MailChimp - MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

AdSense - Earn money with website monetization from Google AdSense. We'll optimize your ad sizes to give them more chance to be seen and clicked.

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