As Substack sets its eyes beyond newsletters, it's looking to IRL experiences. Substack has been hosting jam-packed readings and parties with its newsletter writers. We spoke with Sophia Efthimiatou and Matt Starr, Substack's duo paving the platform's IRL strategy.
I'm sitting on a foldable metal chair lined up in a gymnasium, the marching band is blaring, and cheerleaders are being tossed in the air. No, I'm not a high-school pep rally. I'm at a Substack event.
In September, Casey Lewis — Gen-Z expert and author behind the "After School" newsletter — hosted an in-person debate with Substack that brought creators, marketers, and other writers all in one room. Part of a series that Substack has dubbed "Stacked Debates," Lewis' debate featured many people connected to the newsletter platform, such as columnist John Paul Brammer, comedian Kareem Rahma , meme creator Nolita Dirtbag, and Substack partnerships staffer Randa Sakallah. And as the debates broached topics like "Are cigarettes better than Zyn?" and social-media screentime, Substack's logos and staff were peppered throughout the venue.
In the corner of the gymnasium running the show were the two masterminds behind the event: Sophia Efthimiatou, Substack's head of writer relations, and Matt Starr, cofounder of Dream Baby Press, who joined Substack in February to produce events for writers. The two have planned some of Substack's buzzy events this year, from pop-culture writer Hunter Harris' "Hung Up" event that brough.
