The Substack Podcast
Conversations with writers, bloggers, and creative thinkers about how they got here. Produced by Substack, a place for independent writing. on.substack.com
All Episodes
Substack Podcast #022: Pandemic economics with Nathan Tankus
August 13th, 2020
We spoke with Nathan Tankus of Notes on the Crises, who writes about the pandemic-induced global depression and how policymakers should respond to …
Substack Podcast #021: Cookbooks with Paula Forbes
August 7th, 2020
We spoke with Paula Forbes of Stained Page News, a newsletter about cookbooks. For her, it’s a place to geek out about cookbooks - where she can …
Substack Podcast #020: Gen Z with Terry Nguyen
July 23rd, 2020
We spoke with Terry Nguyen of gen yeet, a newsletter about Gen Z culture, memes, and trends.
Get on the email list at stories.substack.com
Substack Podcast #019: Mental Health with Fiza Pirani
July 16th, 2020
We spoke with Fiza Pirani of Foreign Bodies, a newsletter that destigmatizes mental illness, centered on immigrant and refugee experiences.
Get on the email list at stories.substack.com
Substack Podcast #018: Corporate governance with Francine McKenna 
July 9th, 2020
We spoke with Francine McKenna of The Dig, a newsletter about accounting and corporate governance issues. Francine analyzes the most widely-held and widely-shorted companies in the world.
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Substack Podcast #017: Psychedelics with Zach Haigney
July 2nd, 2020
We spoke with Zach Haigney of The Trip Report, a newsletter covering the business, policy, and impact of psychedelics.
Get on the email list at …
Substack Podcast #016: Finance with Kevin Muir
June 25th, 2020
We spoke with Kevin Muir of The MacroTourist, a newsletter about trading and investing that aims to make finance fun.
Get on the email list at stories.substack.com
Substack Podcast #015: International news with Erin Cook
June 19th, 2020
We spoke with Erin Cook of Dari Mulut ke Mulut, a publication covering news across Southeast Asia.
Get on the email list at stories.substack.com
Substack Podcast #014: Healthcare with Nikhil Krishnan
June 11th, 2020
We spoke with Nikhil Krishnan of Out of Pocket, a newsletter that’s tackling healthcare with an entertaining and approachable voice.
Get on the email list at stories.substack.com
Substack Podcast #013: Local news with Tony Mecia of The Charlotte Ledger
May 29th, 2020
We chatted with Tony Mecia of The Charlotte Ledger, a publication focused on local business news in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States.
…
How Delia Cai grew Deez Links from zero to 2,000+ signups
March 4th, 2020
We invited Delia Cai, author of Deez Links, to speak to an audience of Substack writers in New York about how she grew her newsletter to 2,700 signups. Delia started her daily media newsletter as an intern at Atlantic …
How Emily Atkin turned her climate change newsletter into a six-figure income
March 4th, 2020
We invited Emily Atkin, author of Heated, to talk to an audience of Substack writers in New York about how she successfully launched paid …
How Walt Hickey of Numlock News expanded to multiple newsletters
March 4th, 2020
We invited Walt Hickey, author of Numlock News, to share with an audience of Substack writers in New York how he thinks about spinning off multiple …
A growth masterclass with Judd Legum of Popular Information
June 21st, 2019
Of all the writers who use Substack, no one is as good at promoting their newsletter as Judd Legum, publisher of Popular Information. Judd was …
#012 – Media critic Jesse Brown on the secrets behind Canadaland's crowdfunded success
February 28th, 2019
Canadian journalist and media critic Jesse Brown is well known in his home country for big media scoops and uncompromising commentary. These days, he’s creating a name for himself as a media entrepreneur, too. With his …
Introducing Substack for audio
February 7th, 2019
Today, we’re moving into paid podcasts with the launch of a tool for audio publishing. The first Substack publisher to use the tool is Anthony …
#011 – How Bill Bishop cut a path from the Tiananmen Square Massacre to the inboxes of America's power brokers
October 19th, 2018
Bill Bishop is the author of the Sinocism China newsletter, and our very first publisher on Substack. In this interview, we discuss his secrets to building a great newsletter business and his fascinating career, from …
#010 - How Luke Timmerman created the top paid newsletter in biotech
October 12th, 2018
Luke Timmerman is a veteran biotechnology journalist that decided to launch his own subscription-based publication (The Timmerman Report) because he …
#009 – Emma Beals on life as an independent war reporter in the age of ISIS
September 28th, 2018
First as an investigative journalist, and now as an analyst, Emma Beals has been covering the rise of ISIS and the wars in Syria and Iraq since 2012. During that time, reporting on the conflicts has become so dangerous …
#008 - Judd Legum wants to save democracy with Popular Information
September 21st, 2018
Judd Legum founded Think Progress nearly 15 years ago and grew it into a publication read by tens of millions of people. But earlier this summer, he …
#007 – Jessica Lessin, founder of The Information, shares how she built a thriving news business against the odds
September 13th, 2018
Jessica Lessin was a star reporter at the Wall Street Journal who had built her reputation covering companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook. It was her dream job. Until one day… she quit.
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#006 - Mara Wilson, author and former child star, on how to write about your life
September 6th, 2018
Mara Wilson knows good storytelling. As a child, she starred in Matilda, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Miracle on 34th St. Today she writes about what it was like to grow up as a child star, decide to leave acting, and figure out …
#005 - Walt Hickey of Numlock (previously FiveThirtyEight) on why you should write every day, deliver via email, and charge readers directly.
August 30th, 2018
It’s hard to get 20,000 people to sign up for your email list, but Walt Hickey has done it with his daily newsletter Numlock, which tells the news by numbers. When I asked him how, he kept coming back to three big …
#004 – Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi discusses the state of the media, his serial Substack novel, and the furor that almost brought him down
August 23rd, 2018
This week, I spoke to Matt Taibbi, contributing editor to Rolling Stone, journalistic heir to Hunter S. Thompson, and author of serial novel The …
#003 - Nick Quah tells the story of Hot Pod, the podcast industry's biggest newsletter
August 16th, 2018
Will there ever be a "Netflix for Podcasts?" How is the podcast advertising business evolving? And how do you build a focused newsletter into a …
#002 - How Ann Friedman built a career as an independent journalist
August 9th, 2018
Ann Friedman has crafted a journalism career on her own terms, combining freelance writing for major national outlets with a weekly newsletter and Call Your Girlfriend, a podcast she co-hosts with Aminatou Sow.
Get on …
#001 - How Tim Urban grew "Wait But Why" to over 30 million readers
August 2nd, 2018
Tim Urban explains how he grew Wait But Why into one of the most popular blogs on the internet.
Get on the email list at stories.substack.com
#000 - Introduction (start here)
July 28th, 2018
A preview of what's to come.
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