Just go back to good old value trade mechanics rather than the predatory ones. People can tell when a transaction does not sound fair, you may think that they should think it is, but if the tactics employed are such as those done by Medium (and others) it’s always a tell that something is not right and transaction is not worth the money. Scammers on the internet employ similar tactics all the time.

I think Substack is clearly and obviously fairer than most competitors to both writers and readers. That’s why it’s succeeding.