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Comment by xwowsersx | Hacker News Reader

Maybe you have something else in mind when you say "discoverability", but.. https://substack.com/discover Seems they do have it.

As for the bloat, I can't really comment, but would note that Substack did substantial layoffs like everyone else.

As for what they're doing: they built mobile apps, adding podcasting and video, etc, better discoverability.

I can't say whether they've done "enough" to satisfy you, but I also don't think we should pretend Substack hasn't done any new product development work since inception.

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Those are all fair responses. I guess I just haven't seen much uptake of those new features among the Substack writers that I follow. When they do podcasts, they're hosted by ACast, SimpleCast, or one of the other podcast hosting platforms out there. Videos are hosted on YouTube (like everyone else's).

I would prefer if Substack spent more resources on improving its "core" newsletter/blog experience, but I can understand, given their status as a home for controversial writers, their desire to be a self-contained service.

My understanding is that these days most technical people are wary of being locked into a single platform, so even though substack is making a pretty compelling walled garden anyone with knowledge of recent SV history is hesitant to dive head first into it. As once they get big enough they’re pretty much guaranteed to do something anti-competitive that is against the interests of their customers/users who now have no choice as the cost of leaving has grown too large.

They added comments, chat, an app for reading, sections. There is a lot happening in Substack core product.

Edit: this looks like a good list for my standards: https://on.substack.com/p/product-news-dispatch-nov-22

And Substack discoverability is becoming a big thing for writers. I know the impact from a lot of anedoctes.

I help with podcasts at Substack. Substack is a podcast-hosting platform like the others you describe (although in my biased opinion we have a number of other great features that set us apart). Most of the podcasts on Substack are hosted and distributed by Substack. A few Substack podcasts do point back at other platforms, but this isn't the norm.

Writers can embed youtube videos in their posts. When they do, those are hosted on youtube.

However, Substack also has our own hosted videos (see https://on.substack.com/p/video-on-substack).

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