How Substack & Bear Differ
There's two components: the aesthetic and the distribution.
It's way easier to distribute your content on Substack since it was built as an email newsletter platform. Write your thoughts, hit publish, and it lands in the inbox of whoever wants to read.
The cost of the model, I believe, is that you have to play by Substack's rules and dance to their music. That involves access to a limited number of layouts and newsletter customizations, and its Twitter-like Notes feature. You don't have to like them but it's something you've got to live with. I don't think I'm fully into that.
The limited templating options feel constricting. Take newsletter fonts, for example. Fonts have a powerful and subconscious effect on reading and vibes (I can talk more on this later). It's why serif fonts can feel out of place for casual topics. But Substack only gives you a handful of font options.
There's nothing wrong with limiting options. It definitely makes it easier for anyone to pickup. But that means your content looks like other people's content. You lose your chance to add your own flair to it.
Bear Blog is a lot more forgiving about that. Not only are there a good amount of themes to choose from, but the community is delightfully active. That allows you to find themes from other creators, which is really great for further expanding your own personal branding, or how you'd like to design your site.
Aside from that, the rawness of writing on Bear Blog encourages you to remember that there is no game to be played here. There's no reward for boosting engagement or reshares. It's you and your words. That's what blogging is about.
The polished look of Substack feels like my own writing has to meet some kind of standard which I subconsciously set. I'm getting a little tired of it; sometimes, I just wanna write something, you know?
I might just write more here instead.
If you wanted to comment, just email me: francisjudealcantara@gmail.com. I'd love to hear your thoughts.