Journalists used to reach audiences primarily through traditional media outlets. Now, though, as AI changes where people turn for information and who they trust, there’s a growing need to connect with readers through alternative, independent platforms.
As partners to our clients trying to understand and navigate that shift, we’re constantly evaluating how to evolve our strategies to help them reach the right audiences, regardless of where they read.
Reporters have a big opportunity to explore independent journalism through nontraditional media channels like podcasts and newsletters. I recently spoke with Lindsay Dodgson, a freelance journalist for publications like Fast Company and CNBC, who has added a new title to her resume: Substack author.
Lindsay shared insights with me about how her writing changes when covering stories for traditional outlets versus her own Substack, Why Not Her?. We also discussed what it takes to pique her interest across channels and what opportunities exist — for journalists and brands — within today’s evolving media landscape.
As relationships between reporters and readers continue to change, let’s go directly to the source.
Key Takeaways
- Independent platforms offer journalists freedom to pursue human stories. Substack creates new space for perspectives that may not fit neatly into traditional editorial criteria.
- Human voices matter more as the volume of AI-generated content grows. Personal experiences and perspectives help stories stand out.
- Smaller audiences still deliver meaningful impact. Niche platforms can create deeper connections with highly engaged readers.
- PR teams should rethink how they pitch nontraditional media. Story and audience fit can have a bigger impact than when working with traditional media outlets and reporters.
How do you decide which stories belong on your Substack versus which you pitch to traditional media outlets?
It’s a good question and something I’m still figuring out.
I call my Substack “creative writing.” It’s more of a free-flowing place for my thoughts when I want to tell stories that are more nebulous. I think of my Substack more as “vibe reporting,” to borrow from the phrase “vibe coding.”
When I’m pitching to Fast Company, Business Insider or other media outlets, I know the editors have inboxes full of stories from staff reporters and PR professionals. They can’t move forward with all of those ideas, even if they’re great, so there’s always competition.
You have to make sure each pitch is perfect. It has to have the data, headline and evidence for why people will care — it’s an art. I know I need all those ingredients before pitching the story for it to land.
I don’t have to do that with my Substack and that’s reflected in the way my articles come together for the newsletter versus a pitch. For a pitch, I start with all the research, data and sources. For my Substack, my stories come about more organically. I love that. I’m able to put my own perspective into my stories directly. It’s much more flexible.
What are the biggest differences in your writing style for Substack versus media outlets?
I set my own editorial standards on my Substack, while I need to adhere to the guidelines of the outlets I’m pitching. For example, some editors require sources who are “world-leading” in a certain industry or who have research released on the topics I’m writing about.
Those are important guardrails for sure, but I consider myself a human reporter. I appreciate the academic side of reporting, but I gravitate more toward the experience side. I love talking to people about why they do certain things and I don’t think you always need to be an academic expert on a topic to be qualified to speak about it.
I prefer to get personal experiences and perspectives, like interviewing employees about why they hate the corporate environment versus only speaking to economists or C-suite leaders.
There’s room for both, but when it’s my own publication, I like to explore the stories that seem less reportable in traditional media outlets. I like the freedom to listen to human experiences and go from there. I feel like people respond to that.
What’s consistent across both is how human I want my writing to be. In the AI era, people crave humanity whether they know it or not and they pick on the “AI accent” pretty easily. They’re uncomfortable, even if they’re not entirely sure why. That’s another big reason why I like to prioritize unique thoughts or experiences: people feel more confident that you really wrote it.
How do you measure success with your Substack?
There are a lot of different ways to measure success, but the most obvious is subscriber count.
I have about 200 subscribers right now. It seems small, but thinking about 200 people who signed up to hear my thoughts is really gratifying, and it’s different from traditional journalism.
I spent nearly a decade in newsrooms, where data-tracking websites evaluated my articles and I could see in real time how many people were reading each piece. There was one story I wrote a while ago about an influencer who was trying to eat an octopus that got stuck to her face while livestreaming. I wrote about the ridiculous viral clip and got three million clicks.
You could sing about those metrics in an annual review, but it means so much more to me to have one person tell me they related to one of my Substack posts.
I love those types of notes. When I was writing on staff at Business Insider, I would get the occasional email from someone reaching out to share that they enjoyed reading my article. It was rare, but so nice to see my work connect with other humans.
That’s what I see a lot of on Substack and how I personally measure success on the platform. Did someone like reading my work? Did they relate to the story? That type of feedback has changed my perspective on reporting as a numbers game and brought me back to what I love about journalism: the human element.
You often get sources for stories you write for larger publications. Are you open to receiving sources for your Substack stories?
Definitely. I’ve actually received pitches for media outlets and then used the interviews in Substack posts.
Because I’m still newer to the platform, I haven’t gotten any proactive sources for my Substack yet. But it’s something I’m very open to. Honestly, I’d be impressed with a PR person who offered me a relevant source for my Substack.
PR companies need to take the leap with Substacks. I’ve heard people say the media landscape is more fractured than ever. Communications professionals are speculating that Substacks are the way to go and they may show interest in getting their clients in front of more microinfluencers — but I don’t see that actually happening yet. Most of the interviews I see on Substack are brief and mostly involve journalists interviewing other journalists.
There’s space for brands too, though. PR teams can use traditional media publications to get their clients in front of targeted audiences, but they can drive even more niche impact with Substack. The audience is smaller, but you’re reaching readers who really care about what they’re reading every time.
I can see how it’ll be a hard sell to convince certain brands that this shift in approach is important, but it’s worth it.
What do you look for in pitches when writing stories for Substack versus a Fast Company or Business Insider?
If you’re pitching me for Substack, lead with the story. If you’re pitching me for a top-tier outlet, lead with the data or a unique interview opportunity.
When I’m trying to place a story with an editor at a media outlet, I need something like an original interview or new data — a unique POV I can sell. With my own Substack, I’m more focused on women’s stories, particularly those that tend to get dismissed by mainstream media because they aren’t considered trendy or aligned with the current news cycle.
If you’re pitching me for Why Not Her?, I want to hear from a woman with a really interesting backstory or anecdote. Maybe she’s employed at a company that’s addressing women’s mental loads and how that’s gotten worse with RTO mandates, or she’s a former police officer who felt like she couldn’t work in The Met anymore because it was too sexist.
With Substack pitches, I want something with layers I can dig into. I don’t need all the information upfront either, just why it would fit with the stories I’ve already told and the topics my readers care about.
Thank you, Lindsay, for sharing how your work as a journalist is changing as you explore independent media formats — and how that’s influencing how you tell stories.
To keep up with Lindsay’s latest reporting on modern workplaces, societal trends and women-led stories, subscribe to her Substack Why Not Her?. You can also keep up with Lindsay on LinkedIn, where she shares her freelance stories.
