McKenzie: Media succeeds when readers replace advertisers as paying customers
Hamish McKenzie · Substack: Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie · May 12, 2025 · at 26:22
Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie discusses the core conceptual breakthrough that co-founder Chris Best had when designing the platform's direct-subscription model.
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“The core insight he had was that you should make readers the customers instead of advertisers the customers. And if you change that core dynamic, especially if you monetize the relationship over time through enough subscription, then different things are possible.”
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