This Substacker gained 20,000 followers the night TikTok was banned + 5 Substacks every new Substacker should follow

Did you know that one pop culture Substacker gained 20,000 new subscribers the 13 hours that TikTok went dark in America. Plus, the 5 Substacks every new Substacker should be following and why.

Did you know that Substack was the most downloaded app in the App Store when TikTok went down for 13 hours in the United States on January 18th, 2025?

Co-founder, Chris Best, posted a screenshot with the caption “Wait, what?”. Then followed it up with a note about how they were also seeing an all-time high in $ subscriptions. Marking a potential tipping point for the app.

As a creator, it can be overwhelming to hear about new social media platforms that you feel pressured to begin to stay “up-to-date”. One of the best ways that I, as a full-time creator, decide if a new platform is worth it for me (because not all platforms are meant for every creator) is by searching the app for inspiration.

If I can’t enjoy the platform as a member of the audience, I surely don’t want to get on stage. It’s important to find creators that make you excited to be there.

But the TikTok ban in America was a reminder that so many platforms are just rented land. We don’t own them as creators. The apps can one day disappear or ban us for arbitrary reasons. But with Substack, you own your audience since you have access to their email list. Something no other social platform has done before.

Substack is a slower burn as a creator and an audience member. It took me a while to find the right Substacks to follow when I started on the platform and I sent many emails to the Substack team, asking for creator reqs, which they always willingly sent over many.

My taste in creators tends to lean towards anyone who can do a deep dive into media, culture and history. How do all these things come together to tell a larger story of what is harder to understand when you are in the thick of it.

If you have Substack, or you are thinking of creating a Substack, you can also read my (no pay-wall) article here on tips to grow on the platform ⬇️

If you are reading this, then it means you have subscribed to mine, free or paid. That means so so much to me! Thank you for following me over to a new platform.

Now for the Substacker who gained 20,000 followers in the hours that TikTok went dark in America + the 5 Substacks every new Substacker should follow…

Want to read the rest of this article? Consider becoming a paying member of my best-selling Substack below ⬇️ You will unlock every trend report published + the extended episodes of my marketing podcast, “Ahead of the Curve with Coco Mocoe”.