“In my opinion, RSS feeds are underrated traffic acquisition paths for websites.
“For website owners, Substack’s entry into the RSS field is extremely advantageous.
Real Simple
RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication.
Substack / Unsplash / Mockup Photos
It’s a way for a website to announce that it just published something new.
That could be a blog post, but RSS is also what powers podcasting.
And you’ve got the option to do the same for articles published by most websites.
Substack
Substack
Because RSS is built into many website publishing platforms, it just happens.
In fact, RSS can be a handy way to skirt article limits on some sites.
This is the big advantage over following websites on Twitter.
Substack
You’ll never miss a story.
Twitter is a great place for conversation, but its structure is terrible for publishing.
Google Reader Replacement?
Google Readerwas an RSS reader that ran from 2005-2013 and changed how we read news.
Again, it offered nothing you couldn’t already do with RSS reader apps but made it mainstream.
Websites added Google Reader buttons the way they add Twitter buttons today.
You get all your favorite writers in one place.
But what’s in it for Substack?
After all, it seems to conflict with promoting its own properties.
“Though Substack is the most popular, it will never dominate all email subscriptions.
It’s a solid strategy but one that is easily replicated thanks to the open nature of RSS.
Anyone can add it to their app.
That’s the beauty of these old, open web technologies.
They give everyone the same opportunity and don’t allow anyone to lock you in, technologically at least.
It’s the exact opposite of Twitter.
The good news is, we don’t have to choose.
We can use whichever service we prefer.
