When you say you can repurpose content from Substack to Medium is is that literally just a copy/paste? Or do you have to use canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content issues? This is where I get tripped up. Is it necessary to set the canonical link on the Medium post to point back to the original Substack article? I have a dormant Medium account with a couple hundred followers. I stopped writing over there because I got tired of the algorithm hacks. But now I’m thinking I should repurpose my content over on Medium because, why not?! Any input would be appreciated. Thank you for your timely article 😊.
You can literally copy-paste if you don't prioritize SEO as a strategy anyway.
If you publish on Substack first and then on Medium, you can still set the canonical URL, which takes two seconds, but it has no effect on whether you're reaching the audiences that are actively on the platforms. Optimizing for search only makes sense if search discovery is one of your priorities in the first place.
What's more relevant is that you understand the language of each platform so that you can make tweaks if they help your content get discovered by more people. Technically, you can just copy-paste, but realistically, if you want to reach the audience on each platform, there might be some tweaks, especially in the packaging that could make sense.
Also on Medium, for example, it makes sense to put your article into publications.
Think of it this way: if I write a script for a YouTube video, I would also make some tweaks to the script before publishing it as an article on Substack, simply because I want to create the best possible experience for my readers on Substack. Without those tweaks, it won't have a great chance of being discovered and loved on the platform. So even though I could just copy-paste the script, I don't want to do that because the purpose is not to just publish more content but to have content that actually helps you achieve your goals, which is certainly easier when you understand each platform that you're publishing on and maximize its potential.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. This all makes sense! I've been published in Medium publications before, and discovery is a lot easier that way. But I've been off the platform for so long, I'll have to spend some time figuring out which publications match what I'm writing about 😁. Off to research...
Yes, it's allowed because you own the rights to your content, and both platforms allow publishing content that has existed before. I shared more thoughts on this in the comment above. :)
Hi Sinem , it is nice to hear your podcast about your exemplary writing journey through Medium and subsequently Substack as well. It is very encouraging and inspiring for the new entrants who can learn a lot and go ahead in life . I have started writing in Medium recently and associated with Substack a few days back. Interacting with active and good people with exchange of words, learning many things which I was not aware of before. This way I am trying and growing along with others. Hope to reach the destination one day.
Question!? I have written a memoir that I think can help people. Each chapter is a different romantic /personal relationship. It’s a quick easy 10 chapter, around 60 page read. It has some sensitive topics and not sure what I can or can’t say on here. I have had about 10 people when I don’t know do a sort of “test run” for me by reading and reviewing it. Every single person thought it was a very good, powerful read. Where would you suggest I go from here? Just self publish the full book on Amazon or Substack or Medium chapter by chapter? Thank you so much in advance for any suggestions/advice.
Hi Niki, The information you provided about your book doesn't really help make an informed decision on where or how to publish it. What matters is how you want to promote it and whether you have any plans for the book in the long run. If you just publish it on Amazon or just put the chapters out on Substack or Medium, it's very unlikely that you will find many readers. The big question is always how do you get people to actually discover and read your book, and there are dozens of different ways to do that, but you have to pick up half that alliance with what you want to do in the long run.
This is a writer who published her memoir on Substack, turned it into a book, and is continuing the journey in a very inspiring way: https://substack.com/@annavatuone
Well that's because your question lacks crucial information. I can answer your question by telling you to just publish it on Substack if all you're looking for is someone to tell you what to do, but that answer is pretty worthless without you first figuring out what the whole purpose of publishing the memoir is.
Wow. Ok. I thought I was pretty clear on stating that each chapter was about a relationship I have been in, not all but some including abuse, pregnancy loss, abortion. Sensitive subjects that people can feel support and less alone. Personal things I have been through. I was trying to get a feel about how that kind of sensitive information would come across on Substack without exactly saying it because I don’t know what you can and can’t say on this platform.
I’m new to Substack but have been on Medium for a few years. From what I experienced so far, they seem like completely different platforms. Substack has a lot more bells and whistles, especially with the Notes feature, but Medium seems easier to garner attention and visibility. More straightforward in the traditional publication sense. Substack has been slow and was confusing at first but your videos have been helpful. For now I plan to maintain both Substack and Medium and use them for different purposes.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, that's really valuable! :)
And I'm glad to hear that you are experiencing both platforms to be fundamentally different as well. I find it really hard to compare the two when their purposes and features are so different.
Great information. Thank you so much I'm in the beginner phase. I've been on sub stack since June of this year. Only have 40 subscribers. I specifically help people over 50 with losing fat and getting healthy. I'm just now starting to get a few likes and comments which feels great. I'm not on any other platforms right now. I do share a couple of my things to my Facebook page. Not to sound greedy but yes I do want to make money off of this. I have a mini course and a full course I would like to sell. Do you think I should give Medium a try? Thanks for your advice
Hi Tracy! :) That's awesome! I love how clear and specific your value proposition is. You're definitely on the right track with that one.
Honestly, the power of Substack is in the internal reach that you can get. So you don't necessarily need other platforms to reach the right readers and clients here on Substack. Sure, you can repurpose your work on Medium as I've described in the piece, but at your current stage, I would first make sure that you have a solid strategy and traction on Substack, and then you can start repurposing the same stories to Medium.
For example, when I look at your profile right now, I don't even see a publication page, which is really crucial for you to gain subscribers. Your value proposition is really strong, and being so specific allows you to really get in front of the right people with the right approach.
My team and I are working with creators like yourself in our Substack System program and in our 1-on-1 coaching programs to make sure that you're set up correctly and can grow in the most efficient way possible without wasting your time and energy on the platform. Feel free to send me a personal message if you'd like to learn more about how we could support you! :)
Thanks for reading, Marcus! I'm so glad that's resonated. Have you been following a particular strategy on Medium or just publishing your stories on your profile? :)
Thanks Sinem, this is such a great post and mirrors my experiences as well. Although I have a much smaller subscriber count than you, I've built a lot of really valuable relationships and genuine friendships on this platform in a short period of time, much more than I've done on any other social media site. I'm really excited about Substack and what it holds for 2026.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sam. I'm really glad this was useful. Love to hear that your experience on Substack has been very positive as well! :)
I'm just getting started on substack, and want to repurpose some of my articles from Medium. My question is, should I change the title of each article so as not to confuse the Google search as to where to go to see the article?
Changing the title alone doesn't do much, and worrying about Google search only makes sense if you are prioritizing it as a discovery strategy in the first place. If you're doing nothing else to show up on Google searches, then you can also use the same title because you are optimizing for being discovered on the platforms, not on search.
I'm relatively new to both Substack and Medium. Realistically I don't expect to make a living off it, as I write deep AI articles every few weeks. But I want people to read what I write, and money and community would be a nice extra. I must admit I haven't noticed the community side of Substack much. Is there a starting point you can recommend reaching out to people?
When you say you can repurpose content from Substack to Medium is is that literally just a copy/paste? Or do you have to use canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content issues? This is where I get tripped up. Is it necessary to set the canonical link on the Medium post to point back to the original Substack article? I have a dormant Medium account with a couple hundred followers. I stopped writing over there because I got tired of the algorithm hacks. But now I’m thinking I should repurpose my content over on Medium because, why not?! Any input would be appreciated. Thank you for your timely article 😊.
Hi Kimberlee! :)
You can literally copy-paste if you don't prioritize SEO as a strategy anyway.
If you publish on Substack first and then on Medium, you can still set the canonical URL, which takes two seconds, but it has no effect on whether you're reaching the audiences that are actively on the platforms. Optimizing for search only makes sense if search discovery is one of your priorities in the first place.
What's more relevant is that you understand the language of each platform so that you can make tweaks if they help your content get discovered by more people. Technically, you can just copy-paste, but realistically, if you want to reach the audience on each platform, there might be some tweaks, especially in the packaging that could make sense.
Also on Medium, for example, it makes sense to put your article into publications.
Think of it this way: if I write a script for a YouTube video, I would also make some tweaks to the script before publishing it as an article on Substack, simply because I want to create the best possible experience for my readers on Substack. Without those tweaks, it won't have a great chance of being discovered and loved on the platform. So even though I could just copy-paste the script, I don't want to do that because the purpose is not to just publish more content but to have content that actually helps you achieve your goals, which is certainly easier when you understand each platform that you're publishing on and maximize its potential.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. This all makes sense! I've been published in Medium publications before, and discovery is a lot easier that way. But I've been off the platform for so long, I'll have to spend some time figuring out which publications match what I'm writing about 😁. Off to research...
You're welcome! :) Feel free to reach out if you ever have any questions!
I have the same question.
This is my concern as well
I have the same question. Can you duplicate the content wholesale and use in both platforms? Is it allowed?
Yes, it's allowed because you own the rights to your content, and both platforms allow publishing content that has existed before. I shared more thoughts on this in the comment above. :)
Thanks, this is really interesting information.
Thank you Sinem, for a fact based, clear guide on what the two platforms are and how we can fit them into our own frameworks.
Hi Sinem , it is nice to hear your podcast about your exemplary writing journey through Medium and subsequently Substack as well. It is very encouraging and inspiring for the new entrants who can learn a lot and go ahead in life . I have started writing in Medium recently and associated with Substack a few days back. Interacting with active and good people with exchange of words, learning many things which I was not aware of before. This way I am trying and growing along with others. Hope to reach the destination one day.
Thank you.
Question!? I have written a memoir that I think can help people. Each chapter is a different romantic /personal relationship. It’s a quick easy 10 chapter, around 60 page read. It has some sensitive topics and not sure what I can or can’t say on here. I have had about 10 people when I don’t know do a sort of “test run” for me by reading and reviewing it. Every single person thought it was a very good, powerful read. Where would you suggest I go from here? Just self publish the full book on Amazon or Substack or Medium chapter by chapter? Thank you so much in advance for any suggestions/advice.
Niki
Hi Niki, The information you provided about your book doesn't really help make an informed decision on where or how to publish it. What matters is how you want to promote it and whether you have any plans for the book in the long run. If you just publish it on Amazon or just put the chapters out on Substack or Medium, it's very unlikely that you will find many readers. The big question is always how do you get people to actually discover and read your book, and there are dozens of different ways to do that, but you have to pick up half that alliance with what you want to do in the long run.
This is a writer who published her memoir on Substack, turned it into a book, and is continuing the journey in a very inspiring way: https://substack.com/@annavatuone
Ok I guess that doesn’t exactly answer my question either haha
Well that's because your question lacks crucial information. I can answer your question by telling you to just publish it on Substack if all you're looking for is someone to tell you what to do, but that answer is pretty worthless without you first figuring out what the whole purpose of publishing the memoir is.
Wow. Ok. I thought I was pretty clear on stating that each chapter was about a relationship I have been in, not all but some including abuse, pregnancy loss, abortion. Sensitive subjects that people can feel support and less alone. Personal things I have been through. I was trying to get a feel about how that kind of sensitive information would come across on Substack without exactly saying it because I don’t know what you can and can’t say on this platform.
I’m new to Substack but have been on Medium for a few years. From what I experienced so far, they seem like completely different platforms. Substack has a lot more bells and whistles, especially with the Notes feature, but Medium seems easier to garner attention and visibility. More straightforward in the traditional publication sense. Substack has been slow and was confusing at first but your videos have been helpful. For now I plan to maintain both Substack and Medium and use them for different purposes.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, that's really valuable! :)
And I'm glad to hear that you are experiencing both platforms to be fundamentally different as well. I find it really hard to compare the two when their purposes and features are so different.
Great information. Thank you so much I'm in the beginner phase. I've been on sub stack since June of this year. Only have 40 subscribers. I specifically help people over 50 with losing fat and getting healthy. I'm just now starting to get a few likes and comments which feels great. I'm not on any other platforms right now. I do share a couple of my things to my Facebook page. Not to sound greedy but yes I do want to make money off of this. I have a mini course and a full course I would like to sell. Do you think I should give Medium a try? Thanks for your advice
Hi Tracy! :) That's awesome! I love how clear and specific your value proposition is. You're definitely on the right track with that one.
Honestly, the power of Substack is in the internal reach that you can get. So you don't necessarily need other platforms to reach the right readers and clients here on Substack. Sure, you can repurpose your work on Medium as I've described in the piece, but at your current stage, I would first make sure that you have a solid strategy and traction on Substack, and then you can start repurposing the same stories to Medium.
For example, when I look at your profile right now, I don't even see a publication page, which is really crucial for you to gain subscribers. Your value proposition is really strong, and being so specific allows you to really get in front of the right people with the right approach.
My team and I are working with creators like yourself in our Substack System program and in our 1-on-1 coaching programs to make sure that you're set up correctly and can grow in the most efficient way possible without wasting your time and energy on the platform. Feel free to send me a personal message if you'd like to learn more about how we could support you! :)
Well done!!
I have been writing on Medium and not getting any significant readership... and Substack has been on my mind for the last year.
Everything you said was super well balanced,,, no bridges burned! Great job!
Thanks for reading, Marcus! I'm so glad that's resonated. Have you been following a particular strategy on Medium or just publishing your stories on your profile? :)
Thanks Sinem, this is such a great post and mirrors my experiences as well. Although I have a much smaller subscriber count than you, I've built a lot of really valuable relationships and genuine friendships on this platform in a short period of time, much more than I've done on any other social media site. I'm really excited about Substack and what it holds for 2026.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sam. I'm really glad this was useful. Love to hear that your experience on Substack has been very positive as well! :)
I'm just getting started on substack, and want to repurpose some of my articles from Medium. My question is, should I change the title of each article so as not to confuse the Google search as to where to go to see the article?
Changing the title alone doesn't do much, and worrying about Google search only makes sense if you are prioritizing it as a discovery strategy in the first place. If you're doing nothing else to show up on Google searches, then you can also use the same title because you are optimizing for being discovered on the platforms, not on search.
I'm relatively new to both Substack and Medium. Realistically I don't expect to make a living off it, as I write deep AI articles every few weeks. But I want people to read what I write, and money and community would be a nice extra. I must admit I haven't noticed the community side of Substack much. Is there a starting point you can recommend reaching out to people?
Hi! :) This video could help you get more into the community side of Substack: https://youtu.be/_kjMG_D4oHg&list=PLyfFz-0GvemkXndVM45rrK0DpAqRuZQIJ