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According to executives from Discord and Substack, the era of social media as broadcast has given way to a new kind of platform, one where engagement is built not on viral posts but tightly knit communities.
In a Social Media Week panel moderated by ADWEEK chief executive Will Lee, Discord’s vice president of sales Adam Bauer and Substack’s head of lifestyle partnerships Christina Loff made the case that their platforms are ushering in a new era of platform media—and that brands with the right playbooks can capitalize it.
“The biggest change we’re seeing is that community is the product,” said Bauer. “It’s not about follower counts anymore.”
But both have seen explosive growth in recent years fueled by the same phenomenon: the rise of small, private spaces.
On Discord, 90% of servers, or community hubs, are micro-groups of just five to 20 people, according to Bauer. And despite its substantial reach—Discord counts around 200 million monthly active users globally—the core experience remains geared toward intimacy.
“It’s basically a virtual living room where friends hang out over voice, video, or chat,” he said.
Substack, which has recently unveiled a slew of products in addition to its core newsletter offering, has also become a destination for creators seeking to build smaller, more intentional audiences.
With its new Twitter-like social feed, called Notes, and its nascent rollout of a TikTok-esque vertical feed, the platform is looking to maintain that personal connection while allowing it to exist in formats beyond its famous newsletter product.
“We see big influencers from TikTok or Instagram come to Substack to ‘paywall the personal,’” said Loff. “They want to get more real with superfans in a space they control.”
Discord users are “digitally native, internet-savvy people who don’t want traditional ads,” according to Bauer. As such, brands must be prepared to cultivate conversations, rather than control them.
A similar line of logic applies to brands engaging on Substack, a phenomenon that has picked up pace in recent months. On Tuesday, the retailer American Eagle became the latest brand to join the platform.
For companies, the platform recommends taking cues from its native creator community. The RealReal, for example, launched on Substack by hiring a fashion writer embedded in its fashion ecosystem, creating editorial content that resembles the kind being created by heavyweights like Laura Reilly’s Magasin or Emilia Petrarca’s Shop Rat.
Both platforms stressed that brands must dedicate resources and community management to succeed.
“The ones that fail come in, launch a big splashy server, and then abandon it,” Bauer said. “Communities die quickly without ongoing care.”
And Substack, famously, has remained ad-free, relying on its subscription-driven model where creators keep 90% of paid revenue. Still, Loff noted that the company sees expanding live video and shows as a possible next frontier for branded partnerships.
While both platforms are still working out how brands can best participate, their message to marketers was clear: There is no shortcut to success in these environments.
“The communities are small by design,” said Bauer. “You have to show up, contribute, and be ready to stick around. If you do, the loyalty and engagement you’ll find is unlike anything on traditional social platforms.”
Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/discord-substack-niche-communities-platform-media/
In a Social Media Week panel moderated by ADWEEK chief executive Will Lee, Discord’s vice president of sales Adam Bauer and Substack’s head of lifestyle partnerships Christina Loff made the case that their platforms are ushering in a new era of platform media—and that brands with the right playbooks can capitalize it.
“The biggest change we’re seeing is that community is the product,” said Bauer. “It’s not about follower counts anymore.”
The shift toward small, intentional communities
Discord and Substack may look different on the surface—one is a real-time communication app, while the other is a newsletter and multimedia platform.But both have seen explosive growth in recent years fueled by the same phenomenon: the rise of small, private spaces.
On Discord, 90% of servers, or community hubs, are micro-groups of just five to 20 people, according to Bauer. And despite its substantial reach—Discord counts around 200 million monthly active users globally—the core experience remains geared toward intimacy.
“It’s basically a virtual living room where friends hang out over voice, video, or chat,” he said.
Substack, which has recently unveiled a slew of products in addition to its core newsletter offering, has also become a destination for creators seeking to build smaller, more intentional audiences.
With its new Twitter-like social feed, called Notes, and its nascent rollout of a TikTok-esque vertical feed, the platform is looking to maintain that personal connection while allowing it to exist in formats beyond its famous newsletter product.
“We see big influencers from TikTok or Instagram come to Substack to ‘paywall the personal,’” said Loff. “They want to get more real with superfans in a space they control.”
A new challenge, and opportunity, for brands
For marketers, these new platforms offer access to highly engaged but difficult-to-reach audiences. But the old broadcast playbook will not work.Discord users are “digitally native, internet-savvy people who don’t want traditional ads,” according to Bauer. As such, brands must be prepared to cultivate conversations, rather than control them.
A similar line of logic applies to brands engaging on Substack, a phenomenon that has picked up pace in recent months. On Tuesday, the retailer American Eagle became the latest brand to join the platform.
For companies, the platform recommends taking cues from its native creator community. The RealReal, for example, launched on Substack by hiring a fashion writer embedded in its fashion ecosystem, creating editorial content that resembles the kind being created by heavyweights like Laura Reilly’s Magasin or Emilia Petrarca’s Shop Rat.
Both platforms stressed that brands must dedicate resources and community management to succeed.
“The ones that fail come in, launch a big splashy server, and then abandon it,” Bauer said. “Communities die quickly without ongoing care.”
Monetization remains experimental
Neither Discord nor Substack currently offers a turnkey solution for brand advertising. Discord only launched its ads business in 2024, with a “rewarded ad” format designed to mimic gaming behavior by giving users a value exchange for engagement.And Substack, famously, has remained ad-free, relying on its subscription-driven model where creators keep 90% of paid revenue. Still, Loff noted that the company sees expanding live video and shows as a possible next frontier for branded partnerships.
While both platforms are still working out how brands can best participate, their message to marketers was clear: There is no shortcut to success in these environments.
“The communities are small by design,” said Bauer. “You have to show up, contribute, and be ready to stick around. If you do, the loyalty and engagement you’ll find is unlike anything on traditional social platforms.”
Source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/discord-substack-niche-communities-platform-media/
