Video originally published May 7, 2025. Article version published March 17, 2026.
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See Free LIVE Events →Key Takeaways
- A LinkedIn newsletter is best understood as front-facing social media, not owned email infrastructure.
- Substack is closer to a backend email platform because you own the subscriber emails and can export the list.
- If you already have an audience on LinkedIn and want a quick win, LinkedIn newsletters are easier to launch and can work fast.
- If long-term asset ownership, paid subscriptions, and email growth matter most, Substack has the stronger backend advantage.
- For most business owners, the best move is not choosing one forever. It is using LinkedIn for distribution and a private email platform for ownership.
If you are asking whether a LinkedIn newsletter is better than Substack, the first thing to understand is that they are not doing the same job.
Shanee Moret frames it simply: comparing a LinkedIn newsletter to Substack is like comparing a bicycle to a car. They both move, but they are built for different functions.
That distinction matters because a lot of business owners make a strategic mistake here. They either overestimate what a LinkedIn newsletter gives them, or they delay building any newsletter system at all because a backend platform feels like too much tech, too much setup, or too much additional work.
The right choice depends on where you are in your business, what kind of audience you already have, how much bandwidth you have, and whether your bigger need right now is visibility or ownership.
The Short Answer
A LinkedIn newsletter is best for front-facing distribution, trust-building, and fast leverage from an audience you already have.
Substack is best for owning subscriber data, building a real email asset, and creating long-term financial security through an audience you control.
For many business owners, especially coaches, consultants, and service providers, the highest-leverage strategy is not choosing one instead of the other. It is using a LinkedIn newsletter to build demand and then leading people to a private list you actually own.
| Question | Better Tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I want a quick win from the audience I already have | LinkedIn Newsletter | LinkedIn can push your first newsletter invite to your existing followers immediately. |
| I want to own my email list and export it | Substack | You own the subscriber emails and are not trapped inside one platform. |
| I am overwhelmed and do not want extra tech right now | LinkedIn Newsletter | It is easier to launch and operate if you are already active on LinkedIn. |
| I want the option for free and paid subscribers | Substack | Paid tiers and recurring subscription revenue are part of the model. |
| I want both visibility and ownership | Both | Use LinkedIn as the front end and your private list as the backend asset. |
What a LinkedIn Newsletter Actually Is
Even though the word “newsletter” is in the name, Shanee’s advice is to categorize a LinkedIn newsletter in your brain as front-facing social media.
The primary purpose of LinkedIn, including its newsletter feature, is still to help people know, like, and trust you. It is a distribution layer. It is a credibility layer. It is a trust-building layer. It is not the same thing as building an owned email asset.
That means a LinkedIn newsletter is powerful for:
- sharing what you know at scale
- building credibility over time
- creating a visible archive on your profile
- getting content into inboxes without manually managing an email platform
- turning passive followers into warmer prospects
- When you publish your first edition, LinkedIn can notify your followers and invite them to subscribe.
- Each new edition can trigger in-platform notifications and email notifications from LinkedIn on your behalf.
- Clients commonly see open rates around 50%, which means a meaningful percentage of subscribers actually consume the content.
- Your newsletter archive becomes visible on your profile, which acts like a credibility library.
- You can see who subscribed, which makes it easier to start conversations and identify warm prospects.
For a business owner with even a modest LinkedIn audience, that can create a real quick win. If you already have 5,000 followers, launching a LinkedIn newsletter can produce subscribers quickly without much manual work.
There is another underrated upside: LinkedIn’s domain authority. Newsletter articles can rank fast in Google, which means a LinkedIn newsletter is not just an in-platform asset. It can also become a search asset.
The Biggest Drawback of LinkedIn Newsletters
The biggest drawback is simple: you do not own the email addresses.
That means if LinkedIn disappeared tomorrow, you would not be able to export that subscriber list and email those people directly. You would lose the direct access. For any online business, service business, or personal brand business, that matters a lot.
Owned data is part of business security. It is part of business value. And if your business depends on selling to an audience over time, that ownership matters more than most people realize in the beginning.
What Substack Actually Is
Substack should be thought of less like social media and more like backend audience infrastructure.
Yes, it has some front-facing discovery features. Yes, people can find you there. But the core strategic difference is ownership. If 100 people subscribe to your Substack, you can export those emails. If the platform changes, gets noisy, or disappears, you still have the list.
That is why Shanee compares Substack more to a platform like Beehiiv or Kajabi than to LinkedIn itself. The power is not just publishing. The power is that you are building an owned audience layer for your business.
- ownership of subscriber emails
- the ability to export your list
- free and paid tiers
- a path to recurring revenue
- recommendations from other Substack writers
- shareable quote highlights that can create compounding visibility
That ownership creates something LinkedIn alone cannot: real financial security and a true media asset. If your list grows, your ability to launch, sell, invite, and fill events becomes more predictable.
Shanee makes the point in practical terms: if you build a private email list of 1,000 people, those are 1,000 people you can contact instantly without depending on any social media platform. That can mean 50 people on a webinar quickly and, if your sales process is solid, at least one high-ticket client.
LinkedIn Newsletter vs. Substack
| Dimension | LinkedIn Newsletter | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Front-facing social distribution | Owned email audience |
| Data ownership | No export of subscriber emails | You own and can export the list |
| Best early advantage | Fast leverage from existing LinkedIn network | Long-term control and recurring revenue potential |
| Ease of launch | Low friction if you already use LinkedIn | Higher setup and operational lift |
| Email delivery | LinkedIn emails subscribers on your behalf | You are building a real email operation |
| Paid tier potential | Not the core use case | Built in |
| Conversation leverage | High, because you can identify subscribers on LinkedIn and message them | Lower in-platform conversation advantage |
| Risk | Platform dependence | More operational responsibility |
When LinkedIn Newsletter Is the Better Move Right Now
LinkedIn newsletters make the most sense right now if the following are true:
- You already have a LinkedIn audience. If you have followers and are not really leveraging them yet, LinkedIn gives you the shortest path to a visible win.
- You are already stretched. If adding another platform feels overwhelming, LinkedIn lets you start with less technical lift.
- You still need to master getting seen. Some business owners are not yet at the stage where the problem is owned audience. The immediate bottleneck is visibility, messaging, and trust.
- You want a conversation engine. Newsletter subscribers on LinkedIn are warm enough to start conversations with, connect with, and invite to LinkedIn Live events.
- You want to test a topic fast. A good LinkedIn newsletter title helps you see whether people actually want more from you on that topic.
If that sounds like your current stage, LinkedIn is probably the right first move.
When Substack Is the Better Move Right Now
Substack makes more sense if your business is more mature, more email-driven, or more operationally ready.
- You know email drives your business. If the business grows when the list grows, ownership matters.
- You have the bandwidth. Another channel only helps if you can sustain it.
- You want a real asset. An owned list is more durable than a platform-native audience.
- You may want a paid newsletter. Substack gives you a built-in path to free and paid tiers.
- You understand the tech well enough. If setup, writing, operations, and publishing are not going to create unnecessary stress, the upside is stronger.
This is especially true if you have a scalable offer, a strong editorial voice, or a business model where the long-term value of subscribers compounds over time.
The Best Strategy for Most Business Owners
For most business owners, the strongest move is not “LinkedIn or Substack.” It is LinkedIn first for reach, then private email for ownership.
Use your LinkedIn newsletter as the front-end trust builder. Publish consistently. Let LinkedIn help you reach the audience you already worked to build. Then use that visibility to lead people toward your main call to action, which might be a Substack, a Beehiiv newsletter, a Kajabi list, a webinar, or a live event.
That is the sequencing that matters. Visibility first. Ownership second. But eventually, ownership has to happen if you want a more durable business.
This is one reason Shanee emphasizes the long-term importance of a private email list. In her framing, email list growth is one of the clearest predictors of business profitability. More qualified subscribers create more predictable launches, more webinar attendance, and more chances to convert readers into clients.
If you want the simpler version:
- Use LinkedIn to get known.
- Use email to stay in control.
- Use both to build a stronger business.
What to Do Next
If you are early or overwhelmed:
- Launch a LinkedIn newsletter.
- Choose a title that clearly segments the right audience.
- Publish the first edition to trigger subscriber invitations.
- Use each edition to lead people toward your real next step.
If you are more advanced:
- Keep your LinkedIn newsletter active for distribution.
- Build a private email system you own.
- Use LinkedIn newsletter editions to move people toward that owned list.
- Treat subscriber growth as a core business metric, not a side metric.
LinkedIn Newsletter Strategy for Business Owners
Learn how to title, launch, and grow a LinkedIn newsletter that creates real leverage.
Read the Strategy Guide →Pitfalls to Avoid
- Thinking a LinkedIn newsletter is the same as owning an email list.
- Adding Substack too early when you do not have the bandwidth to sustain it.
- Launching a newsletter with a vague title that does not filter for the right subscriber.
- Publishing without a clear call to action that leads readers deeper into your ecosystem.
- Choosing based on hype instead of choosing based on your business model and stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Full Video Transcript
Cleaned transcript from Shanee Moret’s YouTube video on LinkedIn Newsletter vs. Substack.
Why LinkedIn Newsletter and Substack Are Not the Same Tool
Which is better, a LinkedIn newsletter or a Substack newsletter? Comparing a LinkedIn newsletter to a Substack newsletter is like comparing a bicycle to a car. They serve completely different functions. Shanee Moret explains that even though both include the word “newsletter,” they should not be categorized the same way in your brain if you are trying to build an online business.
How Shanee Thinks About a LinkedIn Newsletter
Even though newsletter is in the phrase LinkedIn newsletter, Shanee wants you to think of it as front-facing social media. The purpose is to distribute your message, share what you know, earn trust at scale, and lead people to your call to action. Over time, your LinkedIn profile starts to collect a visible library of newsletter issues, almost like a YouTube channel for your written content.
The Biggest Drawback of a LinkedIn Newsletter
The danger is that you do not own the data. Even when followers become LinkedIn newsletter subscribers, LinkedIn does not give you their email addresses. If LinkedIn disappeared tomorrow, those subscribers would be gone and you would not be able to contact them via email. That ownership gap is why LinkedIn newsletters are powerful but incomplete as a long-term audience strategy.
How Shanee Thinks About Substack
Substack is backend and data. The fundamental difference is ownership. If 100 people subscribe to your Substack, you can export those emails and contact them no matter what happens to the platform. Shanee compares Substack more to a private email platform like Beehiiv or Kajabi than to LinkedIn, even though it still has some public, discovery-oriented features.
Why Owning the Data Matters
Owning the data matters because it is part of your financial security. If you build a private email list of 1,000 people, those are 1,000 people you can contact instantly without relying on social media. That can turn into webinar attendance, direct offers, and high-ticket clients. Shanee also points to the broader principle that email list growth is one of the clearest indicators of long-term business profitability.
The Main Advantages of a LinkedIn Newsletter
A LinkedIn newsletter can create wins very quickly. If you already have followers on LinkedIn, you can launch a newsletter and let LinkedIn do much of the distribution work for you. When you publish your first edition, LinkedIn can notify your followers and invite them to subscribe. With every new issue, subscribers can receive both in-app notifications and email notifications from LinkedIn. Shanee notes that clients often see open rates around 50%.
Why LinkedIn Newsletter Subscribers Are Valuable
LinkedIn newsletter subscribers are valuable because they are active and interested. They had to be on the platform to accept the invitation, and they chose to subscribe instead of ignore it. That gives you a list of warmer people. You can click into their profiles, see whether they are first-, second-, or third-degree connections, and start conversations more easily. That can lead to calls, referrals, clients, and invitations to LinkedIn Live events.
The SEO Advantage of LinkedIn Newsletters
Another important point in the video is LinkedIn’s domain authority. Shanee explains that LinkedIn’s SEO strength increased dramatically when collaborative articles took off, which means newsletter articles on LinkedIn can rank on Google very fast. That gives a LinkedIn newsletter an SEO advantage many business owners underestimate.
How a LinkedIn Newsletter Can Support a Private List
One of the best uses of a LinkedIn newsletter is to lead subscribers to your private email list. Shanee explicitly recommends using LinkedIn newsletter visibility to grow something you own. That might be a Substack, a Beehiiv list, or another platform where the subscriber emails belong to you.
The Main Advantages of Substack
Substack’s power is that the goal is not just to get followers. The goal is to grow subscribers. You own those subscriber emails, you can export them, and you can choose whether your publication is free, paid, or both. Shanee also highlights Substack recommendations, quote-sharing, and the way writers can benefit from compounding visibility through readers sharing highlighted passages.
Who Substack Makes the Most Sense For
According to Shanee, Substack makes the most sense if you understand the tech, have the bandwidth, know that email drives your business, and have a scalable offer. If you are already overwhelmed, not leveraging your existing LinkedIn network, and still need to master visibility and messaging, then LinkedIn may be the better first move right now.
The Strategic Recommendation
If you are early, start with LinkedIn and get the quick win. If you are more advanced, keep your LinkedIn newsletter and use it to move people to a private list you own. That is the core strategic point: front-facing trust on LinkedIn, backend ownership through email.