The Substack Effect: Why Niche Media Is Beating Mass Reach
A few years ago, getting a mention in a national newspaper or trade publication was the gold standard in PR. Millions of readers. A respected masthead. A moment clients and teams were rightly proud of; and, to be fair, it still carries weight today.
But what’s changed is how that coverage translates into impact. Big audiences don’t always mean people are paying attention. A story can be seen by thousands without really being talked about or remembered afterwards.The numbers still look impressive in a report, but they don’t always tell the full story.
At the same time, something else has been happening. A story in a specialist newsletter, read by a few thousand people who genuinely care about the subject, can sometimes move the dial in ways broader coverage can’t. Not because mass media no longer matters, but because attention has become more focused and more selective.
And this isn’t a passing trend. It’s a shift in how audiences consume information and where they place their trust.
Reach Doesn’t Mean Much If No One’s Listening
The difference is simple: people subscribe to newsletters. They choose them. They open them. They read them because they trust the person writing.
That’s not how mass media works. A reader scanning a news site or flipping through a trade magazine hasn’t opted in to hear from you. They’re skimming. Your story is competing with fifty others. Most of it gets ignored.
Niche channels work differently. The audience is smaller, but they’re engaged. They’re often senior people in the industry, founders, investors; people who actually make decisions.
A mention there gets discussed. It gets forwarded, it sticks.
Why Niche Channels Have More Influence
Three reasons stand out:
People chose to be there; Subscribers aren’t passive. They want this content. If your story is relevant, it lands. If it’s not, it gets skipped; but at least you’re reaching people who might care.
The focus is tight; Niche newsletters don’t cover everything. They cover one thing well. If your story fits, it resonates. If it doesn’t, you’re not forcing it into a space where it doesn’t belong.
The writer carries weight; Independent journalists and specialists have built their own credibility. When they mention you, it feels like a recommendation, not just coverage.
That’s the real shift. Relevance now matters more than reach because relevance is what builds trust.
We see the same pattern in specialist trade media and sector publications; something we discussed recently when looking at how targeted storytelling improves engagement (link to relevant YSPR post about storytelling, sector PR, or audience targeting).
What This Means for PR and External Communications
This doesn’t mean abandoning mainstream media. National outlets still matter for visibility and credibility. They still play an important role in shaping perception at scale.
But the strategy has to widen.
Start by paying closer attention to who your audience actually reads. Not who you think they read. Not who appears in a media database. Who they genuinely trust.
Track down the niche newsletters, the independent writers, the specialist platforms that cover your sector. Build relationships with them. Pitch stories that fit their angle, not just a repurposed press release.
We’ve written before about why tailoring stories to the outlet; rather than broadcasting one message everywhere; dramatically improves coverage quality (link to relevant YSPR post about pitching or media relations).
Stop Measuring Success by Reach Alone
A story in a 10,000-subscriber newsletter can do more for your reputation than a mention in a publication with a million readers; if those 10,000 are the right people.
The firms getting this right aren’t chasing every outlet; they’re focused on the ones that matter. The ones where their story will actually get read, discussed, and remembered.
That’s where the real influence is now. And increasingly, that’s where trust is built.
Final Thought
PR has always been about telling the right story to the right audience at the right time. What’s changing is how sharply defined that audience has become.
Mass reach still has its place, but relevance is where reputation is made.
Written by Celine Abebe