Sachin Monga

Guest: Sachin Monga - Head of Product at Substack. Sachin previously founded a startup called Cocoon, which was acquired by Substack, and spent over seven years at Facebook working on video, camera products, and ads growth. Key Takeaways: Principled Product Development: Substack prioritizes putting writers and readers in control, avoiding algorithm-driven recommendations in favor of writer-curated suggestions. Recommendations Feature: This feature allows writers to recommend other newsletters, driving significant growth. It exemplifies Substack's principle of empowering writers and has resulted in millions of new subscriptions. Building with Users: Substack involves writers in the product development process through initiatives like the Product Lab, ensuring features align with user needs and preferences. Transition to a Network: Substack is evolving from a tool for writers to a network that facilitates discovery and community building, aiming to create a reader experience that offers more control and quality content. Starting a Substack: The advice is to simply start and explore the platform's potential. Substack supports a wide range of content, from writing to podcasts and video, and offers a path to build a sustainable income with a dedicated audience. Topics Covered: Substack's product development, writer and reader empowerment, the recommendations feature, transitioning from a tool to a network, starting and growing a Substack, challenges of product leadership in a startup.