ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Episode Summary:
Carla has been on Substack since 2021 — long before it became the platform everyone is suddenly asking about. She's been to Substack HQ. She teaches "Build Your Substack in a Day." And she is one of the most clear-eyed, non-hypey voices I've found on what Substack actually is right now (and not what it was before they got major funding in 2025).
I met Chef Carla at Tastemaker in Los Angeles earlier this year, and I am so glad we got to have this conversation on the show. She's a content strategist, food creative, and podcast host who has partnered with iconic brands like Bobby Brown, Bumble Bee Tuna, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. And today, she's breaking down exactly what Substack has become — and what you actually need to do to get started without it becoming a whole new arm of your business.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- Why Substack is no longer a newsletter platform — it's a media app — and what that actually means for how you should show up there
- The difference between a Substack follower and a subscriber (yes, they're different)
- The only thing you need to actually get started — and why it's less than you think
- How food bloggers are using Substack to tell the full story their blog and email list can't hold — without duplicating their content
- The case for Flodesk if you're a design-forward creator (plus: a fresh-off-the-press Canva integration 👀)
Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Chef Carla Contreras:
Episode Resources:
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- Instagram @alleagrummert
