Best Substack Alternatives for Recipe Creators, Chefs and Food Writers

Background on Substack

Launched in 2017, Substack was built as a platform to release the shackles from journalists and writers working for large publications, and to take their writing independent. Why be paid a salary, have creative controls and only capture a portion of the value you are creating? The future was your own independent paid newsletter and blog. 7 years later, Substack has grown into a great monetization tool for writers, with thousands of publications.

However, that is exactly what Substack is built for. Writing, and reading. It's the latest incarnation of a blogging feed, with monetization wrapped in. When it comes to food however, Substack just isn't built for its nuances. Let's think about just a few things that might come in handy when it comes to cooking:

• Step by step instructions (without your phone going to sleep)

• Shopping lists

• Measurement conversions

• Portions

• Step by step videos

• Meal plans with combined shopping lists

• Nutrition

• Search and categories

None of this is really possible on Substack. It's also unlikely to ever be, because it's simply not their focus. Their focus is writing <> reading, and building a social network.

That last bit is also key: Substack's business model is built around scaling up into a centralized 'social' media platform. There's very limited design customization and branding, and the experience is heavily Substack, not your own.

Don't get me wrong - I like Substack, I subscribe to a number of business, marketing and political newsletters on there. When it comes to sitting down for a read, on the latest goings on, it's good for that.

But we know recipes, cooking, food and lifestyle content deserves much more. At Dishy, we believe in providing value and tools specific to your content, beyond just the content itself. That means building a real business and a product you're proud of that you can call your own.

Why might you look for Alternatives?

Like we've mentioned, Substack is pretty focused on straight up writing. But there's more to it than that. Why else might you be looking for something different? Here's just a few reasons you might be thinking about it:

1. You don't want to roll out 'yet another Substack'. You want to build your own brand with a custom look and feel

2. You want a platform focused on food, recipes and cooking based features

3. You're interested in multiple types of content - newsletters, recipes, meal plans, batch cooks - and want experiences geared towards those

4. You want food specific features and tools to be able to offer your audience

5. You want seamless integration with your social media presence

Now bear with us, but this is exactly why we think you should be considering Dishy.

Why Food Creators should be starting their subscriptions business on Dishy

Let's get straight to the point. Dishy is the world's only link-in-bio platform built specifically for recipe creators. We've created a perfect blend of Linktree, Substack, and other tools, specifically designed for recipe creators like you.

What makes Dishy stand out as your go-to option?

Native Social Media Integration

• Direct integration with TikTok and Instagram for instantaneous setup

• Cross-posting capabilities (coming soon) - upload a recipe to all your socials within seconds

• Recipes instantly available via your link-in-bio

• Keep your audience in their preferred environment

Full Creative Control

• Complete customization of your Dishy homepage to make it truly yours

• Choose which recipes to provide to subscribers and which to make available for free

• Full control over what goes behind a paywall - unlike many other platforms

• Build your unique brand identity in the food content space

Built for recipe creators

• Custom workflows specifically designed for recipe creators

• Easy recipe product card management

• Create new recipes from scratch with intuitive tools

• All Dishy recipes are protected - they belong solely to you

Mobile-First Experience

• Fully mobile optimized to minimize friction for end users

• Users aren't taken out of their environment

• Seamless cooking experience on any device

• Perfect for following along while cooking

Direct Audience Connection

• Email marketing capabilities built right in

• Connect directly with your users without getting lost in the crowd

• Build and nurture your community on your terms

• Own your audience relationship

Other Alternatives to Substack for Food Creators

If you're still considering your other options, what else might you consider? Let's take a look at a few:

Patreon

Patreon is a well-known membership platform for creators. Similar to Substack, it is very much a centralized platform, heavily branded as a Patreon experience. There is very little custom branding beyond basic cover images. You also don't have real ownership over your customers, whose payment details are completely tied into Patreon. You cannot move them elsewhere.

When it comes to food content like recipes, newsletters and meal plans, it's extremely limited. Food creators on the platform tend to have to create their own PDFs and upload them. Super time consuming, and hardly a modern digital experience.

Beehiiv

Beehiiv is a newsletter platform in a similar vein to Substack, but with more customization and monetization options. You can customize your newsletter to look however you like, and can also monetize through newsletter ads instead of subscriptions. However, the experience is again very much focused on newsletters. They aren't building experiences focused on food.

Member Kitchens

Member Kitchens is more specifically focused on food, which is great. However, the platform lacks many of the growth features and modern digital experiences you would expect from a subscription platform. It doesn't offer the seamless social media integration or mobile-first approach that today's recipe creators need.

Why Dishy is Different

Unlike these alternatives, Dishy understands that recipe creators need more than just a publishing platform. You need:

1. A seamless connection between your social media presence and your monetization strategy

2. Tools that make recipe creation and management effortless

3. The ability to maintain your brand identity while providing professional features

4. Protection and ownership of your creative work

5. Features that no other platform offers, designed specifically for your needs

Conclusion

When it comes to starting to build out a recipe subscription platform for your audience, making the right choice is important. If all goes well, you will hopefully be working with that platform for many years to build your business and generate some serious revenue. So when it comes to making a choice, make sure you choose a platform that's right for now, and for the future.

With Dishy being the only link-in-bio platform built specifically for recipe creators, offering the perfect blend of social media integration, customization, and recipe-focused features, we hope you'll choose to grow your food content business with us!

Ready to take your recipe content to the next level? Join the growing community of recipe creators who are building their businesses on Dishy - where your recipes, your brand, and your success come first.