beehiiv vs Substack

More Connected Communities: New tools for data, discovery, and engagement

The latest update from beehiiv introduces new tools for data, discovery, and engagement to foster more connected communities.

Shea Serrano builds cult following through Substack and podcast

This article profiles Shea Serrano, a writer and author who has built a substantial independent media business on Substack. It details his journey from teacher to freelance writer, his work at The Ringer, and his use of social media to cultivate a large audience. Serrano's Substack newsletter, Good Movie, and his new podcast, Organizing Things, focus on detailed film analysis. The piece highlights his strategic approach to monetization, noting that he can earn more through his own subscriber base than through traditional media offers. His story illustrates how independent creators can leverage direct audience relationships for financial sustainability.

• Shea Serrano is a five-time New York Times bestselling author and former writer for The Ringer.
• He has amassed over 600,000 followers and subscribers across Substack, X, and Instagram.
• His Substack newsletter is named 'Good Movie'.

Why People Mistake Em-Dashes for AI Writing

Storytelling Edge's newsletter explores why readers increasingly associate em-dashes and polished prose with AI-generated writing. It references a Wired story on a growing 'anti-AI literary counterculture' in which writers avoid AI conventions like negative parallelism and deliberately introduce small mistakes to signal human authorship. The piece cites an Economist study showing ChatGPT now rarely uses em-dashes, while Claude still uses them more than human writers. Linguist Gretchen McCulloch explains the linguistic concept of enregisterment, linking the em-dash's stigma to learned associations rather than measurable overuse by AI. The newsletter also discusses Substack's AI-detection feature built with Pangram, citing University of Chicago and UPenn studies that claim over 99% accuracy, and notes Pangram CEO Max Sperro's unclaimed $100 bounty for false positives. The author concludes that writers should develop a distinct personal voice rather than simply avoiding AI tells.

• Wired reported on a growing 'anti-AI literary counterculture' in which writers avoid AI writing conventions and deliberately leave mistakes to prove human authorship.
• The Economist published a study finding ChatGPT barely uses em-dashes, while Claude uses them more frequently than human writers.
• Substack introduced an AI-detection feature in partnership with Pangram to scan posts for AI-generated text, aiming to fight 'Claude-fishing'.

Pangram's Max Spero Discusses AI Detection Challenges

TechCrunch's Equity podcast features Pangram co-founder and CEO Max Spero discussing the difficulties of detecting AI-generated text and images. The interview highlights how AI-generated content is entering job applications, product reviews, and insurance claims, creating a broader internet trust problem. Pangram recently raised $9 million for its AI detection system and partnered with Substack, which now uses Pangram's technology to show readers which newsletter authors use AI. The startup also released a new AI image detection tool. Spero explores the promise of AI detection tools and the line between AI-assisted and AI-generated content.

• Pangram raised $9 million for its AI detection system.
• Substack partnered with Pangram to identify newsletters written with AI.
• Pangram released a new AI image detection tool.