💄BOUNCING INTO YOUR INBOX
At the start of April, Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty joined Substack, using the platform as a place to connect with fans. Promising a ‘a semi-authorized look behind the scenes at one of the world’s biggest beauty brands’, Rare Insider posts have covered everything from how a new blush was created to an interview with Rare’s Director of Global Artistry. 

There’s a strong emphasis on community and (perhaps in an effort to skirt the platform’s emphasis on high quality editorial content) content that’s uplifting and a value-add. With Substack reaching 5 M paid subscriptions in March 2025 and Google searches for ‘Substack’ outnumbering those for ‘newsletter’, it’s a good time to unpack the role of slow(er) media in a fast-scrolling world. 

💡 OUR TAKE

In a content ecosystem dominated by speed, noise, and saturation, the most radical thing a brand can do might be… slow down. Brands are evolving from advertisers to publishers, creating content that prioritizes relationship over conversion. The informal, experimental quality of Rare Insider makes interactions feel more human and less corporate, perhaps taking cues from other fashion and lifestyle brands (The RealReal, Tory Burch, M.M.LaFleur and Saie) that have all launched Substacks functioning more like editorial publications than marketing materials. Early movers could have an advantage: in an attention economy already stretched thin, how many brand newsletters will consumers actually have time to read?

The shift toward slower content extends beyond newsletters: 68% of marketers increased long-form content production in 2024, with 70% planning to invest even more this year. Concepts are getting more creative. E.l.f. Beauty released a 15-minute true-crime mockumentary that played in theaters before Mean Girls. Patagonia’s 25-minute documentary Last Observers has 1.6 M views. Platforms known for brevity are adapting—TikTok and Instagram have both extended video length limits, while YouTube reports 1 B monthly viewers of podcast content. It’s not about creating more content, but more meaningful content that earns attention.

For brands seeking respite from algorithm whiplash, community over conversion makes sense. Rare Beauty has a long-standing commitment to community that traces back to Covid-era Rare Chats (hosted on Zoom, of course) to IRL mental health summits (#4 took place yesterday). Not only does this lend authenticity to this endeavor, it gives plenty of editorial inspiration.

Marketing in 2025 isn’t just thinking about where you show up. It’s about changing what you are saying. Less promotion, more perspective. Less selling, more storytelling. Substack might not be the right platform for your brand. But the mindset shift—from interrupting customers to inviting them in—definitely is.

For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’

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