Guardian’s First Substack Experiment Is Republishing Food Newsletter

Why It Matters

The move illustrates how legacy publishers are using creator platforms to tap new, younger audiences while protecting core subscription revenue.

Key Takeaways

• Feast reaches 100k+ subscribers, 70% open rate.
• Guardian experiments via Project Berger to become more digital.
• Substack offers social features and audience discovery for newsletters.
• Success could drive cross‑publishing of additional Guardian newsletters.
• Competitors FT and Economist already using Substack for growth.

Pulse Analysis

Project Berger, The Guardian’s multi‑year digital overhaul, has shifted the newsroom’s focus from automated link‑driven emails to authored newsletters that deliver original reporting. Feast, the paper’s flagship food newsletter, exemplifies this strategy with its high‑engagement metrics and strong brand voice. By moving Feast onto Substack, the Guardian not only preserves its existing subscriber base but also taps into the platform’s built‑in community tools, allowing readers to comment, share, and discover related food content through the Notes feed and recommendation algorithms.

Substack’s ecosystem offers a distinct value proposition for publishers seeking to broaden reach without building a new distribution channel from scratch. The platform’s recommendation engine can surface Feast to followers of other food writers, such as Yotam Ottolenghi, while the Notes feature encourages real‑time dialogue, fostering a more interactive reader experience. Competitors like the Financial Times and The Economist have already launched Substack newsletters to attract younger, niche audiences, positioning the platform as a testing ground for content that sits outside traditional paywalls yet remains tied to the parent brand’s editorial standards.

For the broader media industry, the Guardian’s experiment signals a pragmatic approach to audience diversification. High open rates—nearly 70% for Feast—suggest that well‑curated newsletters retain strong reader interest, and cross‑publishing on Substack could unlock additional ad or sponsorship revenue streams. Moreover, the low‑cost, low‑risk nature of the test allows publishers to assess audience overlap and potential cannibalisation before committing to exclusive Substack‑only content. If the pilot proves successful, it may accelerate a shift toward hybrid distribution models that blend legacy platforms with creator‑centric services, reshaping how newsrooms think about growth and engagement.