Building Substack | Sachin Monga (Substack, Facebook)

Monga describes regular discussions with the founder about the important problems and worries, followed by later check-ins. In his account, working together repeatedly helped trust form. A recurring meeting is useful when it supports an honest conversation, not merely because it occupies the calendar.

He describes writer and reader control as a principle that shaped product choices. When several approaches are possible, the principle offers a reason to prefer one. This is his account of Substack's thinking at the time, not a claim about the product's current behavior.

Monga asks whether a discovery feature changes a space the writer previously controlled. A seemingly useful growth idea can still conflict with the relationship between a creator and audience. Identify who makes the choice and whose experience changes before adding a feature.

His recommendations example asks writers whom they recommend rather than inserting unrelated choices into their space. The approach depended on several user actions and was uncertain before testing. A principle can guide a concrete experiment without making the outcome predictable.

He distinguishes a recommendation seen by a new subscriber from one received after a long relationship with a writer. Those contexts may carry different meaning. The placement of a feature is therefore part of the experience, not merely a way to expose it to more people.

Monga describes involving writers when making fundamental changes. Early feedback lets the team learn how a feature fits the existing relationship with the product. The purpose is to bring users into the process rather than surprise everyone with a fully settled change.

He says the feature shipped on day one could differ substantially from the original idea after feedback. A pilot is useful when the team is willing to revise what it builds. Treat early users as sources of learning rather than only as people confirming the plan.