From today’s Protocol newsletter:

There’s a clear trend here. I’ve talked to a lot of folks recently about the return of blogging, the rise of Substack, and what it means that people are branching out on their own again. Medium clearly understands the underlying goal behind that trend, which is that creators want a place that feels like it’s theirs.

Every Instagram and TikTok profile looks like every other one, but even small things like vanity URLs and header images help someone make their stuff feel more personal. And for Medium, betting on subscriptions — and the relationship between creators and viewers, not just viewers and an algorithm — goes a long way toward making something sticky.