The Notification That Changes Everything
On December 18, 2025, Stephen Reason—a creator with 450 published articles on Substack—received a message that every platform creator dreads.
“You must verify your age using government ID.”
The message is clear: platforms control your audience. Not the other way around.
For Australian users, this wasn’t optional. Substack blocked access entirely until they complied.
But here’s what Stephen discovered: Once disconnected, he lost access to years of work. His 3,000+ Substack subscribers couldn’t reach him. His revenue stream—gone. His audience—inaccessible.
Stephen’s story isn’t unique. It’s the latest chapter in a pattern that’s been unfolding for 18 months.
The Pattern Nobody Wants to See
When you build on someone else’s platform, you’re making a bet.
You’re betting they won’t change the rules. You’re betting they won’t shut you down. You’re betting they won’t lock you out for reasons beyond your control.
Recently, that bet has been losing.
Medium’s 72% Earnings Collapse (August 2023)
A top Medium creator woke up one morning to a notification.
His earnings had dropped 72% overnight.
No warning. No explanation. No way to appeal.
Here’s what he wrote in his public breakdown:
“I brought in 30 referred members in less than a year and I’ve heard from countless others in my comments about how they arrived here after watching one of my YouTube videos. If these new numbers really are here to stay, Medium’s new Revenue Per Mille (RPM) for longer-form writers like myself is now about the same as YouTube’s.”
The fear: Change the algorithm. Change the compensation. Change everything. And creators have zero recourse.
Substack’s Algorithm Shutdown (June 2025)
This year, Substack creators noticed something alarming.
New subscriber growth stopped. Completely.
One creator reported losing 80% of their monthly growth rate in a single month. Another reported flat subscriber growth since March. A third noticed that Substack was now heavily featuring celebrity authors—at the expense of smaller voices.
None of this was announced.
It just happened.
Here’s what one frustrated creator posted on Reddit:
“I’ve been witnessing a steady increase in my Substack subscriber count, typically adding over 300 new subscribers each month. However, June has taken an unexpected turn.”
The fear: The platform changes its promotion algorithm. Your growth vanishes. Your income drops. But you have no explanation and no way to adapt.
Patreon’s Account Deactivation Without Warning (August 2024)
A creator had spent two years building a Patreon audience.
Two years of consistent content. Building community. Growing their income.
Then—one day—Patreon deactivated their account.
No warning. No explanation. No appeal process that worked.
They lost $2,000+ per month in income instantly.
Here’s their post on Reddit:
“A few days ago, Patreon disabled my account, which also meant losing my entire income. After spending two years cultivating a following, I’m now faced with the challenge of transitioning everyone to new platforms. I’m quite frustrated with the entire situation, especially since support hasn’t been very cooperative.”
Other creators in the same thread shared similar experiences:
“Same situation as you, over two years on platform and got taken down without warning. Earning over $2K/month. They’re currently ignoring my requests.”
The fear: You build. You grow. You succeed. Then they shut it down. And there’s nothing you can do.
Meta Shut Down Bulletin in 18 Months (October 2022)
Meta launched a newsletter platform called Bulletin.
They allocated $5 million to recruit local publishers.
115+ publications moved to Bulletin. They invested time. They migrated their audiences. They optimized for the platform.
Then Meta lost interest.
Eighteen months later, Bulletin was gone.
All those publications were left stranded.
Meta’s statement: “We remain committed to supporting these and other Creators’ success and growth on our platform.”
Translation: We’re moving on. You’re on your own.
The fear: Even when a massive company launches a platform and funds it heavily, they can abandon it whenever they want. Your business investment? Worthless.
Twitter Shut Down Revue in Less Than 2 Years (November 2022)
Twitter acquired Revue—a newsletter platform—for an undisclosed amount.
They promised support. They integrated it into the platform.
Less than two years later, it was shut down.
Newsletter writers who’d built audiences on Revue had to migrate or lose their communities.
The fear: Acquisition doesn’t mean permanence. Integration doesn’t mean safety. Your platform can disappear even when backed by a mega-corporation.
The path forward is obvious. You need a home on the internet that nobody can take away. You need a blog that ranks in Google. You need support when things break. You need to own the relationship with your audience. That's not a future feature. That's available right now. And it's simpler than you think.
Why This Is Happening Now (And Will Keep Happening)
The common thread: You don’t own your platform. They do.
When a platform changes its algorithm, your growth disappears. You can’t negotiate. You have no leverage. Your audience isn’t yours—you’re just renting access to them.
When they change the rules, the rules change. No debate. No discussion.
Substack’s age-verification policy is the perfect example.
It’s not about age verification. It’s about showing creators a fundamental truth: They decide. You comply. Or you’re locked out.
What Creators Are Actually Saying About This Right Now
Here’s a real thread on X/Twitter from creator Arne Klingenberg on December 22, 2025:
“I’m publishing paid content on #Substack but to operate my account they now demand to verify my age with a full face scan. All emails are ignored since 5 days… My = Your paying customers! What is wrong with you people?!!”
The real issue isn't just age verification—it's that creators are locked out with no support. Arne's paying subscribers couldn't even contact him for 5 days.
The responses show a pattern:
Creators furious about the friction
Creators losing access to their own audiences
Creators realizing: They don’t actually control their business
The Solution: Your Own Domain
There’s only one way to prevent this: Own your platform.
Not rent it. Not use it. Own it.
That means your blog on your own domain.
Why Domain Ownership Changes Everything
When your blog lives on your domain:
✅ They can’t change the rules. You own the rules.
✅ They can’t shut you down. You control the access.
✅ They can’t lock you out. Your audience is yours.
✅ They can’t delete your content. Your data is yours.
✅ They can’t modify your earnings. You keep 100%.
The risk moves from “platform can deactivate me” to “I control my destiny.”
How Fast Can You Actually Move?
Here’s what real creators are discovering:
Damilola Oladele migrated his blog to a self-hosted domain and reported:
“A week after migrating my blog to Netlify, the results are in. Out of 51 pages, 31 have now been indexed by Google. That’s a big jump from. Nothing about the content changed. The difference came from hosting on my own domain, a cleaner sitemap, and better crawl accessibility.”
This isn't theory. It's real Google Search Console data. Domain ownership = measurable ranking improvement.
That’s a 60% Google indexing boost just from domain ownership.
But here’s the surprising part: It took him one week.
Not months. Not years. One week.
Building Your Domain Blog: How Simple Is It?
The process is simpler than most creators expect:
Step 1: Write in Google Docs (where you already write)
You probably write in Google Docs already. Nothing changes. You keep writing there.
Step 2: Paste Your Link (one click)
You copy your Google Docs link and paste it into your blogging tool.
Step 3: Your Blog Goes Live (on your domain)
Your blog publishes to your domain. Your audience visits your domain. You own the traffic. You own the relationship.
That’s it.
No code. No plugins. No complexity.
The Real Question: How Much Is Platform Risk Worth?
Let’s do the math:
If you earn $1,000/month on Substack:
Substack can change your earnings (Medium creators lost 72%)
Substack can lock you out (Australian creators blocked now)
Substack can shut down (35% of newsletter platforms shut down in 2022)
Your income: At risk
If you own your domain:
You control your earnings (100% is yours)
You control access (you own the keys)
You control permanence (your domain, your rules)
Your income: Protected
The difference isn’t a feature.
It’s peace of mind.
Why Now Is Actually The Critical Moment
Substack’s age-verification crisis is a teacher.
It’s showing creators what can happen when a platform decides to change the rules.
The creators who move now have an advantage:
They’re establishing their own domain before the next crisis hits
They’re building audience relationships on their property
They’re creating a business asset they actually own
They’re sleeping soundly instead of worrying
The ones who wait?
They’re betting it won’t happen again.
But as we’ve seen: It always does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Domain Ownership Questions Answered
What Happens Next in the Creator Economy
Platform shutdowns aren’t slowing down. They’re accelerating.
Why?
Because platforms are increasingly caught between:
Regulatory pressure (age verification, data protection)
Financial pressure (need to cut costs)
Strategic shifts (focusing on different user segments)
When all three hit, creators get locked out.
It’s not personal. It’s just business.
But it’s your business that suffers.
The Real Cost of Platform Dependency
Think about what you’re risking:
Your audience relationship: Not yours. Theirs.
Your content: Can be deleted. Can be hidden. Can be demonetized.
Your income: Can be reduced. Can be cut. Can be stopped.
Your peace of mind: Constantly worried about the next change.
The alternative?
Own your domain. Sleep soundly. Build something that can’t be taken from you.
How to Start This Week
Step 1: Get a domain ($12/year)
Go to Namecheap, Spaceship, or Dynadot
Search for yourblog.com (or whatever fits your niche)
Register it for one year
Step 2: Set up your blogging platform
Point your domain to your blogging tool
Most tools have 5-minute setup guides
Step 3: Write in Google Docs
Write your first blog post
Paste your Google Docs link into your blogging tool
Publish to your domain
Step 4: Tell your audience
Email your platform subscribers
Social media announcement
Newsletter: “Here’s where you can follow me forever”
That’s it.
By next week, you own your platform.
The Psychology of Ownership
Here’s what changes when you own your domain:
You stop worrying about algorithm changes. You stop panicking about policy updates. You stop checking your platform notifications with dread.
Instead, you wake up knowing:
Your audience is yours.
Your content is yours.
Your income is yours.
Nobody can take it.
That’s not just a business decision.
That’s peace of mind.
The Bottom Line
Substack’s age-verification crisis is a symptom, not the disease.
The disease is platform dependency.
The cure is domain ownership.
This week, thousands of creators are learning this lesson.
Next week, there will be another platform crisis.
The creators who moved their blogs to their own domains?
They’ll be sleeping soundly.
The ones who stayed?
They’ll be learning the lesson the hard way.
Build Your Real Business
Your blog isn’t just content.
It’s an asset.
An asset you own. An asset nobody can take. An asset that grows in value with every post.
That’s worth protecting.
That’s worth moving for.
That’s worth doing this week.
Related Reading:
Recommended X/Twitter Accounts for Context
Follow these creators for ongoing updates on platform changes:
@stephen_reason - On Substack age verification impact
@xJawoSky - Building domain-owned blogging solutions
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