Elon might make Twitter great again… or run it against a wall. In any case, you should be prepared.

Not only for a possible Twitter catastrophe, but for the demise of any platform you do not own, yet still create content on/for. Social media networks, Medium, YouTube, whatever the case may be.

Here’s the simple answer, and why everyone and their mother have been pushing toward this for ages.

Email lists.

Yes, that’s the solution. You own your email list. No matter the provider or the platform, you own that list of fans and followers.

Revue might go down with Twitter, or even sooner, but you have that email list you can take to the next platform.

Like Substack.

I use and love Substack. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a great beginner’s platform to collect email addresses, publish regular issues, and keep in contact with your audience, now also with a chat feature.

Substack has big plans, I guess. Implementing social media features, like chats, mentions, and more. They might become a viable social media competitor, but in a newsletter format.

If Substack crashes and burns, though, I still have my audience.

For people who need email automation, there are places like ConvertKit, MailChimp, EmailOctopus, or even Gumroad.

You don’t own any of these companies, but you do own the email lists you grow there. That’s the valuable part.

If you depend on your social media following or any following on a platform you don’t own, start that email list! Be prepared!