Gluten Free Street Gang: Substack Edition
New year, new me?
Hi there! You’re likely here after following a link from my Instagram, based on how new this Substack and how it is probably ranking in Google versus my audience on social media..
If you don’t know me, I’m Matt (alter ego Gluten Free Street Gang) and I create content about the best gluten free food, where to travel to find it, and how to have a belly laugh along the way.
You can primarily find me on Instagram and TikTok, and I’ve got more about me on my “About” page on this site.
Why am I creating this?
I love Instagram and TikTok for how it helps bring my lived experiences to life, and love creating visual content. The algorithims on these apps, however, prioritize watch time, the hook, and condensing a message to boost viewship. I find this limiting.
Going back to grade school I’ve loved to write - with this I want to provide the level of detail on gluten free experiences in an authentic way, free from the algorithim.
Unrelated, but equally important, the vibe on social media has been off in recent months. Quite frankly, I’m nervous for what the future of these apps might hold if the temperature doesn’t get turned down. I don’t love recent developments on Instagram and TikTok and social media apps feel like a weird place to create content right now.
Do we as content creators read the room and acknowledge the vibe shift? Do we create content to provide an escape from reality, if only for the 15 seconds before scrolling? Will trying to thread that needle backfire and make everyone angry?
I will keep using social media apps, but I want to create a space that feels more like my own and not rely on these apps as much as I do now.
But don’t you have a website?
Yes, I do have a website! Candidly, I struggle with writing posts because the Squarespace UI doesn’t feel intuitive enough for blogging, I find myself overwhelmed at learning Wordpress, and writing a blog post feels like a gargantuan effort.
The vibe of a Substack newsletter feels more doable and sustainable.
What will you be writing about?
My goals are to write about the following:
Reviews of restaurants, airplane meals, products, and destinations, from a gluten free perspective.
Promoting other creators and gluten free small businesses worth knowing.
Community updates for what’s going on in the gluten free world.
Behind the scenes updates, my thoughts and hot takes, and (likely) anything else that comes to mind :)
If you go by Gluten Free Street Gang, why are you calling this the Gluten Free Digest?
A friend of mine came up with The Gluten Free Digest awhile back as an idea for a newsletter. I absolutely loved it and have kept it in a note on my phone for a special occasion (and it turns out that special occasion is the 21st of January, 2025).
I’m glad that you’re here!
-Matt