BROOKLYN, New York (WABC) — A woman in Brooklyn sought a new outlet for her love of fashion and writing, and along the way, discovered a new career.
It allowed her to quit her full-time job and triple her salary, as her own boss.
Working out of her Brooklyn home, Emilia Petrarca, who writes the popular fashion newsletter “Shop Rat,” says there’s one thing that makes her job succeed.
“My tagline is Shop Rat is one writer’s attempt to get outside, go offline and engage with style in real life,” Petrarca said.
She left her full-time magazine job three years ago and started writing on Substack, a subscription-based newsletter platform, and an app that aims to change our relationship with social media.
It’s not a guaranteed paycheck for everyone, but for the 33-year-old, it’s reshaping how she works in a city full of freelancers.
“At this point I quit my job three years ago and I’ve tripled my salary since I left,” she said. “I feel like my Substack has allowed me to develop such a personal relationship with my readers, and that’s a whole sort of new world for me as well.”
There are now more than 32 million free subscriptions, along with 5 million paid subscriptions, with the top 10 writers collectively earning more than $40 million annually.
Dan Stone, the start-up’s Head of Culture Stars, says its proof that people are looking for a community.
“What we’ve seen is that people are hungry for deeper connections, including in-person connections,” Stone said. “So, that’s been more and more something that we’ve pushed, which is getting people together in the real world.”
The Substack app has expanded to include video, podcasts, and a “notes” feed, and there are competitors now too, like beehiiv and Patreon.
Dr. Thea Gallagher, a clinical psychologist, says long form content may help with shrinking attention spans.
“If they can keep the ads out, if they can keep some of the, you know, kind of just some of the things, the rage bait, I think everyone’s getting so tired of this,” Dr. Gallagher said. “We just maybe want some more honest, real spaces where we can learn something, where we can learn something from someone.”
Petrarca said she feels the same way.
“I grew up in New York. I feel like I’m always discovering new things here, which is part of the beauty of the city,” she said.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2025 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.