My journey on Substack so far
What I’ve learned over the 9+ months. No graphs. No Subscriber count.
I don’t know about you, but I like a good article on my progress so far, what I have learned in my two years on Substack, two years, ten months, and so on.
This is a chance to go behind the scenes and see someone else's experience here on Substack, big or small, access their learning, and apply some tips here and there.
In recent months, I read a few of these articles, so let me share those that stood out the most:
Even though most people wait to cross the significant milestone, I feel it’s appropriate to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what's happening with my publication.
Since starting on Substack, I’ve changed the name of my publication not once but twice, and I’m about to change it once more. This is by far the opposite of all the Substack 101 advice given.
But "The brand consistency!"
Substack allows you to change your domain ONCE without breaking any links; other times, you’re on your own and will have to fight Google for indexing and ranking.
Yet, I am okay with that. I want my writing to reach people who will connect with it and find it helpful. Sure, Google is the leader in this area for the most part.
Yet somehow, I feel it’s the right choice for me. After all, I want to write valuable, high-quality content that supports my readers as much as it supports me.
Well, let me tell them that sometimes, finding your voice means getting lost first.
In the first six months on Substack, I focused heavily on productivity and time management. I love to nerd out on these two topics, so I did.
I was very interested in the tips on improving productivity and time management. Over the years, I’ve had to nail down these two areas for my full-time job, incorporating them with other long-term courses I enrolled in.
But then burnout hit me like a ton of bricks, and I realized that maybe, just maybe, there was more to life – and writing – than squeezing every last drop of efficiency out of my day.
Introducing TWD, this is the second time I’ve changed my newsletter. I felt so strongly about my decision this time that I added my custom domain.
Again, Substack allows you to do that once without breaking links.
As we are closing in on May, I am closing in on TWD and feel the need, once again, to create as my heart and soul desire.
But here's the thing about wanting to leave the corporate world to pursue your passion: it forces you to confront who you really are and what you really want to say. And sometimes, that means admitting that you're still figuring it out.
What I want to put out in the world and your mailboxes; after all, you trusted me with your emails and invested time into my writing. So, once I feel I need to up my game and deliver for you.
Writing comes with a lot of pressure—not the pressure of gaining more subscribers, but the pressure of keeping those who were kind enough and interested enough to raise their hand, type up that email, add the comment, or hit heart on your article.
Why am I deleting TWD, and what’s next?
This is a challenging decision, and this time, I let myself sit with an idea for a couple of weeks. Usually, I jump to conclusions and make changes fast. Yet, it is always a good sign when making a tough decision to consider the pros and cons. Take long walks. Learn more about yourself in the process and consider the next steps. Would you agree?
For most writers, mainly unpublished writers or those who never had ‘a writer’ in their job title, Substack is a place where you can share your work and have amazing people engage with you and your work. For many of us, that’s more than any platform has ever been able to achieve.
For example, yesterday evening, I attended a Zoom class with
on writing a memoir. Farrah shared her vast experience as an editor for some of the iconic magazines, and at the end of the call, she gave us the Prompt to write: Write about the first moment you fell in love. After 10-15 minutes, some brave participants read their pieces, and I can tell you we are amongst some talented writers, people yet to be discovered, read and celebrated.Quality of writing
For the most part, Substack has raised the standard of what type and standard of writing you can find online—the level of writing and the art of it. This is a place for a big calibre of great writing, some even with best-selling books, which is often intimidating (or that could be solely my experience). Yet, it is also the place for writers who might not call themselves writers, yet write great pieces weekly.
Pressure to write better, not just let the random jumbled-up words go out there. This includes not only creating an editorial and content calendar for the posts but also improving the skill of writing itself.
With that in mind, I’ve become a paid subscriber to some of the great writers I admire, some of whom I would not come across if it were not for Substack.
I will include the examples for you, not for the sake of ‘mentions’ but so you also come across pieces that sound and can easily read. I am going to share with you only three in no particular order so you’re not overwhelmed by a massive list and end up not reading any of them:
Building relationships and community over flat newsletter delivery
Suppose you spend any time with the publication that helps you grow your Substack; you start to think more about building relationships, even community, instead of writing a newsletter with zero engagement.
I follow, read, and am a paid subscriber to many Substacks, such as Substack Writers at Work by
, by Claire Venus, ’s The Author Stack, ’s online Writing Club, and .This is only part of the entire list, yet I choose to be very careful with the intake of information and teaching I am willing to digest. And all of the above offer a slightly different take on Substack and teaching itself.
The key lesson I learned is that being on Substack is not only about you (yet your true self comes through), but you’re here for your readers. Hitting the sweet spot between what you have to offer and what your readers need is magical but complex.
Hence, I embrace the advice of those who do extremely well on Substack and generously spend a vast amount of time figuring out the Substack for their readers.
So, like me, you might experience multiple changes and explore various topics to get there. Eventually, you will circle back to yourself and your readers’ interests.
You might even make some major mistakes, such as changing the direction or changing publication and domain more times than is allowed or recommended, as I did, and be okay with it. Making mistakes is part of the process and part of improving and growing.
Being on Substack is more than having a newsletter and posting weekly. It’s about having access to like-minded people who share interests like reading a good non-fiction book, getting entirely immersed into a particular subject and nerding out on it, people with the need and desire to improve and grow as a person but also improving their daily life experience.
Is that you?
If so, you’ll stay with me during this yet another change. If not, you’ll unsubscribe, and that’s okay. It’ll hurt, but I am okay with that.
Resources you need to know about
This is, without a doubt, a different round-up of the journey so far and the lessons learned that you have read before.
This is because my focus is less on counting subscribers and more on finding the sweet spot between what I deliver and my readers’ interests.
I am currently learning about ‘How to do Substack’ the way I should have done nine months ago, so let me share the resources with you if you are starting your journey or would like do-over.
Substack Success Blueprint Sessions
First, I am a paid member of Writers at Work Cohort. Sarah offers a Substack Success Blueprint course, which I wish I had access to back in July last year. This is absolute gold; I would go as far as to say it’s the course everyone who is on Substack should have access to. If you’re not a Writers at Work cohort member, you can purchase Substack Success Blueprint separately here1.
Substack Grow
Substack’s own “a crash course for writers to pursue independence by building a loyal readership and kickstarting paid subscriptions.”
This six-part course is sourcing so much valuable information that I cannot believe it’s free.
You can access Substack Grow here2.
Sparkle on Substack
I’m 9+ months into my journey and still figuring out how to do Substack. I also want to figure out who I am as a writer. To connect with the more creative part of doing Substack, I’ve joined
3So far, I’ve been unable to attend live Zoom meetings as I am still reviewing previously released calls. Cross my fingers that I will catch up soon.
Sparkle on Substack (Free) Essay Club
I am also part of the SPARKLE ON SUBSTACK’s (Free) Essay Club
Participating in this club holds me to my commitment to posting regularly. You can join here4. 24 Essays in 2024 is a big ask of me right now, but it’s the ask I am willing to go along with.
PubStack Success
A few months back, I purchased Karren Cherry’s audit of my publication from
. When working on our own, we often get into ‘the solo loop’, so it’s a great idea to get someone else perspective. If you have some money to invest in your Substack journey, I would recommend Karren’s audit.She delves into every aspect of your publication and, most importantly, provides suggestions on the changes you could consider.
My audit is outdated now, considering I am changing my direction slightly, all with you—my readers—in mind, but I will contact Karren for her support.
If you do want help now, you can join the waiting list here5.
Without a doubt, I went on for longer than planned. Next week, I will share what my new project, ‘The Coffee Break Newsletter’ is about. Thank you for reading.
Such a useful list. I realise I've been blindly bumbling around on substack and learning some tips and advice along the way.
Mainly it was to build a writing habit and develop my non corporate or academic voice. Thanks for the links and ideas!
Glad to stumble across you via the Cohort and your great summary of your Ss progress thus far.
I try to limit the number of subscribers out of respect for my time and so keep paring down how many I think I can read, and enjoy and respond to with a thoughtful comment. Admire you willingness to explores and implement CHANGE, a big theme in my work and life.