What I learned from one year of Substack

Personal and random observations on what it takes to "make it" on this platform. Caution: Some of it can be brutally honest and rub you the wrong way.

Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash

Over a year ago, I decided to change the trajectory of my newsletter. Before October 2022, I used Substack as a free way to inform my subscribers of new blog poss. Then, I realised that Substack could be much, much more. And the possibilities filled me with excitement.

Now, a year later, I can say that the enthusiasm is deflated, though still there. My conclusion is that to succeed on Substack, you need to put in a lot of work like any other platform. I’m fine with the work, but I also realise that a lot of it could still be out of your control and are influenced by encroaching social media-like algorithms on Substack, the dominant demographic on the platform and your social media klout.

Below are my observations, and feel free to chime in the comments if this has and has not been your experience.

1. Being a part of the Substack community is a must to get more readers and attention to your Substack. That means commenting on other people’s Substacks, or participating in writing prompts (for Fiction readers). Now there’s Substack Notes, but it does feel like shouting into the ether especially if you’re a small fry. You’d be better off commenting on a high-traffic person’s posts.

2. There’s no denying that if you are already an established name in your field, you will attract subscribers like flies. It used to puzzle me, because some of these high-traffic folks would post a photo and write something pithy about said photo and attract 40+ comments. Klout still matters on Substack.

3. People with Klout are often promoted on Substack’s official newsletter. And if they are not established names, they already have thousands of subscribers. This can be dispiriting to some newbies, though inspiring to some. There should at least be a “new to Substack” section.

4. As a reader, it is a struggle to find fresh new Substacks from unknowns. If you go through the Substack categories, they are often arranged by “who has the most followers” on top, and those who don’t have as many followers get buried at the bottom. Worse, the UI isn’t friendly either - it’s an endless scroll to the bottom. There must be an easier way for newbies to get seen instead of hoping that someone will have the energy to scroll all the way to the bottom.

5. Substack’s search sucks.

6. If you have zero klout, no name or connections, be reading for hard work. Producing content regularly and being social will get you somewhere.

7. However, good content is paramount. I noticed that these types of content do well on Substack:

   1. You offer unique insights into a place/issue

   2. You teach people how to do well on Substack (this is very Medium, where most of the posts that gain traction is how to earn $$ in Medium)

   3. Fiction - if you offer both a and b with your fiction, you’ll do well

8. If you’re a person with mental or physical challenges, keeping up with the demands of being “social” on Substack and producing constantly can be arduous and impossible. I knew what it took to succeed … but I just don’t have the mental capacity, and it can get depressing seeing others race in front of you but you’re held back by your disabilities/lack of energy. There’s no sugarcoating this - Substack is not geared for people like this.

9. That said, there are amazing Substackers who have worked with their limitations or have boundaries. I admire

   Louise Stigell
   and
   Cali Bird
   for refusing to bow down to the gods of attention and productivity. Both remind me that I have to work with my mental levels and respect that. Don’t compare yourself to other people, especially if they are more productive.

10. For low-energy people (mental or physical), publishing in seasons could be one way to do it.

    Talebones 🔭
    is one who is doing that, though I do not see any breaks between seasons. I used to follow two creatives who struggle with physical illnesses, and one of the ways they cope is to publish seasonally, and that’s usually just about 6-7 months a year.

11. Work on a stockpile of content first before publishing your first issue, if possible. Especially if you have mental and physical challenges. I realise that while I enjoy writing on the fly, there are weeks when I just can’t do it and had to stop writing.

12. There are many interesting payment models on Substack, and as a reader and fiction writer I prefer the “archive older posts” method as it feels like I’m giving value to the subscribers but also giving new readers a chance to “try me out”.

13. Offering ebooks to subscribers is also a good way to attract subscribers.

    Mario Cavolo
    and
    Simon K Jones
    does this.

14. I used to enjoy Substack Notes. Now I don’t. It’s just full of so much hustle that it makes me irritated and depressed. I have this inner cavewoman who is demanding, “What can I do to get as much attention?” This pressure is something I am trying to avoid on social media. Also, I’m a person who can’t split myself between too many social media channels, and Mastodon is just more rewarding and hustle-free for me right now.

15. Substack is a US-dominated platform and as a reader, it’s very … dispiriting? Tiring? Stifling? Boring? to always read fiction or essays from an American perspective. I’ve made an effort to hunt for more international content, but they are very far and few in between. And as a writer, I wonder if I could offer writing that would interest US-centric audiences. I think, possibly, but maybe some would find my content off-putting or alien. (I find that if you offer a different political perspective than the US/Western left/right cultural talking points, you’ll get a lot of pushback. Sometimes, animosity.)

16. I still have no idea how to convert people to being paid subscribers. Fiction seems like an incredibly tough field for that, so I’m only wishing for the gods of Substack to smile down on me lol. And as the tech industry goes through massive layoffs, I find myself thinking about getting more subscribers so that I could have a rainy day stream of income, but the pressure of having to do so much to even get there is sucking all joy from my fiction writing.

17. There’s a movement away from Substack as people realised they need to control where their content lives. Others like

    Justin Cox
    question its model. I found Louise Stigell’s comments interesting:
    
    I’ve also been kind of reluctant to let so much of my content live somewhere other than on my website. It doesn’t matter that Substack is a great platform, and that I can move my content off it whenever I want. It doesn’t matter that I can monetize my content here. It’s still not my platform, and I have no control over the rollout of new features, visual changes, monetization policies, et.c. Some people have complained to me that I’m being too pushy trying to get them to pay for a subscription. Well, it’s not me doing the pushing, it’s Substack. It’s all automated and beyond my control. And ultimately, what matters the most to me in my business in control and autonomy. - Bye, Substack

So, there you have it. Substack gives me mixed emotions. On the one hand, I’ve been able to increase my subscriber base thanks to it. On the other hand, it gives me a lot of pressure at the same time. I’m not sure what to make of it! Except that I have way more fun on Mastodon and on my blog than on Substack and it’s making me wonder if I should leave it like some Substackers have.