What We Get Wrong About SubStack Growth

And what I am doing instead

Everybody is looking for the cheat code of viral growth. We have become obsessed with the number of subscribers we have. We assume that bigger is better.

Newcomers to Substack have jumped on the bandwagon of “subscribe to me, I’ll subscribe to you” as the very first note they write.

Some generate large followings this way.

Others flounder.

Ultimately to most, Substack is more about growing a following than of any idea of adding value to the community.

Observing this over the last few weeks, I wanted to say that I am not one of those. And since I started here I have never tried to go after the numbers.

Maybe you didn’t come here for the numbers either.

You want to grow. As does everyone.

But it doesn’t have to be an overnight success necessarily.

In this article I will explain the very strategies I use to have SubStack growth without it being the obsessive focal point and how you can do the same.

Let’s dive in.

So how did I go from 0 to 31 subscribers and 75 followers in just three weeks?

So I came to SubStack because I love writing. I wanted to create my own content. Tell my stories. Write about whatever I wanted. If other people liked it that would be a plus.

That was the extent of my thinking. It still is.

So you could say:

Strategy 1. Create content solely for yourself.

The growth of your SubStack depends solely on this. If you desire massive subscription numbers you have to start with content.

This is where the real numbers are. Not in trying to grab everyone and make them click your ‘subscribe’.

It’s in putting forth your content to the world. And doing it and doing it and doing it until the traction comes. It won’t be fast per se. But in order for this to work at all you have to be creating.

Everyone likes the idea of passive income. What about passive subscribers?

Your written words are the seeds from which your subscribers will come. But if you aren’t planting, you will never receive a harvest.

But at the same time it’s not your content that attracts people. They don’t care about your content.

Matt Giaro ⚙️

in his 10 Honest Lessons from 10 Years of Monetizing Content, said that what people do care about is ‘ what your content can do for them.’

In other words does it solve a problem for them.

And that is the beauty of writing content that you want to write or would want to read. When you write on what you genuinely care about, someone inevitably will come across it and be helped.

So write.

Strategy 2. Never ask for subscriptions.

I don’t talk about subscriptions. I activate the subscribe buttons in my posts, but I don’t ever ask for people to subscribe or follow me.

I let it grow organically. I won’t beg. I won’t hint.

Instead I will build like and trust. Focus on relationships. And if you feel that there is enough value there, of your own volition, feel free to subscribe. I am here for the long haul so I can wait. No need to rush.

Strategy 3. Interact with other writers.

Let’s be honest here. We are all writers on SubStack. And there are among us some of the world’s best in the writing industry. I am not one of them. And I’m okay with that. I am just trying to get better as I go.

But at the same time, I am tapping into these other and better writers to glean advice from their failures and successes to move me faster than I could if I tried to figure it all out on my own.

That is my advice to you.

The most powerful tool on SubStack is the people.

Connect with them.

Comment on their notes.

Their posts.

Restack notes that hit home with you.

Follow and subscribe.

All in all, interact. We are all looking for the same thing here.

Growth and success.

And though we are solopreneurs, we cannot do this alone.

Get people in your corner.

Final thoughts.

These were the steps I used to grow my SubStack in three weeks to 31 subscribers and 75 followers.

1. Creating personal content

2. Never asking for subscriptions

3. Interact with others

It has been some work.

It hasn’t been easy the entire time.

But I am reminded of a quote by Art Williams,

‘I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy- I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.’

So there you have it.

This is my plan for SubStack growth.

If you don’t want to chase numbers try these steps.

I hope this helps.

Thank you for reading.