Iâve lost count of how many Substackers ask me for strategy advice, even though I've never claimed to be a strategist. Perhaps they believe I have a secret formula??
Spoiler Alert:
I donât believe for one second that foolproof growth hacks exist, which is why I would never âsellâ anyone on this type of promise.
I will, however, give you a FREE rundown of advice based on two years of experience and 9K subscribers.
If you should become one of my clients in the future and ask for growth advice, I will save you the cost of my consultation fee by sending you a link to this post instead. Itâs not that I donât want your money (who doesnât want money?), but I want even less for you to spend 10X what I charge on someone elseâs growth hacks.
Most people giving growth advice on Substack grew BECAUSE they are giving Substack growth advice! They arenât writing feel-good human storiesâŚ.theyâre giving out GROWTH ADVICE. Thatâs why they have several thousand subscribers, NOT because theyâre good storytellers.
If youâve come here to be a storyteller, youâll have to rely on grit and persistence for growth, unless you arrived with celebrity status.
I can speak on this from my experience growing other Substacks from zero to 3000+ subscribers WITHOUT giving Substack advice and WITHOUT using social media (it makes me recoil). I came here in 2023 with zero subscribers and no imported lists from other platforms.
Hereâs how to grow on Substack without spending a dime on adviceâŚ
Show up consistently.
I have been writing once per week for over two years. Aside from the occasional week off here and there, Iâve consistently given my people something to read every week.
Be UN-forgettable.
See previous tip. If youâre only around once in a while, youâre forgettable, which makes sense. If youâre not invested, why should anyone remember you?
Write something worth reading.
I say that in the kindest way possible. Not all content resonates with all people. If youâve just shown up to write what resembles your personal diary, thereâs a chance it wonât resonate with strangers who donât know you, so they may not feel drawn to your personal stories.
Write something that calls readers to action.
Donât just end a post and leave. ASK your readers to participate by inserting the âleave a commentâ button in your post.
But donât just ask them to leave a random comment; try finishing your post with a question. This encourages them to think about what theyâve read and then act. I have asked questions and used the âleave a commentâ button on every single post Iâve written in the last two years, and you know what? I have comments and engagement on every single one.
Do NOT put a paywall on your welcome post!!
Nothing says GO AWAY like paywalling your welcome post. Thatâs like putting out a welcome mat on your doorstep with a German Shepherd sitting in front of it đ People donât want to get to know you that badly, trust me.
While weâre talking about welcome postsâŚ
Write one! Itâs the best way to welcome strangers into your space. Not sure how a welcome post differs from a welcome email? Go look at my main publicationâŚ.you canât miss the giant WELCOME sign in the center of the page.
Understand the concept of give & take.
Publishing your content is just one slice of the whole pie. You want people to pay attention to you, but are YOU paying attention to anyone else? Itâs an honest questionâŚare you?
Donât assume that reciprocal relationships go unnoticed because I can name RIGHT NOW at least five big (and many regular) Substackers who have asked me to promote them in some way, yet theyâve never left a heart or a comment on my stuff.
Which brings us to engagement.
My #1 piece of growth advice, no matter who you are, is to engage with other writers, whether it be in comments on their posts or in Notes. Like it or not, Substack is a social platform, so BE SOCIAL. If you walked into a bar looking to make friends but you only stood in the dark against the back wall, youâd probably leave with no friends.
Start mingling. Buy someone a drink in the form of a heart or a comment on their post. Restack a post you really enjoyed. Share a note you find intriguing. Invite someone you admire to join you live.
Do something to let others know youâre here and you care about their journey.
Teach something human.
(Please, NOT more Substack growth hacks, though đ)
Teach people something they can thank you for, even if itâs just how you survived getting fired from your job at the age of 50. Believe me, humans desperately WANT to relate to other humans because we want to know weâre not struggling alone!
Be unique.
If youâre here to teach things, make it more interesting than dime-a-dozen side-hustle advice. We donât need to know more about filling out online surveys for extra cash or making thousands by selling digital ebooks. But we definitely need to know weird things like how to turn your discontentment toward your next-door neighbour into a legit business.
Be uplifting.
Lord knows thereâs already enough negativity and trauma out there. Try making us smile or laugh instead! Robin Wilding hasnât paywalled a single post and yet sheâs got hundreds of paid subscribers, because sheâs bringing some joy into the world.
I realize weâre not all comedians, but we donât have to ride the daily struggle bus through the mud either.
Use Substack NOTES religiously.
And I donât mean just for spamming your notes feed with links to your posts. Write genuinely relatable notes. Tell a story. Tell a joke. Notes is one of the best places to make friends with strangers who might become subscribers.
NEWSFLASH: There are no note hacks worth paying hundreds of dollars for.
Post a note once a day. You donât need to bulk-dump the system all at once, hoping more volume equals more traction. In fact, I believe the opposite is true. If you bulk-post, people get exhausted and donât know which ones to engage with.
What DOES matter is your presence on the platform. If you drop a note and then disappear until next week, you wonât gain any traction. Instead, post a note and then spend 15 minutes scrolling through other peopleâs notes. Give them a like or a meaningful comment related to THEIR note, or do them a favour and restack theirs if you like it. After all, youâre hoping everyone else will do it for you.
Thatâs why weâre here (on Earth, not just on Substack)âŚto make connections and play nicely on the playground.
People want a reason to like and engage with you!!!
Todayâs lessonâŚ
Weâre all here to hopefully earn some money, but I donât want your money badly enough to try convincing you that there are magic formulas for Substack success.
Just be kind. Be interesting. Be generous with your engagement.
The rest is up to the universe (and the algorithm đ)
Your thoughts??
This Might Be A Better Growth Strategy Than Most 'Gurus' Charge Money For
The internet is screaming at writers to âGet on Substack!â And then youâre left standing at the front door waiting for directions. Now what?
Great advice! I'd add be patient. Most people don't get thousands of subscribers overnight. We get subscribers by doing all the things you describe. Meaningful engagement is what allows people to know, like, and trust us.
Great advice again Kristi! I may cross post this to my subscribers as well. I liked this part: âNEWSFLASH: There are no note hacks worth paying hundreds of dollars for.â đ