How To Spring Clean Your Substack In 3 Simple Ways
Open your Substack like you’re a brand new visitor and tell me what you see.
What is it about Spring that brings out the Marie Kondo in all of us? Every spring, something in me wants to haul out a broom and tidy up.
This is especially true in my online spaces, and I see the same thing happening on the surface of many Substacks.
It’s not a bad thing, it’s just a little messy in ways that are hard to pinpoint. You’re showing up and doing the thing but your Substack isn’t quiiiite pulling the weight you want it to pull.
So, if you’re in a spring cleaning mood, here are a few things worth a quick look today.
Open your Substack like you’re a brand new visitor.
Pretend you’re landing on your homepage with no context or backstory and ask yourself, “What is this and who is it for?”
If the answer feels fuzzy, your future subscribers are feeling that too.
Click into your About page. Is it clear, specific, and welcoming? Or is it kind of vague, a little outdated, or missing altogether?
Now check your welcome email. If someone subscribes today, what experience are they walking into? You’d be shocked at how many welcome emails I see that still use the Substack default text 😬 Are you guiding your new subscribers anywhere, or just dropping them into the middle of your content and hoping they figure it out?
And finally, scroll down your homepage. Does it feel intentional or does it feel like a bit of a junk drawer? Have you seen other homepages that have you secretly envious but you don’t have a clue how to change yours? (Here’s how, BTW)
None of this means you’re doing anything wrong!
It just means your Substack might not be working as hard as it could be. For me personally, when I land on ANY website, if I can’t find an easy way to get around and find what I want, I feel like leaving because I don’t know what I’m supposed to do there.
We must always try to organize our content in a way that others can navigate because, guess what? 99% of you don’t know how to search someone else’s Substack for precisely what you’re looking for.
(Here’s how to search specific topics and keywords on someone else’s Substack, by the way)
This organizational chaos is the kind of thing that affects everything…including growth, conversions, how people perceive your work, whether they stick around or disappear without a trace.
It will REALLY serve you to do an intentional audit of your Substack. Because if you can’t figure it out, neither can your readers.
This is the exact kind of thing I do when I work with Substackers. Not growth hacks or “just post more content!” I go into the actual structure of your Substack and clean it up so it makes sense, feels good to land on, and actually supports the writing you’re already doing.
If you’ve been meaning to fix things but haven’t gotten around to it, this is your sign. Springtime is the best time to clean house!
“I had the pleasure of working with Kristi after asking her to audit my Substack, and I could not be more satisfied with the experience. She is highly skilled, an excellent communicator, and an all-around wonderful person to work with. The feedback she provided was insightful, easy to understand, and just as easy to implement. I would highly recommend Kristi to anyone looking to take their presence on Substack to the next level.” - Jason MacKenzie @ Man Down
I have some time in April to show up for half a day with my magic mop! We can sit down together and go through your Substack in real time, and make sure everything is actually working the way it should.
Working with me is focused, practical, and by the end of it, you’ll feel and SEE a very real difference.
If you’re not ready for that level of hands-on help, I also offer custom Substack audits. I’ll go through everything from front to back in your Substack and send you a detailed breakdown of what’s working and exactly what to fix first.
Either way, you don’t have to keep guessing.
If your Substack has been feeling a little “off” lately, this is a really good time to reset it before you head into a new season of content.
🔶 You can book a Half-Day Session here
I only book a small number of sessions each week, and once they’re filled, they’re filled.
🔶 Or start with a Custom Audit here
Whether we work together or not, at the very least, take 20 minutes this weekend and look at your Substack with fresh eyes. You might be surprised at what you notice.
When was the last time you self-audited your Substack through the eyes of what your reader might experience when they land?
In case you missed it yesterday, watch the replay of not one but TWO Substack coaches covering plenty of tips and tricks related to Substack!
Here’s a tip you can implement TODAY!
If You're Not Using This Space On Substack, You're Wasting An Opportunity
I subscribe to a LOT of newsletters and occasionally, one hits my inbox and I’m like, “Dang…they did a great job of utilizing that space!”






How do you feel about purging subscribers who have never opened an email in a year or more? I feel like saying I have 600 subscibers when almost 200 of them haven't opened an email since 2024/2025 is a little misleading.
Thank you for the reminder to clean both my digital house and my physical house.