0-600 Subscribers in Two Months

The things that worked for me and what actually mattered.

The first thing I want to say is that I don’t think I’m some Substack expert or coach.

There are people with much larger publications than mine, people who have been here for years, and people who know the platform way better than I do. But I have gone from 0 to 600 subscribers in my first two months, and enough people have asked what I’ve been doing that I thought I’d make a post about it. I do feel like I’ve learned a handful of things that have made a really big difference for me and my growth thus far.

None of these lessons are groundbreaking, but that might be why they are sometimes overlooked. I wish I had some secret strategy to share, but I don’t. These are just the things that actually made the biggest difference for me, and I hope at least one of them helps.

Write Notes that you want to see.

This is probably the biggest lesson I have learned since starting my account.

When I go to write my Notes, I try not to think, What will get the most engagement? I try to prioritize asking, Would I stop scrolling for this? Would I comment on this? Would I send this to someone?

The Notes that have done the best for me have almost always been the ones that felt the most like me. Sometimes they’re observations I’ve had, little moments from motherhood, thoughts that have been sitting in my head all day, or something I just thought was funny. I really do think people can feel when you’re writing something because you actually wanted to say it versus when you’re writing something because you think it’ll perform well.

Writing the things you enjoy usually ends up attracting the people who enjoy you.

Consistency really is as important as everyone says it is.

I wish I had something more exciting to tell you, but people are right about this one.

As I continued to post consistently, Substack slowly but surely started putting my content in front of people who had never heard of me before. Most of my Notes haven’t “taken off”, so to speak, but there have been many that have gotten more exposure because the algorithm rewarded my consistency. At least, that’s what I believe happened. The platform has a difficult time learning who to show your writing to if you disappear every few days.

By no means am I telling you to post a million times a day. But I think giving yourself enough opportunities to be seen is super beneficial to your growth. When it comes to Notes specifically, they will usually either flop or thrive. You also don’t really learn what resonates with your readers if you aren’t giving yourself enough chances to find out.

Be patient. The growth multiplier really does happen.

For the first month or so, growth felt steady. I was really happy with how things were going, but there wasn’t a time when I felt like, Wow, this is taking off.

However, in the second half of month two, it felt like things started stacking on top of each other. One subscriber would recommend my publication. A Note would reach people outside my little circle, and then another one would. It started to feel like each thing was building on the last instead of starting over every time I hit publish.

I can’t say for sure when exactly that switch happens, because it’s different for everyone. I do, however, think it will happen if you stick around long enough.

Being patient with that part can be really hard, but I wouldn’t quit before you give it the chance to happen.

Connect because you actually want to connect.

One thing I will stand by when it comes to Substack is intention. I truly believe people can sense it through their screens.

If you’re leaving comments because you’re hoping someone clicks your profile and follows you back, people will pick up on that. But if you’re commenting because something made you laugh, made you think differently, or because you really do want to encourage another writer, that feels different to the person on the receiving end.

Some of my favorite relationships that I’ve built on Substack started because we were having normal conversations about life, and not because we were trying to grow our subscriber counts.

The algorithm matters, of course. But people are still people, and they matter more.

I schedule the majority of my Notes.

This one might be surprising.

I’m in a really busy season of life right now, and I truly don’t have the free time to post Notes consistently at specific hourly increments. If I tried to rely on free time, I would probably never post Notes at all.

Instead, I like to carve out some time and let myself be inspired by Note ideas. I write most of them down and then schedule them throughout the week.

My Notes are still very much reflective of my real life and thoughts, but this strategy also makes them much more realistic for my schedule.

I don’t think there’s any prize for posting everything live if it means you end up rarely posting or posting with lesser quality ideas. This is just what has been working for me.

Have fun with it.

This ties back to the first point, but I think it’s worth saying on its own also.

The writers I keep coming back to are almost always the ones who sound like they’re enjoying themselves. Their personality and humor are able to come through their words.

When writing starts feeling like checking another box on a to-do list, I really do think readers notice. Your voice changes without you even realizing it.

The Articles and Notes that I’ve had the most fun writing have typically been the ones that people connected with the most. I don’t believe that’s a coincidence.

If I could leave you with one thing, it’d probably be this: don’t spend so much time trying to become the kind of writer you think Substack wants that you forget to become the kind of writer you enjoy being.

The right people will eventually find you. The hardest part is giving it enough time to happen.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! I hope this was at least a tiny bit helpful and I’d love to hear your thoughts.🤍