Three Tips for Success on Substack from a VERY Successful Substacker... (now say that 3x fast)

I have noticed something Substack is missing that would be really helpful: writers with subscribers telling writers how to get subscribers. I don’t know why there is nothing on this subject. So, as an expert on this matter (I have a whopping 97 subscribers at the time of writing) I have decided to selflessly step into that void and share some tips you may find helpful to grow your Substack. You’re welcome.

Here are my top 3 strategies for subscriber growth:

1) Add yourself to your subscriber list using all your personal and professional email accounts (don’t forget the junk account you give at checkout counters). Instant boost! Boom. I did this on Feb 1st and felt great about the traction (see vertical spike in the graph above).

2) I call this strategy the Reverse-Paid Subscription Plan (RPSP). It is amazingly powerful in terms of return. RPSP is where you pay for subscriptions from successful Substack writers in exchange for them to sign up for your free subscription plan. This is what I did with

Dave Barry

. Now, this one has some cost risks associated with it. I did dip a little into my kiddo's education funds, but at just shy of 100 subscribers in 9 days, I think it was totally worth it. I’m just kidding, of course. We don’t save for our kids’ education.

Now, this isn’t a foolproof technique (I said these were tips, not guarantees), so you have to do your cost-risk analysis. As of yet, I have not seen Dave on my list of subscribers. BUT overall, I have been very pleased with the results, and I believe you will be too.

3) As you can see on the graph, this tip brought the biggest boost, but it isn’t for everyone. If you are transferring from another platform where you built up a solid following of robots and spam email generators, you can upload that list to Substack, and even though no human actually gets your posts, you instantly look like you have gone viral.

Once I hit 103 subscribers, I will be ceasing writing on any topic other than how to succeed on Substack so that you won’t feel alone without guidance on this matter any longer. At that point, I will also be turning on paid-only subscriptions, but do not fear! Every week on Fridays, I will throw a bone to the masses with a public Note writing prompt on topics such as, “What is the most demoralized you have felt getting success tips from a viral Substack writer?” etc. While my content will no longer be free after the 103 mark, you can always use step 2 above, and I will be honored to support your efforts to be as successful as I am.

I hope this has served to decrease the mystery around how to succeed on Substack since no one before this has addressed the issue.