3 Things Successful Substacks Start With

that you might not have - but can acquire

Though I’ve been hanging around on Substack for over two years now, it’s only been in the last few weeks I’ve decided to go all in. This is what I discovered…

By all in I mean really studying what the “successful” Substacks are doing.

Mostly I’m interested in Substack for its podcasting potential - you can start for free and really grow much more quickly than on any other free platform.

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If you’re going on podcasts hoping to attract clients - you are going to want to make sure you are NOT making these 3 common mistakes most guests, make!

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If you’re new over here you might be looking around thinking, “oh my cow” (that’s country for OMG) there is so much - You’ve got:

• Chats - public and private

• DMs (not sure yet if these are just private chats or something different)

• Notes

• Newsletters

• Podcasts

• Video

• Lives

Each offers a unique way to interact with the larger community. And it’s all about community over here.

[*Newbie Tip - Restack this by highlighting the quote & selecting restack - I’ll follow you back]👇

These three things—an existing audience, a clear niche, and consistent high-value content—are what set thriving Substackers apart from those just starting out.

Building Your Tribe

Contrary to popular belief not everyone starts at zero on Substack. A misleading misconception that many “guru’s” over here try to gloss over.

Substack is actually actively recruiting writers and influencers with large followings!

This isn’t a bad thing - as more people get introduced to the platform more opportunities will open for those sharing content here and making offers

In some ways it reminds me of the early days of Squidoo.

Squidoo was a community-driven content platform founded by Seth Godin in 2005. It allowed users to create individual pages called lenses on topics they were passionate about, similar to personal blogs or mini-websites. These pages could include text, images, links, and affiliate marketing, enabling users to earn revenue through ads and affiliate commissions.

At its peak, Squidoo was a popular tool for content creators, marketers, and bloggers looking to share expertise and monetize their knowledge. However, due to declining traffic and changes in search engine algorithms, Squidoo was acquired by HubPages in 2014, and its content was migrated to that platform.

The big problem happened for Squidoo when the lenses got deindexed en masse by Google. It was the beginning of the end.

Mostly I mention this to share the potential - in its hay day - Squidoo was making content creators (and Amazon) gobs of money. I miss Squidoo.

That type of potential exists here …

And as Tony Robbins says, success leaves clues.

Three Things that Successful Substackers Have That Those New to the Platform Often Lack

As mentioned before - an existing audience. Most of the Substacks that start up over here and become an instant success have an existing audience they tap into.

While they may or may not simply import that audience into Substack they have people to talk to rather than “shouting into the void”.

And this brings us to the second thing…

A clear Niche - successful Substackers have a clearly defined audience - and a lot of them (see #1)

Which allows for the third thing to be so effective - High Value Content!

Knowing what your audience wants and delivering it will set you apart from the pack of content creators writing randomly.

Are you new here?

Grab the Podcasting on Substack: The Essential Guide for Coaches & Creators for free here 👇(it will help you even if you’re not starting a podcast)

How to Leverage What You’ve Got

The Audience

When it comes to having an audience many of us actually have a bigger footprint than we might think.

Look at your email box - all of those are potential contacts - many people are your friends or family, and they might be happy to help you (or not)

Look at your social media accounts - maybe the following in each is not huge but combined I bet you could come up with a thousand people.

In the beginning the fastest way to build anything is by having individual conversations. The easiest way to do that is simply dm them or email them and tell them what you’re doing and invite them to check it out.

You can also build an audience over here simply by being active - create notes, follow people, leave thoughtful comments on their notes & newsletters. Reach out to them in chats and in private conversations. GET VISIBILE

High Value Content

The invitation presupposes you have some content created first. Create some longer content aimed at your ideal clients or people you want to attract.

Always keep in mind - what’s in it for them. Create content that is helpful, thoughtful or entertaining - depending on your niche and purpose for creating content.

Your Niche

Before all of this, growing an audience or creating content - understanding who can benefit from your content is the most foundational piece in my opinion.

You can think of a niche as a corner of the internet (or industry) that you claim as your own—a specific, well-defined space where your voice, expertise, and perspective stand out.

Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, successful Substackers own their corner by focusing on a particular topic, perspective, or audience. This makes it easier to attract the right readers and build a loyal following.

For example, instead of just writing about “health,” someone might carve out a corner as “holistic wellness for busy entrepreneurs” or “biohacking for women over 40.” The more specific and authentically aligned it is, the more powerful the niche becomes.

When You're Starting Out

Don’t prejudge asking people to read your content, listen to your podcast or watch your videos. They might not be your target audience, but they might know someone who is.

Be more about asking for referrals than asking for clients/subscribers. It’s about getting visible - letting everyone know what you’re doing.

If you opened an ice cream shop, you would tell everyone right? Maybe they don’t eat dairy, but they have friends that do.

Getting Started in the Right Way

On top of having an existing audience, a clearly defined niche, and a lot of high value content - when the start their Substack account they set it up for success from the beginning.

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That’s why I created the Getting Started Guide - to help you navigate the various parts of Substack to grow an audience, attract clients by getting visible…

I believe in you!