By Alex Lewis

The newsletter platform and social media site, Substack, has become one of the hottest spaces for online creators—and now brands and celebrities are joining the bandwagon. Boasting more than five million paid subscribers across the platform, Substack invites creators like myself to build an audience, make money, and connect with other readers and writers.

My name is Alex Lewis, and I joined Substack in December 2022. My newsletter, Feels Like Home, is now home to more than 3,500 subscribers and receives over 20,000 monthly reads. I started the newsletter to explore some of my favorite things (like music, sports, and pop culture) and to have a creative outlet outside of my 10-year career in social media marketing.

Here are the steps I took to grow my newsletter by 7,000% in less than three years and how it continues to help me avoid burnout and maintain my love for writing. Let’s get into it.

1. I wrote about what I enjoy.

The beauty of Substack is you can write about whatever you want, and there’s a good chance you’ll find people who actually want to read it.

When starting my Substack, I set out to write about things I love and the people and moments that have shaped me. This ensured that my writing would always be personal and always feel enjoyable because I’m writing about topics that I’m genuinely interested in, such as NBA basketball and healthy masculinity.

Consistency is much more attainable when writing and publishing feel like less of a burden. I get excited to return to the page because I’m following my curiosities—and what I often find on the other side of this pursuit are people who love the same things and feel seen, as well as people who aren’t as familiar with the topic but gain a newfound appreciation for it.

Ana Calin, whose How We Grow newsletter has hundreds of paid subscribers, encourages creators to “write the newsletter you would want to read—not the one you think will ‘perform.’” She adds, “Readers can tell when you’re being authentic, and they’ll stick around for your voice—not some polished version of what you think they want.”

While Substack lets you label your newsletter under 1-2 categories to help readers find your publication, you don’t have to corner yourself into a specific niche in order to grow. Sharing your interests can pave the way for connection and consistency.

2. I nurtured the people who already supported me.

Substack makes your writing accessible for people who want to read it.

Before joining Substack, sharing my work on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X felt like the only way for people to learn that I published something new. Friends would tell me they missed something I wrote because the algorithm didn’t serve my posts to them.

I chose to join Substack and start publishing a newsletter because I wanted the people who enjoyed reading my work to receive it directly in their inbox. While …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron