185 Comments

I'm usually not a fan of content like this because when I first started with online content, I tried everything and saw minimum growth at best. What I did realize though was understanding the platforms and taking a few strategies increases your chances to balance out with blind luck.

This is definitely one of the better pieces I've come across, and as someone newer to Substack, I'll definitely be trying a few of these (like starting to reply to posts lol)

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I got a lot of value from this post. Sometimes, articles like this offer very surface level tactics but I think these are insightful and actionable. Saving this and downloading the Google Sheet. Thank you.

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This was great! Just when I had given up on writing on substack! Just watched the first1000 webinar and I am so inspired to jump back in!

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I noticed that this post did not mention sharing on LinkedIn. As a writer I struggle with whether or not to share on that site. What if you write about things that may not necessarily be considered a “professional” topic, like mental health or kids or toys or whatever? Is it worth it then to share?

I’m curious to know what others experiences and thoughts are. Thanks!

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Thank you for these tips! I love a good set of actionable tasks!

I would like to caution, however, that putting a link to your newsletter in your social bio is not going to affect your SEO much. While search engines do reward sites for the number *followed* links they receive from high-quality websites, the links in your social bios are almost always marked as nofollow links (which basically means that the social site says "here's a link to your newsletter, but we won't vouch for its quality").

Here's more information from Google about what a nofollow link is: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/guidelines/qualify-outbound-links

And here's an article I wrote specifically about using social media for link building: https://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/marketing/social-media-link-building/

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How ironic, my last article was on the evils of social media; and now I find out they hold the key to growth.

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Thank you for this great article. I will gladly use these ideas to grow my list!

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Thanks for another actionable piece of advice. There is a lot to unpack and try here :)

I personally found it helpful to have an outline in the article after introductory paragraph. The outline can be later shared on social media. For example:

[intro]

Outline:

1. Section 1 ideas

2. Section 2 ideas

3…

[following sections in the article].

I think it’s easier to share preview of each section on social media then. And engages more people.

Also, can someone please point me to article on how “Reply on Substack” works? I remember Medium had a feature where each comment from the author turned into an article and I didn’t use it cause it felt like unnecessary content for publishing. I am curious if Reply on Substack has a different mechanic.

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Thank you for the shout-out! One clarification, it was a non-biological mother of a same sex marriage, not a trans man. But I absolutely am interested in the trans parenting experience, and if anyone knows a trans parent who'd like to share their story please send them my way!

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Interesting stuff, looks like I'm doing most of it already, so... fingers crossed.

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My list has grown to nearly 27k on Substack. I think the features available. I've been getting up to 14k downloads on individual podcast episodes as well. I don't know what the secret is, though. I just keep trying different things and putting out content that I find interesting. I listen to feedback. I share a lot on social media.

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Great tips thanks 😊 I love substack!

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In my experience on other platforms, I typically started with consistency. Consistently moving in one direction is so important. But platforms are all a little different as well. I just created a substack today and plan to have routine writings, first and foremost.

My question would be, and anyone can answer if they see this comment, but will I experience growth, albeit slow, just by writing and reading here? Or are some of these tactics imperative to seeing consistent growth?

I'm asking because I'm really not a big social media guy anymore. So, maybe specifically wondering how important that realm is.

It's worth noting that I do still write on medium as well and also plan to link my substack there.

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Great article. I'll start applying these immediately.

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This is good information: actionable intel. I just posted my first article on how to write fiction. There will be multiple articles on this. Observations tell me there are many new writers looking for usable info. I certainly need good info on how to get them to my articles.

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Interesting read! My biggest gripe is my substack isn’t searchable on Google, so if people look for the subjects I’m writing about they aren’t seeing me, even if they literally type the title of my article. I’m not sure how many subscribers you need to be indexed by Google, but it seems like a HUGE impediment to getting started. Any tips?

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