Justin shares how he crystallized his value proposition while leaning into his skill set and interests—and gained an audience of nearly 30,000 readers.
"I think the hardest thing about running a successful newsletter is writing about the same exact topic every week for years and years." Omg, YES. I've never thought of it exactly this way, but yes -- Justin nailed it. This was a great post.
He's right about sustainability. It's something I've been thinking about a lot - both from the writer's perspective and the readers. A lot of readers are subscribing to a lot of Substack writers right now and there is a lot of talk of how to increase subscribers (rightly so) and tactics to do so. But as with all things there is a lot of frenzy that will naturally settle down and only a few writers will be left. That's only natural.
On the readers' side the issue is how many newsletters can one person consume? Share of mind and reading time competes with everything else in life not just books, media and other substack newsletters. When I think about that as a reader and I note that while I am subscribed to over 20 newsletters I probably read about 3 with any regularity, and perhaps another 3 here and there. I'm headed towards unsubscribing to several because this subscription madness is creating a lot of clutter and noise in my inbox and my life.
So.... what's a writer to do? Here are my own top of mind thoughts...
1. Be and stay authentic to your content - no gimmickry or short term content for readers who you can't please ongoing because that's not you.
2. I don't seek out readers just for numbers i.e., who are actually not interested in what I have to say - kind of other side of the coin of #1 above for they will be here today and gone tomorrow.
3. Write at a sustainable pace for myself AND for myreaders...my subject and readers are such that they are both poorly served by too high a frequency. I can't produce something meaningful that fast and they don't want to consume that fast. When I published every week I actually lost readers.
4. Meeting my readers where they are e.g., I often get responses/comments about my posts a month or more after publishing... people read, then they ponder, something happens that reminds them and they come back and re-read or some such combination and in between they may write to tell me. A LOT of my comments and conversations happen away from my substack. I wish I could change that fast enough but that's how readers are and if I pester them to subscribe they will leave...
5. Keep calm and carry on aka I plan to stay the course and not get swayed by too much talk of building subscriber base etc. I am in this for the long haul. I've moved away from social media so that's not how I find new subscribers. Instead word of mouth and recommendations by other substackers/subscribers is how my best readers show up. I plan to stay that way. It's a marathon not a sprint.
"A lot of people are out there writing newsletters about things that they think their colleagues, future bosses, or potential customers want to hear—but if it’s not authentic, it won’t last." I've certainly felt those slight moments of panic where I wonder if anyone is interested in what I'm writing about (or worse, if I no longer have anything worthwhile to say). I'm working on leaning into my own authentic perspective, interests, and experiences, knowing that those are the things that make my newsletter different. Thank you for this article, Justin!
I am looking for inspiration this morning to get my first post going along with a podcast. Not being the technical type this is great input thanks for sharing your thoughts Justin I needed a little encouragement today to get going.
That's a really good framing ... writing for yourself 5 years ago... this is a really good pointer, especially for those of us who are writing about things we have learned or are learning on our own journeys of discovery and still growing and evolving... e.g. those of us who are writing about chronic illnesses, for example..
Great piece! I love the idea of writing with your past self in mind--someone who could have benefited from some hard-earned knowledge, explained in simple terms. I try to do this with my posts about writing and publishing. I might have still made the same mistakes, but at least I would have better understood my choices.
Nice. Agree with all of that. Finding the right balance between basic and too complicated. Writing about what interests you. Thanks, and well blumin’ done on your success!
I love the idea of being truly authentic and yourself. (My podcast intro is 4 mins long, which I know breaks every rule in the book, but it's who I am and what I think is needed.) Unless I get a ton of feedback otherwise, I'm not changing it. lol
Thank you for your tips. Yes writing for someone a few bus stops behind you on the same journey (I paraphrase) is definitely a great tip. People have a wealth of experience they don’t even think of tapping into.
I’m at the beginning of my journey here. I decided I don’t really want to niche at this point and want to write for the sheer passion of writing itself but even within that I see potential.
I used to think writing about what I know to be limiting but now I embrace it as liberating. I see writing as conversation with others.
People ultimately buy from people they feel they connect with, and a subscription is a saleable item.
I think creating and maintaining connection and interest has to be aim and this will inform what is written.
Hey Justin, great post/interview! It was very insightful and I got some great ideas for growing my Substack Newsletter. You are correct - It is definitely about bringing your authentic self, coming from a place of pure intention and being in service to others with your gift/talent, skills and knowledge. Thank you for what you do and being your authentic self, best wishes for the future!
Justin put things in perspective. Reading about this interview motivates me more to keep working on my newsletter.
"You need to write about something that makes sense for you to write about, that you care about, and that fits you". This just makes perfect sense. I think everyone starting their journey in writing should read this post.
Great stuff! And I've subscribed to "Technically".
"I think the hardest thing about running a successful newsletter is writing about the same exact topic every week for years and years." Omg, YES. I've never thought of it exactly this way, but yes -- Justin nailed it. This was a great post.
He's right about sustainability. It's something I've been thinking about a lot - both from the writer's perspective and the readers. A lot of readers are subscribing to a lot of Substack writers right now and there is a lot of talk of how to increase subscribers (rightly so) and tactics to do so. But as with all things there is a lot of frenzy that will naturally settle down and only a few writers will be left. That's only natural.
On the readers' side the issue is how many newsletters can one person consume? Share of mind and reading time competes with everything else in life not just books, media and other substack newsletters. When I think about that as a reader and I note that while I am subscribed to over 20 newsletters I probably read about 3 with any regularity, and perhaps another 3 here and there. I'm headed towards unsubscribing to several because this subscription madness is creating a lot of clutter and noise in my inbox and my life.
So.... what's a writer to do? Here are my own top of mind thoughts...
1. Be and stay authentic to your content - no gimmickry or short term content for readers who you can't please ongoing because that's not you.
2. I don't seek out readers just for numbers i.e., who are actually not interested in what I have to say - kind of other side of the coin of #1 above for they will be here today and gone tomorrow.
3. Write at a sustainable pace for myself AND for myreaders...my subject and readers are such that they are both poorly served by too high a frequency. I can't produce something meaningful that fast and they don't want to consume that fast. When I published every week I actually lost readers.
4. Meeting my readers where they are e.g., I often get responses/comments about my posts a month or more after publishing... people read, then they ponder, something happens that reminds them and they come back and re-read or some such combination and in between they may write to tell me. A LOT of my comments and conversations happen away from my substack. I wish I could change that fast enough but that's how readers are and if I pester them to subscribe they will leave...
5. Keep calm and carry on aka I plan to stay the course and not get swayed by too much talk of building subscriber base etc. I am in this for the long haul. I've moved away from social media so that's not how I find new subscribers. Instead word of mouth and recommendations by other substackers/subscribers is how my best readers show up. I plan to stay that way. It's a marathon not a sprint.
What da y'all think?
"A lot of people are out there writing newsletters about things that they think their colleagues, future bosses, or potential customers want to hear—but if it’s not authentic, it won’t last." I've certainly felt those slight moments of panic where I wonder if anyone is interested in what I'm writing about (or worse, if I no longer have anything worthwhile to say). I'm working on leaning into my own authentic perspective, interests, and experiences, knowing that those are the things that make my newsletter different. Thank you for this article, Justin!
I am looking for inspiration this morning to get my first post going along with a podcast. Not being the technical type this is great input thanks for sharing your thoughts Justin I needed a little encouragement today to get going.
That's a really good framing ... writing for yourself 5 years ago... this is a really good pointer, especially for those of us who are writing about things we have learned or are learning on our own journeys of discovery and still growing and evolving... e.g. those of us who are writing about chronic illnesses, for example..
Great piece! I love the idea of writing with your past self in mind--someone who could have benefited from some hard-earned knowledge, explained in simple terms. I try to do this with my posts about writing and publishing. I might have still made the same mistakes, but at least I would have better understood my choices.
Lots of wisdom in this interview:
'you need to write about something that makes sense for you to write about, that you care about, and that fits you'
'newsletters will fail if you’re trying to be a celebrity'
Great piece - thank you!
Awesome stuff! Love this substack so great to hear from Justin about it!!
Awesome article. Thanks Substack and Justin!
Nice. Agree with all of that. Finding the right balance between basic and too complicated. Writing about what interests you. Thanks, and well blumin’ done on your success!
Very inspiring, and congrats on your growth!!
I love the idea of being truly authentic and yourself. (My podcast intro is 4 mins long, which I know breaks every rule in the book, but it's who I am and what I think is needed.) Unless I get a ton of feedback otherwise, I'm not changing it. lol
"Being your own audience makes things clearer!" I thoroughly enjoyed this quote from Justin!
A lot of reassurance in this post...thanks!
Thank you for your tips. Yes writing for someone a few bus stops behind you on the same journey (I paraphrase) is definitely a great tip. People have a wealth of experience they don’t even think of tapping into.
I’m at the beginning of my journey here. I decided I don’t really want to niche at this point and want to write for the sheer passion of writing itself but even within that I see potential.
I used to think writing about what I know to be limiting but now I embrace it as liberating. I see writing as conversation with others.
People ultimately buy from people they feel they connect with, and a subscription is a saleable item.
I think creating and maintaining connection and interest has to be aim and this will inform what is written.
Hey Justin, great post/interview! It was very insightful and I got some great ideas for growing my Substack Newsletter. You are correct - It is definitely about bringing your authentic self, coming from a place of pure intention and being in service to others with your gift/talent, skills and knowledge. Thank you for what you do and being your authentic self, best wishes for the future!
Really useful newsletter; thanks!
Justin put things in perspective. Reading about this interview motivates me more to keep working on my newsletter.
"You need to write about something that makes sense for you to write about, that you care about, and that fits you". This just makes perfect sense. I think everyone starting their journey in writing should read this post.
Great stuff! And I've subscribed to "Technically".