Grow: How Becky Malinsky’s less-is-more format carved out a niche within the noise
The Grow interview series is designed to share the nuts and bolts of how writers have gone independent and grown their audiences on Substack. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
We invited
, who writes , to share insights on how she launched a Substack as a core pillar of her new career and crafted a simple, consistent format that does a job for readers.
What’s your Substack about in one sentence?
Straightforward (but also joyful) fashion and style advice meant to remove the time suck of endless online shopping.
Who reads your Substack?
Mostly women at the moment.
What do you uniquely offer readers?
I’m not asking for too much of my readers’ time. It is intentionally edited down to “5 Things” without too many links. The whole reason for starting the newsletter was to bring readers only what is good and cut out the excess that makes decision fatigue such a frustrating part of online shopping.
I also truly enjoy the category, which I think shows in my tone. I’m often giddy over the content.
Growth by the numbers
Started publishing online: Before Substack, I was the deputy fashion director at the Wall Street Journal. My experience with online publishing was at a much bigger scale and with a much bigger team. Now, it’s just me from ideation to publishing.
Started Substack with paid subscriptions: July 2022
Free subscribers: Thousands
Paid subscribers: Hundreds
What’s your content strategy?
Schedule: Once a week, on Sunday mornings.
Format: I post about fashion exclusively and always stick with five things. The 5 Things format was born from a friend having a meltdown over not being able to make a purchase decision. There were just too many options. It was clear to me that the answer to fashion guidance was not more, but less. I change up the themes. It could be five pairs of loafers one week and five ideas for getting dressed to entertain at home the following.
Production: Posts all come together Wednesday to Friday—the week before I publish on Sunday mornings. The goal is to figure out how to get ahead and produce more than one post at a time. It’s hard to focus on more than one thing, but if I am going to be able to keep publishing at this pace, I’ll have to get better at that.
It was clear to me that the answer to fashion guidance was not more, but less.
The launch moment
I started my Substack when I was leaving print publishing, an industry I worked in for 18 years, to launch a styling company and pursue freelance life. When I announced I was leaving my full-time position at the Wall Street Journal on Instagram, I simultaneously announced that I was launching a Substack. I’ve always been on a schedule and felt like I wanted something to keep me on a weekly deadline.
The friends and colleagues I’ve made over the past decade were all so supportive, and many people shared the post to their own social media channels right when I launched. I cried at the end of the week from all the support. It was the single biggest growth week.
From there, it’s been slow but steady and word of mouth. The biggest weeks of growth are after I publish a theme that really resonates. The biggest subscriber growth came after a story called What To Wear To Dinner, which was a “getting dressed” problem I was hearing from many of my private styling clients and friends. Every time the week’s theme is very clearly explained in the headline, I see significant growth.
Why did you decide to go paid?
I’ve always had a paid option. I view it the same way you would pay for a newspaper or magazine you love. Maybe that’s because I came from WSJ, which has a paywall, but I am a firm believer in paying for what you consume.
I also think it’s important to explain this to your readers. I’ve had readers email me and ask the difference between the paid versus free, and I always say that, at the moment, there is no difference, but I explain that paid subscriptions support the huge amount of work it takes to bring them the newsletter. Usually, they have never thought about it from that perspective and end up wanting to pay.
I explain that paid subscriptions support the huge amount of work it takes to bring them the newsletter. Usually, they have never thought about it from that perspective and end up wanting to pay.
How does your Substack fit into your work life?
I wouldn’t really call it a side hustle or main, but one of three pillars of my career at the moment. I run an executive styling service helping professional women get dressed for work, which is half my time, and then I split the other half between this newsletter and freelance writing and styling jobs for publications and brands.
What’s the sharpest insight you can offer other writers about growing a Substack publication?
Having a very clear and service-leaning topic helped me. I know exactly what the format is and sticking with it creates a sense of consistency. I don’t overwhelm the reader. It’s five ideas, nothing more, nothing less.
What has been a meaningful moment for the growth of your publication?
Seeing subscriptions come in from fashion industry leaders who I’ve always admired and probably would have never had the courage to reach out to. It’s also something that makes me feel vulnerable and helps me take the work extremely seriously, instead of considering it a side hustle.
In the first story I posted after I left my full-time job, two of the five items I recommended sold out, including one from a major Italian luxury brand. I was stunned and realized I was onto something. It made me recognize how rare and important it is to be authentic and stick to recommending what I truly believe in since I have people’s attention and trust.
Who’s another Substack writer you turn to for guidance and inspiration?
who writes is a friend and was a huge supporter as I transitioned from full-time employee to self-employed creative. I am constantly nagging her for advice on strategy, content, and just coping with the general emotional management of the vulnerability that comes with how personal the work is. Also, not on Substack but Claire and Erica of A Thing or Two have been super inspirational and helpful. I love their mix and their structure.
Takeaways
Make the most of the launch. The launch is an important moment for your publication. Timing it with milestones in your personal and professional life, and leaning on influencers in your space when you launch, can help you make the most of the moment. It’s an opportunity to establish your mission and drive a wave of excitement, attention, and subscriptions.
Read more: Launching a media business on Substack
Do a job for your readers. Becky has developed a clear and consistent format that serves her readers. They turn to her for guidance, and it makes their shopping to-dos easier.
Explain the value of paid subscriptions. A clear and compelling pitch for why paid subscribers’ support is important, especially when all your posts are free. Get in front of your readers and explain how paid subscriptions support you and your work.
What questions do you have for
that we didn’t ask? Leave them in the comments!To read more from this series on growing your publication, see our interviews with Tim Casperson, Marlee Grace, Gergely Orosz, Anne Kadet, Category Pirates, BowTiedBull, Justin Gage, Noah Smith, Carissa Potter, Jørgen Veisdal, Anne Byrn, Nishant Jain, Michael Fritzell, Glenn Loury, Erik Hoel, Jessica DeFino, Mike Sowden, Elizabeth Held, Jonathan Nunn, Polina Pompliano, Michael Williams, Judd Legum, and Caroline Chambers.
"...but I explain that paid subscriptions support the huge amount of work it takes to bring them the newsletter. Usually, they have never thought about it from that perspective and end up wanting to pay."
This is probably the biggest hurdle facing writers right now. People have been conditioned to getting free content that they forget someone is creating it for them to enjoy. When the discussion is framed this way, people are almost always willing to pay and/or donate.
Exactly. I find that honesty and vulnerability make people realize there is a human behind this! Very easy to forget.
"Totally! Honesty and vulnerability are key to building real connections. It’s easy to forget there’s a person with real emotions on the other side, but being genuine helps bridge that gap."
This is to be expected. Everything is moving to a subscription/fee based model. And most people don't want that. They want to buy something and own it.
It's like encyclopedias. People used to buy physical books, so that they could own the knowledge.
Everything is moving towards a society where you "own" nothing. Everything is available at a price. But it's hard to keep knowledge.
Think about all of the PDF websites, the ones that have manuals for everything under the sun, but you have to pay for them. Nobody likes that. Nobody want's to pay to look something up, when the manufacturer used to provide it for free. Now even the manufacturer wants your information, so they can sell you stuff -- before they will show you the manual.
The world is moving away from an individualist society, and towards a collectivist society -- while simultaneously, people are gaining the ability to individually acquire more knowledge.
Personally I prefer the individualist society, because there are far fewer restrictions.
Myself, I maintain my own Wiki. Using the MediaWiki engine. I did this many years ago, because I wanted a place to store the info I've acquired working in the automation field for 16+ years. You'll have something that you researched for 5 hours 6 years ago, not something that you would remember. That's where the wiki came in hand.
I love this newsletter! The format is so delightful — and I’ve purchased two recommendations already. (I wore the Tory Burch pants on Thanksgiving.) How do affiliate links figure into your strategy for making this a viable part of your freelance career?
Hi Erika, thank you! Learning to navigate affiliate linking has been a challenge, and some days it feels like a full time job just figuring out how to sign up for the platforms! I would say at this point about half of what I offer is affiliate linked. What I do is create the full newsletter and then go back and see what is linkable. I feel privelged that I was sheltered from affiliate linking for so long at WSJ and I've seen people go down that path and then get blinded by the data and start to water down their content based on what is linkable. So I'm EXTREMELY conscious to not operate that way and put the links in in reverse. This way it feels true to what I would endorse, and the affiliates work as a bonus. Ok, now to answer your question. I didn't really factor affiliate linking into becoming a viable part of my career because I started the newsletter to stay connected with myself and with the fashion industry I've worked two decades on building a relationship with. It was mainly to keep my mind sharp and looking for what is new out there. It has definitely been a small added bonus and I might in 2023 evaluate what percentage of my income I can count on affiliates for, but I maintain that its not something I will rely on, to keep my platform authentic, and treat it like a bonus. I would like to use this as a calling card really to maintain my editorial and brand work. Ok, long winded, but hope that answers your question!
This is such a great response, thank you!
Thank you for sharing! It struck me that Becky said she truly enjoys the ‘category’ and that it shows in her tone, etc. and then went onto show that what she writes about, 5 weekly points on fashion, really is a category. It’s very valuable to me that these On Substack and Grow newsletters really focus on categories because it’s hard to narrow, and hard to tell people how to narrow, and the best picture of it is these human stories about a real person and their newsletter.
Plus, I get exposed to cool stuff I probably wouldn’t otherwise have been 🙏😊
Thank you!!
I don't say this to be rude - but I'm stunned that this substack has thousands of subscribers. Not because of the quality of the newsletter -- I am a reader and it's great! -- but rather because I have always noted the low number of likes on posts. Given that there are apparently hundreds of paying subscribers (to say nothing of the thousands who've subscribed), I would assume would indicate a deeper willingness to engage. Can you explain that? Is that typical?
I can’t understand it either but I’m not in the demographic for any “10 things to do in NY” nor “5 things to” kind of things :)
It depends on the letter. I get quite a few emails, replying to the substack. And I actually get the most engagement when I post to my instagram stories and people reply there. I also never mention "comment below" in the letter which might help with that? And before I started my own Substack I never even noticed the "like" button. So I wonder if its just not on people's radars, especially when they read it in their inbox as opposed to the Substack app or platform itself? There have a been a few posts that clearly hit a nerve and in those people comment and start to converse amongst themselves, which has been fun to watch, but yes I agree, not huge engagement in terms of commenting.
Thank you for this one. Definitely taking away the “develop a clear format that consistently serves the reader” as the main goal. Still haven’t quite figured out how to do that yet.
It’s a good suggestion but I find it dumbs down the content I want to talk about. My writing is about a gastronomic journey, hardly something snappy that can fit in a quick “5 things to”. Actually this format that is so used in media “10 restaurants not to miss, 5 dishes under 20 euro” is to me mindblowingy boring and commercial. The issue is that everyone is so accustomed to this, and nobody really enjoys reading longer texts, that the niche of potential readers for essays is a very small pond.
Totally hear you. Its definitely not the right format for everyone, especially substacks that are about narrative. My goal was always to help with shopping and style so the format made sense.
I think it also totally depends on your audience. And that's what's cool about writing. There are so many different styles of writers because there are different styles of *readers*! I wouldn't worry about the smaller audience that wants more involved reading. You might be a huge fish in your "small pond"!
Hi Becky! I’m *very* excited this was published, I just signed up for your newsletter and love the concept. I recently started a (much smaller) newsletter, similarly focused on what to buy, but in the home-goods/interior design space. I’m curious after publishing for so long how you’ve stayed creative within the “five things” boundary. Do you think limiting it to 5 things has helped you churn out a consistent newsletter? Or are there other ways you stay creative & curious? You’re making me re-think my newsletter format in the best way. Thank you!
What I've learned in editorial all these years is that editing is HARD. Its much easier to write something clever in 750 words than it is to do it in 50 words with all the details you want to share. So I think it actually keeps me sharper. For the car coats newsletter, for example, I probably found about 12 I loved but spent a lot of time weighing which really were the best options with the most variety. The whole point of the newsletter, too, was not to overwhelm the reader. I can't tell you how many newsletters excite me with their headline and then I end up zoom scrolling to the bottom because I just don't have the bandwidth. So, I'm not saying its the only good format, but it was the best for me with what I was trying to do, which is give a very real service to the reader. Only the best, visually and click friendly and not so long they get distracted.
Becky is lovely! We overlapped a bit at the WSJ and I’ve been a big fan ever since. Adore her newsletter.
I was wondering if y’all were buds!
Thank you Elizabeth!!!! And welcome to Substack! :) :) :)
Half of the World's population is reaching out for Becky's solutions. Choosing an audience
is broadly important. She knows her demographics.
It's gratifying to have your estimate of this small comment.
Thanks so much,
Kathie
Becky - I'm an instant fan! I love your concept - so smart and so joyfully served up. I feel like the most well-dressed, yet most generous woman in the office has decided to take me under her wing and show me how it's done. I recently started a newsletter about clothing and based on my post today, it's clear that I need you! Glad to be a subscriber.
Thank you!!
Very good, well done, you grabbed me in the title and I read the 1st paragraph and I read the article to its end, which is very unlike me.
Ron
I've learned from 20 years in fashion, that service is what connects. Its super important to think about the reader. Why should they care?? I start there often.
A very helpful interview toward making future newsletter business decisions as a newbie here on Substack, although certainly not a newbie writer.
Very inspiring! I don’t feel comfortable running a paid subscription yet but someday maybe I will
Will welcome you when you are! Until then, hope you love what you are reading. Thanks for being here!
As I consider a Substack future I wonder about niche, which seems to be the content watchword. I’m at what some would consider the other end of the road. I have a lot of experience from a broad swath of the human condition. I’m curious whether it will be criticism or crickets since I’m a little light in the niche department.
I don't think niche is essential to every Substack. I think it IS important to think about what you are giving the reader, and what makes you worthy of their time. I find that if I feel like I am truly giving myself, it comes through and is a "useful" or at least "engrossing" read. It is often emotionally draining though, too. Every Sunday I get a bit nervous and then exhausted from being nervous, because I do feel like I'm giving my true self. May sound a bit cheesy, but its true!
One thing for sure this post has gained a lot of traction. I've yet to "Launch" as they say so I'm interested to learn what others have discovered. I suppose at some point I have to jump. I don't have any outstanding achievements to put on my about page. I did manage to raise and or help raise 23 kids but you just have to take my word for that. I don't have any awards and that isn't really the focus I'm thinking about. Looking back, I ran from any kind of publicity and maybe that wasn't a great idea. It's just my personality and I didn't really understand it until about 5 years ago. Guess I'm a little slow. Guess I'm still figuring it out. Not sure what someone would pay for. I've got a bunch of notebooks that I've filled up over the years, maybe some of it will stick.
Thank you for the answer. Very helpful, especially about being useful and worthy of their time. I have quite a bit of writing but need to run it through the filter.
Sounds like she really filled a niche where it was strongly desired. Good for her! That said: Clearly she started with a big audience already in place a la the WSJ etc. That’s fine--I’d do the same in her position. But it’s worth noting that most of us don’t start off that way. It’s not real helpful to those of us who aren’t already at the top. Yet: Helpful article in its way. Happy for the success!! I love hearing about professionals leaving their industries and making a living exclusively on Substack. I’m getting there myself, slowly. I write about culture, politics, as well as fiction and personal essays.
Michael Mohr
‘Sincere American Writing’
https://michaelmohr.substack.com/
Thanks Michael. Yes, it's true, I came from a publishing powerhouse, and I won't discount that. However, I definitely did not have an endorsement from the paper when I started. What WAS helpful in starting though, was making the change clear to the industry peers and friends I made over the years. So in that way, the prior career was helpful. I wasn't even going to post or announce that I was leaving and a friend basically told me I was a FOOL and forced me into it. I wasn't comfortable making such a public declaration. However, she was right. It was a learning experience, that no one was just going to announce or promote the work for me, something I never had to do before at such a major company. Not even sure where I'm going with this, just to say, keep up your good work and shout it from the rooftops! We are our own best advocates. :)
We can all learn from each other 🔥
Indeed! And seriously: That’s great and I’m happy for your success. Sounds well-deserved. 🙌
Find your niche and they will come. What a happy story! I appreciate her honesty with the paid option and she explained it beautifully.
Thank you!
Hello, thank you and it is a great honor to work with you, dear friends
Some still have the idea that everything on the Internet should be free. Thankfully, that is changing and not the majority view anymore.
Great article. But it doesn't show how much a subscription cost.
It costs $5/month or $50/year
So Becky, I haven't had a chance to read your columns yet, but I have a question you may want to build upon. I am an "elder" now and not dealing with it externally. I've always worn casual attire, and now I want to look "younger". I'm not a high end dresser, but like to look nice, color coordinated fit in to the atmosphere when (if) I go out for dinner. How can I dress younger without getting that "look at that old broad, dressing like a kid." I don't even own a dress and am just not comfortable in one, plus due to a foot problem, I can't wear heals. How can even look feminine?
Hi Kate,
So I tackled "what to wear to dinner" recently! I myself am 38, but I dress quite conservatively. I also run a personal and professional styling business where my clients range in age from 36-70! I don't believe in "dressing for your age" but dressing for your body and your life. I sort of feel like I can say this because I already veer and steer others toward more coverage. :) Hope you'll check it out. My Substack is truly for all ages. But definitely geared toward the over 30/40 set.
Thank you for the insightful interview.
This has actually given me an idea for my Freebie Friday post on my blog www.footballwriting.co.uk, allowing my subscribers to understand the reason why there is a paywall to my work. I try and take something from everything Substack emails to me, to help my work grow and this is it from this one, thank you!
And...here's the kicker, I don't have a cell phone so can't read your columns, right? Now I'm sad.
Hi Kate, you are able to read any writing published on Substack from the web at a desktop computer.
We've removed your comment. Substack is founded on the belief that writers and their work deserve respect. We ask that you respect one other’s perspectives and life experiences.
https://on.substack.com/p/community-guidelines