How to succeed on Substack

(Spoiler: there are no rules you'll need to follow. You get to create your own.)

Rather than trying to fit neatly into a box, I’m enjoying an increasingly radical approach to both home and work-life.

Here are some thoughts that I’ve gleaned from no longer following the supposed ‘rules’ for using Substack and other social media platforms…

• Remember that there are not actually any rules.

• Unless you make them up yourself.

• You can be, for instance, a psychologist and non-fiction author who decides to write fiction.

• Your personality is more important than any accolade.

• Everyone has a story; everyone is interesting.

• You are the niche. You are at the centre of all your work.

• You’re never too old to try something new.

• Decide what ‘success’ looks like for you. It might mean more money, or living on less. It might be around health rather than wealth.

• No one feels successful when they’re doing work they don’t want to be doing.

• We feel successful when we get to do what we want, all the time.

• Work out whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert and plan your career accordingly.

• Everyone is creative.

• The main creative blockers are fear of failure, perfectionism and imposter syndrome.

• It can show up as procrastination or ‘freeze’.

• To work through it, get clear on your skillset and why you’re the person for the job.

• Your ‘why’ is allowed to be ‘because I want to’.

• Those people you picture, who might judge you? Forget them. Their opinion doesn’t matter.

• Those people who say kind things about you and your work? They are your people.

• There is a community for everyone. The subject of your writing will help you to find yours.

• You don’t always need a clear customer journey.

• You can write poems about motherhood and then sell spaces on a marketing programme. People want to work with you.

• If you write from the heart, people feel it. It warms them. And they want more.

• If you write what you think you should write, it becomes staid.

• You can write about one subject and then change direction.

• You can write across genres, many of the most successful writers did/do.

• It’s amazing when you get new paid subscribers.

• It’s shit when they go.

• Keep some other work (writing, coaching, consultancy etc) outside of Substack so that you’re not relying solely on the one platform.

• Also: you are allowed to be a writer as well as a coach, carpenter, painter… anything. To be a writer doesn’t mean ‘only’ writing. It just means writing.

• Seek inspiration in everyday life, because this will give you new ideas for content (as well as making life more fun).

• The more ‘free’ writing you share, the quicker you’ll grow your readership.

• The more paywalls you put in, the sooner you’ll earn money.

• People like consistency but also respect that ‘life’ isn’t always consistent. Things come up. Plans need to change.

• Online courses are a great lead-on from your Substack, for those readers who want more from you.

• You can be a writer, creative and entrepreneur. It works quite well.

• You’re not ‘selling out’ if you want to earn from your art.

• Publishers are interested in authors (and potential authors) who are writing on Substack. They are seeing that it leads to book sales.

• We’re building freelance careers and finding flexible ways to earn. Make sure it stays fun.

Annie x