6 Months on Substack: Lessons From a Newbie
From 17 subscribers to 295; yes, it's another Substack growth post (I wanted to say 17 to 300 because 295 just doesn't have the same ring to it, nor does 17 to almost-300, but close enough)
Hello and welcome to Fellowship of Oddities. My name is Tiffany, and I write personal essays crafted to give you a unique perspective connecting obscure ideas to real life.
Subscribe for free to enjoy occasional posts. Or, join our growing Fellowship of kindred spirits looking to delve deeper into our universal human experiences and unlock all my content.
Please note: this letter may be truncated by your email provider. Open on a browser or in the app to read the whole thing.
Dear Inklings,
Today officially marks six months and one day since my very first post on Substack. All I knew about this platform was, some authors were using it as a newsletter, and as I was experiencing frustration with Mailerlite as a newsletter delivery service, I made an account to see if it would be a better alternative.
Substack has evolved into so much more than a traditional newsletter. At the time, I was still writing on a Wordpress blog (which I’d been writing on for over a decade and loved, but Wordpress itself was hard to work with) plus micro-blogging on Instagram (and also whining about that because I hated Instagram so much).
That was the narrative I believed: you are an author. You need a social media platform and you need a newsletter.
A combination of two things led me to Substack:
My frustration with Mailerlite, which was sending out multiple duplicates of my automated emails
- and shared about how Substack freed them from Meta and gave them a way to be paid for their writing.
So, I thought, “What if I could solve two of my headaches with one stone?”
Thanks to you, dear Inkling, and
, I’ve accomplished this in the past six months:Got to call myself a paid writer for the first time in my life.
Found my footing as both a creative nonfiction and a fiction writer.
Found a community of like-minded individuals willing to wade into the messy conversations of life with me.
To celebrate this milestone, I’m sharing what I’ve learned in the six months I’ve been on Substack as a writer starting from (almost) scratch.
Jumping Right In
Once I made the switch, I went all in, though I had no clue what I was doing and spent the first few months playing around with everything on my own. I didn’t know anybody, didn’t know about Notes, still don’t have the app, but I started by subscribing to the two writers mentioned above and their recommendations. At some point,
found my post on slow reading, which introduced me to a host of fellow readers. That was when I really started building connections.Turning on paid
I turned on paid subscriptions right from the start. Most of my content remains free, with the option for people to support me monetarily if they wish.
was my first paid and founding Inkling, and let me tell you: having a friend who believes in your writing like Jo does is invaluable.I want to thank those of you who have chosen to support me this way: Linda Yoon, Connie Wu, Nikki K. L., Jenny E., Carmen P.,
, Tiffany K., Dennis C., Kat, RosieW, Jane Wilson, , , and .Three others became founding members even though I currently have no offerings for the founding level: Joanne L., Tiffanie L., and Stanley S.
You give me the means to keep writing and making this publication the best it can be. With all of my heart, thank you.
Consistency
I started posting consistently at least once a week to an audience of mostly friends and family from my original mailing list of 17. I briefly experimented with posting twice a week, but I think that was too much for both me and you.
Those Who Recommend Me Mean the World
Some of the best writing I’ve ever read. —Bakhtawar
Some started recommending my publication early on:
, , , , and were a few of the first.Tiffany Chu's personal stories are relatable, insightful, and definitely worth a read. —Emilaea Woodwolf
Others who are kind enough to recommend me to their readers are
, , , , , , , , and .Tiffany's writing is deeply personal and impactful. Highly recommended! —Matthew Long
It’s not just about the subscribers; it’s about the value you have found in my work that led you to share with your own subscribers. Thank you for believing in me.
My Substack Stats
I have a gross fascination with other people’s numbers, so in the name of transparency, here are mine:
September
4 posts
17 subscribers
1 paid
October
5 posts
35 subscribers (↑ 18)
1 paid
November
8 posts
65 subscribers (↑ 30)
5 paid
2 founding
December
6 posts
205 subscribers (↑ 140)
8 paid
2 founding
January
4 posts
253 subscribers (↑ 50)
3 founding
February
4 posts
261 subscribers (↑ 8)
9 paid
3 founding
March
3 posts
295 subscribers (↑ 34)
12 paid
4 founding
Substack from a Newbie’s Perspective
Don’t fixate on other people’s stats
I share mine to show how some of this is sheer luck. Yes, I work really hard, but certain things aligned that I had no control over.
My numbers jumped in December because this article I wrote in October about Instagram started circulating then (to be honest, I’m still not sure how it started).
also brought attention to it, and it remains my most popular post to date.At the same time,
did a Substack Advent calendar and featured me for one of the days.That month, I wrote another popular article on ways I was simplifying my life, which led to another surge.
My growth since that initial uptick in December has looked much more like it did in the beginning of my journey. For a few weeks, I’d lose a couple subscribers for every new one.
Join communities
If you like something, you can probably find it here. If you can’t find it, create it. These are some of the thriving communities I’m privileged to be a part of:
is reading through War and Peace and Wolf Hall. Simon is one of my first connections here, over a mutual love of slow reading. I enjoy checking in to the daily chat (well, sort of; I’m way behind on that reading now).’s Thursday threads are a place for deep, thoughtful conversations I look forward to every week. It’s beautiful. hosts a Find Your Tribe thread once a month where you can find “your people.” has a similar thread specifically for networking within Substack. has a chorus-of-gratitude o’clock each Friday, which brings me weekly happiness.I created my own Threads space recently, and I envision it flourishing as a place for people to mingle and have meaningful conversations on most Mondays.
Get help
The wonderful part of Substack is the number of people here who know what they’re doing and give away a lot of their expertise for free.
, , and are my top three go-to people here. They all offer different perspectives and have complementary approaches. I’ve benefitted so much from their wealth of knowledge. and provide excellent branding resources for those just starting out, over at .’s writing workshops have changed the way I write, and ’s courses and community for writers with limitations are a godsend.I’ve had the privilege of working with Sarah one-on-one, which helped me clarify my direction and pinpoint what my subscribers want from me. She helped me remodel my Substack and come up with a realistic strategy tailored to my strengths and values. Within the first two weeks of meeting with Sarah at the end of February, my subscriber count increased by almost forty new free subscribers and four new paid subscribers. And that’s net growth, because inevitably with a pivot, you will lose people. I’m still losing a few every single day, but growing overall.
Turn off unsubscribe notifications
I know it's not personal when someone unsubscribes, but it's still not fun. To maintain my well-being, I had to turn off notifications for this.
I try not to look at my metrics too often either, though I analyse them at the end of the month to gauge what is and isn’t working.
You don’t have to do everything
Substack has a lot of options. My goals remain the same: I just want to write and I want to find “my people.” I don’t bother with video, podcast, or voiceover. Pick what works for you, and stick to it; you can always change as you go along.
I also don’t use Chat, and until recently, rarely used Notes1 because I know myself, and I easily get sucked into doing things that have nothing to do with writing. And with my bloated life, I very simply do not have the time.
Focus on who’s there, not who’s not
You know what’s amazing?
said the highest engagement rate she’s seen is 26%.Mine is 39%.
So many of you take the time to respond or share my posts. Some of you send me emails or texts in response. As a super-introvert, these deep, meaningful conversations give me life. I’ve said from the beginning I care less about the numbers than I do about genuine connections, and I’ve made so very many in these six months.
By most standards, I’m not even a plankton with less than 300 subscribers, to use 20BooksTo50K terminology.
By mine, 295 people have joined me on this journey of self-discovery and connection.
I’m in awe. I’m humbled. And beyond anything, I’m grateful.
Thank you for being part of my Fellowship.
With Love,
P.S. Stay tuned for a reader survey and an exciting announcement coming your way later this week.
P.P.S. As of my final edit Wednesday night before this goes out, I’ve reached 300 subscribers. THANK YOU!!
I am much more active on Notes now. It is fulfilling the community aspect of my goals, and I like how much easier it is to meet new people there. It’s great.
Consistency pays off always
congratulations and thank you for sharing this.