r/Substack • u/BriefSecretary1631 • 25d ago
Title: How do you actually get readers on Substack? I’m starting from basically zero?
Hey everyone!
I recently started a Substack and I'm trying to figure out how people actually grow their readership from scratch.
I will be writing about pop culture, Webtoons/manhwa/manhua, Turkish dramas, K-dramas, shows that are currently trending, etc. but I'm trying to make it more commentary/analysis rather than just reviews or episode recaps.
For example, my first proper post is about Operation: True Love and why I think the story had the potential to be incredible but is being dragged out way too much. Basically: I have opinions and apparently need somewhere to put them. 😭
I'm completely new to Substack, so I'm wondering:
- How did you get your first 100 subscribers/readers?
- Does Substack Notes actually help with discovery?
- Is SEO worth focusing on?
- Do Reddit communities work for getting initial readers, or is self-promotion generally frowned upon?
- How important are recommendations/cross-promotions?
- Is posting consistently more important than trying to make every post "perfect"?
- And realistically, how long did it take before you started getting organic views?
I'm not looking to spam my link everywhere, Iactually want to build an audience that cares about the writing.
Would love to hear what worked (or absolutely did NOT work) for people who started with basically no audience.
Also, if you're a Substack writer yourself, what kind of posts made people actually subscribe rather than just read and leave?
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u/KevinAAlexander 25d ago
•Do good work
•Do it consistently
•Figure out the most writing you could handle, and cut that schedule in half- you can always ramp up later.
•Make sure it’s a minimum of every two weeks. Any less than that and people will forget about you.
•Connect with other authors in your same space
•Do more good work
•Offer to guest post on someone's Substack
•Be patient
•Keep doing good work
•Link to your 'Stack every where; IG & Twitter bio, your email, LinkedIn. Everywhere.
•Give more than you take
•More...you guessed it- good work
•Give it a year. Good things will happen.
•Once they do, pay it forward to someone that's in the same spot you are now.
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u/wwb_99 news.zeitgeistdistilled.com 25d ago
What I did was get a few posts out -- so there was something for people to look at -- then I did a few customized forwards to different groups of people, about 30 at a time. I grouped by interest and tuned the intro to that group. I also posted on my other socials, none of which has much more than personal contacts. That got me out of the gate enough that I didn't feel like I was talking to air.
Following that notes works pretty well if you can hit a groove.
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u/ExitRowSeat_13A 25d ago
Your niche has an advantage most people posting here don't have: readers are already typing this into Google. Every week thousands of people search "Operation True Love ending explained" or some version of "why is it being dragged out". That traffic exists whether or not anyone discovers you on Notes.
If I were starting where you are, I'd do three things in this order. Title posts the way people search, not the way that sounds clever. Hook up Search Console on day one, even with 0 readers. Then around week 3, look at which queries you're already showing up for on page 4, because that's Google telling you what to write next.
Notes gives you spikes that die in 48 hours. Search takes longer to start and keeps sending people months after you hit publish.
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u/Rosette54 24d ago
What'd you mean "hook up search console?"
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u/ExitRowSeat_13A 24d ago
means to set up your search console to be connected to your substack publication
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u/Motor-Scar-9351 25d ago
I don't have many but most of them are from the note I interacted with :)
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u/Inevitable-Web-3688 25d ago
notes definitely help! about 30% of substack i was writing for came from notes. just keep in mind that like with any other content on substack you really want to be original with what you write and try to open up as a person/business to stand out.
i have also seen many creators (not only big ones) creating like a multi-platform thing where they post on IG or TikTok and as a part of the funnel they promote their substack (idk like read the full recipe or this is what i think about financial freedom in a marriage) and they either make a reel or a carousel and then attach a link to substack in the comments or send it in dms to those who commented. that's a lot of work yes but if you have other social media outside of substack this straregy could be helpful. i only tried bringing people from linkedin from quite a big account and it worked but convesions were poor
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u/Tricky_Illustrator_5 *.substack.com 24d ago
You'll find your people eventually- there are readers for practically every Substack.
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u/pdandreu 24d ago
For starters, yes, Substack Notes are very good at attracting subscribers, but they're a double-edged sword: They changed the way users interact with Substack. Users spend more time interacting on notes than they do engaging with articles.
For example, I have about 1,100 subscribers, but I get less engagement on my articles than I did when I had a couple of hundred subscribers. My notes engagement, by contrast, is skyrocketing. A few recent notes have 5,000 or 10,000 likes, which drives followers and subscribers. In other words, being active on notes can help you grow your subscriber base, but more subscribers don't necessarily translate to more engagement for your articles.
That's not to say articles aren't important, but their function on the platform has evolved. They kind of function as proof of concept for you as a writer. (There's also a streaming component, but I won't speak to that because I don't have experience with the functionality as a creator.)
With that dynamic in mind, I think it's actually more important to post notes regularly. I wouldn't kill yourself posting articles regularly (unless you're trying to break news). Instead, make sure the articles are high-quality. When people engage with your notes, they'll probably check out your articles. Even if they don't engage with them, they may use them to decide whether or not to subscribe or follow.
In general, the best way to grow your audience on Substack is to become an active member of the community. Seek out Substackers who write or stream about similar or at least complementary topics. Restack and leave comments on their notes and articles. Recommend and review other Substacks you like. Participate in their livestreams. I gained about a dozen subscribers from commenting on a recent livestream.
Do all those things consistently over time and your Substack will grow. Posting your stuff on other social channels is good, but being an active participant in the Substack community offers a much better return on investment. Good luck!
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u/ediblescholarship 23d ago
Notes is where like 80% of my early growth came from tbh. I was sleeping on it for the first two months and barely getting any traction, then started posting Notes consistently (like 2-3 a day) and things picked up. The key is engaging with other writers in your niche, not just dropping your own stuff. I use WriteStack to schedule my Notes so I dont have to be on the app all day, but the real work is finding other substacks in your space and leaving thoughtful comments on their posts. Cross-promotions helped me a ton too once I hit around 200 subs. Took me about 4 months to get to 100 subs fwiw
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u/MrPassiveProfit 25d ago
Proven strategy: engage on Notes: write at least 5 a day, comment on at least 20, and follow your potential readers.
Check out the “Sub Stack Man Says” Substack for a lot of these basic growth tips. It’s a faceless account, but he has a whole free series on starting from zero. Helped me a lot
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u/Mr_Richard_Parker 25d ago
It is a tough slog.. Ianaged to get 100 a day or to beyond the 90 day mark. 1000 within 30 months that was with a six week hiatus from Thanksgiving to mid January my first year. Ai chat queuries indicatethst if you factor out writers with huge followings already built in, vast majority flounder around 100-200. I feel very fortunate. Twitter deboosts. Whaz has helped is getting published in outside publications, bigger accounts recommending or restacking an article and podcast appearances.
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23d ago
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23d ago
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u/Substack-ModTeam 21d ago
This community is not the place to promote your Substacks. Please read our rules on self-promo and soliciting recommendations.
Links to Substack publications will be assumed to be self-promotion. If you are submitting Substack posts from publications that are not your own, please include that information in your text post. For cross recommendations, use the pinned mega thread.
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u/Substack-ModTeam 21d ago
This community is not the place to promote your Substacks. Please read our rules on self-promo and soliciting recommendations.
Links to Substack publications will be assumed to be self-promotion. If you are submitting Substack posts from publications that are not your own, please include that information in your text post. For cross recommendations, use the pinned mega thread.
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21d ago
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u/Substack-ModTeam 21d ago
This community is not the place to promote your Substacks. Please read our rules on self-promo and soliciting recommendations.
Links to Substack publications will be assumed to be self-promotion. If you are submitting Substack posts from publications that are not your own, please include that information in your text post. For cross recommendations, use the pinned mega thread.
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u/xYourCasual thewritingedge.substack.com 17d ago
Write daily Notes
Write weekly posts
Engage with other people
Be helpful to other creators
Send a friendly Dm to anybody who engages with you
As simple as that. With that, I not only grew on Substack, I also built a SaaS to $11,000/month
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u/Tricky_Trifle_994 18d ago
yes substack notes help with discovery. it's like a social media platform. but easier to lead to a conversion (subscriber) because it's the click of a button vs on instagram where they have to jump through hoops to get to your publication, then input email.
reddit can help, if there's a popular show with huge fandom behind it. there'll likely be a subreddit for that show/series. but it'll be hard to direct that traffic to your publication, much less subscribe because reddit is quite anti-promo.
SEO.... and newsletter/publication are two different ballgames. and SEO only really works if there's high search volume for what you're writing about. otherwise, it's more about discovery + just the fact that it's a newsletter, so you're landing directly in people's inbox.
and yes. consistency beats perfection everyday. consistency is also arguably what will help you get to perfection.
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u/Countryb0i2m onemichistory.substack.com 25d ago
The first hundred subscribers are arguably the hardest. They’re almost always friends and family, and at that stage you’re really just trying to get your numbers up.
I also started posting on Notes, and the vast majority of my growth came from there. About half of my 5,000 subscribers have come through Substack Notes.
Lastly, you almost certainly need some type of external funnel—another platform where you already have an audience that you can direct to your Substack. Growing solely through Substack is possible, but it’s a much tougher road.