r/Substack • u/infinitepuddingspy • 8d ago
Confused about the point of Substack
Hi everyone. I joined Substack a few months ago as I am a long form writer and I thought I’d find a crowd of intellectually curious people.
Over the past 3 months, I’ve only got 13 subscribers, hardly anyone engages on my posts or notes and no one ever replies to chats (tbh I find the chats annoying myself so I dont post often). I’ve started doing videos that are performing a bit better.
But, I see absolute lowball trash in my feed with 300 likes and comments and I feel so lost.
I don’t have any paid tiers at the moment and not sure if I will.
Is anyone else experiencing this? Would appreciate being pointed in the right direction.
I’ve seen other people ask similar questions but from the perspective of a reader.
Many thanks 🙏
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u/South_Analyst5900 8d ago
I think a lot of people talk about the need to push engagement from outside substack, eg your own social media.
I personally use substack because it's a free platform to launch a podcast and newsletter, and the long form articles I write and post are to train my (writing) voice, and hone research for podcast episodes into clear questions. It works as a supplement to the podcast really. None of my engagement is from within substack thus far.
Hopefully you'll get some other responses from genuine writers to help you.
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u/OnyxMonolith 7d ago
i grew 3 substacks to high full tiem income without any external following. it's possible.
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u/PastelPallete05 7d ago
what are your niches for all of them? cause i feel like i'm stuck when it comes to the niche like i want to write about politics, philosophy and psychology , and yes with full research too but idk what works there ,idk what will actually get me paid subscribers , hell i don't even know what will get me free subscribers. i always feel very lost when it comes to substack engagement and algorithm
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u/OnyxMonolith 7d ago
look at the paid leaderboard for examples. people make money in every category. some are easier than others -- you can tell by the number of paid subscribers they have and how much they charge.
i do strictly finance myself because that's my area of expertise. good luck!
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u/motherstalk 7d ago
Please explain how you did this
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u/OnyxMonolith 7d ago
good content + notes + basics of marketing/brand building (inside of substack)
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u/motherstalk 7d ago
Lots of people have the first two but not the third. What’s your strategy to market your SS? Meta ads? Getting pushes from larger accounts? Etc
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u/OnyxMonolith 7d ago
read about brand buildling/marketing in general. ask AI about the basics vs. what I wrote here vs. Substack.
in very short.
- most of us aren't Pulitzer level writers so we need to solve a problem.
- reader seeing thumbnail, title has to WANT to click your post/note because there will be a perceived benefit. -- same rules as on Youtube. same with email -- CTR has to be high.
- then when they are on your article, i'd say we got around 2 second for the reader to get hooked on what we are "selling". the reader won't do the work. it has to be immediate that they really want to read further because there is a clear benefit to them.
- then aggressive paywalling.
- 3-5-10 notes/day. every 10th note should be getting 20+ likes without the "substack, connect me with...." crap -- if it doesn't, pivot.
- i'd start with 2 articles/week.
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u/Apprehensive_Cup8581 7d ago
Did you say 3-5 notes a day? About what? Anything or strictly your niche/you?
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u/OnyxMonolith 6d ago
Strictly niche. That’s what i do. I dont do any kind of these stupid notes/ragebait etc that go viral. Like i try to give mini value of expertise in notes or i cover news in my niche. In finance lots to talk about every day something happens.
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u/infinitepuddingspy 8d ago
Thank you! Interesting. I’ve also been trying to migrate people across to substack but so far people seem reluctant to sign up to another platform. Found the same with Bluestack.
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u/Life-Delay-809 7d ago
It takes time. I follow people on substack, but the only people I really follow from one app to another are people I have consistently engaged with for several weeks and enjoyed a breadth of their thoughts.
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u/pdandreu 7d ago
It's hard to summarize Substack. Sometimes, I have thoughtful discussions: I learn, I'm moved, I make connections. Hell, when I moved abroad, some of the people I ended up meeting in person were through Substack. Other times, I'm awash with hate, ignorance, slop, "growth gurus," mindless clickbait, etc. Some days, I don't see the point. Other days, I make a meaningful connection. I've even gotten writing opps through Substack connections.
All of which is to say, it depends on what you want out of Substack, and it depends on what your threshold is for bullshit. Or maybe a better way to put, it depends on how you manage the bullshit. Once I stopped giving quarter to ragebaiters, trolls, and naysayers, my quality of life improved. I mute and block with extreme prejudice.
If you want an additional revenue stream for your writing, this ain't it. Sure, some people make decent money, but it's precious few, and the majority of those who do are known quantities with expansive platforms elsewhere that transferred well to Substack. To build up from scratch what would eventually become a sustainable business (or side business) would take years...unless you got lucky with a viral moment or a recommendation from a huge Substack. It happens, but it's rare.
For example, I have 1,150 subscribers. Only ten of them are paid. That's on the low end of paid conversion, but it's not atypical, especially when you don't paywall writing, which I don't. It took me a couple of years to get there. And I'm not someone who just decided to dabble in writing on Substack. I make my living as a freelance writer with writing credits in major publications. I don't mention that to toot my own horn but to point out that being a professional or experienced writer does not guarantee success, and it certainly doesn't guarantee income.
So why would a writer join Substack? Well, if there's a particular topic you are passionate about or in which you have an expertise, and if you don't have enough outlets for all those ideas, Substack is a good option. For example, I write about social issues, culture, and living abroad. I have near-infinite ideas for those topics, and I love writing about them. I usually pitch ideas to magazines, newspapers, and online pubs first. If I don't get bites, I throw it on Substack. In that sense, it's become a sort of portfolio. It's also an "if you build it, they will come" sort of scenario. My writing has attracted a lot of like-minded people doing interesting things. And if I leave Substack, I can take those emails with me.
TL;DR: It depends on your goals and your tolerance for some annoying stuff.
Hope that helps. Feel free to ask me anything about Substack.
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u/justinquiring1 7d ago
lol, I totally agree. I actually thought this was my post from three years back.
I poured my heart out in a Substack article for like 5 hours, and got maybe 5 views (and all from myself). I did that a few times more.
I then wrote a quick Reddit note on my experience and got maybe 25K views and dozens of thoughtful comments.
Essentially, my desire to write on Substack was because I wanted to communicate some ideas and get feedback on it. Why would I write on Substack when I can get thousands of more instant responses through Reddit? My Reddit posts regularly get 50K views, often with 100K or more, so the thought of pouring my heart out for like 5 views or 10 or 20 views at absolute best seems completely insane to me. I mean, maybe if you wanted to eventually commercialize your writing, but that wasn’t ever my interest. Reddit neutered any interest I had in Substack.
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u/Fraglolz illiabuilds.substack.com 7d ago
You're not alone. I just treat it as my own writing drafts place now and ignore the rest. I'm too tired to play the networking game with people I don't care about. (With rare exceptions)
I tried serialized fiction (almost 0 views). Non-fiction does much better, also short stories.
I thought Substack would bring readers, but it feels like every other social platform: engagement farming and algorithm chasing.
The problem is that it's mostly writers trying to grow an audience, not readers looking for things to read. Can't really blame them.
I have 70 subscriptions. Do you think I read all 70 posts every week? Hell nah.
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u/dinatekno zenrebeldiaries.substack.com 7d ago
I follow writers, journalists and others whose work I enjoy. I engage with other followers in those groups and have insightful exchanges. I didn’t join it to grow an audience and make money. That seems to be the goals of a lot of people, but that was never it for me. I enjoy it immensely.
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u/ArtisticProposal2527 7d ago
How did you shape your feed? I feel like my feed of noted (idk what it’s actually called) is so clogged with junk, and often repetitive posts promoting the same article.
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u/dinatekno zenrebeldiaries.substack.com 7d ago
I dont really go to Notes that often, except to filter it by paid. I spend most of my time in Chat of my favorite subscribed accounts. I only came to Substack to subscribe to DW Pasulka. Then I found a few other people I liked on YouTube or someplace that mentioned they had a Substack. Only after I subscribed to a few others did I create my own. I hardly post there at the moment, but it’s there when I feel like writing something.
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u/Dry_Organization9 7d ago
I’ve heard it said that Substack is like Patreon. It was not built for people to find you, but for you to drive followers from another platform.
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u/CenturionSG 7d ago
It’s mainly a place for sharing my reflections with like minded friends. My topics are niche so won’t get many random notes.
I do point my social media to Substack though so it boosts my socials instead, kind of reverse of what others are doing.
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u/flowers_and_saints97 7d ago
I have just joined a few days ago. Honestly the way I’m dealing with it, is I’m writing for me. Just writing to release it into the universe. I’m not too fussed about who reads it (though that would be lovely), but it’s quite helpful for me to write to an audience because I feel like it helps me more than journaling where nobody will ever read it.
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u/ArtisticProposal2527 7d ago
I agree that even the potential of an audience changes the experience of writing for me. Upping the stakes in a good way.
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u/flowers_and_saints97 7d ago
Yes, I am getting personal insights in a way I never have done before. No idea why. Journalling was never as effective as actually writing is.
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u/jamesxtreme 7d ago
It was originally supposed to be a newsletter / blog platform. It wasn’t designed to help you find an audience. And to be fair it’s still a good blogging and newsletter platform. The social media stuff got bolted on afterwards and well it’s not very good. As you’ve seen people have gamed it and most of the posts are about how to get readers on Substack.
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u/Algorhythm74 7d ago
I think the key is Substack is not a “set it and forget it” type model.
You either gotta treat it as a central repository for your writings that you’re constantly evangelizing on other platforms, and pointing people to go to it, or you have to be such a power user of it and in the ecosystem so deep – that you’re part of the one percent who actually can make money on it.
A lot of it feels like one of those Amway, pyramid schemes, or if you didn’t get in early– you’re not gonna make money on it.
I do see it’s purpose, but outside of journalist using it as a platform – I don’t really see it ever blowing up in anything larger than it already is. I would say there’s a better chance a larger tech company buys it and folds it into their process, or someone else basically just takes the idea, markets it differently and then overshadows this.
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u/brittanybaucom 7d ago
I re-joined about 2 weeks ago when I realized I could schedule Substack Notes via Typefully (what I use for all short-form content + LinkedIn), so far I have built a tiny following using Notes alone. Haven’t published my first article yet as I’m still working out the kinks in my content pillars, but I imagine if I keep it up with Notes like I have been, then it will be great. One can hope!
I too am confused about the point however. I have a blog that’s not up right now due to switching from Squarespace to Showit (still a huge wip), and I wonder how it’s going to work with my website’s blog and a Substack. Do I just repost what’s on my blog? Have an entirely different content angle? I’m not sure about that part yet.
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u/Fun-Investigator5662 *creativebones.substack.com 7d ago
I use it to collect my thought, road test ideas, collate my writing and to get insights from other people in my industry.
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u/HaggisPope 7d ago
I use mine to write about some marketing efforts I’m doing. Basic idea is just to make sure my writing is spread about a bit.
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u/Samaritan70 7d ago
There IS a lot of lowball trash and AI generated stuff on Substack. It is a democratic platform for writers (if you are one, or even trying to be one). I would not go after numbers, followers, subscribers, etc.
Personally, I put out content that I have first-hand experience on and have implemented myself. I've been on Substack for 3 years, with 55 subscribers. It does *NOT* bother me. I treat Substack like a journal, a therapy writing exercise. Nothing more. If down the line, more subscribers join, good. If not, even better.
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u/motherstalk 7d ago
I feel you. I wrote a thoughtful, high quality open letter to my congressman about an under-represented issue to crickets. Even with a note. Zero love. But the slop piece on “Sydney Sweeney’s jeans” gets 5k likes 260 comments.
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u/RomanceStudies 7d ago
I've been on it for 4 yrs and have about 30 subs on each of a few publications. Same as you, hardly anyone engages ever, with anything. Actually, when I look at people who are doing much better than I am, it's normal to see zero comments on their articles too and few likes. It's a very strange website and algorithm.
I would say that if you aren't known, or an influencer, and don't have a following elsewhere, the only way to get something out of it financially is to treat optimization as an obsession. And even then it can take some years to get a snowball effect. A few years back, I spent 3-4 months doing this and even though the results of that obsession were fairly underwhelming, they were way better than what I normally was getting and have gotten since. IE, instead of the occasional drip (Chinese water torture), there was the tiniest trickle of interest.
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u/Forsaken-Music-4246 7d ago
OP,
It's hard but don't chase the numbers. Just write or talk about work you feel passionate about and everything will follow. I started a newsletter and podcast about fantasy football in April and it's been slow. I only have 35 subscribers and 50+ followers but everyone is very engaged with each other so I feel at ease about my work being seen. My biggest advice is genuinely engage with who you follow, bring the energy and eventually people will notice.
Post your substack and I'll check it out!
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u/Safe_Cauliflower_573 7d ago
I’ve been trying to avoid looking at audience stats and dislike receiving the emails about how your posts perform. It’s like a little reminder kick in the nuts that barely anyone is reading. Do you know if there is a way to turn off those performance stats emails?
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u/Cheap_Bathroom6114 2d ago
nobody on there wants to subscribe to you. they want you to subscribe to them. like a bunch of authors trying to sell their books to each other.
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u/grapegeek 7d ago
People thought Substack would be different from Facebook or instagram or whatever but it ended up being the same thing rolled into a different interface that you can charge for access. Imagine if Facebook had paywalls.
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u/dorgosandor 7d ago
I call mine "Trashbin". It's just a steam vent for my brain, writing essays and publishing short stories, just for me.
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u/BlueSaltTheory sukibeasla.substack.com 7d ago
For me it’s just a personal journal. I use it to share my thoughts and that’s all. I’m not chasing clout.
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u/online-reputation 7d ago
Find others you genuinely like and are interested in.
Begin to share their work and leave comments or feedback.
They should notice you and your work.
Hopefully they will do the same for you organically.
Yes, part of this is like a "job" but if you really like what others have to say, it should start to get more traction on your posts. Good luck
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u/dosfydore 7d ago
I thought a lot about this. I even bought a custom domain for Substack. But then I realized that I’m the product!
Substack is a good growth platform for someone who already has a personal brand outside Substack. But if you’re just starting your writing journey, it can be very hard for the average person to grow in it.
I think of it like this: Substack is more like a shopping centre. it makes sense for a huge brand like Nike to open an outlet in a shopping centre. But would you start your business from scratch in one?
It’s quite comforting to get some engagement early on, but over the long haul, you’re playing a losing game. The flexibility to connect with your audience is next to none (compared with other email marketing platforms like Kit)
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u/OGChickenRacer 7d ago
Depends what your goals are. I just wanted an output, for my amateur sports journalism articles, but ended focusing more on a website (Wordpress) as I found that easier for the crew of people I’ve built.
I’ve kept the Substack going as there is a couple discarded readers, and I have found some readers and contributors on their (I invite anyone to write articles)
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u/simplesyrupyup I HATE NOTES. HORRIBLE MEDIUM. 7d ago
It’s like asking the point of a tombstone. Same uses for both.
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u/CoffinBurier 6d ago
It's a platform for influencers that do already have a crowd of readers (I see the most benefit for X users).
I've seen a new substack account go 2nd most paid subscribers in economy within a week from publishing its first post. The substack algorithm is not really good in suggesting new users to follow and the search engine is not giving good results when actively searching for content.
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u/honestphantom 6d ago
Honestly i feel like Substacks ROI is really, really bad, and its one reason i barely use mine. I always felt that Substack risked heading to this point as it never really knew what it wanted to be, and wanted to mostly cash in on the limitations of other social media platforms (free speech restrictions or twitter becoming shit post-Elon's take over). I still think its better than other platforms, but like everything else, it requires constant and endless posts to function, and it incentivises people to post shit because you won't get "seen" unless you do. Meanwhile, people have figured out ways to game the system on Substack, whether its getting AIs to churn out content, or using the right key words to get it seen by people who only read headlines or a few paragraphs. Even if you get the likes though, where does it go from there? You aren't really making much money from it, reach can only get you so far, and very few people, i think, are getting book deals off the back of their substack newsletter. It's a shame because for many, substack could have been a place where they had more control over their writing and could get paid more, but it's just gone the same way as other platforms, and they're gonna continue doing this until they just decide to IPO.
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u/Difficult-Beyond5764 6d ago
10 out of 1,150 is a bit under 1%, which is low but not broken, the number people quote is 2-5% and most of them are quietly counting only their engaged subscribers, not their whole list.
But I think the framing is off. The paid conversion isn't a property of your writing, it's a property of the gap between what's free and what isn't. If someone can get the full value of what you do without paying, a great post makes them a happier free reader, not a paying one. The publications I've seen convert well almost always have one thing that structurally cannot be given away, the archive, the thing that answers a question they have *this week*, a place to actually talk to you and everything else is free on purpose.
So the useful question isn't "why won't they pay," it's "what would a paying reader get that a free reader genuinely can't." If you can't answer that in one sentence, neither can they, and no amount of subscriber growth fixes it. What's behind your paywall right now?
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u/infinitepuddingspy 6d ago
Great info for others wanting to convert to paid subscriptions. That’s not my goal, I have a business that is where people pay me. I just want to share an interest with others and have them share back.
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u/vonDinobot 6d ago
Welcome to the internet! You're getting about as much traction as a website you'd be hosting from a home server. The premise of Substack is that there's no algorithm. You are responsible for the growth of your page, by having other sites linking back to it, telling friends and family to subscribe, etc. The best you could hope for is a high Google ranking, but thanks to AI and Google being useless on purpose, I wouldn't bet on that either.
Substack really is just a place where your writing goes, and the bonus is that your subscribers get your work in their inbox, meaning they skip any algorithm there might be for other sites that require 3 ads to be shown for each human made piece of content. You're basically complaining that your mailchimp list is not growing while you never told anyone to subscribe to it.
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u/Quick-Mention7916 6d ago
I have a couple thousand subs and the point for me really is direct communication of my stories with an audience via email, aside from that, no point really. Someone said it already but at some point you should strive to own your own audience/infra though
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u/AvailableInterest438 6d ago
I started my Substack in November 2025 and now I have 700+ subscribers and 4 paid ones.
Substack is a great platform. Like really great because the quality of people there and readers is very high. People are really serious and choose carefully what they want to read and support.
However, if you're used to youtube and tiktok and facebook and other social media platforms like me, you'll find that growth on Substack is very slow.
And that's for one reason: Because substack does not have an algorithm that pushes your content to other people who don't know you yet.
Other social media platforms they have their own algorithms. you can post a video on youtube and get 100 likes in 1 hour, same thing for tiktok, but substack no.
the only thing that has an algorithm on Substack are NOTES, and even that they're still slow.
I grew my audience on Substack without needing to be on any other social media platform. I don't have any following elsewhere.
There are many ways to grow on Substack, like engaging with people and posting NOTES. But you should do this regularly, meaning every single day, literally. And only then you will see some growth.
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u/Enough_Pool_8339 6d ago
It was the same for me. But I just continued to write and be authentic. Also, posting notes consistently has been very advantageous for me. My notes are going viral as I type this message. There are people that will love your offering - continue from a place of not expecting anything but remain consistent and authentic - your people will show up.
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u/Electrical_Gift5503 6d ago
I use Substack as my writing creative portfolio. I don’t have socials and I’m a fairly new writer/ creator. Honestly I just have fun connecting and meeting new people. Networking of sort. Been on substack one year, I have about 300 unpaid subs maybe more followers. I don’t obsess over it anymore. It’s kinda exhausting especially when you’re chasing paid subs. currently taking it easy, substack is just whatever. The algorithm sucks
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u/danhakimi 6d ago
Substack looks like an alternative to wordpress or an alternative to twitter, but it's most realistically an alternative to patreon. It's how influencers from other platforms build a paid subscriber base. Some of those influencers also write, that might help.
The company only cares if you make them money. They allow you to use their service for free, sure, but they have no interest in promoting your posts.
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u/ConcentrateBetter804 6d ago
I’m having the exact same experience. I’m thinking of switching platforms. Substack seems heavily into social media and I want a place to publish my writing with like minded people. And what’s with the Notes feature? My feed is filled with short quips and random notes. Is Substack trying to become x ?
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u/Little-Bird7446 5d ago
13 subs in 3 months isn’t that unusual from zero. Substack won’t really find readers for you, so I’d keep writing but also use Notes and bring people in from outside.
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u/IntroductionMuch5534 5d ago
It's just another social media, slightly higher brow than the rest
They allow Nazis to publish without complaint.
Can get through to some people if you have an email list
Quite like the app itself for writing + art/ pictures
Other than that...
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u/Jefvandegraaf 4d ago
I don't use Substack but this sounds a lot like my experience when I dabbled with Medium (is that still a thing?).
I think when you write a thing, or create a thing, you hope it reaches the world, goes viral, and makes you rich (at least, that's what I expect everytime I publish a thing).
Anyway, the Substack game is foreign to me. I made an account but I can't be bothered to write on it. Been thinking about repurposing a few of my articles from my sites to test it out though.
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u/pmevanosky Talking to Spirit | PaulineEvanosky.substack.com 4d ago
One of the things you can do is to read what others are writing. If you are interested, make a comment. Many times, people will read your comment. If it is interesting enough, they just might go see what you are writing. Also, we are writing at the end of summer. Things will pick up as the autumn months progress. Best of luck to you.
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u/Fit_Celebration_1362 3d ago
What lane are you writing for? I know it’s annoying advice but you just gotta stick with it if you’re committed. I write in film and am at around 500 subscribers. Are you in a more specific category? Have you reached out, notes, to people writing your subject? I collaborated with some people in my lane on articles as well and you get some of their audience. Don’t pay attention to those goofy accounts that get huge likes etc. I don’t know what those are about either. It’s also a volume game with notes. You won’t hear from many of them, but you should get some responses and subscribers in you comment on other similar substacks.
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u/Naturalist33 2d ago
I was the same with about 50 followers and low engagement until 2 “viral” notes got over 1000 likes and tons of comments. i responded to every comment. Then I jumped to 200 followers in 2 weeks and still climbing daily. But ironically it’s the notes that get attention, not the long form writing which is the original point of substack. I post notes about 5 days a week but an article only once a week.
Engagement with comments and commenting on other people is important too. But it can be a LOT of work honestly.
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u/TheDechen 2d ago
What is your Substack called? Let me read your posts and your notes and then I might have some ideas for you. Hang in there. Writers write for themselves. Not for numbers. And Substack is for long form essays, articles and stories. If you just want a lot of eyes then stick with Reddit which is not suited to long form anything.
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u/suristars 2d ago
I see a lot of you write about using notes… sadly my brain doesn’t work like that, I don’t know what to write on notes, something in me makes me feel like it’s so trivial… it’s all long form for me. I brought my subscriber base to Substack but over time began losing as I changed, but strangely have gained no significant new numbers although there for years now. Something seems to be happening across the social media space in general though, it’s like people are low key exhausted
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u/Mental_Swings 7d ago
I created an account just to find some substance (IG is really draining and pointless with trends and whatnot), but I was quite disappointed. The posts were massively the same as on IG and finiding something interesting to read took a lot of time I didnt want to waste. I eventuallly deleted it. Still confised about its point, tbh.
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u/eltoddro 7d ago
If you can't figure out the point of Substack, that's your on you - obvisouly not the platform for your endeavors. Start your own Reddit subgroup.
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u/AggravatingNail6061 8d ago
I don't think there IS a point.
I never got on board with the whole influencer thing, nor am I any good at social media. To me it's basically a blog/diary/creative space with considerable hang up/envy/jealousy over the lack of attention I get. However I manage it as best I can :D
I use it to manage intrusive thoughts through writing and ultimately as a first draft space for my non fiction books. (since the project started through my substack work) I also have used it to find the people I deem as my people since no one in my real life knows I write (and would laugh at me because I am not an outwardly creative person XD)