Only a year ago, I was staring at my Substack dashboard feeling both frustrated and confused.
I’d grown to about 1000 subscribers. Not bad for a few months of consistent writing.
But here's what was confusing me: People were subscribing, but they weren't engaging. They weren't buying. They were just... there.
I kept thinking, "What am I doing wrong? I'm giving them valuable content every week. I'm sharing everything I know about growing newsletters. Why aren't they responding?"
Then I sent an email asking my subscribers a simple question: "What's your biggest challenge with growing your newsletter right now?"
The responses flooded in. But they weren't asking for more content about growth strategies.
They were asking for things like:
"Do you have a template for writing better Notes?"
"What should I actually post to get engagement?"
"Can you show me exactly what to write in my welcome email?"
I thought, “Oh…OH…now I get it.” That's when it hit me.
I was giving them writing and growth content when what they really needed were tools. Solutions.
I was teaching them to fish when they were hungry and just needed a sandwich.
The shift I made next changed everything. Instead of writing another post about "how to grow your newsletter," I created a simple Notes template pack and shared it with my audience.
Within 48 hours, I had readers tagging me, showing me their first Notes, celebrating their first comments, their first new subscribers from a single post.
Then, I started a weekly “Notes Boost” in my Substack Chat. It kept growing…and growing. People didn’t want more tips on writing Notes; they wanted a space to share.
Once I stopped writing about how to grow and started giving people actual tools to grow with, everything changed. Same audience, completely different results.
I went from about $0/month to $5K+/month within about 90 days. Not because I got more subscribers, but because I finally gave them what they were actually craving.
The Psychology Behind Why Your Subscribers Ghost You (It's Not What You Think)
Here's what I learned the hard way: your readers aren't unengaged because your content isn't good enough.
They're unengaged because you're solving the wrong problem.
When someone subscribes to your newsletter, they have three subconscious questions running through their mind:
"Can I actually implement this in my real life?"
"Will this work for someone like me specifically?"
"Do I have the time and energy to figure this out?"
Most writers make the same mistake I did. We think our job is to educate our audience. So, we write post after post sharing insights, strategies, and advice.
We create weekly paid newsletters filled with "premium content" about our topic. We gate our best insights behind paywalls, hoping people will pay $5 or $10/month for our thoughts.
But here's what we miss: every piece of content we send triggers a stress response in our readers' brains.
They're not thinking "Oh great, more valuable information!" They're thinking "Great, another thing I need to learn and somehow find time to do."
Your newsletter isn't competing with other newsletters for their attention. It's competing with their mental bandwidth. And right now, they're losing that battle.
Our readers aren't struggling with a lack of information. They're struggling with cognitive overload.
The internet is drowning in information. Your readers are drowning in advice. What they're starving for is someone to hand them the exact tool, template, or system that solves their immediate problem.
When you give them another post to read, you're adding to their overwhelm. When you give them a tool to use, you're giving them relief.
The 3 Creator Myths That Keep Your Audience Overwhelmed
After generating nearly $90K in digital product sales, I've learned something that completely contradicts conventional newsletter wisdom. But first, let me share the three myths that kept me stuck for months:
Creator Myth #1: More Content Equals More Value
We think that if we give subscribers access to 50 posts, that's better than access to 5 tools.
But people don't pay for more things to consume. They pay for fewer things to worry about.
When you offer someone a library of content, their brain immediately calculates: "How long will this take me to get through? When will I have time for this? What if I can't implement everything?"
That's not excitement—that's overwhelm.
Creator Myth #2: Educational Content Builds More Trust Than Results
We believe that explaining our expertise builds credibility. So we write detailed posts about our strategies, thinking this proves we know what we're talking about.
But trust isn't built through explanation—it's built through transformation.
When someone uses your template and gets 2 new subscribers, they trust you more than if they read your 2,000-word post about growth strategies.
Results create believers. Content creates browsers.
Creator Myth #3: People Want to Learn Your Topic
This is the biggest one. We assume our audience subscribed because they enjoy learning about our subject.
But here's the truth:
Nobody wants to learn about productivity. They want to feel organized.
Nobody wants to learn about marketing. They want customers.
Nobody wants to learn about newsletter growth. They want subscribers and revenue.
Your audience isn't interested in your topic—they're interested in escaping their current reality.
The moment you understand this shift, everything changes: People don't pay for information. They pay for transformation.
They don't want to learn about your topic. They want to stop struggling with your topic.
Think about the last thing you bought online. Chances are, it wasn't because you wanted more content to consume. It was because you wanted a specific problem to go away.
But here's where most writers go wrong: we keep feeding them information when they're hungry for results.
The Reader Success Story That Changed How I Think About Everything
Last week, a reader tagged me in a Note and said something that perfectly captures what I'm talking about.
She wrote: "I've been subscribed to 15+ newsletters about writing for months. I've read hundreds of posts about 'how to write engaging content.' But I never actually posted anything because I didn't know where to start. Then Wes shared his Notes templates.
I customized one for my niche, posted my first Note yesterday, and got more engagement than I've ever gotten. Plus 2 new subscribers. Sometimes you don't need more advice—you need someone to just show you exactly what to do."
That's it. That's the whole thing right there.
She didn't need more content about content creation. She needed the exact format, the specific structure, the fill-in-the-blank template that she could customize and use immediately.
One simple template did more for her than months of "educational content."
Because templates create results. Content creates homework.
The Hidden Psychology of What Your Readers Actually Crave
After working with hundreds of writers, I've identified what people are really looking for when they subscribe to newsletters. It's not what most creators think, and the psychology behind it reveals why most newsletters fail to monetize:
They're Craving Cognitive Relief (Not More Information)
Your readers' brains are already overloaded. They're subscribed to 47 newsletters, bookmarked 230 articles they'll "read later," and have 15 browser tabs open right now.
When they see your newsletter in their inbox, their subconscious is asking: "Will this add to my mental load or reduce it?"
Content adds to their load. Tools reduce it.
Instead of writing a post about "how to write better subject lines," create a swipe file of 50 high-performing subject lines they can customize. Their brain goes from "Now I need to learn and practice subject line writing" to "I can just pick one and use it today."
They're Craving Certainty (Not Possibilities)
When you offer educational content, you're asking people to make a bet: "Maybe this information will help me."
When you offer a specific tool, you're giving them certainty: "This will solve your exact problem."
The overwhelmed brain chooses certainty every time.
Instead of explaining content planning strategies, give them a pre-filled content calendar template. Instead of teaching email sequence theory, provide them with the exact email templates that convert.
People don't want to learn your system—they want your system to work for them immediately.
They're Craving Community (Not More Content)
Your readers are tired of consuming content in isolation. But most newsletter "communities" are just comment sections where people ask questions that create more overwhelm.
Real community happens when people are implementing the same tools, using the same templates, working toward the same goals.
When someone uses your Notes template and tags you in their success, other readers see that and think "I can do that too." Community forms around shared wins, not shared reading.
They're Craving Someone Who Solves Their Specific Problem (Not Someone Who Talks About Problems)
Here's the psychological difference: when you write about a problem, you remind people they have it. When you solve a problem, you remove it from their lives.
Your readers don't want to think about their problems more. They want their problems to disappear.
In my old career-focused newsletter, I spent months writing about "the challenges of remote job searching." I was highlighting problems. Then I created "The Remote Job Search Blueprint"—I was eliminating problems.
That specific solution outsold months of problem-focused content because it promised relief, not awareness.
The Framework That Transforms Lurkers into Buyers
Here's the framework that took me from struggling with engagement to building a $5K+/month newsletter:
Step 1. Stop Asking "What Should I Write About?" & Start Asking "What Problem Am I Solving?"
Look at your recent posts. How many are explaining concepts vs. solving immediate problems?
Your audience doesn't need more explanations. They need more solutions.
Step 2. Turn Your Best Insights into Tools
Take your most popular posts and ask: "How can I turn this into something actionable?"
That post about email marketing? Turn it into email templates.
That post about content creation? Turn it into a content planning worksheet.
That post about productivity? Turn it into a daily routine checklist.
Step 3. Test What People Actually Want vs. What They Say They Want
Don't ask your audience what content they want to read. Watch what tools they use.
I spent months writing about growth strategies because people said they wanted growth content. But when I offered growth templates, they bought them immediately.
People's actions reveal their true needs better than their words.
Step 4. Create Community Around Implementation
Instead of asking "What did you think of this post?" ask "Who's going to try this template this week?"
Instead of encouraging passive consumption, encourage active implementation.
Share user-generated content when people use your tools. Celebrate their wins. Create a culture of doing, not just learning.
You're Probably Closer Than You Think
I can already hear the voice in your head: "But I don't have tools to give them. I just write about my topic."
Here's the thing: you already have more tools than you realize.
Every framework you mention in your posts can become a worksheet.
Every process you describe can become a checklist.
Every strategy you explain can become a template.
Every example you share can become a swipe file.
You don't need to create anything new. You just need to package what you already know into a format people can actually use.
The productivity expert doesn't need to invent new productivity concepts. They need to turn their concepts into planners, checklists, and systems.
The marketing expert doesn't need to discover new marketing strategies. They need to turn their strategies into templates, scripts, and workflows.
You don't need to become a different creator. You just need to start solving problems instead of explaining topics.
Your audience will thank you for it. And they'll gladly pay you for it.
Ready to Give Your Readers What They're Actually Craving?
I spent months writing growth content while my readers were asking for growth tools. I was so focused on proving my expertise that I missed what my audience actually needed.
The shift from content to tools changed everything. Not just my revenue, but my relationship with my audience. Instead of passive readers, I now have an engaged community of people implementing my systems and sharing their wins.
If you're ready to make the same shift—from explaining concepts to solving problems, from content creation to tool creation—I've put everything I learned into my Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass.
This isn't just theory about what might work. This is the exact system I used to grow from 0 to 12,000+ subscribers while building a $5K+/month business by giving people tools, not just topics.
Because I’m practicing what I preach, this week I’m including my own Personal Substack Swipe File, with Notes templates and post title ideas.
This isn't more content about writing. It's the exact templates I actually use for my highest-performing posts and Notes. And I update it regularly. The same templates that helped that reader get her first engagement and 2 new subscribers.
Inside the masterclass, you'll learn how to:
✅ Stop chasing subscribers who never buy and start attracting readers who become customers (this mindset shift alone changes everything)
✅ Gain confidence in understanding exactly what steps to take to grow your Substack and attract new subscribers
✅ Build a community that celebrates wins instead of consuming content (your engagement will skyrocket)
✅ Go from "maybe this will help" to "this definitely works" so people buy confidently at higher prices
✅ Escape the content treadmill and build a newsletter that works for your life instead of consuming it
Plus, when you join this week, you get my Personal Substack Swipe File—the exact templates and formats behind my most successful content. No more staring at blank pages wondering what to write. Just proven templates you can customize for your niche.
This bonus is only available this week, and then it’ll go back into my own Google Drive. :)
When you’re ready, you can join 100’s of writers inside:
You can keep creating content that gets ignored, or you can start building tools that create transformation.
Let’s stop giving our audience homework and start giving them results.
I'm curious about something. When you made this transition from content to tools, how did you handle the voice in your head that said "but this feels too simple" or "they need to understand the why behind it"?
Because I think that's where I see a lot of us get stuck - we overcomplicate because we think complexity equals value.
Great advice, Wes. This certainly hits home with me.