How I Grow by 500+ New Subscribers Every Month (Without Paid Aids or Social Media)
Last year I was a burnt-out coach and creator, grinding on social media for hours every day, writing content I didn't especially care about.
I was making money, but I was exhausted. The constant hustle, the algorithm changes, the feeling like I was always chasing the next viral moment—it was killing my passion for helping people.
When I started my Substack, I made myself a promise: I wasn't going to burn out as a writer, too.
I had to find a sustainable way to grow that didn't require me to be glued to my phone 8 hours a day or constantly jumping on the latest social media trends. I needed something that would work even when I wasn't "on."
That's when I started focusing on growth strategies that lived inside Substack itself. And honestly, what I discovered surprised me.
How to Grow a Newsletter Without Social Media
Last week I got a comment that made me chuckle a bit. But, I understood where she was coming from. Someone basically accused me of lying about my growth methods.
"Come on," they wrote. "You're not being honest. LinkedIn must be bringing you all those subscribers. There's no way you're getting that growth just from Substack."
I get this skepticism a lot. Honestly, in the beginning I thought I needed social media to grow, too. People assume that to grow a newsletter to nearly 10,000 subscribers and generate consistent $5K+ monthly revenue, you must be grinding on social media 24/7.
Here's the truth that might surprise you: LinkedIn is actually my smallest growth driver.
When I look at my analytics, 70-80% of my subscriber growth comes from Substack itself. Not LinkedIn. Not X/Twitter. Not Instagram. Substack.
And before you think I'm some special case, Substack themselves report that 30-50% of all subscriber growth happens on their platform. The problem? Most creators don't know about or aren't using correctly the tools Substack already gives us.
Let me show you exactly how I'm growing by 500+ new subscribers every month using nothing but Substack's built-in features—without burning out.
The 5 Internal Substack Growth Tools That Actually Work
Here’s a quick rundown of the top Substack tools that can help you grow. There's no need to stress over social media or paid ads. You don’t need to master all of these tools at once. Just pick one and get going…
1. Substack Notes (10+ Subscribers Daily)
Notes is like X/Twitter, but with actual engagement and people who want to be there. I write 2-3 Notes per day, and they consistently bring me at least 10+ new subscribers daily. Some days it's been 100+ subscribers, but I'm not chasing viral moments.
The key is consistency, not virality. I share quick thoughts, insights from my posts, behind-the-scenes moments, and engage genuinely with other creators. Notes feels fresh and fun in a way that Twitter stopped feeling years ago.
Most writers either ignore Notes completely or post once a week. That's leaving growth on the table.
2. Substack Recommendations (Hundreds Per Month)
This is hands down the most powerful tool Substack offers, and most people aren't leveraging it properly.
I now have over 300+ newsletters that recommend mine. That's not luck or some secret strategy—it's the result of consistently writing quality content and building genuine relationships with other writers.
When another creator trusts you enough to recommend your newsletter to their audience, that's pure gold. It's high-quality traffic from people who already consume newsletter content. The compound effect is incredible.
The best part? This happens automatically once you build momentum. Quality content + genuine relationships = more recommendations over time.
3. Restacks/Shares (Simple but Effective)
This sounds like a small thing, but it's not. By simply asking your audience to restack and share your content, you'll get more restacks. I add a simple CTA at the bottom of my posts, and it works.
Every restack broadens your reach within the Substack ecosystem. Your content gets seen by people who might never have found you otherwise. It's a small action with big cumulative impact.
Most creators never ask. That's a mistake.
4. Cross-Promoting (Mutual Growth)
Substack has an official cross-promotion tool where you can promote someone's post and they can promote yours to their audience. It's an amazing way to get in front of new, relevant audiences.
The key is doing this with people you've built genuine relationships with and who are in a similar niche. It shouldn't feel transactional—it should feel like friends supporting friends.
I've gotten hundreds of subscribers through strategic cross-promotions with other newsletter creators who serve similar audiences.
5. Substack's SEO Juice (Passive Growth)
Here's something most people don't realize: Substack has serious SEO power. I have several posts ranking on Google's page 1 simply because of the domain authority that Substack holds.
You get that SEO boost just by publishing your content on Substack's platform. This brings me new subscribers every month without doing any additional work. It's passive growth that compounds over time.
When someone searches for topics I've written about, my Substack posts often rank higher than standalone blogs or Medium articles. That's free traffic from Google search.
Bonus: Getting Substack's Editorial Push
Sometimes Substack will feature your content in their "Weekly Stack" or push it out through their editorial channels. I've had several posts get this treatment, bringing hundreds to thousands of additional views.
How do you increase your chances? Use relevant tags, write shareable headlines, and create content that feels native to the platform. This isn't a sustainable strategy you can count on, but it's a nice boost when it happens.
PS - Your headlines are so very important. Be sure they’re clear but also attention-grabbing. Not click bait…but something worth reading.
The 3 Mistakes That Kill Substack Growth (Don't Do These)
Before I show you the data on why this works, let me save you months of wasted effort by pointing out the mistakes I see creators making every day:
Mistake #1: Only Posting Notes When You Publish Most creators treat Notes like a promotional tool—they only post when they have a new article to share. That's leaving 90% of the opportunity on the table. Notes work best when you're consistently sharing insights, asking questions, and engaging daily, not just when you have something to sell.
Mistake #2: Asking for Recommendations Without Building Relationships First I see creators DMing other writers asking for recommendations after reading one post. That's backwards. Build genuine relationships first. Comment thoughtfully on their work. Share their content. Support them before asking for anything. Recommendations come from trust, not cold outreach.
Mistake #3: Using Generic Tags Instead of Strategic Ones Most people either skip tags completely or use obvious ones like "writing" or "business." The best tags are specific to your niche and what people are actually searching for. I use tags like "newsletter growth" and "substack strategy" because that's what my ideal readers are looking for.
The Reality Check: You Don't Need Social Media to Grow on Substack
Back to that skeptical comment I mentioned. When I actually looked at my growth data, here's what I found:
Substack Notes: ~40% of growth
Recommendations: ~25% of growth
SEO/Google: ~15% of growth
Cross-promotions: ~5-10% of growth
LinkedIn: ~10% of growth
LinkedIn, the platform this person was convinced was driving everything, is literally my smallest growth channel.
The majority of my growth comes from Substack itself. You can build a profitable newsletter without grinding on external social media platforms. The tools are already here.
One Thing You Can Do Today to Grow
If you want to test this approach, here's the simplest place to start:
Begin writing 1-2 Notes daily about your content or niche.
Share a quick insight, ask a question, or give a behind-the-scenes look at your writing process. Then spend 10 minutes genuinely engaging with other creators' Notes—like, comment, and restack content that resonates with you.
Consistent small actions compound. The creators who are growing fastest on Substack are the ones who treat Notes like a daily habit, not an afterthought.
Ready to Master Substack's Internal Growth System?
If this approach resonates with you and you want to learn the complete system for growing your newsletter using Substack's built-in tools, I'd love to help you implement it properly.
My Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass contains everything I've learned about leveraging these internal growth strategies—including my exact Notes strategy, how to build relationships that lead to recommendations, and the content approach that gets Substack's editorial attention.
What's Inside the Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass:
The Internal Growth System: How to leverage Substack's built-in tools (Notes, Recommendations, Cross-promotions, SEO) to grow 500+ subscribers monthly without relying on external social media
The 80/20 Sustainable Strategy: My exact daily routine that generates $5K+ monthly revenue working less than 10 hours per week—no burnout, no endless content creation
The Relationship Building Blueprint: How to build relationships with other writers to grow Recommendations, including the specific outreach methods and content strategies that build genuine creator relationships
Notes Mastery Formula: My 2-3 daily Notes strategy that brings 10+ new subscribers per day, plus the engagement tactics that compound your reach within Substack's ecosystem
Monetization Without Selling Your Soul: How to authentically promote digital products and build sustainable income streams that your audience actually wants, including my welcome sequence and email templates
This isn't about chasing social media algorithms or spending money on ads. It's about mastering the platform you're already on and using it to its full potential. Join us below:
PS - When you join the Substack Growth Masterclass this week, you’re getting my brand new “Sustainable Substack Writer Workshop” included as a bonus. This is my Growth 2.0 Training that shows you how to grow without burning out.
I just created my Substack account today and found this post: what a great resource! Thank you for sharing your valuable experience with newbies like me. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this. No wonder you get 10+ subscribers daily, you provide value!
I am just starting my substack and delighted to have found you! Thank you for the easy-to-read and useful resources. I want to build my substack in a sustainable, healthy way. There is a nerd taking notes here and I intend to start on these tactics right away. Thanks again.