I Almost Quit Substack on Day 30
What nobody tells you about the first 30 days writing on Substack.
Thirty days in, I was done.
I’d been showing up every single day. Writing Notes. Publishing posts. Engaging with other writers.
Doing everything the “grow your Substack” advice told me to do.
And my numbers were embarrassing.
Barely any likes, handful of comments from the same three people. Subscriber growth painfully slow.
I remember sitting at my laptop thinking: maybe this just isn’t for me.
I had one foot out the door.
Then “Day 31” Happened for Me
On Day 31, I wrote a Note that morning…nothing special, just an honest thought about feeling invisible as a writer.
There was no strategy behind it. No hook I’d carefully crafted. Just the truth.
It started getting restacked.
Then comments from writers I’d never met. Then subscribers I didn’t recognize showing up in my dashboard.
By the end of the day something had shifted.
Not just in my numbers. In my head.
I realized the first 30 days weren’t wasted. They were the algorithm learning who I was.
Readers quietly deciding if they could trust me. My consistency building something underground that I couldn’t see yet.
The silence wasn’t rejection. It was just the beginning.
The Messages That Keep Showing Up in My Inbox
I get notes and comments from writers just starting out all the time.
Things like “I almost deleted my Substack last week but your posts kept me going” or “I just got my first 100 subscribers and I genuinely didn’t think this was working.”
Those messages never get old.
Because I know exactly where those writers were sitting when they almost quit.
Day 28. Day 29. Day 30.
Maybe that’s where you are right now.
The Smallest Thing You Can Do Today That Actually Works
If you’re in that window (showing up, hearing nothing, questioning things), here’s something you can do in the next twenty minutes.
Go write one honest Note.
Not a tip. Not a lesson. Just something real you’re feeling about your writing journey right now.
Then go leave genuine comments on five other writers’ Notes in your niche.
That’s it.
That’s how the flywheel starts. Small, consistent, and authentic.
The 20-Minute Daily Notes System That Changed My Substack
If you want to go deeper than one tip…if you want the exact Notes strategy that took me from silence to 10+ new subscribers every single day…my “10+ Subscribers a Day” Notes Growth Workshop is where you’ll want to start.
It’s a simple, affordable workshop built around one thing: helping you turn Substack Notes into your #1 growth engine.
No complicated strategy, no posting on five different platforms, no grinding for months hoping something sticks.
Just a clear, repeatable system you can start using today, even if you’re on Day 1, even if your last Note got two likes, even if you’re still figuring out what to write about.
Day 30 is hard. But Day 31 is worth it.
You can join below, I’d love to see you inside:
(Oh, and by the way over 300+ writers have joined this Workshop in the last year.
And, now I get messages that tell me how much the Workshop helped them. I love getting those messages, too.)
Thanks for the advice, I will give it a go and see what happens. However, my motivation here is to explore my interests and if others want to come along for the journey I'm happy. I do like the idea of being more authentic in notes and that what I've taken from your article- thanks
I write, because I love writing about the topics I am passionate about. After 4 months, 65 subscribers, 5 paid subscribers, I was about to call it quits. However, I love writing even for those great few ones who enjoy my articles.