I Made Every Substack Mistake So You Don't Have To. Here's What Actually Works.
From being stuck at ~100 subscribers to 4,500+ in 6 months - the real lessons from starting over
"Your numbers will grow if you just keep writing good content."
That's what everyone said. But after months of writing polished, "valuable" posts about my experience as a resume writer and career coach, I had 100 subscribers (give or take a few) and engagement that was pretty sad.
I followed every piece of advice:
Write consistently
Provide massive value
Share your expertise
Build in public
Yet each post felt like shouting into an endless echo chamber. The most painful part? Watching other newsletters grow while mine gathered dust.
So, I did something that felt crazy at the time. I quit.
I put my Substack on the shelf and really didn’t expect to take it back down.
However, after hitting burnout in 2024 and realizing I needed something to change, I decided to pick Substack back up. But, I would do it with a totally new approach.
I deleted everything. Every post, comment, etc. from the old Substack and started fresh with a new niche. In fact, I decided to combine 2-3 niches into one and kept it fairly broad.
That’s lesson learned #1: Write about things you enjoy. And combine multiple niches into one. Yes, the riches are in the niches; but your niche doesn’t always have to be so refined.
When I returned in mid-2024, everything changed. Within 6 months, I grew from 100 to over 4,500 subscribers and built a $5,000+ monthly revenue stream.
The 3 Most Expensive Mistakes I Made
I’m going to share a few major mistakes I made in the beginning. Maybe you can avoid making the same mistakes and do something different moving forward.
Mistake #1: The Wrong Niche Trap
I spent months writing about careers because I was "qualified." I had the credentials. The experience. The professional knowledge.
But here's what I discovered: Expertise without enthusiasm is a recipe for stagnation. My posts were polished but lifeless. My expertise was high, but my passion was low.
The growth only came when I switched to writing about what interested me - growing newsletters and building digital products. I wasn't an expert, but I was a passionate student sharing real lessons in real time.
Here’s my advice: You absolutely don’t have to be an expert in your niche. You only need to know a little more than the person behind you. People love to watch you learn and grow in real time.
Mistake #2: The Platform Conundrum
My first attempt stayed entirely within Substack. I thought great content would magically find its audience.
The reality? Real growth happened when I started using LinkedIn and Notes to share my Substack. Not trying to be everywhere but instead mastering one to two platforms at a time.
I discovered LinkedIn newsletters could be powerful subscriber generators for Substack, but only with the right approach. Sharing ideas between platforms created a natural flow of engaged readers.
Then, Notes is just a goldmine in its own. It’s a little confusing at the start, but once you figure out how the platform works, it can drive daily subscribers.
Mistake #3: The Perfection Paralysis
I used to spend hours polishing posts, trying to sound professional and authoritative. Every sentence had to be perfect.
But my most successful post? A raw, honest Note about a marketing mistake I'd made. My very best note brought in over 200+ subscribers over a couple weeks.
Now, my “secret” is to just hit “publish” before I can talk myself out of it. The more posts & notes we publish, the less attached we get to the outcome. When we just focus on writing and publishing (without the hours of editing or critic in our heads), we’ll grow much faster.
The 3 Things That Actually Worked to Grow My Substack
Now that I’ve shared my mistakes and what didn’t work, let me know what DID work to grow. Mistakes aren’t failures as long as we learn from them and change moving forward.
1. The Notes Strategy That Drives Growth
After studying what worked and what flopped for weeks, I found a clear pattern for Substack Notes that drive growth:
Lead with a specific result or insight
Share real numbers and data
Focus on one clear lesson
Start conversations in comments
And post a LOT of notes. The more notes you post, the faster you’ll learn what works (and what doesn’t). Like I mentioned, the more I started posting notes, the less I really cared about the outcome.
It’s like stepping up to bat. The more swings we take, the better our changes of hitting a home run.
Not every Note goes viral. Some notes get zero engagement. But when they work, they really work. My best Note brought in 200+ subscribers in about a week.
2. The LinkedIn Growth Engine
Instead of trying to be everywhere, I went deep on LinkedIn:
Shared ideas between platforms
Built genuine connections through comments
Used my LinkedIn newsletter as a funnel
Tested ideas before expanding them on Substack
For many people, the LinkedIn-Substack connection is a mystery, and I get it. There’s an art to writing posts on LinkedIn that get engagement. My advice is to put your Substack “hero post” link strategically on your profile and then write high-level, enjoyable content that people like to engage with.
They’ll naturally gravitate toward your profile and then find your Substack.
Also, LinkedIn newsletters can be a great tool when used correctly. I post little snippets of content around my Substack niche on LinkedIn newsletters and then link directly to my Substack hero posts.
3. The Early Monetization Method
Here's what shocked me: You don't need thousands of subscribers to make money.
I launched my first digital product with just a few 100 subscribers. The small audience was actually an advantage - I could create exactly what they needed. I learned quickly what worked and didn’t work.
Now, I create digital products based on my audience’s problems. I’ll pre-sell to ensure there’s interest and then create them in real time. The result is thousands of dollars in sales per month. And, you can monetize from Day 1.
The Hidden Advantages Nobody Talks About
The most surprising discovery in my Substack journey? Starting small is actually an advantage. When I restarted my newsletter, I felt behind. Everyone else seemed so far ahead. But I soon discovered several unexpected benefits:
Small audiences give you crystal-clear feedback. Each comment, each reply, each interaction matters more. Your early subscribers become your most valuable focus group.
Starting fresh also lets you move faster. You're not tied to an existing format or afraid of disappointing a large audience. You can test ideas rapidly, pivot quickly, and find your voice without pressure.
Your mistakes become valuable teaching moments. When I shared a business failure that cost me $1000, it became one of my most engaging posts. People appreciate authenticity.
But here's the biggest hidden advantage: Being a student of your craft, rather than positioning yourself as an expert, creates deeper connections. When I shared my learning journey - the mistakes, the small wins, the realizations - people resonated with that vulnerability.
The Psychology Behind What Works
After months of analyzing what drives newsletter growth, I discovered something interesting about why people actually subscribe and share. I had one post that went “semi viral” and couldn’t figure out why. Then, I realized the psychology of it and why people like what they do.
Key insights that changed everything:
People don't just want information - they want possibility
Readers share content that makes them feel insightful
Trust builds through vulnerability, not authority
Your readers want actionable advice they can use right away
This explains why perfect, polished posts often underperform raw, honest ones. Perfection creates distance. It puts you on a pedestal. But authenticity? It creates connection. It makes readers feel like they're getting a peek behind the curtain.
I noticed this pattern repeatedly in my most shared posts:
Stories of failure outperformed stories of success
Questions drove more engagement than answers
Real numbers and specific examples got more shares than general advice
This realization changed how I write. Instead of trying to prove my expertise, I started focusing on creating moments of insight. Instead of showing how much I knew, I showed how much was possible.
A Quick Win You Can Use Today
Let me give you something you can implement today. Your post’s title is the most important thing to work on. I realized all of my most-engaged posts had a unique concept behind it.
Think about how you can grab attention with a good hook:
Start with a surprising result ("I deleted half my email list and made more money")
Share the counter-intuitive reason why ("Turns out, smaller audiences convert better")
End with the lesson learned ("Growth isn't about quantity - it's about connection")
Try this in your next post or note. It works for both. When you start with the concept first, then you can begin building your post around it.
Ready For the Complete System?
That quick win is just the beginning. If you're serious about growing your newsletter and turning it into a sustainable income stream, I've packaged everything I learned into my Six Figure Substack Growth Masterclass.
Inside, you'll discover:
The exact frameworks I used to grow to 4,500+ subscribers
My complete Notes and LinkedIn growth strategy
The monetization system that generates $5K+ monthly
Real templates and examples you can use immediately
Growing a newsletter doesn't have to be a guessing game. You can follow a proven path.
📌 Need help to get started? The Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass
If you need help TODAY, I get it. I have a solution for you: I’ve reopened doors to my Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass for the next few days only.
In the masterclass, I break down the exact strategy and roadmap I’ve used to grow from Zero to 3,300+ subscribers in less than 6 months. I also explain the monetization strategy I mentioned in this post that’s bringing in $3K to $5K+ per month (with daily sales).
If you’d like to get access to the masterclass before it’s taken down, just click the button below, and I’ll see you on the other side:
But if you're ready to skip months of trial and error and get straight to what works, I'll see you inside the masterclass.
If a person doesnt want to choose LinkedIn what platform could be best for the flywheel with substack?
I am brand new to substack, this has been really useful, thank you for sharing!