I tried every Substack growth hack for 6 months - only 3 actually worked
The real truth about sustainable newsletter growth—and why the strategies that work best are often the simplest ones to maintain
A year ago, I made a decision that changed everything.
I was going to restart my Substack from absolute zero.
Clean slate. No email list. No audience. Just me, my expertise, and the blank page staring back at me.
But here's the thing: I had no idea how I was actually going to grow this newsletter.
I knew I could write quality content. I had a little bit of expertise to help people. But turning that into a growing audience? That was completely foreign territory.
So I did what anyone would do—I started searching for advice.
And boy, did I find it.
The internet is drowning in Substack growth strategies. Cross-post to every social platform.
Write viral X threads. Comment on every popular post. Guest post on other newsletters. Join Facebook groups. Start a TikTok. Use complex automation tools. Build elaborate funnels…
Every expert had a different "proven" system. Every week brought new "guaranteed" tactics from someone who'd cracked the code.
Naturally, I started trying them all.
For six months, I tested everything I could find. Some strategies I gave a week. Others I committed to for a full month. I tracked what worked, what didn't, and what was just busy work disguised as growth tactics.
The result? I've grown from zero to over 13,000 subscribers in one year.
But what matters to me is that I did it without burning out, without becoming a full-time content creator, and without sacrificing my sanity to the social media gods.
After testing 15+ different growth strategies, only three consistently delivered results. And the surprising part? The ones that worked best were the ones that fit naturally into my daily routine, not the ones that required me to transform into someone I'm not.
When 'Expert' Advice Becomes Paralyzing Noise
Let me paint you a picture of what those first few months looked like.
I had bookmarks folders filled with growth guides. I was subscribed to newsletters about growing newsletters. I was following Twitter accounts that promised to reveal the "secret sauce" of viral content.
The advice was everywhere, and it was contradictory:
"Post 5 times a day on X to drive traffic…"
"Focus only on long-form content—social media is a waste of time…"
"You need to be on every platform…"
"Pick one platform and dominate it…"
"Collaboration is everything…"
"Build your own audience first—don't depend on others!"
I felt like I was drowning in strategies that all claimed to be the "only way" to grow.
So I started experimenting. I'd dedicate time to one approach, track the results, then move on to the next. I wanted to know what actually worked versus what just felt productive.
Here's what I discovered: most of the popular advice falls into one of three categories:
Strategies that don't work at all - These are often based on outdated information or work only in very specific circumstances.
Strategies that work but aren't sustainable - These might generate short-term results but require so much time and energy that you'll burn out before seeing real growth.
Strategies that work and are sustainable - These are the rare gems that fit into your life without taking it over.
After six months of testing, I found exactly three strategies that consistently delivered subscribers while being maintainable long-term.
But before I share what worked, let me tell you about everything that didn't.
The Strategies That Failed (And Why)
Cross-posting to every social platform
I spent two months creating content for X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook simultaneously. The theory was simple: more touchpoints equals more growth.
The reality? I was spending 3-4 hours daily creating platform-specific content and seeing minimal return. Each platform has its own culture, format requirements, and optimal posting times. Trying to be everywhere meant I wasn't particularly good anywhere.
Results: Maybe 20-30 new subscribers over two months, but at the cost of my sanity.
Joining 20+ Facebook groups and "providing value"
The advice was to join groups in my niche and help people while subtly mentioning my newsletter.
What actually happened: I spent hours scrolling through groups looking for opportunities to help, only to discover that most groups either don't allow any self-promotion or are filled with people doing the exact same thing I was trying to do.
Results: Virtually zero subscribers, lots of wasted time.
Writing viral X/Twitter threads
I studied viral thread formulas and spent hours crafting threads designed to blow up. I'd research trending topics, create compelling hooks, and format everything perfectly.
Some threads did well—thousands of views, hundreds of likes. But Twitter engagement rarely translated to newsletter subscribers. People would like and retweet but not click through to subscribe.
Results: Great for ego, terrible for actual growth.
Guest posting on other newsletters
I reached out to dozens of newsletter creators asking to write guest posts. The few who responded wanted me to write completely new content for their audience with minimal guarantee of reach.
Writing custom content for someone else's audience took the same time as creating content for my own, but with no guarantee of quality traffic.
Results: A handful of subscribers from significant time investment.
Commenting strategically on popular Substack posts
The idea was to add thoughtful comments to popular posts in my niche, hoping people would check out my profile and subscribe.
This felt inauthentic and was incredibly time-consuming. I was spending more time reading other people's content than creating my own.
Results: Maybe 5-10 subscribers over several weeks of consistent effort.
Using automation tools and growth hacks
I tried various tools that promised to automate growth—auto-followers, engagement pods, scheduling tools that would post at "optimal" times.
Most of these tools either didn't work as promised or created the kind of artificial engagement that doesn't convert to real subscribers.
Results: Inflated vanity metrics, zero meaningful growth.
The pattern became clear: strategies that required me to be constantly "on" or to become someone I wasn't simply weren't sustainable. I could maybe keep them up for a few weeks, but they weren't building toward anything lasting.
The Simple Truth About Growing My Substack I Almost Missed
About three months into this experiment, I had a realization that changed everything.
I wasn't looking for strategies that would work if I invested 40 hours a week into them. I needed strategies that would work around my actual life.
I have client work. I have family responsibilities. I have a life outside of growing a newsletter.
What I needed wasn't the most powerful growth strategy—it was the most sustainable one.
I needed something I could do consistently, day after day, without it taking over my entire existence. Something that would compound over time rather than requiring constant escalation.
The strategies that worked had three things in common:
They fit into my existing routine - I could do them during my normal workday without major schedule disruptions.
They felt natural - I wasn't pretending to be someone else or forcing content into formats that didn't suit my style.
They compounded over time - The effort I put in today would continue paying dividends weeks or months later.
Here are the three strategies that met all these criteria and delivered real, sustainable growth.
Strategy #1: Daily Substack Notes (The 20-Minute Growth Engine)
This was the biggest surprise of my entire experiment.
I started posting daily Notes almost as an afterthought—just quick thoughts or tips I wanted to share between newsletter posts. But I quickly noticed that my best subscriber growth days coincided with my most engaging Notes.
So I decided to get systematic about it.
I developed a simple routine: three Notes per day, taking no more than 20 minutes total.
Morning Note: Community-focused content that invited interaction. Things like "Share your Substack below and let's support each other" or "What's your biggest writing challenge right now?"
Midday Note: Educational content that delivered one specific tip or insight. No long explanations—just actionable advice someone could use immediately.
Evening Note: Motivational or personal content that built connection. Stories from my journey or encouragement for other writers.
Each Note followed a simple formula: hook, value, call-to-action. Most took 5-7 minutes to write.
The results were immediate and consistent. Within 30 days of systematic Notes posting, I was gaining 10-15 new subscribers daily just from Notes engagement.
But here's why Notes worked so well: they tap into Substack's internal ecosystem.
When you publish a newsletter post, only your existing subscribers see it. When you publish a Note, it can be discovered by anyone on Substack through the Notes feed, restacks, and recommendations.
You're essentially growing within Substack's community rather than trying to pull people in from external platforms.
Over the past year, I estimate that daily Notes have been responsible for about 40% to 60% of my total subscriber growth. And it takes less time than one X thread used to.
Strategy #2: Building Relationships + Earning Recommendations (The Multiplier Effect)
This strategy took longer to show results, but when it did, the impact was significant.
Instead of trying to grow in isolation, I focused on building genuine relationships with other Substack writers in my space.
Not networking. Not transactional relationship-building. Genuine connections with people whose work I respected and who were serving similar audiences.
I started by engaging authentically with their content. Not strategic commenting for visibility, but actually reading their posts and sharing thoughtful responses when I had something valuable to add.
I'd share their best content in my Notes when it was relevant to my audience. I'd mention writers I respected in my newsletter posts when their insights added value to what I was discussing.
Most importantly, I approached these relationships without expecting anything in return. I was genuinely interested in supporting other writers and building community.
Over time, some of these writers started recommending my newsletter to their audiences.
Substack recommendations are incredibly powerful because they come with built-in trust. When someone your audience already follows recommends another newsletter, that endorsement carries significant weight.
I now have hundreds of Substacks recommending my newsletter, and I’m very, very grateful for that. (PS - If you’re one of those Substacks who shares my newsletter, send me a DM. I’d love to share one of your posts or restack a Note to help out.)
Strategy #3: LinkedIn Newsletters (The Untapped Growth Channel)
This is a dirty little secret weapon that nobody talks about.
While everyone focuses on LinkedIn posts, I discovered that LinkedIn newsletters work completely differently—and much better for driving Substack growth.
Here's how it works: LinkedIn allows you to create newsletters directly on their platform. These aren't regular posts—they're a separate feature that gets distributed differently by LinkedIn's algorithm.
I started creating short LinkedIn newsletters (300-500 words or less) that would tease the bigger ideas I was exploring in my Substack posts.
For example, if I wrote a 2,000-word post about digital product creation for my Substack, I'd create a 400-word LinkedIn newsletter that shared one key insight from that post, then linked to the full version on my Substack.
The key was making the LinkedIn newsletter valuable on its own, not just a teaser. People should get value whether they click through or not.
LinkedIn newsletters have the potential for big reach because they land directly in your subscribers’ inboxes.
Over the past year, LinkedIn newsletters have been responsible for about 5% to 10% of my total growth. Nothing major, but it’s easy and sustainable.
Bonus Strategy: SEO-Focused Content (The Long-Term Compound Play)
This wasn't one of my original three strategies, but it emerged as a powerful fourth approach that's particularly interesting for long-term growth.
Instead of chasing trending topics, I started writing posts that people would search for on Google.
(PS: I come from a bit of a blogging background, back when creating a struggling travel blog was the cool thing to do.) :)
I'd research what questions people in my niche were asking, then create comprehensive posts that answered those questions better than anything else available.
For example, I’d research guides on "How to price digital products" and "Substack vs ConvertKit comparison" because I noticed people were searching for these topics but not finding great answers.
I'd naturally include relevant keywords throughout the posts, create helpful headers, and structure the content to be genuinely useful for someone trying to solve a specific problem.
Substack has MAJOR SEO juice and a lot of that juice gets passed along to your individual newsletter.
In the last 60 days alone, I've attracted over 1,500 visitors to my Substack from search engines. These visitors often have high intent because they're actively looking for solutions to problems I address.
Why These Strategies Work (And Others Don't)
After a year of testing, I've identified what separates effective growth strategies from time-wasting busy work.
Sustainable strategies work with your energy, not against it.
The three strategies that worked didn't require me to become a different person or completely overhaul my schedule. They fit into my existing routine and actually energized me rather than draining me.
Effective strategies create compound returns.
Each Note I write can continue attracting subscribers for weeks. Each relationship I build can generate ongoing recommendations. Each SEO-optimized post can drive traffic for months or years.
Compare this to social media posting, where content disappears after 24 hours and requires constant creation to maintain momentum.
The best strategies align with platform strengths.
Substack Notes work because they leverage Substack's internal discovery mechanism. LinkedIn newsletters work because they tap into LinkedIn's professional network. SEO works because Google sends high-intent traffic.
Trying to use every platform the same way ignores what makes each one unique.
Growth happens where your audience already gathers.
My target audience—people who want to grow newsletters—are already on Substack (reading Notes), LinkedIn (consuming professional content), and Google (searching for solutions).
I didn't need to convince them to follow me on platforms they don't naturally use.
The Real Lesson: Simple Beats Complex Every Time
The biggest insight from this entire experiment wasn't about any specific tactic—it was about approach.
Every strategy that failed had something in common: they required me to do more things, learn new platforms, or adopt complex systems…
Every strategy that worked had the opposite in common: they were simple, focused, and aligned with what I was already doing…
The temptation when you're trying to grow is to do more—post more, be on more platforms, try more tactics. But what I learned is that doing less, but doing it consistently and well, beats doing more sporadically.
Instead of being mediocre on ten platforms, I became very good at three approaches...
Instead of chasing every new growth hack, I doubled down on what was already working…
Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, I focused on being valuable to the people who were already finding me…
Growth isn't about doing everything—it's about doing the right things consistently over time.
And the right things are usually simpler than you think.
Your Next Step: Stop Testing, Start Implementing
If you're where I was a year ago—overwhelmed by advice and unsure what actually works—I have one piece of advice: stop trying everything and start mastering something.
Pick one or two strategies that align with your natural strengths and daily routine. Commit to them for at least 90 days. Track your results. Then optimize based on what you learn.
You don't need to be on every platform…
You don't need to try every new growth hack…
You need to be consistently valuable to the people who are already looking for what you offer…
The strategies I've shared aren't magic—they're just systematic approaches to being helpful in places where your audience already gathers.
Here's the reality: you could spend the next six months making the same mistakes I made, testing random strategies and hoping something sticks. Or you could skip the trial and error and jump straight to what actually works.
📌 Join the Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass
I've taken everything I learned from growing to 13,000+ subscribers and turned it into a step-by-step system that anyone can follow. My Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass isn't just theory from someone who's never actually built a newsletter business.
It's the exact blueprint I used to transform my newsletter from zero subscribers to a thriving audience that generates consistent revenue every month. You can check it out and join 100’s of writers below:
PS - For the next week only, I’ve included my Personal Substack Swipe File as a bonus inside the Masterclass. This is a list of my best-performing Substack Notes and post titles, to help you brainstorm and write content that gets engagement.
I’m very new to Substack, and I have to admit: it seems like almost all the writers who’ve managed to grow their subscriber lists exponentially through Notes are the ones teaching others how to grow on Substack. It’s like the one common interest we all share.
But does that really work for other creators too—those of us who have nothing to sell, and just stories to share?
i will definitely read this more than one time