Is Substack Becoming the Next LinkedIn 2.0? How Authentic Writers Can Still Stand Out
What I learned when Gary Vee, Justin Welsh, and Lewis Howes showed up in my Substack feed (and how you can win)
I was scrolling through my Substack app and came across the "people to follow" tab, looking for some new writers to discover.
You know that feeling when you're excited to find fresh voices? That little thrill of stumbling across someone whose perspective might change how you think about something?
Instead, I got Lewis Howes. Justin Welsh. Gary Vaynerchuk.
Wait... aren't these the exact same people I already follow on LinkedIn?
My heart sank a little.
Don't get me wrong—these are successful people. They've built massive audiences and profitable businesses. But seeing them dominate my Substack recommendations felt like watching your favorite local coffee shop get bought out by Starbucks.
Sure, the coffee might still be decent. But something special just got lost in translation.
This is what I've been dreading would happen to Substack.
The platform that once felt like a sanctuary for authentic voices, deep thinking, and genuine connection is starting to look suspiciously like every other social media platform where the loudest voices win and everyone else gets drowned out.
Maybe you've noticed it too?
The mass migration of influencers, podcasters, and big-name journalists flooding onto Substack. The headlines screaming "XYZ influencer got 500 paid subscribers in 48 hours!" The co-lives between established Substack writers and these new arrivals, everyone acting excited about the "opportunity."
And here's the part that really stings...
You've been here for months, maybe years. Grinding it out. Publishing consistently. Building genuine relationships with your readers one subscriber at a time.
Then some LinkedIn influencer shows up with their existing audience of 200K followers and pulls in more paid subscribers in a weekend than you've managed to get free subscribers in six months.
It's not just discouraging. It's damaging.
Because now you're wondering:
Should I change my approach?
Should I write more like them?
Should I try to sound more "authoritative" or "guru-like"?
Should I start making bold predictions and posting more frequently just to keep up?
The worst part? You start questioning whether your authentic voice even matters anymore.
Maybe you're thinking: "If Substack is going to become LinkedIn 2.0, why shouldn't I just go back to LinkedIn where I already have some momentum?"
I get it. I've been there.
But after sleeping on it, I realized something that completely changed my perspective.
This is Actually the Best Thing That Could Happen to Us
I know that sounds crazy. Stay with me.
What if I told you that this influx of big names isn't a threat to your growth—it's validation that you've been in the right place at the right time all along?
Think about it: You saw the potential in Substack before Gary Vee did. You believed in the power of Substack before Justin Welsh made the switch. You were building authentic relationships with readers while Lewis Howes was still cranking it out on LinkedIn.
You're not behind the trend. You're ahead of it.
And here's what really clicked for me...
Last month, I took a training from a guy about creating signature offers. He said something that stuck: "You want to position yourself as the only person who can solve the problem you solve, in the way you solve it. That way, nobody can ever replace you."
When you're truly unique—when you own your lane completely—you're not competing with anyone. You can price your offers however you want because you're not in a race to the bottom. People come to you specifically for YOUR approach, YOUR perspective, YOUR solution.
The big influencers flooding Substack? They're all going to sound exactly the same.
They're going to bring the same LinkedIn energy, the same "10 Ways to Scale Your Business" content, the same motivational quotes over stock photos. They'll optimize for virality over authenticity, followers over connection, quick wins over lasting impact.
And you know what's going to happen?
Readers are going to get tired of it. Fast.
Because here's the secret about social media migrations: Most of these influencers aren't coming to Substack to write better content or build deeper relationships. They're coming because they want to tap into a new revenue stream without changing what made them successful elsewhere.
But Substack isn't LinkedIn. It's not Twitter. The rules are different here.
The content that goes viral on LinkedIn feels hollow on Substack. The engagement tactics that work on other platforms feel manipulative here. The audience that follows you for quick tips and motivational content doesn't stick around for long-form, thoughtful writing.
I learned this the hard way. When I moved over from LinkedIn, I tried to write the same LinkedIn stuff on Substack…and it didn’t work. I had to evolve my writing.
So, while everyone else is trying to bring their old playbook to a new platform, you have a massive advantage:
You understand what actually works here.
You know that depth beats breadth. That consistency beats virality. That authenticity beats authority.
Most importantly, you know how to build genuine relationships with readers who actually care about what you have to say.
That's not just an advantage—it's your competitive moat.
The 5-Step System to Become Irreplaceable (While Everyone Else Copies Each Other)
You’re going to stand out on Substack because you’re authentic. You’re not trying to be like anybody else. You’re not trying to copy someone else’s playbook.
Here's exactly how to turn your authenticity into your biggest business advantage:
Step 1: Position Yourself as Irreplaceable
Stop trying to be a "newsletter writer" or a "marketing expert" or whatever generic label everyone else is fighting over.
Instead, become the only person who can solve your audience's specific problem in your specific way.
For me, it's not just "newsletter growth." It's "building a profitable newsletter business while maintaining complete creative freedom and working part-time." That's my lane. Nobody else owns that exact combination and does it the same way I do.
Ask yourself: What's your unique angle that combines your background, your values, and your approach in a way nobody else can replicate?
When you nail this positioning, pricing becomes easier because you're not competing—you're the only option for people who want your specific solution.
Step 2: Find Your Unique Intersection (Not Your "Niche")
Your power doesn't come from picking a niche that's already crowded. It comes from finding the intersection of your experiences that nobody else has.
Maybe you're a former corporate lawyer who teaches online business. Or a mom of three who built a six-figure side hustle. Or a reformed perfectionist who helps creatives overcome imposter syndrome.
The magic happens where your different worlds collide.
Don't try to be everything to everyone. Be the perfect solution for your specific people.
Step 3: Embrace Your "Weird" (It's Your Competitive Advantage)
The quirks that make you different aren't bugs—they're features.
Your unpopular opinions. Your unconventional background. The way you explain things that nobody else explains quite the same way.
While everyone else is trying to sound "professional" and "authoritative," your willingness to be human and authentic is what will make you irreplaceable.
Gary Vee can't replicate your specific brand of weird. Neither can Justin Welsh. That's your moat.
Step 4: Build Your Own Community (Not Someone Else's)
Stop chasing the influencers' audiences. Stop trying to get featured in their newsletters or invited to their co-lives.
Instead, focus relentlessly on attracting YOUR people—the ones who specifically need what you offer, the way you offer it.
Quality always beats quantity in the long game. And when you've built a community around your unique approach, they'll pay premium prices because they can't get that specific value anywhere else.
Step 5: Create Content That Only You Could Write
Before hitting publish on anything, ask yourself: "Could Gary Vee have written this exact post?"
If the answer is yes, scrap it and start over.
Your content should be so uniquely you—so tied to your specific experiences, insights, and perspective—that nobody else could have created it.
Reference your background. Share your failures. Use your frameworks. Tell stories that only you can tell.
When readers see your byline, they should immediately know they're about to get something they can't find anywhere else.
The Beautiful Truth Nobody Talks About
Here's what happens when you follow this approach instead of copying the influencers:
You stop competing and start dominating your own lane.
Your audience becomes more engaged because they're getting exactly what they signed up for.
Your pricing power increases because you're not a commodity—you're a specialist.
Your content becomes easier to create because you're not trying to be someone else.
And most importantly, you actually enjoy building your business because you're doing it on your terms.
While everyone else is racing to the bottom, trying to out-Gary-Vee Gary Vee, you're building something sustainable, profitable, and uniquely yours.
The readers who need your specific approach will find you. And when they do, they'll stay—because they can't get what you offer anywhere else.
So, What Now?
I'm not going to lie and say this transition will be easy to watch.
You'll see more headlines about influencers gaining thousands of subscribers overnight.
You'll watch writers you respect get starstruck and start changing their content to appeal to the new crowd.
You might even question your own approach when the numbers don't seem to add up.
But here's what I want you to remember during those moments:
The tortoise wins this race.
Sustainable growth built on authenticity and genuine value will always outlast the flash-in-the-pan growth built on borrowed audiences and recycled content.
The influencers flooding Substack right now? Most of them will be gone in 18 months. They'll move on to the next platform, the next opportunity, the next shiny object.
There’s no way they can build on 5-6 platforms at once without a team of VA’s who ultimately water down the message.
But you? You're building something that lasts.
You're creating content that matters to people who genuinely need what you offer. You're building relationships, not just follower counts. You're solving real problems with your unique perspective instead of chasing algorithms.
That's not just more fulfilling—it's more profitable in the long run.
Your Window of Opportunity is Still Wide Open
If anything, this influx of sameness creates an even bigger opportunity for authentic voices.
While everyone else is zigging toward generic "authority" content, you can zag toward genuine connection and unique value.
While they're optimizing for vanity metrics, you can optimize for actual impact.
While they're racing to scale as fast as possible, you can focus on building something sustainable and profitable.
The best time to double down on authenticity is when everyone else is abandoning it.
Ready to Turn Your Authenticity into Your Biggest Growth Engine?
Look, I get it if you're feeling overwhelmed by all this change on Substack. It's natural to wonder if you're doing things the "right" way when you see others seemingly finding success so quickly.
But what if I told you that your commitment to authenticity—combined with the right strategic approach—is exactly what will set you apart in this new landscape?
Over the past 9 months, I've grown from zero to 8,500+ subscribers using the exact principles I just shared with you. More importantly, I've built a $5K+ monthly newsletter business while staying completely true to my voice and values.
I didn't do it by copying Gary Vee or Justin Welsh. I did it by finding my unique lane and owning it completely.
If you're ready to accelerate your own authentic growth on Substack—without compromising who you are or what you stand for—I'd love to show you exactly how in my Six-Figure Substack Growth Masterclass.
Inside, you'll discover:
The exact positioning strategy I used to stand out in a crowded space
My proven content system that attracts the right subscribers consistently
The monetization approach that generates $5K+ monthly without selling my soul
How to build genuine community that drives both engagement and revenue
The daily habits that compound into exponential growth over time
This isn't about becoming the next big influencer. It's about becoming irreplaceable in your own lane.
Join hundreds of other authentic writers who are building profitable newsletters their way, not someone else's way. You can join below:
The masterclass is available now, and honestly? The timing couldn't be better.
While everyone else is trying to figure out how to copy the influencers, you can be mastering the art of being authentically, profitably yourself.
P.S. What do you think about this shift happening on Substack? Are you seeing the same thing I'm seeing? Hit reply and let me know—I read every email and would love to hear your perspective on all this.
This was super helpful. Thank you 👍🏾
Substack Isn’t LinkedIn 2.0 — It’s Just Revealing Who’s Still Operating Like It Is
I read Wes Pearce’s piece and nodded all the way through — especially the part about watching your “local coffee shop get bought out by Starbucks.” I’ve been here too long to get angry about it anymore. Now I just see it as another signal.
Not that the game is broken. It’s just not real.
It’s been a hustle since the beginning — back when it still felt new, original, or interesting.
Think about the situation carefully.
Gary Vee owns a media agency. He spends hundreds of thousands a month on organic social marketing to get clients for his agency.
Alex Hormozi hired a YouTube agency to blow up on YouTube. He's looking for investments.
Dan Koe and Justin Welsh got in early and now sell “how to succeed” programs that mostly rely on you copying their approach. They want to work as little as possible directly with people.
Sure — some of these systems work. But for most people, they don’t. And the money at the top? It’s not as big as it seems. I’ve got people in my network who made hundreds of millions off just a few smart real estate deals. I was in a CEO group for years. Most of the members had 8-figure companies built on real products — and actual stability.
The people getting hurt are the regular folks. The ones who think Substack is the new creator economy. The ones who think writing online is a solid business model. The ones trying to make a real living off a structure built for content volume, not personal freedom.
What’s happening now isn’t the rise of creators. It’s the rise of the creative original — as we start to find each other, across the globe.
Most people are still playing the wrong game.
Stuck in old business models — or now stuck in new ones.
Creating content for profit.
Chasing influence as a path to income.
Trying to become an online persona instead of an actual person.
I Played Their Game
That’s why my experience may be relevant here.
From the ’90s to 2023, I explored every version of business you can imagine — lifestyle companies, sales funnels, authority content, viral video, leveraged personal brands. I even helped sell early-stage AI solutions to major corporates. Built a 7-figure virtual company too.
It worked in the market. But it never held when it came to family, purpose, or real internal stability.
I knew how to get the meetings. I knew how to close.
But I kept waking up inside someone else’s blueprint.
I had succeeded — but I wasn’t free.
It took losing nearly everything to realize: the problem wasn’t marketing.
It wasn’t mindset either.
I took the risks. I had the money. I followed the models.
The problem was the system itself — built on performance, extraction, and expert empires.
I’ve always been early to every new ecosystem, every new technology, every new playbook. But that never guaranteed meaning from vision realized. It just gave me a better seat at the table.
That’s Entrepreneur 2.0:
Find the trend
Leap to win
Compete to stand above
Scale first
Position high
Build hierarchy
Optimize for visibility
I Walked Away
In early 2023, I flipped it all.
I had already turned a profitable company into passive income. So I shifted my attention, fully. I studied the Gene Keys. I came back to my marriage, found my stories, connected with the right people. I moved toward presence. I let go of the idea that business meant winning a war.
That’s when The Entrepreneur Experience was born.
Not a program.
Not a platform.
Not a signature framework to attract buyers.
An experience.
A field of dreams — where people who couldn’t be boxed in could finally build something real.
What We’re Building
We’re a team of 12 founders. Not authority marketers. Not passive-income course sellers.
People with soul-level buy-in. We even guide each other.
Some of us have built agencies. Others ran spiritual healing practices. Some rebuilt their lives after military service, trauma, or deep collapse. But we all came together for one reason:
We couldn’t bear to watch another generation of builders get trapped in influencer logic.
People like:
Brian Muka, who rebuilt himself after Iraq and now helps people face fear with precision.
Maria Platusic, who spent decades in brand design and now helps the most talented voices finally be heard.
Rick Meekins, who walked away from the traditional consulting world to help founders lead from their actual values.
Judy Kane, who clears subconscious blocks — gently, without force.
Chanda Crist, who can architect chaos into simplicity like no one else. Her relationship with AI is unmatched.
Mike Ashabraner, who burned down years of popularity marketing to build a heart-centered attraction system.
Louisa Jovanovich, who teaches clarity as a path to sovereignty — after years working with Hollywood elites who have more money than God but crave real connection.
Yael Lazar, who evolved her legal career to help founders and families preserve not just wealth, but wisdom.
Shine McClain, who’s helped countless creative entrepreneurs leap — and always land.
Jesse Storch, who makes tech feel like a human relationship.
Jessica Skains, who teaches how to live from life force, not burnout impacting real relationships.
And me — who couldn’t stop searching until the system itself changed.
We’re not the loudest. But we’re listening.
We’re not trying to “crush it.” We’re trying to build something that won’t crush you.
So No, Wes — It’s Not LinkedIn 2.0
Substack isn’t getting worse. It’s just getting louder.
The popularity lists already got published!
And when that happens, the real voices rise beneath the noise.
The influencers bringing their playbooks? They’ll burn out. Or dilute. Or move on.
What we’re doing can’t be copied — because we’re not trying to be unique.
We’re just showing up as ourselves. Together.
No funnel. No guru. No optimized headline.
No Big, Medium, and Little Stacks fighting for visibility.
Just connection. Clarity. And the courage to let it take the time it takes.
Because some things?
They’re worth building for the long term.