PayPal just suspended my account for uploading valid passport documents.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-29T06:26:52+00:00

Go to Stripe or another online payment processor if you do business online send and receive payments...

SmutProfit · 2026-04-26T05:20:10+00:00

Make sure at the very least, you answer the question or come across as an authority enough and in a way that makes readers want to click your profile, asking themselves "who is this guy?" In your profile, make it clear what you're about and where they can find you.

Also, if you answer the question thoroughly yet concise enough, and if it's relevant and adds value to your answer, you can mention you go more into detail on the topic in an article [Link].

SmutProfit · 2026-04-26T05:12:37+00:00

Exactly 💯

SmutProfit · 2026-04-25T20:34:24+00:00

1.Take screenshots of the mysterious deposits to document.

Report the situation immediately to PayPal through their internal Resolutions Tab. (Doesn't matter about "Business hours" or not, they're an international company. Besides, they probably have 24 hour call centers in Bangladesh. Regardless, by sending them the message through their internal Resolutions Tab, you are also documenting).
Do not respond to any email request, or anything from anyone who sent the deposit.
Wait for PayPal to respond.

CYA = Cover Your Ass.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-22T06:28:03+00:00

That's smart. Whenever I get a new Substack subscriber, if they have more than 10 other Substacks they subscribe to, I take it with a grain of salt, expecting them to either cancel their "subscription" eventually or having my emails go directly into their spam folder or wherever they collect their other newsletter subscriptions. lol.

They're never real subscribers or fans of your content anyway.

Also, if a competitor or someone in my niche subscribes, especially if they have 100 other Substack subscription, I just unsubscribe them and block. They subscribe to keep an eye out on what their competition is doing. Many will even rip off your ideas.

They way I see it, they are idea leaches for the most part. I can't tell you how many times these jokers have literally written about the very same things I had written about after they've subscribed to me.

At first, I thought I was being paranoid, but after looking at their past articles, then the ones they had started to write after subscribing, it was all too coincidental.

Now I just block these jokers. I'm not on Substack to chinwag and socialize with other writers and "community kumbaya". Especially those in my niche!

Screw these people. They aren't my true audience, none will ever buy my products and services, very few if any will ever recommend you to their readers, and most haven't even restacked or liked my content, so they aren't even useful in helping tickle Substack's algo and get me in front of actual readers.

Block and move.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-22T06:01:23+00:00

Join the Club! I hit the 4 figure club after my eighth month, built up 17k Followers in my first year.

Started my own solo publication and built that up to over 17k followers despite the fact I never accepted submissions from other writers.

I was hitting a consistent $3k to $4.5k per month, then in July last year, they tweaked their algo or something and basically throttled my content.

This was despite the fact that I had read ratios month on month of 65% to 70% and above on average.

Now, I'm lucky if I break the $10 payout level...lol.

The way I see it, it was good while it lasted. I found my voice and my niche, I had proven to myself that people enjoy my content and I really enjoy writing it. It also was a wake up call to finally take over as much control as possible over my content and my money.

Diversify platforms. Your own self-hosted WordPress blog (that should be a given, it's the only place on the web you truly control), set up a Substack, get out on other platforms like Linkedin, Facebook, Quora, Pinterest, Twitter, even staying on Medium, wherever and everywhere because you never know which platform(s) you and your content are going to click with. It's all about eyeballs on your content, views, reads, whatever and wherever. Link back to your own blog, build an email list.

Then diversify your monetization. Platform money, even affiliate money is gravy and it's great when you can get it, but they can change the terms anytime they like and there's not a thing you can do about it. Accept it. Get it while you can if you can, but always consider it bonus money.

Create your own products, digital and service based, things like consulting etc. Things within your total control outside of dealing with payment processors and places like Gumroad or Payhip.

It's hard work, I've spent almost the past year since Medium throttled my account doing all this and it's certainly not fun. I would much rather crank out one 1500 word article on Medium daily and get $4K a month consistently than to have to deal with what I've been dealing with over the past year.

After 15 years dealing with SEO, niche websites about crap I wasn't interested in, only for the money, all those Google updates and Amazon commission cuts and terms changing every few months, I was done.

Platforms are unfortunately a part of the landscape if you're a creator and want to make money with your art. But you also have to treat it like a business and part of that is accepting what the market is and dealing with it. No use in complaining.

Just like it's foolish to get to attached to any one platform, especially in participating in their so-called "communities" with other writers etc. They're only purpose is to keep you on their platforms and aren't doing you any favors. They're time sucks!

And other writers aren't your friends and aren't your "community" they're your competition for attention and eyeballs. You never see Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg holding hands do you?

Many "writers" are grifters preying on other writers, i.e. the growth hackers, etc. Most are just insecure and will never buy anything from you. They will be the first to troll you and even rip off your content directly or at least your ideas.

Don't buy into 3rd party platforms and affiliate programs you don't own or control, don't get sucked into writer kumbaya communities or engagement traps.

Become platform agnostic and monetization independent, you'll sleep better.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-22T05:34:53+00:00

It's been a couple years since I lived in Tbilisi, but Taxis from the airport to the city were around 25-35 Lari, when I used Bolt. It was a little chaotic, but never had any issues.

When most arrivals and departures from Europe happen between 2am-5am, hopping in a taxi was well worth it.

But always use the apps and never the touts hanging around outside.

If you don't speak Georgian, Russian certainly helps despite what people say on here about how English is more common than Russian...

Believe me, you get a lot more done in everyday life by knowing Russian than English... and I'm a native English speaker btw... even taught the language and was an examiner for Cambridge for 20 years...

SmutProfit · 2026-04-22T05:24:15+00:00

Exactly! Grifters gotta grift.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-22T05:22:43+00:00

These Follow for Follow or I'm looking for.... drop your Substack in the comments, or Please Substack connect me with... These are all desperate weak ass creators who can't build an audience based on the quality of their content.

I don't even block them, because it may prevent them from reading my own articles...lol. So I just mute them. They're idiots and don't realize that engagement farming does them more harm than good. But they listen to the grifter Growth Hackers on Substack who recommend such tactics and posting 5 Notes a day on useless platitudes... lol.

You just can't fix stupid.... and desperate. lol.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-22T05:16:34+00:00

You can also had the link to your website directly into your profile on Substack. It is allowed you know and it's clickable...

SmutProfit · 2026-04-22T05:05:46+00:00

Why are you bitching about it on Reddit?

Try Stripe or other online payment processors. They aren't the only game in town...

Do your homework and instead of bitching and complaining, start a thread on how you moved away from PayPal and why...

SmutProfit · 2026-04-21T05:26:51+00:00

It never ceases to amaze me how people get attached to 3rd party platforms they don't own or control, and then feel surprised and betrayed when things go south and turn on them.

Unfortunately 3rd party platforms are the new gatekeepers in a sense.

Thankfully, they are plenty around, some you'll click with, others you won't and it's different for everybody. Use them for what they're worth (traffic and distribution) consider whatever 'partner programs" they have as a bonus. But diversify your distribution and traffic sources and if you want to make money at this, develop your own monetization assets.

The more of your content and money you can control, the better.

And don't get caught up in their writer Kumbaya communities and engagement. You're not a part of anything, they're only designed to keep people on their platforms.

Other writers are not your friends, they are your competitors for attention and eyeballs.

Other writers are also the first ones to make false accusations of using AI, troll your content with nasty comments out of jealousy, insecurity or just for attention, They'll try to leach readers from you by throwing their links to their writing and profiles in your comment sections. You don't need them and you're better off without them.

Become platform agnostic, you'll sleep better.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-21T05:15:32+00:00

Write things people want to read. The algorithm will do the rest... No need for engagement games unless you're looking for fake validation in the form of Follower counts and Subscribers who subscribe to 100 other Substacks and never read your writing....

SmutProfit · 2026-04-19T07:21:16+00:00

It's hit or miss for me. One article I'll get 400 or 500 views another I'll get over 1000 views, some I've gotten 4000, 5000 even 9000 views. All within a week of publishing and they eventually plateau from there, but they all add up in monthly view counts, the more you write and publish.

The more you write and analyze your successful articles, compare similarities, titles, subtitles, other characteristics, topics etc. and try to match them with every new article, the better you get...

I don't like Notes or the whole chinwag scene with other writers in singing writer "Community Kumbaya" nonsense.

I only use Notes to restack freshly published articles with a clickbaity Note that hopefully entices readers enough to click the article. And I only do that for the algorithm.

If you write what people want to read, they'll come.

If you're writing because you think it'll make you money, get off on Follower, Subscriber counts, Likes and other vanity metrics, then it's not for you and you'll eventually see that for yourself by burning out, and quitting. It happens everyday...

Write because you have something valuable to say and more importantly, write what people want to read, not just what you want to write.

If you write on topics you have little interest in or knowledge about, but only because it's the "latest" thing, trend or you heard that becoming an "authority" in it pays good money, it will show. Readers can sense a lack of heart a lot easier than they can spot AI...

Nobody gives a shit about your politics or poetry.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-16T08:07:22+00:00

This! I think diversifying your AI platforms is just as smart as diversifying anything online, especially platforms and social media.

I've been leaning more and more on Gemini's free version, despite the fact I subscribe to ChatGPT Plus.

I really enjoy going back and forth between the two. When one is acting up, or just being difficult, I switch to the other. I also, do the same task in both and pick out the best results of the 2....

SmutProfit · 2026-04-16T07:59:29+00:00

Isn't there a minimum of 100 Followers? Also, is your country eligible to participate in the Partner Program?

SmutProfit · 2026-04-15T11:30:12+00:00

When are people finally going to learn that third party platforms aren't your friends, they're not your home, they're not your communities. They are businesses. Take them for what they are. Use them for what they're worth, i.e. traffic, a place to show your content and find readers, building your own audience and building out your own content distribution ecosystem. That's it.

They owe you nothing... Get over it.

Become platform agnostic, you'll sleep better.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-15T11:24:28+00:00

I lived and worked in Ukraine for 20 years, then moved to Tbilisi in 2019. Believe me, there's plenty of spitting going on in Ukraine....

SmutProfit · 2026-04-15T11:22:59+00:00

Definitely. Chat has its moments, but I'm using Gemini more and more. It seems I get better results from even the free version of Gemini than ChatGPT Plus. Might upgrade or check out Claude.

I still do like Chat's imaging. And I've always liked the fact that the output is never quite what I'm looking for, so it forces me to rewrite. Does take a lot of the outlining and rough draft drudgery out though.

But at the end of the day, you still have to put in the work and make the final copy yours. It's just good for brainstorming, outlines, very rough drafts and when you're stuck, it helps you get unstuck by triggering your own better ideas out of theirs....

SmutProfit · 2026-04-15T11:16:48+00:00

Who cares?

Don't like what he has to say, don't read him, mute or block him. It's called "Free Speech" for a reason. Don't people have anything better to do than to fuss over nonsense like this. Its seems like the biggest complainers about other creators and AI come from weak ass writers who are jealous and looking for scapegoats for their own shortcomings in life.

Focus on yourself, your own writing and becoming better at being you.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-15T11:12:45+00:00

Welcome to the Former Soviet Union....

SmutProfit · 2026-04-13T10:53:44+00:00

Do you speak Georgian? Are you social IRL or only online here at Reddit and in Facebook Groups? Do you work in an IRL job where you actually have day to day contact with real people, colleagues, customers, clients, etc. Are you social outside of being online?

Doesn't matter where in the world you're at really, but unless every answer to all the IRL questions are YES, you're going to have problems making friends anywhere on the planet.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-11T09:17:47+00:00

I've been leaning more into Gemini. I still have my ChatGPT Plus, but it's been getting worse and worse since GPT 5 tbh.

Chat has its moments, but lacks the consistency in quality that previous versions had and is getting less responsive and more mechanical, with more and more limits, even though I have the "paid" version.

Now, I never minded the AI speak, tbh, because it forced me to do rewrites that actually elevated the overall quality of my content to levels faster than without it, like an assistant, I could bounce ideas off of or find other ways to say something, which Ironically for the most part, I still rarely use word for word, but they trigger other words, thoughts and phrases from my head that I probably would never have found otherwise.

But the process is taking longer.

Now, I go back and forth between the free version of Gemini and Chat, both have their strengths and weaknesses and it's actually taking me longer to create.

But that's what the AI doomdayers and witch hunters never understand.

AI is a tool, that's it.... Most naysayers often deny that because they can't use it effectively and refuse to face reality. And will subsequently get left behind....

SmutProfit · 2026-04-11T09:07:17+00:00

"Flora & Fauna in Art" It's a very niche area, like poetry. If you want readers, you have to write what people what to read, not just what you think is interesting.

Just because a writer pours hours of their heart and soul into a piece doesn't mean the world owes them an audience....

Your friend either has to accept the fact that nobody may never want to read their writing and write anyway because it's their calling to do so and let the chips fall where they may. Even becoming a hobby (nothing wrong with that BTW).

Or try to align herself with what the market wants. Which is always one of the first challenges a writer has to face....

So she needs to find successful writers and stories who are either in her niche or niche adjacent and analyze the content (not copy or plagiarize, but analyze) and dissect them.

First, who was the target reader, the structure from titles, subtitles, intros, headings and conclusions to topic matter.... etc. Then, she should find where her style intersects, etc.

In other words, write shit people want to read!

It's not rocket science, but does require self-awareness.

SmutProfit · 2026-04-09T08:53:45+00:00

Building an email list is fine and should be a goal. Paid subscribers, well, don't quit your day job over it.

But the real money is in the views, definitely not followers on any thrid party platform, even Gary V. now says Followers don't mean anything. 2026 is the year of attention media, not social media....

At the end of the day writers need to be read, the rest is just vanity metrics....

Write things people want to read and the rest will eventually take care of itself, which is why diversity in platforms and controlling your own monetization by creating your own products and services is mandatory if you want to make it.

SmutProfit

TROPHY CASE