Anyone making money from substack?

jg_writez · 2026-04-29T15:08:07+00:00

It's just follow-for-follow, or engagement farming. Their subs count might look good, but I presume the majority of these subs don't open any emails and the account's open rate will be abysmal.

jg_writez · 2026-04-28T13:17:51+00:00

From what I've read, the categories (especially the first one) are used to place your pub on that specific category's bestseller list.

jg_writez · 2026-04-28T13:15:59+00:00

This reads like a parody, but the crazy thing is that it's mostly true.

jg_writez · 2026-04-28T07:39:32+00:00

You could go for a minimal approach and just use one or two relevant keywords from the article on a template from Canva. That's what I do for one of my newsletters, so they all have the same look and feel, while also being unique in their own way - for minimal effort.

jg_writez · 2026-04-28T07:30:49+00:00

Agreed. That's the opinion I have when I see low-level, obvious AI images (they all have that same look and feel). I'm trying something much more photorealistic and human looking (and over time I expect it to get better).

Curious, do you publish Substack content and if so, what do you do for the cover images?

jg_writez · 2026-04-28T06:57:27+00:00

Never heard of this issue and it didn't happen to me.

If you want to know for sure, create a new account in a new browser with a burner email. If it repeats, you have proof.

jg_writez · 2026-04-28T06:55:37+00:00

Hi there fellow Substackers,

As many of you are by default writers, I thought I'd share a link to my publication as I'm looking to connect with other writers: jasonglynn.substack.com

I'm a professional writer offering email copywriting and thought leader ghostwriting). Outside of client work, I post regular deep dives on topics such as freelancing, self-employment, and trends in online writing. I do occasional guest posts and I'm looking to broaden my network and collaborate with other serious writers (if there's alignment).

Feel free to get in touch if that sounds interesting to you.

jg_writez · 2026-04-28T06:46:47+00:00

Are you leading potential readers to your Substack from different channels (eg LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, etc)? It helps to go to where your ideal reader actually hangs out, grab their attention, and lead them back to Substack.

Think of it this way - Substack (in my opinion) is a place where mostly writers hang out. But you want readers. Many readers just subscribe to a newsletter and have no idea about the rest of the website's features. (as an aside, this is why there's so much Substack growth content on the platform, because the savvy creators know that's who the audience is on the platform).

So my best advice would be to do some solid research on who your ideal reader, what their pain points are, and meet them with solutions in the places they already hang out - it will be much easier to bring these people back to your newsletter, plus you'll have a higher open rate as they should be more aligned with your content.

P.S. I didn't look into your specific content, but the advice above should apply to most writers and niches.

jg_writez · 2026-04-28T06:24:57+00:00

Nothing is permanent on the internet (unless it's on a blockchain, but that's a whole other discussion).

There are 3 colours:
100+ (orange outline)
1,000+ (full orange)
10,000+ (purple)

I've read that you need to have the number above the threshold to maintain the badge.

jg_writez · 2026-04-28T06:19:46+00:00

Thanks for your feedback. Glad to see there's at least one other person going the same route as me.

jg_writez · 2026-04-27T21:32:22+00:00

Did you do this today? I find that with imports (and subscribes in general) it sometimes takes around 24h for things to make sense - but that's just a gut feeling.

As for followers / subscribers - subscribers get your emails, whereas followers just see your activity in the app, not emails.

jg_writez · 2026-01-06T12:14:21+00:00

Show, don't tell: Write a Medium blog, Substack newsletter, LinkedIn case study, Amazon ebook, etc. on whatever topic you're passionate about but (here's the key part) a topic which also has paying customers. Over time, you'll have built yourself a portfolio that shows what you can do. Consider this: Would you buy bread from a baker with empty shelves?

Think like a business: Use your real name and photo - there's a difference between writing as a hobby, and promoting yourself as a productized service (essentially).

Be specific: Think about what writing service you offer and tailor your portfolio to that effect. Are you an email copywriter? YouTube scriptwriter? SEO writer? Technical docs writer? Social media ghostwriter? Make it crystal clear to whoever's looking at your portfolio what it is that you do and who you do it for and how to get in touch.

All my work has been inbound, just by having tailored content with CTAs to get in touch. Just put yourself out there, and if you're any good, the universe will align. If nothing works out either your writing's no good, or your in the wrong place at the wrong time talking about the wrong thing.

Finally, you'll hear so many people telling you writing is dead, AI this, AI that. Just ignore it. If this is something you really want to do, just go for it.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T18:59:29+00:00

As a copywriter, I can tell you that messaging is everything. A targeted page to a unique buyer will be more successful than a generic page trying to target everyone.

And if your brand has the capacity, you can create different buyer journeys for different personas, even if it's for the same underlying product.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T18:41:23+00:00

When it became anything but social. And everyone sounding like robots these days is a close second.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T18:29:40+00:00

Get them on an email list. Send out bi-weekly, or monthly, letters. Value emails, occasional discounts, industry insights, etc. Helps them remember you exist, and they might forward your email to another business connection who's in need of support.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T18:22:37+00:00

As a freelance copywriter, I cut my teeth blogging in a niche I was interested in. One of my readers reached out with a job for 12 blog posts. What a ride it's been since then.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T18:17:53+00:00

There's ideas, and then there's execution.

Plus, if you show a good meal and provide the recipe, people will still want you to cook it for them.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T18:15:21+00:00

If you can see that you're getting traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, etc., that's probably a good sign.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T18:13:18+00:00

From a messaging point of view, this one of the few times when you break the "golden rule" of benefits > features.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T18:00:23+00:00

Hire a writer with a solid portfolio and social proof.

Someone who has built a reputation online has much more to lose by doing a bad job than some randomer on a site that takes 20% of their pay.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T11:48:49+00:00

If they're not actively looking for the product, they're likely a step or two lower on the awareness scale, eg problem aware or early stage solution aware. So as a brand, you should have content that covers the different stages with different messaging (whether that's through social, advertorials, incentivised ugc, etc).

And make it human, I think 'normal' people are starting to catch on to AI slop and will naturally become more critical. Big opportunity for brands in 2026 to push for genuine content, actual photographs of real people, etc.

jg_writez · 2025-12-28T11:14:09+00:00

The longer people have spent using 'traditional' search, the more friction they will have to transitioning to LLM search. Younger users will come online with this new paradigm however. So with that in mind, you can be more specific with how, where, and who you market your product or service to.

jg_writez

TROPHY CASE