The Substack Success Podcast

So many writers want to be featured by Substack. It can bring thousands of new subscribers. Being featured signals you're producing authentic work, not AI content. It puts you in excellent company with other quality creators. Today, we're talking about the one thing that actually matters for Substack success—and it's not posting more, growing faster, or any of the surface-level tactics everyone's obsessing over. I take you inside how Substack decides who to feature. Go to www.substackwritersatwork.com [http://www.substackwritersatwork.com] and get the workflow I created to help you raise the quality of your posts to featured-Substack level. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe [https://www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com [https://www.substackwritersatwork.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7] To listen to the full episode and watch the workshop, become a paid subscriber: www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe [http://www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe] Too often on Substack, we feel pressure to constantly produce lengthy, polished posts. Or we think that “quality” = more: longer posts or simply more “stuff,” i.e., video, audio, etc. We end up overextended and stressed, feeling like “nothing is working,” which really is a signal that we’re working too hard, i.e., putting too much energy into Substack in ways that don’t benefit us or our readers. What if we could make Substack much, much easier on ourselves and (maybe) give our readers more? → Enter the Nugget post. 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 00:20 The Stress of Growing on Substack 01:34 The Relaxing Approach to Substack 04:31 Introducing the Substack Nugget Post 08:26 Examples of Substack Nugget Posts 11:22 Creating Your Own Nugget Post 14:12 Sharing and Personalizing Your Nugget Post 22:51 Sharing Personal Experiences and Insights 23:37 The Concept of Roundup Posts 24:24 Staying Within Your Niche 25:37 Creating Genuine Content 26:42 The Importance of Authenticity 27:27 Balancing Paid and Free Content 27:55 Modeling Desired Behaviors 29:00 Engaging with Your Audience 30:46 Overcoming Perfectionism 31:36 Practical Tips for Content Creation 36:30 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

* Become a paid subscriber to listen to the replay: www.writersatwork.net Are you feeling confused, overwhelmed, or pretty much lost on Substack? Get clear, feel at ease, and feel confident that you belong on the platform. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe [https://www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

In case you missed our live with two amazing Substack writers and humans, who are also my clients, I’m going to give you the full recap (below) and the replay (above). Emma Vivian [https://substack.com/profile/231335012-emma-vivian] is the creator of Attempts at Optimism by Emma Vivian [https://open.substack.com/pub/emmavivian]. Petya K. Grady [https://substack.com/profile/3251207-petya-k-grady] is the creator of A reading life [https://open.substack.com/pub/petya]. We talk about how they discovered the core of their Substacks while working with me. What is your Substack? * 00:52 Understanding Your Substack DNA * 03:03: Petya’s A reading life [https://open.substack.com/pub/petya] * 04:49 Emma's Attempts at Optimism by Emma Vivian [https://open.substack.com/pub/emmavivian] * 05:41 Petya’s Substack journey * 08:16 Emma’s Substack journey * 10:57 Importance of finding your Substack DNA * 14:52 How Petya went from Lifequakes to A Reading Life and 400 subscribers to over 7500 in one year and being featured by Substack three (3!) times * 15:30 How Emma came to Substack with her cancer story Am I Cured Yet? and shifted to Attempts at Optimism and grew from 0 subscribers to over 500 in just four months * 20:43 Learning from Other Substacks * 33:05 Navigating paid subscriptions * 36:34 Building a community on Substack * 42:28 What draws people is the person behind the Substack—you are your Substack DNA * 50:37 Your Substack DNA is the conversation you want to have with your readers * 53:27 Value of exploration in finding your Substack DNA * 55:02 Sharing your unique worldview This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe [https://www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Notes Boost Challenge * (00:00:22) Introduction to the Notes Boost Challenge * Created when Substack introduced notes * Notes is now 2 years old and offers phenomenal growth potential * (00:01:21) Purpose of the Notes Boost Challenge * Created to connect Substack writers with each other * Helps writers gain visibility through engagement * Not about frequency but quality of engagement * (00:03:11) How the Notes Boost Challenge works * Writers share notes in comments * Others can boost notes they genuinely like * Creates community and connection between writers * (00:04:05) Mental health considerations * Emphasis on keeping Notes a mentally healthy space * Recommendation to limit time in the main notes feed * Notes Boost helps avoid toxic aspects of social media * (00:06:01) Participation process * Post your note in the comments * Others find and boost notes they genuinely like * Will separate into categories (culture, health, literature, etc.) * (00:07:32) Timing of Notes Boost * Emails go out at 9 AM daily * Being early increases traction * Will add afternoon boost at 2 PM (everything closes at 5 PM) * (00:09:49) Types of notes that get traction * Tweet-like short posts * Facebook-style life updates * Instagram-style photos with captions * Longer text-only posts with a story/narrative * Avoid links in posts * (00:14:13) SEO in notes * Using keywords helps visibility * Search for your topic to see what works * Curate your feed for better experience * (00:16:44) Importance of authentic voice * Don't use AI - readers can tell * Voice and tone are what AI can't duplicate * Personal stories and authentic voice get traction * (00:18:01) Growth potential * Example of client gaining 5,000 subscribers from one note * Email lists are valuable assets for authors * (00:20:59) Export your subscribers monthly * Critical safety tip after someone accidentally deleted their Substack * Export CSV files regularly to protect your subscriber list * (00:22:54) Time management advice * Don't engage with notes constantly * Just be in Notes Boost once a day during the 21-day challenge * Takes about an hour a day to participate meaningfully * (00:36:33) Final tips * Post an "introduce yourself to Substack" note * The challenge runs for 21 days, then you get time off * Take advantage of the growth opportunity while it lasts This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe [https://www.substackwritersatwork.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]