The Top 10 Common Substack Mistakes
If you're frustrated, check the list.
A simple error can cause endless frustration. Make sure you’re not making your experience on Substack harder than it needs to me.
Making your Substack Invisible.
On your profile page (website or app, not your publication), click on Edit Profile. Scroll down until your see “Writes.” There is a toggle beside each of your Substacks. If it’s toggled off, then your Substack won’t appear on your profile. The posts won’t appear in your list of posts. You’re invisible. The only way to subscribe or read will be to go to publication directly.
A few times now, I’ve come across struggling writers who had no idea they’d made their publication vanish.
Generic Descriptions
Everyone gets caught up in the idea of having a niche, and that’s not what I’m talking about here when I say you have to make a promise. What are you offering, and how does your personal story relate to that offer? Make your promise interesting. Share an aspect of your personal history that relates to that promise—and people will know if they want to subscribe.
You can absolutely write whatever interests you in the moment, but that’s not your promise. Of all those things that interest you, what comes up frequently that other people will relate to? Make that your promise, and they write about that thing at least a third of the time—more, if you’re actively following the niche advice.
A Lack of Meaningful Titles or Images
Give your Substack a title that reflects your promise and isn’t telling people “this is mine.” Give some thought to your post headlines. Here’s a headline analyzer that can help:
Don’t leave up the generic images. People want to get a sense of who you are through your images.
Rarely Posting
If you’re well-known and write glorious articles and stories beyond the abilities of mere mortals, maybe a monthly schedule will work. Otherwise, consider weekly your minumum.
Bitter Negativity
Substack still manages to be a positive space overall. The usual “negativity sells” doesn’t work as well here. That may change.
Thinking Substack is just Social Media
Substack has a social media component, Notes, to help you find an audience. It’s a huge growth factor to have a place where people want you to share your posts and talk about your writing! But confuse the two. Your publication is its own universe, and not everyone who subscribes will be on Notes.
Subscribing Only to the Superstars
One of your goals when your new here should be building a community. The first 25 people who subscribe to you, subscribe back. Interact. Get to know other writers with publications your size, especially if they’re writing about similar topics.
Also, we meet in the Literary Salon chat to support one another’s posts. Even if you just share your posts and interact with the posts of others, you’ll be building your community. Those people you interact with frequently start appearing more in your feed. You get to know one another. It’s a big help.
Overselling
You’re building relationships, not making an infomercial. We all want people to read our posts, and we expect you to self promote. That’s cool here, but if you’re not being genuine and instead shout about how your the best thing on Substack—people get annoyed.
The Hidden Paywall
Substack recommends you turn on paid subscriptions right away. You get a little nudge for doing so, and you never know when someone will pay you for doing this thing for free. However, be careful about your paywalls. Don’t surprise your reader. Goodwill matters, and you lose that goodwill if your reader invests time into reading your story only to be surprised with a paywall.
Paywalling Everything Too Soon
I’ve come across writers who need the money, and even though they’re brand new, they’ve slapped everything behind a paywall. If no one can read your stuff, you better have a funnel outside of Substack pouring in readers eager to pay—becaue otherwise you won’t grow. This doesn’t work. People don’t pay for a stranger’s words.
Substack isn’t a switch you flip to stop being broke. You have to give people something they want and make them want more.
—Thaddeus Thomas
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A good roundup with easy remedies.
After checking a few other outside posts, found yours which solved my "invisible" issue! 👻Thank you!