"I wrote a Substack post and nobody read it. So what next?"
Writing on Substack can feel like shouting into the void, so where can you find your readers?
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As an avid trawler through Notes and the Substack subreddit, one of the most common complaints from newer (or even regular) users of the platform is that they have been unable to find any readers for their latest posts.
“I spent hours writing a post, hit publish and then nothing happened. What am I doing wrong?”
The thing about Substack is that, at its very core, it’s simply a blog hosting platform. If you created a website on WordPress, posted a few blogs and then never shared it anywhere, would you expect lots of random people to find and read your writing? Of course not.
The key to finding readers is being proactive, and there’s no ‘quick hack’ to getting anywhere with that, despite what some creators will tell you.
Today I’m talking about a few spaces that you can use to find your audience, but I’ll caveat this by pointing out that there is no shortcut or easy method for growing. Many of the bestsellers on Substack are actually self-made. They didn’t arrive at the platform with huge audiences, but rather worked hard to find and grow their audience.
The most common, and easiest space to use to find readers, is on social media.
Now, if you’re anything like I am, you’ve grown to hate social media. It’s a sad, depressing place to be, and since I deleted many of the apps I’ve become far happier. What I will say, however, is that you will probably find that large sections of your readership are found on different social media platforms.
To work out where, you need to think a little bit about your audience.
Say, for example, that you run a Substack about crafts (knitting, crochet and the like). Well, who is your target audience? If you thought that your audience would consist largely of Gen X women, it might be that Facebook and within that, different Facebook groups and pages, could be the place to find readers.
If you were running a Gen Z themed fashion Substack, you’d probably want to utilise Instagram to find readers as this is where much of your potential audience is going to spend their time.
Branching out to all social media is probably too broad. You can’t cover all of them effectively and because they are too big and with too much variety, odds are you’ll just end up burning yourself out.
Writers and readers use Twitter often, and Bluesky to a lesser (but growing) extent. Certain generations prefer to use Facebook. People with specific, niche interests often spend time on Reddit. To work out which sites to target, and where to find your readers, ask yourself what a typical reader might look like.
You’re not pigeonholing what an average reader of your newsletter looks like, but rather trying to think of the spaces online where they can be found. And if you’re an expert in the topic you’re writing about, you likely already know where that is.
Of course, social platforms aren’t the only method for growth. Forums, newsletter aggregators, or even including your Substack in your email signature can all help you grow without the stress of social media.
Substack Notes, while a little like social media already, is also helpful.
Notes are amazing if you can use them right. I’ve written about Notes before in more detail, but essentially this is the built-in social media aspect of Substack. Since Substack now shows you specific stats, I’m able to see that I have gained hundreds of new subscribers in the last 12 months from specific Notes I’ve posted on the platform.
You can share your posts, write Notes of your own, like and comment on the words of others, and generally find and engage with the people in your niche.
Substack Notes has no clearly defined algorithm, and you will likely have to work at it a little to find the content that’s relevant to you. If you’re writing about TV and film, but see a Notes feed filled with nothing relevant, you need to put a little bit of work in to change it.
That means following, liking, commenting and engaging with writers in a similar niche. By doing this you’ll not only curate your feed to something that works for you, but also find readers along the way.
By building up contacts in this way, you might also be able to find writers with Substack newsletters who want to cross-recommend, helping both of you to grow.
And generally, cross-promotions are another great way to grow.
This might be through Substack recommendations, but it can also look a little different.
A Q&A swap is one of my favourite methods for cross-promotion (and might even only be one way—just you interviewing someone else or vice versa). For example, I’ve been interviewed by Ciler at Newsletter Circle, and will soon be sharing the reverse interview on the FWN.
Otherwise, you might develop relationships in the community and propose a single, co-authored piece that goes out to both of your audiences. This kind of collaboration not only introduces work to a new audience, but also improves your credibility, since you’re effectively endorsed by someone already known to a similar audience.
You could also curate thematic bundles with other writers. By this, I mean a curated list of newsletters focused on one theme. It could be a group of you share a different version of ‘Three Best Substacks for Crochet Lovers’, and in each post you rotate around who you recommend, but ultimately you all suggest each other.
Cross-promotion works best when it’s authentic and thoughtful. I recommend non-writing focused Substack newsletters because I simply enjoy reading them, but otherwise my recommendations are all relevant to who my readers are, meaning they are more likely to subscribe to them.
Ultimately, there is no one way to grow, and certainly not a way that’s quick! But what you’ll find across the board is that so many successful writers on Substack are doing something to promote their work.
And just because you can’t see all of it, it doesn’t mean it’s easy for them. The sheer volume of hours I spent in promoting the Freelance Writing Network in its first six months was slightly crazy, but you would only have seen a snippet of that at most publicly.
Have a go, get stuck in, and see if you can find the audience for your Substack. Because trust me, they’re out there.
Have you tried any of these strategies to find your audience? Or something completely different? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
And if you appreciated reading this post, I’d really appreciate it if you would consider sharing on your platform!
Part of my approach has been engaging with people in Notes like it's my job. Giving feedback on their work, sharing my own, and just generally trying to connect with other writers in a genuine way. It's been working well for me so far!
To me, writing here is a bit like working out. You don't do one workout and expect to see dramatic results immediately. You don't stop exercising just because the results aren't immediately obvious. You know it's going to take time so you keep going. This is the long game, it's not necessarily going to be instant. Keep sharing Notes and engaging here and elsewhere. Don't think short-term. Never give up!!