5 things I'd do if I was starting a Substack tomorrow

Real advice for avoiding early burnout.

5 things I’d do if I was starting a Substack tomorrow

Want to start a Substack?

Perhaps you’ve got opinions you need to share, a burning itch to write or you’re just bored of sharing threads on Twitter. Whatever the reason, it’s easy to overthink every single part of launching a newsletter.

I’ve started and worked on a bunch of different Substack publications, so today I’m sharing what I’d do if I was starting a newsletter tomorrow.

And don’t worry if you’ve already started, you might just find some valuable insight in here as well.

Hold off on monetising

I wouldn’t rush any paywalls. Not unless I had something that people would genuinely want to purchase, like a specific tool or guide. Substack can make you money - a little, some, a lot. But if you start from the first day with that mindset, you’re heaping pressure onto yourself.

Paid growth takes time. It’s usually slower than we’d like. And crucially, it takes time to find your feet. Once you’re in a rhythm of posting, and happy you have the time required to run paid offerings (unless it’s an option but everything is free), that’s the time to focus on monetising.

Start too early and it’ll demoralise you when you aren’t earning thousands within a few months. It can happen, but it’s rare. You’re better off taking your time and familiarising yourself with a solid routine first.

Use outside channels to find readers

Substack isn’t a magical traffic machine. If you only post on Substack, your main audience is likely to be the one you brought with you (if any), or however many people you can entice from Notes. It’s a huge growth engine, but it shouldn’t encompass all of your subscribers.

I’d figure out where my potential readers already hang out, be that on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook groups, Reddit - wherever it is - and put myself there.

That doesn’t mean spamming links. I’d join in with the community where I could add value or genuinely join the conversation. It might mean sharing insights, answering questions, or dropping links only when they’re useful. Building a new audience takes time - prepare yourself for that.

Prepare the basics

Many of the writers I work with are still building out their newsletters, and often aren’t sure what to do with certain basic features like the welcome email or about page.

Treat these spaces like a virtual welcome mat. Write something about yourself, share some posts as you write them, and tell readers what to expect. Assume new subscribers know absolutely nothing about you, and prepare them for what they’re going to see in their inbox.

First impressions stick, and a little effort at the beginning saves confusion down the line. You can set and forget too. Once the welcome email is done, you only need to check it every few months or so.

Create a manageable content plan

I love a spreadsheet as much as the next person, but planning months of content, a podcast and a video channel before you’re in a repeatable emailing cadence is a recipe for disaster.

I’d sketch out a rough content plan: some themes you’ll write about, a few posts you can share, things you can deliver regularly.

Focus on making promises you can actually keep. If you’re not sure if you can write three essays a week, just start with one. You can always add more later.

Nobody grades you on ambition, remember. Readers want consistency most of all.

Ignore the metrics

Every platform tells you to check your stats, but watching open rates and subscriber numbers jump (or stall) every day isn’t productive.

In the early days, I’d ignore the numbers as much as possible and focus on writing something worth reading.

Yes, metrics will matter eventually (if you want them to). But obsessing over them too soon is just a shortcut to disappointment.

I’d let the numbers tick along in the background and only check them once in a while. They just aren’t important when you’re getting started.

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What do you think is the most important aspect of starting a Substack? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Thinking of starting a Substack, but want actionable support and guidance?

I run a specific 1-2-1 coaching session for new creators, where we run through whether an idea is viable, plan out some content and create a checklist of steps you can take to create your Substack with confidence. If you want genuine, actionable support through the process → Book a session with me!