No Following? No Problem (How I Went From 0 to 1.2k Subscribers in 3 months)
Think from your potential subscribers' perspective and the Notes conversion funnel.
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, who shares this intriguing and highly actionable piece about how to grow your Substack subscriber base through straightforward, internal self-promotion. This is a great read!My Substack Story
I published my first post on my Substack publication, Cognitive Wonderland, on May 3, 2024.
I had no following on Substack or any other form of social media. I didn't even share it with my friends or family.
On the three-month anniversary of my first post, I had 1,227 subscribers.
I don't write on hot trending topics like politics or AI. I'm a dork writing articles that critiquing analytical philosophy or explaining the (implausible) neuroscience of mind uploads.
I have little time for self-promotion. I'm not doing big social media campaigns or anything like that.
So how did my dorky publication get so much traction?
The disappointing answer is: I don't know. But I'm going to describe my mental model of self-promotion. I think it was at least one factor that helped me, so hopefully it can help you too.
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The Notes Funnel
All my insights on self-promotion come down to one simple idea: Think from the point of view of a potential subscriber.
Think about each stage someone goes through before they convert and what they experience at each stage.
Step 0. Promote to those primed to subscribe (Substack users)
Others have noted (hah) that Substack Notes is more effective than other social media for attracting subscribers.
There's a really simple reason for this: Anyone on Notes has a Substack account. They trust the platform and know what to expect from subscribing. The experience is smooth, they just hit a button and they're a subscriber.
Compare this to someone who comes across your publication from another platform (X/Threads/Bluesky, or one of the other countless "Twitters"). They hit your site and are asked to type in their email. They don't trust you, they likely don't trust Substack, and you're asking them to type out their email.
There's both more friction and less trust for users coming from other platforms.
Notes users are going to subscribe at a significantly higher rate. If you are only going to focus on one social media platform, it makes sense for it to be Notes.
Step 1. Reply to others to make them aware of your existence
Imagine the Notes users who are the perfect fit for your publication. They would absolutely love what you write. How are they going to find you?
Publishing articles and posting Notes isn't enough. If no one is interacting with your content, Substack won't promote it by putting it into people's feeds and suggestions. Your content hasn't proven itself yet.
If you have no followers, you need to interact with other people's content (by replying, commenting, or restacking). Interact with people writing things you find interesting, and the feeling may be mutual.
When starting from scratch, you won't just magically appear in the feed of your perfect subscribers. The onus is on you to initiate the contact.
Each time someone Likes one of your replies, the algorithm will make it more likely they'll see subsequent posts. Comment with authenticity and start conversations. If an interaction is positive, you'll likely come across each other again. Be patient and approach each interaction with an authentic desire to connect.
Each new like or follow or subscribe makes it a little bit easier.
Step 2. Pique interest with your name, display picture, and publication name
Imagine your perfect subscriber comes across one of your notes. What do they see? Look at this (typical dumb philosophy joke) of mine:
Obviously there's the content of the Note. I won't touch on the general Notes posting strategy (this is a good guide).
But notice there's more information here: My name, the name of my publication, and my display picture.
Those are important! Every person who sees any Note you post will see that information. How can you make sure that information would pique the interest of your perfect subscriber?
Think carefully about your name, display picture, and publication name.
Using your real name isn't a bad thing—it can help readers feel a personal connection. I use my real name. But it isn't the only choice. There are successful Substackers out there who opt for a more descriptive name, or put something about their topic in addition to their real name. Just try searching Substack for "People" with a noun like "Science":
These authors have the focus of their publication highlighted in bold at the top of every one of their notes.
Similarly, for display pictures, there's nothing wrong with using a selfie. But if you are using a selfie and just your real name, a lot is resting on your publication name to pique interest of potential readers. I suspect my brain-portal logo has done a lot for me. Its pixelation and portal creates a certain light-heartedness, evocative of video games. The brain helps give some vibes—this is someone interested in brain-stuff or "brainy" topics.
Finally, publication names. For my publication name, "cognitive" is evocative of the stuff I write. If it was simply "Tommy's Substack", I would be missing a big opportunity. Using a descriptive or evocative publication name will help pique interest and signal to your perfect readers you're worth looking into further.
You don't need to change all three of your name, display picture, and publication name to maximize interest. But if none of them pique the interest of your perfect subscriber, they'll see your Notes and just keep scrolling.
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Step 3: Inform and convert with your profile page
Let's say your perfect subscriber sees your note and you sparked their interest. What next? They'll likely click your profile for more information. They'll see something like this:
Right at the top is your bio. I see so many bios that say something like "Writer at [publication]". If you do that, you're declaring to every prospect that there's nothing notable about you. Not the best self-promotion technique.
Your bio should establish why you're someone worth reading and what to expect of your writing.
I lead with "PhD" because it establishes my credibility. I mention neuroscience, philosophy, and science fiction, indicating the topics I'm interested in.
You don't need to be an expert to be someone worth reading. But if you have some relevant expertise, this is the place to use it. If you don't, think about why someone might be interested in reading you, in particular. What is it about you that your perfect subscriber would find compelling? Maybe your demographics or a life experience you've had. Think about why someone would want to hear your voice, and try to articulate that.
Your profile also contains your publication's description, which should establish the kinds of topics to expect and why someone should want to read it.
Finally, they see your posts, starting with the most recent. Choosing a good title and cover image for each article isn't just advertising for the article, but also for your publication as a whole when someone sees your profile. Take some time to get them right.
If from your profile you look interesting enough, someone will invest the time to either read an article or outright subscribe.
Concluding Thoughts
The internet is a big, busy place, and people need a sign that you have something they want. Your perfect subscribers won’t spend their time painstakingly reading an article of everyone they come across hoping to find your publication. It's too much effort to ask of them.
Taking the perspective of your perfect subscribers puts into perspective the importance of features of your profile. Luckily, these are things you get to just "set and forget". Once you're happy with them, they take on some of the effort of self-promotion on their own.
Make the job of your perfect subscribers easier.
Think from their perspective.
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Sound advice! Every day, I run across people on Notes who don't clearly describe their substack. Some of them may be here just to read. (We need more people like that!) But at least a few have a substack but just don't provide much incentive to take a look at it.
It is wonderfully presented, incredibly helpful, informative pieces like this that puts you at the top off my list when I can finally afford upgrade to paid subscriptions on my favorite stacks. Thanks, as usual! 😁