Saturday Morning Coffee ☕ #65

No really, it's fine.

➡️ If the thought of promoting your writing gives you the heebie-jeebies, make sure to download my free 3-page guide, Sharing Without The Cringe.

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Hey friend!

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⬇️ In case you missed it:

No-one’s reading my work - should I keep going?

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👀 Something you might like:

Struggling to start writing online?

Derek Hughes

’ Starter Kit gives you the clarity, consistency, and readers you’ve been missing — with step-by-step guidance, weekly live calls, and zero fluff.
Built for beginners. Proven to work. Get it here. 👇

Want to work with me to grow your audience and generate more income? Here’s how.

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💡 Your questions, my answers:

I received some questions in this week’s Q&A Chat thread - here’s my stab at answering them:

1. When you wrote your first public article, what was the topic about and what was your process for choosing?

*Goes back to check*

My first article (this one, lol) was published on June 12, 2023. It was nothing more than a placeholder explaining (not very well) what I planned to do with my new Substack publication in the near future. It’s actually a pretty good example of everything you shouldn’t do in a Substack post.

Learn from my mistakes and take more time putting together your first post. It doesn’t have to be a What To Expect sort’ve thing, either. Just dive into your topic of choice and start sharing it with your audience.

2. What’s the most challenging part of your writing process?

Knowing what to write about.

Once I have a clear topic in mind and my fingers hit the keys, I’m good to go. But often, choosing what to focus on is my biggest hurdle.

I’ve recently been experimenting with AI to help me identify my audience’s main struggles and goals, and then I write up my own thoughts on them. I don’t know if it’s something I’ll continue doing going forward, but so far it’s definitely helped me pinpoint some key areas of concern for my readers.

3. Can you work from anywhere? And if so, would you ever leave northern Ireland?

Great question!

I can work anywhere, but I’ve always found it hard to focus in public places like coffee shops. I need relative silence to write (I’ve started wearing noise-cancelling ear defenders when I’m writing fiction in the mornings). My preferred writing spot is at home in our guest bedroom.

In terms of countries, I can and have worked in a variety of places. I did a group Zoom call in Canada, wrote Sustack emails in Italy and added words to my novel in England.

However, as I get older, I feel increasingly at home on this little green island. Northern Ireland is a really nice place to live.

4. How did you find other writers in your niche? For context, I'm writing about sexual assualt, litigation, and healing with MDMA therapy, but the "community" the algorithm is giving me feels like bots or follow-for-follow content.

I know what you mean about the algo’s current choices, everything can feel very samey on Notes these days.

Your best bet is to use the Explore page to find other writers in your niche, subscribe to their publications and engage with their content. Follow, like, restack, comment. You’ll find plenty of fellow niche users in the conversations that happen at the foot of those articles and in the Notes the writers share.

It takes a bit of time, but the more you engage with the content you’re actually interested in, the more the algorithm will show you similar stuff.

Any thoughts on these questions/answers? Do you have any of your own?

Drop them in the comments! 👇

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🙂 Can you support me?

Paid subscriptions make up the bulk of my revenue as a writer. The more paying subscribers I have, the more time and effort I can invest in Substack. That’s more time spent writing articles, recording podcasts and videos, running webinars, and creating digital resources designed to help you succeed.

On the flip side, if I don’t get enough financial support, it becomes more and more difficult to maintain my presence here. I’m a one-man band, after all.

So if you enjoy my work and can afford to support me as a paid sub (and want to keep me on Substack for the long-haul), do consider upgrading to my paid tier. The sheer amount of content, insight and ongoing support you’ll receive will pay for your subscription many times over, especially if you become an annual subscriber.

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📖 This week’s juicy reading material:

• Here Is The Key To A Successful Writing Business by

  Mark Thompson

• Screw It – You Don’t Need to Become a Substack Bestseller by

  Matt Giaro ⚙️

• Don't Build Businesses! Build Projects! by

  Stevie Dillon

• I Posted the Same Content from Substack to Threads and Bluesky by

  Peter Voica

• The Writing Niche No One Talks About (But Pays Insanely Well) by

  Mindfulink

• 3 Dumb Ways I Find Ideas for Viral Content by

  Sami Sharaf

• Maximize Visibility with LinkedIn + Substack by

  Denise Wakeman

• How I turned my Substack into a printed magazine by

  Megan Moran

• Why Writing Online is Still the Best Online Side Hustle in 2025 by

  Jennifer Leach

• 10 Ways to Write Hooks (with examples) by

  Neal O'Grady

• Your Words Are Worth Something—Start Acting Like It by

  Jeff Herring

• How to Display Your Substack Feed on Your Personal Website (No Plugins Required) by

  Michael Macfadden

• How to Build a Luxury Brand Without Social Media Burnout by

  Carolynne Alexander

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📺 A good video:

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🗒️ A good Note:

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☑️ Go deeper:

• People Ask Me Why I Write

• The Truth About Those Big Milestone Moments in Writing

• Your Next Post Might Bomb Without These 4 Headline Components

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Have a brilliant weekend, gang! ⌛

PS. Don’t forget to grab my free 3-page guide, Sharing Without The Cringe, before you go.

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🤷‍♂️ What’s next?

I’m ready and waiting to support you in the next stages of your creator journey. Here’s how I can help:

1. Start Your Podcast on Substack: A complete course guiding you from concept to launch, based on everything I’ve learned so far during my own podcasting journey. Learn to plan, brand, record, edit, publish, and promote your podcast while building an audience. Perfect for creators eager to share their voice with the world.

2. Sustainable Scalable Social Strategy: This 6-part, online, self-driven course will guide you through the same process I used to develop a strategy for my social media management. When you finish, you’ll have a sustainable social strategy in place that will help you scale your business properly.

3. One-To-One Coaching: Live coaching sessions over Zoom plus a full video audit of your Substack publication. Ideal for those who want to grow their online presence, identify their key strengths, and develop a long-term business strategy. Upgrade to VIP Membership for full access.

4. Promote to 18,000+ readers: Get yourself in front of a highly-engaged online audience via email, podcast and social media.

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