Everything I Learned in My Three Months on Substack

An honest breakdown of my struggles, progress, stats, and some life lessons so far

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I've been staring at this blank page for fifteen minutes, unsure where to begin. There's so much to contemplate, organize, and express as I reflect on my short yet incredible journey on Substack so far.

The last time I felt like this was while writing my first article for Substack, consumed by self-doubt, questioning if I could even call myself a writer.

What should I write about? How should I write it? Am I any good? Will anyone actually want to read what I have to say?

I eventually managed to tell my overthinking brain to shut the eff up and decided to simply write about why I was writing online, and that led to my first post on Substack—"5 Things That Stopped Me from Writing Online and 5 Things That Inspired Me to Finally Do It."

Looking back, I realize it wasn’t perfect. The headline was too long, the listicles were overdone, and the post lacked refinement. If I had to write it again, I would write it differently but it’s a good thing, right? It means I’m gradually improving as a writer.

As I make this naive attempt to summarize my three-month journey on Substack, new waves of self-doubt are creeping in. I've reached 130 subscribers in three months—but is that enough? I’ve seen others hit 300 subscribers in the same time, and some even reach 500 in less than two months. Is my writing not good enough? Am I even posting anything useful? Should I change the theme of my newsletter? or the way I write?

Screenshot from my Substack account

And to think, in the first week of starting my Substack, my major goal was to reach 100 subscribers but when I finally hit that number, I wanted more. It’s like when you always wanted a Kia, got the Kia, and felt awesome but then you saw someone with a Mercedes, and suddenly, the Kia doesn’t feel like a reward.

Funny how our desires work. There is always something more to achieve, more to want, more to crave. Because if we stop wanting anything more, life starts to taste bland and looks meaningless. Desires are the horses that keep our carriage of life moving forward.

Thankfully enough, I recognized these emotions, gave myself space to feel them without beating myself up, and decided to let go of them eventually. I shifted my focus to the positives and all that I’ve loved about my Substack journey so far, which made me feel nothing but grateful.

Heck, I made it to over 100 subscribers when I thought no one would even read my stuff!

I’ve connected with so many amazing people and built a little tribe that constantly encourages and supports me.

I’m finally putting myself out there, expressing my thoughts to the world—and that’s a wonderful feeling. Quite liberating.

Here’s how it all started…

Three months ago, I decided to start writing on Substack. I had no significant social media following or email list to import. I was starting from scratch. My only online writing experience was with Quora, where I was active in 2018-19 and gained over 1,800 followers. I had to stop due to some personal reasons and the growth stagnated.

To ensure I wouldn’t give up on Substack halfway through, I challenged myself to write consistently for at least one year, no matter what. This commitment has kept me going on days when I wasn’t happy with my progress.

This is what I did before signing up for Substack:

• Googled how to write a newsletter and watched YouTube videos on the same. Honestly, I had never even read a newsletter before, so writing one was a far-fetched dream.

• Looked on YouTube for Substack tips and stumbled upon Kristina God’s and Hudson Rennie’s channels, both of which provided valuable information to get me started.

• Made a list of at least ten topics I wanted to write about so I wouldn’t run out of content.

Here’s what I did after signing up:

• Prayed to Lord Ganesha and published my first newsletter. I received three likes, including one from my husband and a comment from Prajna O’Hara, which was enough to keep me going.

• Posted consistently on X but didn’t get much response, so I quit and focused entirely on Substack.

• Followed and subscribed to the publications I liked and started posting Notes.

The struggle was real…

For about a month, I barely received any engagement on my Notes or newsletter. It felt like posting into a void and even my stats were stuck like an elephant in a car. It was disheartening to the point that I started treating Notes as my public journal where I could write whatever I wanted, without giving much thought—no one was reading it anyway!

I was feeling desperate, overwhelmed by the platform's features, and frustrated that my efforts seemed in vain. I saw publications recommending each other and wondered how I could get one. After watching some more YouTube videos, I learned that you need to ask for recommendations.

I was ignorant enough to reach out to some large publications with over a thousand subscribers, hoping they’d recommend my publication, with a mere 42 subscribers. It was a foolish attempt, but luckily, those people were kind enough to steer me in the right direction.

Then things kicked off a little…

I was constantly writing Notes and starting to get a hang of it. One day, one of my Notes grabbed a bit of attention, followed by another that performed slightly better. Slowly but steadily, things began to pick up, and I had a newfound enthusiasm for Substack. I decided to focus on becoming a better writer rather than obsessing over numbers. That’s what I’m here for after all!

But it isn’t as easy as it sounds right? As writers, we often don’t feel good about our work unless we see those likes and comments. The truth is, that anyone who puts their work out publicly seeks validation. They need validation. No one writes solely for themselves—otherwise, they’d just keep a private journal, not post online. I’m no exception. I still wanted more people to read my work, but I also decided to prioritize providing genuine value to my readers.

Above all, I didn’t want to lose my peace of mind while preaching mindfulness in my newsletter. How ironic would that be!

Screenshot of a Note I posted on June 8th

Things that helped my Substack grow:

• Posted consistently on Notes.

• Engaged genuinely with the community, including reading, liking, sharing, and commenting on others’ Notes and posts.

• Recommended some of my favorite Stacks.

• Responded to every single DM or comment I received.

  

  Most of the growth has happened in the last two months. The first month was drab. I’m making slow but steady progress at present.

Things I would never do while trying to grow my Substack:

• Ask for recommendations from people I barely know.

• Leave links to my Stack in people’s DMs or Notes.

• Post unnecessary questions or Notes just to drive engagement without adding any value to readers.

• Take my readers for granted. They’re here for good content, and that should always be my primary focus.

I reached 100 subscribers on August 5th and gained 31 more since then. My subscriber count has been growing more rapidly since hitting the 100 mark, and five publications are recommending me at present. I’m deeply grateful to all of you for that.

My three months on Substack have taught me a lot about writing, but most importantly, I’ve learned:

• To focus more on my actions and less on the outcome.

• To enjoy the process without worrying about the results.

• To be consistent and dedicated to my work.

• To break down the walls I’ve built over the years and be honest and vulnerable in my writing.

• To celebrate others’ successes and not compare my journey with theirs.

• To build genuine connections and help others in any way I can.

With all this in mind, I know I have a long way to go. I’m finally doing what I love the most, and I’ll continue to do so with the following thoughts in mind,

You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction. -Bhagwad Gita

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to some fellow Substackers who have brought some pivotal changes in my journey so far.

Thank you, Don Boivin, for your detailed feedback on one of my early essays. Your insights were exactly what I needed to refine my writing style.

Thank you, Teri Leigh, for the opportunity to collaborate on something we’re both passionate about. It's been a rewarding experience.

Thank you, Marie Vandoorne, for encouraging me to open up more in my writing. Your feedback has helped me grow as a writer.

Thank you, Mladena, for being the first publication to recommend me. Your support provided a much-needed boost to my newsletter, leading to tremendous growth.

And last but certainly not least, thank you to all my wonderful subscribers. I’m honored that you’ve found my newsletter worthy of a place in your inbox. I promise to continue sharing essays and stories that add value to your life.