For the past two years, I’ve been going all-in on Substack.

Together with my two co-founders, we’ve grown our publication to 44,000+ subscribers and 1,400+ paid subscribers - and leveraged Substack to build a $50k per month digital business.

So, it’s safe to say I believe Substack is one of the best platforms out there right now for creators, professionals, and founders who want to build a real audience and a real business.

But here’s the thing: I see a lot of people flocking to Substack right now with expectations that don’t match the reality of the platform.

And when reality doesn’t match expectations, people quit — often right before things were about to actually work out.

That’s why I wanted to share four things you need to understand before you go all-in on Substack, so you’re approaching it with the right mindset and strategies.

What separates the Substack creators who build real audiences from those who struggle, stall, or quietly give up?

Having worked with hundreds of successful creators, I can tell you it’s rarely just tactics.

The biggest differences almost always start with mindset and belief — and only then show up in tactics and results.

So whether you’re brand new to Substack, you’ve been at it for a while, but growth feels slow, or you’re already doing well and want to reach the next level, here are the 10 habits I see consistently in the Substack creators who succeed.

In this episode, we walked through the exact 8-step process we followed to take our latest mini-course, Substack Notes Simplified, from first idea to 5-figure launch in under 14 days. ----If you do ONE thing for your creator business this year, make it this: build a mini-course that generates revenue on autopilot.We'll show you exactly how in our free masterclass this Wednesday, March 11. Reserve your seat today: https://go.writebuildscale.com/livemasterclass

💻 Want a profitable mini-course idea tailored specifically to you?

Answer a few quick questions, and I’ll personally suggest a mini-course idea based on your background, skills, and audience.

It’s free. Takes two minutes. And it might be the most valuable thing you do today:

→ [Get your personalized mini-course idea here]

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Over the past few weeks, we’ve been getting so many questions from our community about mini-courses.

Questions about whether they’re right for you, how to get started, what a “mini-course” even means, and whether you actually need a big audience to make it work.

So I figured: why not dedicate an entire episode to answering your biggest questions all in one episode?

That’s exactly what we’re doing today.

Let’s dive in.

I created my very first digital product almost a decade ago.

Since then, I’ve created and launched dozens more - online courses, workshops, eBooks, templates, tools - across different niches and different businesses.

Over the years, those products have generated multiple six figures in revenue.

And I’m still a big believer in digital products.

Why?

Because you put in the work once, and then the product can sell around the clock.

While you’re sleeping.

On the weekends.

On random Mondays when you’re not even thinking about it.

Digital products have always been at the center of every online business I’ve built.

But if you’re thinking about creating your first (or next) digital product, there are a few things you should know before you start.

These are lessons I learned the hard way - through trial and error.

Let’s dive in.

We just launched our brand-new Substack publication, Smarter Substack.

Subscribe to Smarter Substack: https://www.smartersubstack.com/

The idea behind Smarter Substack is simple.

It’s a one-stop newsletter that curates the best resources about Substack growth and monetization - from all kinds of different Substack experts.

Subscribe to Smarter Substack: https://www.smartersubstack.com/

We wanted to create one place on Substack where people can find the most relevant, useful, and trustworthy information about growing on Substack.

Not just from us - but from dozens of different Substack creators.

If you’re serious about growing on Substack, there’s one feature you really can’t afford to ignore.

And no, it has nothing to do with creating more content.

And it definitely has nothing to do with shouting louder or promoting yourself 24/7.

It’s pretty much a set-it-and-forget-it feature that runs quietly in the background, while bringing in 100s or even 1000s of new subscribers over time.

(I know that sounds a bit too good to be true. But it’s very real.)

I’m talking about Substack’s newsletter recommendation feature.

You’ve probably seen it before.

You might already be using it.

But in my experience working with hundreds of Substack creators, this feature is still massively underused and undervalued.

And that’s a missed opportunity.

Listen to this episode to learn how to leverage the full power of Substack recommendations.

In this episode, I’m joined by Philip Hofmacer, and we dive deep into how he built his first online course, what he learned from generating multiple 6-figures with courses, and what he would do differently if he started from scratch today.

🧰 Download Your Substack Starter Kit (Free): https://www.writebuildscale.com/podstarterkit/

📙 Subscribe To Write • Build • Scale on Substack: https://writebuildscale.substack.com/

In this value-packed episode, we covered:

- How Philip accidentally stumbled into online courses (00:38)

- Why first-time course creators often focus on the wrong things (03:05)

- Why the mindset of “Published over perfect” and shipping fast is key (07:47)

- How Philip’s first $1.36 payout set him up for multiple six figures in revenue later (10:29)

- How Philip went from $1.36 to $5,200/month in just a few months (15:04)

- Why building an email list would have made him 10x more money in the long run (22:36)

- The most important question to answer before building your first online course (31:06)

And much, much more…

In this episode of the WBS podcast, I’ll answer 21 of the most common questions we received about Substack.

We’ll cover all sorts of questions, like:

• What should you focus on if you’re new to Substack?

• How often should you publish per week?

• How do I decide what to put behind the paywall?

• How long should an average Substack post be?

• How does Substack compare to other platforms like LinkedIn?

• Can you use Substack to sell your books and attract coaching clients?

• Is it smart to have multiple publications, or should you have only one?

And much, much more…

In this episode, I’m joined by Benjamin Hies, and we break down how he turned his publication, Digital Citizen, into a Substack bestseller (with 100+ paid subscribers) and a thriving online business.

If you want to learn how to attract more paid subscribers - and turn your publication into multiple sources of revenue - you’re going to love this episode.

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Benjamin is part of our private Substack coaching program.

If you want to apply for private Substack coaching so we can personally help you grow and monetize your publication faster, click here: https://form.jotform.com/260063396621051

(Limited spots available.)

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Subscribe to Benjamin's publication here: https://www.clubcitizen.co/

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Here’s exactly what we cover:

- The biggest mistake Benjamin made on Substack: writing for “everyone” instead of one clear reader (02:52)

- The curse of knowledge: why writing basic content often performs best (05:45)

- How Benjamin became a Substack Bestseller in 8 months (12:20)

- The exact content + pricing strategy that pushed him past 100 paid subscribers (13:37)

- Why paid subscriptions are just the starting point of monetization, not the end goal (24:49)

- How Benjamin added a $5,000 consulting offer to his Substack (26:22)

- What new Substack creators who want to build a business on the platform should start doing (28:38)

- Why Benjamin recommends being “impatient with actions, but patient with results” (29:45)

And much, much more…