Here Is Something All New Writers Need to Know

The invasion of the market writers is here.

Oct 27, 2024

A writer is sat at a desk, writing. All around them are people trying to sell them something

I love the fact that Substack is growing, but I hate the invasion of marketers. Here is something few new writers know.

Some creators on here offer courses on how to make it on Substack. They are not worth the money; most of them churn out the same rubbish on how to kill it on Medium, LinkedIn, etc. I swear they have just hit find and replace and changed the platform's name.

What these courses do offer, though, are discord communities where when you post a link to your note. Everyone is then encouraged to like and comment on everyone else’s. It’s a con. Leave the discord server. Stop paying $50 a month. You are back to crickets.

They suggest another technique: commenting on people's articles. They do not say to read them; leave a comment, and a proportion will follow you. You may be saying how they can comment if they don't read. Well, I recently caught a very popular commenter out. They use AI to generate comments. Do you feel a little sick to the stomach? I do.

However, after being here since the start, I have found that these techniques work.

Post regularly, possibly on a set day
Find people in your niche and build a relationship, recommend each other's newsletter
Build relationships with people on notes by helping out when you can.
Don’t give up; it’s a hard slog, but it's worth it.
Write for the love of writing, and your tribe will find you.

I really hope that helps. If you need any more advice, drop me a DM or find me on chat, and I’ll not charge you a penny. I was where you were once, and I’m fed up with the marketers on here robbing people of their cash.

So think of this newsletter when you see someone with loads of likes or comments on a simple introductory note. Remember that it is far better to have five genuine readers than 100 fake followers.

If you enjoy this email, please share it so more readers can find it. If you need advice or writing tips, I would love to hear them. Drop them in the comments or email me by hitting reply to this newsletter.

Until next week, stay safe

Sam 😊

First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.― Octavia Butler