A year of being a Substack Bestseller

What I've learnt & how to grow your own membership

Hello, I’m Molly, a full time creator based in the Scottish Highlands. Subscribers can enjoy weekly posts around the themes of slow living, thriving in a creative career, books & nature. Members get access to ALL my content, including video tea times, slow letters and seasonal book reviews.

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It’s been almost a year since I published this post, after becoming a Substack bestseller (i.e., gaining more than 100 paying members) one month after launching my membership in January 2024.

Since that point, I’m thrilled to say that this membership has gone from strength to strength and Substack has become my primary source of income.

This membership is constantly evolving, with the numbers often changing on a daily basis. But I’ve learnt not to obsess over these fluctuations and instead focus on the people that remain. This membership is my favourite place to spend time online and I’m so immensely grateful for the continued support of these wonderful kindred spirits.

And this post is going to be focused on what I’ve learnt so far.

This isn’t going to be a detailed ‘how to go paid’ tutorial (there are plenty of those on Substack, with

On Substack

being a fantastic resource), but rather an overview of what has and hasn’t worked for my publication.

And of course, this post is tailored to those that want to grow an audience on Substack. Feel free to ignore this completely if this isn’t your goal!

So, let’s get into it…

Lessons from a Substack Bestseller

I have to say it…

I know you will have heard this before, likely multiple times, but consistency really is important when it comes to growing an audience online.

My advice is to create a realistic posting schedule from the beginning. When starting a new project, it can be tempting to share content whenever inspiration strikes, which, at the start, can be frequently.

The downside to this is that its easy to burn out and you may set yourself up for a fail if people are expecting a certain amount of content that you can’t deliver long term. It also means that your posts may be less polished, as you are not setting aside time to refine or invest in your craft. This balance of quality against quantity really is key.

Play to your strengths

Substack is ever evolving. Even since I joined, in August 2022, the tools now available to creators have grown significantly. Rather than just being an app for written newsletters, you now have the option to post videos, start a podcast and engage with your community in Chat or Notes.

However, there is no rule that says you have to use all of these tools. Personally, I came to Substack because I wanted to grow as a writer. This means that writing continues to be the main content I produce here and I’ve curated an audience that enjoys this.

Feel free to experiment but focus on using the tools that you enjoy and best suit your specific skillset.

Allow some flexibility

I’m a firm believer of planning my Substack posts. I do this using my Blogger Notion Planner (that I sell the template for on my Etsy), which means I can ensure I am consistently producing content that has value and doesn’t end up as a rambly monologue.

Having said that, I’ve learnt that there is space for the odd ramble here and there. In fact, I’d even encourage it.

For example, I recently wrote this post, that described a Sunday where nothing seemed to go right. It wasn’t planned or finessed, but I wanted to share some vulnerability, to demonstrate that my life is far from perfect, which, judging by the comments, was really appreciated.

Planning has its place, but don’t let it stunt your creativity.

The art of paywalling

One of the hardest decisions you have to face when launching a membership is what should remain free and what to paywall?

When I first turned on paid memberships, I tried a few different strategies. However, in my experience, it works best to be clear about what you are offering your different subscribers.

For instance, I continue to keep my Monday written blogs (like this one) as free to read. I treat these as almost like a shop window display. They are the shiniest bits of my content that best demonstrate the value I have to offer and, in turn, convert the most free subscribers. This is the type of content that has the potential to ‘go viral’ and get my writing in front of as many eyes as possible.

Continuing with the retail analogy, when it comes to my paid content, this is like inviting my members into the back-shop, where they get an insight into the ‘behind the scenes’ of my life. My monthly tea time videos and slow letters allow me to go into more depth on various topics relating to my publication, with the paywall offering a sense of intimacy that I don’t get anywhere else online.

Don’t obsess over Notes

If you’ve previously read any ‘how to grow on Substack’ posts, then I’m sure you’ve heard the advice to try out Notes.

There is a lot of noise around this feature, with many anecdotes relaying how ‘viral Notes’ led to a significant increase in audience.

Now, I’m not saying that this is untrue or that you shouldn’t use Notes. But, like I said earlier (I felt like Notes needed its own section), this is just one tool that Substack offers and its your choice whether you want to use it or not.

I’ve dabbled in this feature, sending out a few sporadic Notes soon after it was launched. However, I soon realised that, for me personally, this wasn’t adding any value. I’d rather focus on curating content that feels authentic to me as a creator, which will always be longer form posts.

Community over freebies

When starting out, it can be very tempting to try and entice paid members by offering exclusive ‘freebies’.

However, I would caution against relying on this strategy. In my experience, this can lead to a burst of paid members, but it’s usually fleeting. People won’t necessarily stick around if they are only interested in one thing you have to offer.

What sets Substack apart is that it curates a long-term relationship between creators and their audience. You want members to invest in you, not a one-off offering.

That’s not to say don’t give anything away. I enjoy providing my Substack members with free versions of the seasonal Notion planners I sell on my Etsy, but I treat this as an add-on, as opposed to a core part of my growth strategy.

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I’m sure that there is so much more that I am yet to learn and I will continue to have fun experimenting with this ever evolving platform.

I must end this post with another heartfelt thanks to all my subscribers. My life wouldn’t be the same without you 💚

Until next time,

Molly xx

More from my creative life….

My favourite writing resources for 2025

Tour of my tiny writer’s desk

How to build a writing habit that sticks

Note - I leave my comments switched on for everyone as I love to give reader’s an opportunity to chat with each other, but, although I’ll do my best, I’m not able to commit to answering all of them. That doesn’t mean yours words aren’t appreciated, so I wanted to write this note to thank you so much for your support! 💚