How I intentionally use Substack (as a writer & a reader)

Without it feeling like another social media platform

Hello, I’m Molly, a full time creative based in the Scottish Highlands. Subscribers can enjoy weekly posts around the themes of slow living, with members getting access to ALL my work, including video tea times, slow letters and seasonal book reviews to name a few!

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I first stumbled across Substack in the summer of 2022, and I was instantly besotted.

By this point, I was burnt out by social media, yet I still wanted to share my story with people I knew would value hearing it. Although I’d been keeping a blog for a couple of years by this point, my writing had become inconsistent, as I was spending more and more time creating reels, desperate to keep up with the Instagram algorithm.

The timing felt like fate. Substack gave me the push I needed to leave these social media platforms that were causing so much damage to my mental health and refocus on what I cared about most. My writing.

However, even in the relatively short amount of time that I’ve been on this platform, Substack has made some big changes. There was the controversial launch of Notes in April 2023, more video functionality (including the ability to set up livestreams) and the format of my dashboard and home page seem to be constantly changing.

As someone who was originally drawn to this platform due to its simplicity, with its focus on sharing long form writing, I’ve had some reservations about all these changes that feel like they are straying that bit too close to the apps I thought I’d left behind.

Despite these changes, I still feel like I get a lot of value from Substack, as both a writer and a reader. I’ve used the same approach that I implement with all media, which is to ensure that I use it with intention, setting out guidelines that work for me as an individual.

If you are also feeling overwhelmed by Substack these days, then perhaps some of these guidelines will help you get the most out of this platform, without it leaving you with that all too familiar feeling of social media ‘ick’.

My intentional Substack guidelines

I stick to my own publishing schedule

Since I launched my Substack, back in August 2022, I have stuck to a weekly schedule of publishing my writing every Monday, with these posts always being free to read.

I increased this output when I opened my paid membership in January 2024, with my paid members now getting extra content (a mix of writing and videos) most Fridays.

I’ve avoided comparing my publishing schedule with other creators on Substack and instead focused on setting up a sustainable schedule that works for me and my community, without feeling the pressure of always producing ‘more’.

I don’t read every post

There are so many wonderful writers on Substack that it’s very easy to become overwhelmed by wanting to read them all.

To combat this, I keep my subscriptions to a minimum (never over 50) and have turned off the function of them arriving in my email inbox. Instead, once a week, I go through my subscriptions on Substack and save all the posts I am interested in reading.

I’m intentional about setting aside time to read these posts. I tend to do this on a Saturday morning, with my first cup of tea of the day, which is something I always look forward to.

I save my favourite posts

This year I set up a new page in my Notion, where I can copy links to some of my very favourite Substack posts, separated by the month I read them so that I can easily access them.

This serves two purposes. The first being that I use this page to inform my monthly favourites, that I include in my slow letter postscript for my paid members.

The second is that these posts can be a source of inspiration for my own writing, especially when I’m feeling stuck for ideas. As a writer, I’m constantly learning and there is nothing quite as inspiring as other writers.

I avoid reading Substack growth posts

When I first launched my Substack, I was religious about learning everything there was to know about this platform, including all the tips and hacks that would help me grow and audience.

I often see ‘Substack growth’ posts shared on this platform and, although they can be useful, now that I am more established, I find that more often than not, these posts leave a sour taste in my mouth.

I strongly feel that, once you understand the basics about how this platform works, it’s more beneficial to focus time on honing your craft, rather than chasing the latest hack that’s trending in Notes. Building a community takes time and comparing your numbers to other creators never ends well. Focus on doing what you do best.

I very rarely use Notes

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You don’t need to use Substack Notes to grow an audience. Nor do you need to engage in them as a reader.

I spend very little time on Substack Notes, meaning I don’t write them, and I don’t read them. This is despite Substack pushing them further into our eyeline, now placing them on our home page, which only makes me even more determined to ignore them completely.

Personally, I get a lot more value from reading long form essays than I ever would a couple of sentences or photos, designed to be eye-catching, but rarely with any real substance. I’m not opposed to using this tool to share the odd announcement, but apart from that, I treat them as superfluous.

I ignore my notifications

As an online creator, it’s very easy to get sucked into spending all your time responding to messages and comments. To avoid this, I ignore all my notifications and instead schedule time once a week to respond to them all in batch.

Not only is this more efficient, but it also allows me to take a step back and avoid getting sucked into the dopamine hits that makes social media so addictive. It also means I can respond thoughtfully to comments, rather than writing them in haste.

Deleting the Substack app off my phone has helped this enormously.

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Found value in this post? You can now support my work by buying me a coffee, which means I am able to keep these Monday posts free to read. Thank you so much to everyone who has already done so.

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I’d love to know how you use this platform, so please do share in the comments…

Until next week,

Molly xx

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I don’t want to create content anymore

Simple ideas to refill your creative cup