Five Ways to Build an Audience of Readers

Some Substacks, like this one, offer advice to writers. With articles on topics such as “How to Write a Compelling Character” and “Five Ways to Liven Up a Scene,” they appeal to writers who want to learn more about the craft. And much of our advice on building an audience on Substack has focused on getting other writers to read your work. But what if you’re a writer with a book, website, or portfolio you’d like to get in front of actual readers? In this article, we’ll look at ways to attract readers to your page, not just other writers.

5. Spend more time and effort distributing.

Many writers create a post and wait for the “likes” to roll in. The problem is, people may not know who you are or where to find you. Spend time on other social media platforms advertising your work and linking back to your Substack. This way, people know where to find you and your stories.

4. Get those readers to subscribe—and quickly.

Many visitors never come back. Look at your site statistics, and you’ll likely see lots of unique visitors (possibly from all over the world) who never subscribe.

Add subscription prompts in at least three places in your posts: Near the top, in the middle, and at the end of the article. Make the button text a compelling call to action. Instead of a button that says, “Subscribe now,” choose to insert a “Subscribe w/ caption” button. And instead of the default text, “Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work,” change it to something like ours, which says, “Join a community of 3,000 writers for bi-weekly writing tips.”

3. Let them know what to expect.

Readers will subscribe more frequently when they know what they’ll get. For example, on your About Page (or even at the bottom of each post), remind them what they’ll get for staying subscribed.

For example:

• Every Monday: Winning submissions to the Write City Ezine

• Every Other Wednesday: Writing tips and industry updates from Write City Blog

You can also customize a “goodbye” message for when people unsubscribe. Let them know they’re leaving a community, not just someone’s individual page.

2. Collaborate with other creators

Whether they’re on Substack or another platform, reach out to other creators whose content overlaps with yours. YouTubers, Podcasters, and LinkedIn creators are just some examples of places where you can find successful artists and influencers to partner with. The right partnership can boost the audience for both people.

1. Do your research

This whole process may take some time. Follow the tips above, and then check your Audience statistics to see where you’ve gained the most traction. If most of them come from Facebook, X, Reddit, or Google searches, double-down on the method that brought in the most traffic. That’s where your readers are.

Building an audience isn’t so much a question of “How do I get more subscribers?” The real question is, “Where are my ideal readers already spending time?” Meet them where they are. Use Stubstack as the place they subscribe to you, not the place they discover you.

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