When I started this Substack two years ago, I did exactly what every new writer gets told to do:
Write good posts. Show up consistently. Keep publishing, and eventually people will find you.
So that’s what I did. I wrote, shared everything on LinkedIn, and trusted that showing up long enough would be the thing that made it work.
It wasn’t.
The problem was never that I needed to become a better writer. I was writing solid posts and sending them to the same small handful of people who already subscribed.
The problem? I never gave anyone new a way to actually find me.
I remember checking my subscriber count most mornings that first few months, not out of excitement, but out of a kind of low-grade dread, bracing for the same flat number I’d seen the day before.
“Just keep writing” isn’t wrong, exactly. It’s just missing the other half of the equation.
First, I’d get clear on my foundation before anything else, so the right readers understood what this Substack was about the moment they landed on it, instead of guessing.
A full post only reaches people who already subscribed. It doesn’t matter how good it is. It can’t find anyone new on its own.
That’s why I’d spend 80 percent of my time on Notes early on, and the other 20 percent actually writing posts.
Notes became the front door to this Substack.
One good Note brought in 225 subscribers in a single week once, and over 900 in a month. Once someone found me that way, my longer posts were what turned that first impression into an actual relationship.
Paid subscriptions can work, but I wouldn’t bet everything on them.
They take a long time to build, and readers usually expect ongoing content or access in return.
A simple digital product? that’s different. It solves one problem, once, and it doesn’t require a massive audience first.
I made my first $1,000 with fewer than 500 subscribers because I built something instead of waiting to feel big enough.
That combination, building the foundation, Notes, and one product worth buying, is what took this Substack to over 19,000 subscribers and past $200,000 in product sales.
And, it helped me grow past the version of me checking that flat number every morning wondering if it was ever going to move.
I’ve turned this exact process into three trainings, the same foundation, discovery, and product system behind everything I just told you about.
I’m not saying you need all three…
Most writers I’ve worked with start with Step One (the Substack Masterclass) and then add on Step 2 and 3 to grow and monetize.
📌 Quick note before you keep reading: For the last week, I’ve been running a sale on all three of these to celebrate two years of this newsletter.
Today’s the last day. Prices roughly double after tonight, so if you’ve been on the fence, this is the actual cutoff.
This is for you if you’re still not sure how to describe your own newsletter in one sentence, or if you’ve been writing for months and nothing’s really landing.
It’s your story, your positioning, and a growth strategy you can actually repeat instead of guessing at each week.
This is the exact strategy that took me to over 19,000 subscribers in two years.
Join the Substack Growth Masterclass
This is for you if you’re writing consistently but nobody new is finding you.
You’ll learn the specific types of Notes that actually convert, not just get likes, and a 20-minute daily routine simple enough to stick with.
This is how I’m able to bring in at least 10+ new subscribers a day through Notes alone.
Join the Notes Growth Workshop
This is for you if you’ve got real readers and nothing to sell them yet.
It’s how to find the thing your audience already needs, turn it into something simple, and start selling it without waiting for a bigger list first.
This exact process is how I’ve generated over $200K in digital product sales in the last two years.
Join the Digital Product Masterclass
Take whichever one fits where you are right now, or use all three together the way I built them, foundation, discovery, something worth selling. After tonight, this pricing is gone.
Whether you decide to join one of my offers or not, I want you to know you’re in the right place, at the right time.
Substack is genuinely one of the best opportunities to build right now. If I can help in anyway, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Keep writing, Wes
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