There will be a period at the beginning of your Substack journey when you will feel like writing in the void.
Unseen. Invisible. Alone.
You will face such a time not immediately when you start your Substack.
The platform loves new people. And for some period of time, you will be blessed with the attention of the algorithm. But it will be limited.
At some point, beginners’ haven will end.
From my experience, this period will come in 1-2 months after you launch your Substack. Be ready for it. The more subscribers you’d be able to get before that, the better.
I managed to grow to 130 subscribers when the “invisibility” period hit me.
It was hard to survive it. And I am not sure I’d be able to do it if I didn’t find one trick that helped me ease the pressure. I will share it with you in a few seconds.
This “invisibility” period happens because when the algorithm’s support for a new account fades away, your Notes and posts distribution becomes limited to your followers and subscribers inside the categories you selected for your publication.
When you create your first newsletter on Substack, it’s crucial to select 2 categories for it. One of them is primary, the other is secondary.
These categories are used for discoverability.
They help the platform’s algorithm and readers find your publication on the Explore page and leaderboards. It ensures that you attract the right audience interested in your niche. See? That’s why a niche is important on Substack.
How to make sure that you select the right categories for your newsletter?
Be specific. Make sure your categories are aligned with your niche. Use more granular categories to stand out.
Be consistent. Stick to selected categories. If you change them too often, it will harm your visibility.
Focus on the reader. Select categories that clearly reflect what readers expect to find.
For example, currently, my categories are:
Primary: Education
Secondary: Business
Now, let’s go back to the invisibility period and the trick that helped me go through it faster.
When you face the “invisibility” wall, engagement will be very low for your Notes and posts. You will mostly see Notes from the same people in your feed all the time. Then it’s time to use the trick.
Go to Substack categories.
Pick any category except yours. Go into it and engage with Substack Notes of the people there. Repeat the process at least 4-5 times, every time picking a new category.
This way, you will expand your reach to the people outside of your primary/secondary categories.
Then, just write.
Have a fantastic day!
Talk soon,
Maxim
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