stop trying to go viral on Substack

the benefits of growing slowly

Does gaining 300 subscribers in four years sound like success to you? A few weeks ago, I hit a major milestone - I reached 300 subscribers. I have been writing on TinyLetter and then on Substack since the pandemic in 2020. After years of increased dedication to the practice, I felt proud to share this milestone in the “Notes” app. Ironically, my Note went viral.

I was thrilled to hear an influx of encouragement from other writers. The engaged commenters helped me to reflect on what I’ve learned over the past four years. I came to the conclusion that although we all want to “earn $40K after one month on Substack”, quick success is not an advantage. In fact, my writing practice has been transformed because I did not achieve large subscription rates. Here are the ways growing slowly has improved my life in addition to my writing.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Increased Tolerance for Discomfort

Last week I visited my former home of San Diego. During one of my daily walks in my beautiful old neighborhood, I saw a cozy beach cottage with a gorgeous garden. Perched in the bushes was a hand-painted sign that said, “Create the environment that holds your vision”.

My cold swimming cove in San Diego is where I started practicing tolerating discomfort (of cold water - clearly the views are comfortable).

Trying and failing is a mindset practice. Every time I share my art, I practice letting go of control over the outcome. Time and time again I’ve pushed the “publish” button, sure that I was going to break the internet with my poetic genius, only to receive nothing in reply. In fact, some of my favorite things I’ve ever written have the worst reception to the public. When this happens, I feel a strong sense of discomfort. My head ruminates and obsesses over what I’m doing wrong, what I need to change, and why I’m never going to be a successful writer. I’m learning sit with the discomfort of not being seen and heard. I’ve quieted my inner critic and focused on trusting myself. It’s pretty simple, actually: writing feels good. I have learned to correct my inner critic and tell myself that by following what feels good, I am on the right path. I trust the people who need to find my work will find it. If I can create an environment for myself of feeling good in my creation, my “vision” of an engaged readership will come.

Clarity about Why you are Writing

In my most creative year, I tried lots of things that ultimately I chose not to continue. But I’m still writing weekly. Why? Most people would have given up a long time ago. I keep writing because of 1) the way I feel when I write and 2) the way I feel when someone relates to my work.

When I’m in my writing room, I can enter a creative free flow: time stops, appetite suppresses, and hours go by where I’m left intrigued by the nooks and crannies of my mind. When I stand up, I am buzzing with a feeling of brilliance. As I transition to my next task, I am often still getting pings about changing sentence structures or adding additional ideas here and there. I tear open my Notes app and jot everything down so I don’t lose them. This feeling is something I haven’t found with any other type of work.

Additionally, I am a sucker for connection. I am a very social person and loving meeting new people. When people read and engage with my work, it both pleases my ego and gives me a sense of belonging. Writing is a way for me to make a deep, energetic connection to people around the world without leaving my home.

When you focus on how you want to feel, it doesn’t matter how many followers you have. You can allow yourself to feel alive doing what you love.

Time to Discover Yourself

When I started writing, I was single and living alone during a pandemic. One of my first posts was a series of haikus about dating! Since then, my world has changed drastically. I’ve grown as a person, I’ve changed hobbies, I’ve moved around the world - and the topics I’ve written about have changed as well. When you don’t have a lot of followers, you can take the time to go slow and learn what kind of writing lights you up. You can change topics, change styles, and follow your heart’s guidance with minimal impact on your readership.

Time to Improve your Craft

In the four years since I started posting, I’ve become a better writer. A post by

Summer Brennan

really inspired me a few months ago. TLDR; her secret trick to being successful on Substack is to be a better writer. If I want more people to read my work I need to improve my skill set. This simply isn’t going to happen overnight. I need to take classes, read advice from other more established authors, and dedicate more time to learning the craft.

Appreciation of the Small Wins

Every time I get an email with a new subscriber, repost, comment, or like, it makes me so happy! I imagine imagine people who have thousands of subscribers don’t celebrate or enjoy every small win in the way that those who are just starting out do.

Eventually, your small wins will become big wins. The other day, I received an email from a new reader about my post documenting the challenges of living abroad. She said, “I was just nodding along and sending little heart vibrations to you”. Swoon. This response meets all the criteria for my definition of success.

What about you? What do you see as advantages to growing slowly, in writing or in life?