Why I Gave Up On Medium And Went All-In On Substack
Behind the scenes of my writing business. What I cut. What I kept
Last week I asked my aduience if you wanted a behind-the-scenes look at how I run my writing business.
I expected a few polite nods.
Instead, I got a stampede of yes’s.
So… here we go.
So I’m peeling back the layers. The real stuff. The actual thinking, the messy middle, the things that worked — and flopped.
In my next post, I’ll show you exactly how I make money (and what totally tanked).
But this week, we’re starting with the lifeline of any writer who wants to grow:
How I attract an audience
(aka how you can find people who actually want to read your stuff)
Think of this as a tour. Come in. Take a look around.
Steal whatever’s useful.
Medium
For two years, Medium was my growth engine.
21,000 followers. A steady flow of 500 newsletter subscribers a month.
Then February hit. Medium started suppressing my content. My subscriber flow dried up — down to 50, sometimes 100.
So I made a decision that surprised even me.
I’m walking away.
There’s a trap we fall into as creators: Clinging to what’s familiar. Even when it’s quietly holding us back.
Sure, Medium still brings a few wins. But it’s a trickle. And a trickle doesn’t build a business.
You have to ask: What’s the return on your time?
Because growth isn’t about what’s worked before. It’s about what compounds.
After Medium tanked, I jumped to LinkedIn.
New platform. New playbook. Which meant a steep learning curve.
It takes 6 months to figure out a platform. I gave it 3.
I saw a flicker of growth. But the truth? I was chasing sparks…Instead of pouring fuel on the fire already burning.
LinkedIn only took 15 minutes a day. But it muddled my thinking. Having a clear head is a precious resource you don’t want to waste.
So I made a tough call: Cut the clutter.
Ditch what’s “kinda working.”
Go all in on what’s working now.
No more Medium. No more LinkedIn.
That place?
Substack.
I’ve gained 3,500 subscribers in 9 months. Insane.
Substack is the easiest place to grow right now.
But this window won’t stay open forever. Every platform has a golden age.
Right now, this is it. And I’m betting big.
In next month’s live workshop. I’ll show you the exact tactics that got me here.
If you care about growth, be there.
But here’s the short version:
Last month, I gained 900 new subscribers from Substack.
Here’s how:
Two long-form posts a week
I write guides that help people grow online. These deepen trust.
They also trigger Substack’s discovery engine — bringing in a steady stream of readers.
Bonus: Substack turns your posts into a personal website. Perfect for people who want to binge your best work.
Substack Notes
Like Twitter. But less toxic. More fun.
I post 3–4 a day.
Sounds like a lot, but I write 6–10 in one go using my templates.
Some Notes go viral. Many convert to subs.
Collaborate with others
Writing alone = slow growth.
Team up with writers who have a similar audience. This changed everything for me.
- I get invited on podcasts
- Swap recommendations
- Write guest posts
Simple ways to raise my profile and attract new readers.
Free offers that actually help
Instead of begging for subs, I give tools people want:
Long-Form Mastery — How to write posts people can’t stop reading
The Notes Playbook — 14 real templates I’ve used to go viral
These are resources I could charge for.
But I give them away. Why?
Because people sign up for the freebie — but stay for the value.
The takeaway?
Growth doesn’t always mean adding more.
Sometimes it means cutting what no longer serves you — even if it still kinda works.
Assess your time. Back what’s working. Be ruthless with the rest.
That’s how you grow.
