5 Simple Strategies From 5 Substack Creators to Build Your Audience, Brand & Income
Here's how our members are growing and monetizing their Substack publication
Imagine the following becoming your reality in 2026:
You publish consistently.
People see, read, and love your work.
They reply, engage, restack, and share it with others.
Your audience grows faster than you could’ve imagined.
And you actually get paid to share your passion, interests, and expertise!
This doesn’t have to be a dream.
It could be your reality.
Substack System makes it possible by guiding you through the whole process of growing your audience on Substack.
BUT doors to the program are closing tomorrow, so this may be your last chance to secure your spot.
👉 Learn more about Substack System
Growing on Substack is all about applying the right systems and strategies.
That’s why, in this article, we’ll share five proven strategies that members of the Write • Build • Scale community have used to:
Increase their reach
Build their personal brands
Grow their list of subscribers
And generate more revenue on Substack
If you’re looking for practical strategies you can apply right away - straight from real Substack creators who are doing the work - this is for you.
#1: Use Substack Notes To Show Your Personality
Most creators use Substack Notes almost exclusively for sharing educational tips or ‘how-to’ advice, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
However, you shouldn’t only post educational Notes.
From time to time, it’s powerful to share a personal Note as well. One that highlights your story, your personality, your values, or your struggles and wins.
That’s exactly what our community member Chris Parry did - and it paid off big time.
Chris published a single Note that got 6,000+ likes, 300+ comments, nearly 100 restacks, and brought in a meaningful spike in new free and paid subscribers
Chris’ Note worked because it helped people connect with him as a human being, not just a creator.
He shared a personal milestone (being four years sober that day), which is both inspiring and makes you connect with Chris on an individual - and emotional - level.
And when people feel connected to you, they’re far more likely to engage with your work, follow you, subscribe to your publication, or become a paying subscriber.
So, don’t just use Substack Notes for educational content, but aim for a mix of:
Educational Notes (teach something useful or practical)
Inspirational Notes (share a win, insight, or mindset shift)
Personal Notes (let people see who you are behind the writing)
Chris is doing exactly that, and it pays off for his Substack growth.
Chris is part of our online program, Substack System.
If you want the step-by-step systems, strategies, and frameworks to grow your audience and income on Substack in 2026 (and beyond), click here to learn more about Substack System:
#2: Make It Easy To Upgrade To Paid
Most Substacks accidentally make upgrading to the premium tier harder than it needs to be.
Either the upgrade button is somewhere hidden deep inside a post (and readers have to dig through the publication to find a way to upgrade), or there’s no clear overview of what’s included in the paid tier and why upgrading is even worth it.
And simply put, when you make it difficult to upgrade to your premium Substack, you will miss out on a lot of paid subscribers.
That’s why our community member Diana (Healthy Seniors) decided to make things as easy - and clear - as possible for her members to upgrade.
She created a separate ‘become a member’ page, which is pinned to her navigation bar, that highlights exactly:
What perks are included in her premium Substack
Who her premium Substack is for
What the different pricing options and packages are
And why it’s worth upgrading (vs. staying free)
This means that at any moment, a reader who’s been subscribed for weeks (or months), or a new reader who has just discovered her work, can easily upgrade the second they’re ready.
And, not surprisingly, Diana recently became a Substack Bestseller with 100+ paying subscribers.
So, if you want to attract more paid subscribers:
Make upgrading easy
Make it visible
Make the benefits obvious
The less someone has to think, click, or search, the more likely they are to upgrade.
Or put differently, the easier you make it to say “yes,” the more people will say yes.
Diana is part of our online program, Substack System.
If you want the step-by-step systems, strategies, and frameworks to grow your audience and income on Substack in 2026 (and beyond), click here to learn more about Substack System:
#3: Being Consistent With Substack Lives
Substack lives are one of the best tools available right now if you want to:
Deepen the relationship with your existing readers
Turn casual subscribers into paying subscribers
And grow your audience through collaboration
Especially in an age of AI-generated content, Substack lives work well because they let people see you, hear you, and interact with you in real time.
That’s incredibly powerful.
Your subscribers can get a great feeling of your energy, tone, and personality - which builds a connection that’s hard to replicate with writing alone.
That’s why our community member Sue Reid decided to be incredibly consistent with her Substack lives, which she does on a weekly basis.
Now, Sue doesn’t just do solo livestreams, but she often uses them as a collaboration tool with other Substack creators.
And that’s where things get really interesting.
When two creators do a live together, you bring your audience, and they bring their audience to the live, which is a great way for both to get in front of new people.
Both audiences get exposed to:
A new face
A new perspective
A new publication they might want to follow
This makes Substack lives an amazing feature to reach new subscribers and connect with your existing subscribers.
Now, Substack Lives aren’t for everyone - and you might feel a little bit intimidated by them. That’s normal.
I was pretty nervous for my first livestream as well, but now it’s one of my favorite things to do on Substack.
Just like anything else, it’s a skill you’ll get better at - and become more comfortable with.
But since we’re moving faster into an age of AI - where people appreciate authentic human connection more and more - doing the occasional livestream can be a powerful competitive advantage.
#4: Monetize Beyond Paid Subscriptions
One of the most common questions we get from Substack creators is:
“How do I get more paid subscribers?”
Obviously, that’s not a bad question to ask…
However, we always recommend that you see your Substack as more than just a paid newsletter.
Instead, see it like a true business that has multiple different revenue streams, such as:
Digital products
Online courses
Group coaching
Private coaching or consulting
A high-ticket done-for-you service
Don’t look at paid subscriptions as the only way to monetize, but see it as the starting point of monetization.
And that’s exactly what our community member Benjamin Hies did.
Like many creators, Benjamin started with paid subscriptions.
That’s the logical first step.
(Benjamin even became a Substack Bestseller with 100+ paid subscribers, and he shares exactly how he did that in this podcast episode.)
But instead of stopping there, Benjamin built multiple revenue streams on top of his paid Substack, including:
Digital products
A high-ticket coaching program
This turns his publication into something much more powerful than “just a newsletter.” It becomes a resilient and more profitable business.
By creating different products and offers, you can:
Cater to different buyer preferences
Monetize the same audience multiple times
Increase revenue without needing thousands of paid subscribers
In practice, this means:
One person might be a paid subscriber and a product customer
Another skips your paid Substack but buys your course
Another goes straight into high-ticket coaching because they want it and are able to afford it
Same audience, but different offers at different price points - and different levels of service.
That’s how you build a Substack that is more resilient and more profitable.
Benjamin is part of our private Substack coaching program.
If you want to apply for private Substack coaching so we can personally help you grow and monetize your publication faster, click here. Limited spots available.
#5: Write a Compelling ‘About’ Page
Your ‘about’ page is often one of the first pages new readers see.
For example, someone:
Finds you through a Note
Clicks on your profile from a Substack Live
Or stumbles onto your publication from a restack
And then they ask themselves one question:
“Is this newsletter worth subscribing to for me?”
If your ‘about’ page doesn’t answer that clearly and quickly, many of those new readers won’t turn into new subscribers.
That’s why our community member Ilham ✨ put a lot of time and effort into her about page, so it becomes a powerful asset to turn strangers into new subscribers.
What’s interesting is that Ilham doesn’t start her about page with herself. She starts with the reader.
Her page instantly answers:
What this newsletter is about
Who it’s for
What you’ll get out of subscribing
Why you’re in the right place
Only after that does she introduce herself and her story.
Basically, the structure of Ilham's about page is:
What’s in it for you?
Who’s the person behind this?
That combination is incredibly effective.
But most creators flip this around…
They lead with their life story, their credentials, and their journey. They write only about themselves.
But new readers often don’t care about that yet.
First, they want to know:
Is this relevant to me?
Will this newsletter help me?
Should I subscribe?
So, if you want your about page to actually work for you, start with the reader, not yourself.
First, clearly explain what the newsletter is about and who it’s for. Only then do you introduce yourself, your story, and your credentials.
That’s how you turn your about page into an asset that actually brings in new subscribers.
Ilham is part of Substack System.
If you want the step-by-step systems, strategies, and frameworks to grow your audience and income on Substack in 2026 (and beyond), click here to learn more about Substack System:
This advice is spot on!
That Live was so much fun! And great advice here all around.