One Thing I'll Do Differently on Substack in 2026
I asked creators across Substack to share their biggest lessons from 2025.
2025 has been a massive year for us at Write • Build • Scale because after 18 months of hard work, we hit a milestone I’m incredibly proud of: Level 2 Bestseller status with over 1,000 paid subscribers.
When I look back at where we started, this still feels surreal, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible community we’ve built here on Substack.
The collaborations. The conversations. The support. The people who show up, share their insights, and lift each other up — that’s what makes this platform special!
So instead of talking about what we learned this year, we wanted to put the spotlight on the people who make this community what it is.
We asked 19 Substack creators one simple question:
What’s one thing you’ll do differently on Substack in 2026?
Their answers are honest, practical, and full of insights you can use to make 2026 your best year yet.
Let’s dive in!
David McIlroy from How to Write for a Living
I’d like to get more face-to-face time with my audience in 2026.
Right now, I think that’ll look like: regular webinars, support calls with VIP members, and Substack Lives with other creators (and solo, during Office Hours). I’ll continue hooking all of it into my YouTube channel for added evergreen discoverability.
Brian Clark from Further: Live Long and Prosper
I’ve built my entire career with writing, and Substack has historically been a writing platform. But Substack is evolving into multimedia, and I think I need to evolve as well. So video will be part of my content mix in 2026.
In the age of AI, I think we need every opportunity to demonstrate our humanity, and video is a great way to connect on a different level.
Carolina Wilke from Sacred Business Flow
In the second half of 2025, something clicked for me: I started sharing more of my own experiences on Notes… not dramatic vulnerability, just small pieces of my life that naturally connected to the holistic way we talk about business. And the interaction with my notes changed completely.
The conversations got richer. People replied not just about business, but about life, perspective, and inspiration. Some even shared personal photos with me when I shared mine. It created a level of connection that I truly appreciate.
So that’s what I’m taking into 2026: being a little more open, a little more me, and letting real connection lead...while staying true to the way we teach and the perspectives we bring to business.
And honestly, with everything now blended with AI, being visibly human behind the screen feels more important than ever. I think a real, present human behind a business will be incredibly valued and powerful in the coming years.
Yana G.Y. from Unplugged by Yana G. Y.
Stay laser-focused on what I know is working. I know what I’m doing, so I’ll double down on that. I’ll probably do less exploring and more expanding on what I’m already doing well. 2025 was the year I experimented. 2026 is the year I sharpen.
Andreas Fuchs from Future of Marketing
For me, the biggest “click” in 2025 was this: Great positioning is essential, but it is not enough to create traction on its own.
You can write the best, most intentional content, but if nobody sees it, nothing happens. What finally clicked for me was the importance of cross-surface visibility in the early stages.
I started teasing my deep-dive essays on LinkedIn. Not copying the content, but giving people a taste of the thinking and inviting them into the longer briefing on Substack.
The effect was immediate. Some posts brought a few dozen new subscribers. Some brought a few hundred.
It taught me a simple truth: A newsletter does not grow in isolation. It grows through bridges.
Positioning creates the pull. Distribution creates the momentum. And cross-platform seeding is one of the most underrated growth levers for new writers.
Mindset for 2026:
Relentless focus on my positioning. 2025 was full of countless shiny topics around marketing. AI, tools, trends everywhere. All interesting, but not what my audience needs most. My readers come to me because they do not have the time to stay updated on the constant changes in marketing. My job is to make these shifts understandable, relevant, and useful. The lesson was simple: the sharper the focus, the higher the value. In 2026, I will double down on my core niche and concentrate on the insights that truly move marketing forward. More focus, more clarity, more value.
Taylin John Simmonds from The Simmonds Digital
Instead of just focusing on writing newsletters and notes, I’ll be doubling down on producing podcasts, doing Substack Lives, and collaborating with other Substack creators.
With more people joining Substack, writers will need more depth and trust to earn and remain relevant.
Mindset for 2026:
This might seem unrelated to growing audience and income, but it’s daily breath work. It clears my mind, reduces stress, and helps me sleep. My work is so much higher quality when I commit to just 20 minutes of daily breathing.
Benjamin Hies from Digital Citizen
If I started over again today, I would be entirely focused on the struggles my audience is facing.
I started out by dumping my knowledge about all things moving abroad from day 1. Looking back 6 months later, I would focus entirely on the feedback I was getting and the questions that were asked.
Now, I’m doing this obsessively, and I can see the change in clarity for my audience.
What seems obvious to you might be a goldmine for your reader. Write about what THEY want to know, not just what you find interesting.
Mindset for 2026:
Relentless obsession with audience feedback. Every question someone asks goes into a spreadsheet. Every comment gets analyzed. Every conversation reveals what they actually need (not what I think they need). This obsession with listening instead of just teaching is what I’m bringing into 2026.
Orel Zilberman from The IndiePreneur
Writing DMs to anybody who engages with my content works really well, and I’ll keep doing that.
In addition, I am going to put some energy into commenting. It seems to work wonders for other creators.
Rui Sousa from The AI Break
I would say that the key for 2026 is to match the type of people you want to sell to with the right approach.
If you want to grow your paid subscribers, engagement, and chat (aka the Substack ecosystem), you should focus on inside tasks (notes, comments, and recommendations).
Luis and I found out that people already on Substack converted 4x more than someone coming from outside the platform.
So:
If you want paid subscribers — go for Substack activities
If you want to sell courses, affiliates, and services — go for paid ads & social platforms like LinkedIn
Mindset for 2026:
Be consistent even when you are trying to figure out your audience and income streams. If you don’t post because you don’t know what to sell or are still deciding about your audience, you will lose momentum. Start writing, start posting, and don’t be afraid to test. It’s ok to change your offer, it’s ok to shift the audience a bit.
Ciler from Newsletter Circle
My biggest learning from 2025 is the importance of defining a clear ICP (ideal customer profile) and building your entire content and monetization strategy around it.
Your newsletter is your product. Every single piece of content is also a product on its own. Each one needs a specific target audience and a clear purpose that aligns with your overall positioning. If you write for one audience but launch a paid tier or product for another, your efforts will be wasted. It becomes incredibly easy to feel lost, lose consistency, and not see the results you expected.
So my advice is simple: Be clear about your purpose, who you’re writing for, what you want to be known for, and the core messages you need to repeat. Then build your content and product strategy around that. When your funnels are aligned and intentional, everything starts to fall into place.
Landon Poburan from Landon’s Letters
I’ve got two, because I can’t follow the rules ;-) But they work together.
I’m going to “Let it rip.”
I’m planning to bring a lot more of my personality into my Substack. A great mentor of mine told me my best work happens when I ‘Let it rip.’ In Q4, I found myself getting a little lost in the madness of viral content. I started to lose sight of why people were following me. It’s time to bring ME back into my work.
For me, this means a wider variety of content. And leveraging more of Substack’s built-in features. Sharing photos, BTS, videos, doing more lives, more collaborations, launching my podcast (on Substack), and having a lot more fun with the platform.
Content is going to keep increasing, and many people are (and will be) writing the same things. Bringing our personality and authenticity into Substack brings something unique. The first time I shared a photo of myself, people were shocked that I had a beard, and it got a ton of engagement, which really took me by surprise. I want to bring more of ‘me,’ more fun, and share the movement I’m leading.
Ollie Forsyth from New Economies
Now it’s all about building brand equity.
As Substack writers, we must always be thinking like founders. By having brand equity, you are able to create a much more impactful and powerful brand that has some form of value attached to it.
Claudia Faith from Wander Wealth
Substack keeps changing all the time, and that’s not going to stop. When the algorithm shifted in 2025, I didn’t panic. I built frameworks to figure out what actually works in real-time. Not based on vibes or generic advice like “post more Notes.” Actual data analysis that shows where growth comes from and what to double down on.
The Substack algorithm isn’t random, but it does evolve. I’ve spent months tracking which behaviors it rewards and built a system that adapts as things shift. That’s what finally broke my growth plateau. Not finding one hack, but learning how to read the changes.
In 2026, I’m leaning even harder into this. Because the creators who win aren’t the ones who found a trick that worked once. They’re the ones who know how to adapt every time the platform moves.
The Point | Rachel Lipson from The Point by Brooklyn Family Travelers
As I look back at the past year, one thing that has clicked for me is realizing that community and engagement are more important than the number of subscribers.
I’ve been in the top 50 of travel with less than 4,000 subscribers for months. I was so focused on the size of my list at first — but quality is more important than quantity!
Mindset for 2026:
Consistency. I’ve found a schedule and routine to be very helpful both for my own sanity as a writer and for building trust with my audience, who now know what to expect from me.
Kristi Keller 🇨🇦 from Unstack Substack
One thing I’ll do differently on Substack in 2026 is stop stressing about the content I’m delivering for paid subscribers.
Less than 20% care what you’re offering for paid subscribers anyway, UNLESS your content is “How to grow on Substack.”
I don’t care to get caught up in that hamster wheel...I’d rather write great stories and make my money in some other way. The “How to grow” grind is so saturated, and there’s nothing I could say about it that hasn’t already been said, so I’d rather just cater to those who show up for me because I’m me, not because I have the key to the holy grail. 😁
Corey Wilks, Psy.D. from Creator Alchemy by Corey Wilks, Psy.D.
Drop the “lone wolf” mentality. Lone wolves die in the wild. Collaborations are everything today. So find people below, at, and above your audience size and reach out to them about ways you can collaborate. That can be guest posting, having each other on your podcasts, doing a guest workshop or livestream, or anything else your audiences would find valuable.
Mindset for 2026:
The simple question, “Who can I collaborate with on this?”
Chris Parry from Rewired
Commenting on other publications in your niche shouldn’t be underestimated. 75% of my subscribers have come directly from comments I’ve left on others’ notes! Not just any old comment, but a thoughtful comment that provides genuine value for both the publication owner and their readers. This is where I intend to continue focusing my attention as we head into 2026.
Mindset for 2026:
Patience is key. It takes time to grow and build authority. As long as you are showing up daily, providing genuine value, and doing what you said you would, you can’t fail. Strap yourself in for the long game instead of trying to gain overnight success.
Phil Powis ❤️⚡️ from Sacred Business Flow
For us, we’ll be doubling down on our Substack Live Video Series, Sacred Business Stories! It not only continues to be one of the biggest drivers of audience expansion, but it’s truly the most fun that we have on any given week connecting with amazing humans.
This past year, we were pretty consistent, but we want to really lean into this.
Mindset for 2026:
Same as last year. Consistency beats clever.
Derek Hughes from The Irresistible Writer
I became a Substack bestseller in 2025 when I stopped giving more content — and started giving readers tools that actually worked. I’ll definitely be keeping this approach in 2026.
Mindset for 2026:
The Action-Over-Theory Mindset. I’ll keep testing in public. Every offer, idea, and framework gets built in the open. That’s how I learn faster, grow trust, and turn experiments into income.
Now it’s YOUR turn
What’s one thing YOU will do differently on Substack in 2026?
Drop your answer in the comments. 💬
I’ll continue what I’ve been doing-posting once a week.
And I’ll comment more on other people‘s posts and reach out for collaborations and use Substack as my main platform of expression. That being said I think I’ll start offering courses and selling my coaching services on Substack.
I write about ADHD and overcoming obstacles and challenges as a creative person with ADHD.
Some brilliant advice here. Thanks everyone for sharing. Orel's struck me in particular, and I am definitely going to increase my DM game in 2026. 🙏