If you run a business, a coaching practice, or any kind of expertise-based work, you’ve probably wondered whether Substack is the right place for you to grow, or just one more platform to keep up with.
We recently went live to answer exactly that with an in-depth review of a running coach who is publishing on Substack.
The full recording is above, including a complete live review worth watching start to finish. But we also want to share the patterns underneath it, the lessons that came up again and again, for anyone still deciding whether Substack is worth their time.
Over the past two years, we’ve grown Write • Build • Scale to 50k subscribers and 1,700+ paid members, and we’ve helped thousands of creators do the same. Here’s what our reviews kept surfacing:
Substack can be whatever you make it — and that’s the trap
It can be your newsletter, your email platform, your content hub, your membership, your podcast home, even your live studio. That flexibility is the upside. It’s also the catch, because you have to intentionally say no to the features that don’t serve the one goal you’re chasing right now. The people who stall are the ones trying to use all of it at once.
It’s a trust platform, not another social feed
And here’s what makes Substack different in a very practical sense: you’re building a list of email subscribers, not just followers. You land directly in someone’s inbox, and you can show up on video, on livestreams, in daily Notes, and on a podcast, all in one place. That’s why we treat it as a trust-building home base rather than just another channel to feed.
Too many ways to make money is the real bottleneck
The most common struggle we saw wasn’t a lack of options. It was too many. Paid subscriptions, high-ticket coaching, mini-courses, digital products, people freeze because they can’t tell what to focus on first. The fact that you can switch on paid subscriptions is exciting, but if you already run a business, it can quietly become a distraction instead of a driver.
The first sale changes everything
Here’s the part most people underestimate: the goal isn’t the biggest sale, it’s the first one. A low-ticket digital product, something under $50 that someone can buy without booking a call or overthinking it, turns a free reader into a paying customer. And once someone has bought from you once, they’re far more likely to buy again, the data we shared on the stream put it around 76%. Layer a couple of those underneath your high-ticket offer and you’ve built a path, not just a paywall.
That said, this isn’t one-size-fits-all. If you’re sitting on fifteen product ideas and no real foundation yet, the opposite advice applies: pick one thing, build it well, and add the rest later.
Specific beats broad, every single time
The more specific your publication, the stronger you position as an expert, and the more you can charge. Try to serve everyone and you blur into the background. Zoom in on one audience and one pain point, organize your publication into clear subtopics so readers at different stages can find what’s for them, and if you’re serving two genuinely different audiences, that’s usually two publications, not one.
Vague calls to action quietly kill conversions
“Tell me your goals and I’ll help” sounds generous, but it asks too much of a stranger. A specific call to action tied to one outcome converts far better, because the reader sees themselves in it instantly. And don’t be afraid to switch your CTAs up across posts, some pointing to a low-ticket product, some to your main offer, depending on what each piece is really about.
🎓 If you want to use Substack to grow your audience, your income, and your business, we’re teaching exactly how in a free live Masterclass.
→ Save your seat: writebuildscale.com/masterclass
Design your publication to lead somewhere
Most people leave their navigation bar on the default setting and let readers wander. Don’t. Use the nav bar, subtopics, and strategic links to point people toward the one thing you want them to do, whether that’s applying for coaching or buying a product. And yes, you can link externally from your nav bar and inside your posts without any penalty, just not inside Notes.
The other feature almost nobody uses well is the subscriber chat. It’s where real community gets built, especially if your audience is otherwise isolated. Simple check-ins, a weekly prompt, a place to share wins, that’s what turns subscribers into people who stay.
Personality and emotion are the differentiators
Don’t just teach the tactics. Speak to the fears, the doubts, the messy middle your audience actually lives in. The publications that pull people in aren’t the most polished, they’re the ones that feel like a real person who genuinely gets it.
Why the Bestseller badge matters more than you’d think
Even if a paid tier isn’t your main way of making money, the Substack Bestseller badge is proof. When a reader is comparing fifteen publications in your niche and only two or three carry that badge, those few instantly stand out. It’s credibility you can’t fake, and it makes every other offer you have easier to sell.
That’s exactly what we’re teaching next.
🎓 How to Become a Substack Bestseller in Less Than Twelve Months
Our free live Masterclass is happening next week. If you want to grow your business, your audience, and your income by leveraging Substack, this is the room to be in.
👉 Save your seat: writebuildscale.com/masterclass
What’s the one thing holding you back from going all in on Substack for your business right now?
Drop it in the comments and let’s chat! 💬
