Woman in business: How I made 60K on Substack this last year
Sharing all my best side-hustle secrets
I’m often asked how I make money as a full-time creative entrepreneur. And to be honest, I’m always a little loath to answer that question—especially in the slog of today’s capitalism. But, transparently, I really wish someone had told me how to leave Corporate America faster. I wish anyone had said how absolutely sustainable entrepreneurship can be.
Honestly, I’m sick of creative women not making money or being mortified by their success. That’s why I’m writing this essay.
In it, you’ll find:
My top ten in-depth strategies for growing paid subscribers
Examples of strategies, design elements, and offerings that helped me gain 1,200 paid subscribers in less than a year
Behind-the-scenes look at how I structure my content and daily writing to produce the strongest results
I offer this post with a slight caveat: You don’t have to make money off your art. In fact, some folks find monetizing their creativity entirely antithetical to their love of it.
I’m reminded of a friend of mine who worked at a branding agency with me before I left corporate America. Jonas had been with the agency for eight years but refused every promotion he was offered. From his perspective, he wanted to make just enough money to go home every night without additional responsibilities. After work, he wanted to be free to do what he loved—play music in a punk band and make weird space art. He never wanted to monetize his own art either. That would kill the pleasure. His work was his work, his art was his joy. This to say, there’s real wisdom in letting your art exist without the pressure of having to support you.
As for me, corporate life made me physically and spiritually ill. I didn’t have a choice but to leave. When I decided to quit my corporate job, I told my friend—I’m ready to make less money if it means more sunshine. She replied: Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you found a lot more of both on your own. And it turned out she’s right. Three years in as a community builder and author, I’ve tripled the salary I once made as an agency copy director. (And I get to go outside anytime I like).
Here are my current revenue streams:
My online writing community, Sustenance
My Substack paid subscribers
Advance from my book, Instructions for Traveling West
Perhaps later this month, I’ll write about how I built my writing community into a sustainable model (let me know in the comments if that would be helpful to you). For now, I’m going to walk you through how I got 1,200 paid Substack subscribers in less than a year.
Making my first 60K on Substack:
When I arrived on Substack two years ago, I brought over a pre-existing email list of about 3,000 people. That definitely helped me grow—as did my decent-sized Instagram following. Yet, I think it’s a misnomer to write off my growth simply as a product of pre-existing platforms. In reality, the majority of my readers have come from Substack. After just two years on the platform, I have 21K readers and make a full-time salary. This is to say: the strategies I’m about to outline are sound. They worked for me and they can work for you too.
My top ten strategies for going paid:
Slurp hearts
First and foremost, you must produce quality work on this platform. No amount of strategy or Substack savvy will make up for lackluster writing. This platform is absolutely saturated with excellent writers offering paid subscriptions.
That’s why so much time and effort goes into my Women in the World essays. They generally require field research, then it takes me several dedicated days to actually write them. After that, I send them to my editor for proofing and to my assistant for promo graphics. Finally, I edit and revise.
When I wind up in someone’s inbox, I want to ensure there’s value and share-ability. I want to be consistently and immediately associated with heft and depth. My essays aren’t puff pieces intended to promote products or sales. They’re little hearts unto themselves. Meant to be eaten raw and whole, like oysters.
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