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Whether you're writing to grow an audience, build a brand, or just share your thoughts, Substack is one of the easiest platforms to use. But starting right matters. Here are the top 10 mistakes to avoid on the platform. Choose a niche Start with a free newsletter Focus on value, not length Clear call to action in every post Repurpose, reuse, and recycle Create a consistent posting schedule About page and welcome email Getting engagement Collect emails on day 1 Always try to improve Keep reading, and I'll share in detail how to dominate with Substack, plus how it compares to a normal autoresponder and how to use them both. The riches are in the niches with Substack The first thing to do is pick a niche or area to talk about. You don't want to write about everything; you want to choose something. The important thing is you're interested in the topic and it's profitable. When in doubt, err on a larger niche so you don't get bored. The more interested you are in the niche, the more you will write, work, and the less likely you are to quit. For more ideas on choosing a niche, I wrote a post on it HERE. Why it's good to start with a free newsletter on Substack I get it; you want to get paid (I don't blame you). When you're new, you want to focus on growth, giving lots of value. A free newsletter eliminates barriers for people to subscribe. Plus, FREE is good because you can always post affiliate links in your newsletter and earn money. Affiliate marketing is when you post a link, and you can get paid if someone buys something, signs up, fills out information, or does something else. For more information on how to choose an affiliate product, you can check this post HERE. Focus on value, not length, when it comes to Substack The cool thing is, Substack is not a blog. A blog really should be 1,300 to 2,000 words, and a rule of thumb is that longer blog posts rank higher. Now, I'm noticing this trend towards shorter is better, except with blogging. TikTok videos do better at 10-20 seconds than 60 seconds. YouTube Shorts are doing better than normal videos. Basically, the length in a Substack post doesn't matter! Every post in a Substack newsletter should deliver entertainment, value, and be useful. I know what you're thinking, "How the heck do you deliver entertainment?" I recommend using what already works. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. via GIPHY Most of GOOD email copywriting is entertainment. I have a free guide on exactly how to do this, plus it can work GREAT with Substack too. You can view this free guide HERE. Plus, what's SO cool is you can mix and match. Substack takes pictures, videos, short videos, Twitter-like posts, and long posts. Include a clear call to action in every post on Substack This is something I'm a big believer in on every post I make online, regardless of the platform! Why are you making the post? Is it to earn money from writing? If so, you need a call to action. Otherwise, all these platforms are just using you, and they get paid from your work. They have enough money! A call to action can be anything you want the reader to do, such as... Follow or subscribe Share it with a friend Buy a product Donate to something Like the post Check out a website Do a jumping jack If you don't have this call to action, then you will probably burn out quickly because your internal voice will be telling you to quit because you're getting a bad deal. The strongest call to action will be to purchase a product. If you have that call to action in your posts, you're going to be more motivated to write. Right? You just want to make sure you deliver lots of value, so people come back too. Repurpose and reuse stuff on Substack The best way to get more done in less time (not burn out too) is to reuse, recycle, repurpose, and rethink with some rambling. Ok, I'm joking about the rethink and rambling part. Photo by Joel Lee on Unsplash Basically, the same post on a subreddit can be posted on a free LinkedIn newsletter. If you are a YouTuber, there is no reason not to post your video on your Substack. Try to think of ways of getting more done with less work. Work smarter, NOT harder, right? Sort of like the same "darn" video I posted to TikTok can be posted to Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and 10 other places. By the way, if you're curious about how to do that. I wrote a post on it HERE. It's SO cool! Create a consistent posting schedule on Substack I would recommend starting once a week to start. The worst thing is to put too much on your plate, burn out, or start missing posts. Consistency is good because it builds trust and keeps people engaged. Even if it's the shortest post EVER, it's better than nothing. What I recommend is scheduling the posts in advance. I do this for my YouTube channel. I post every Monday, and by Wednesday I usually have the next week's video done. This takes all the pressure off. If you go on vacation, set up a bunch of posts for the time you're away, and you're done (easy). Some people post biweekly; one is free, and the other is paid. Write a compelling about page and welcome email on Substack The about page is one of the first pages people see of you. Use it to explain the benefits of subscribing. Use it to share who you are and what the newsletter will be about. When in doubt, remember... Value over price = Sale I know the newsletter is free, but you're asking for someone's time, which is valuable. The welcome email is the first message your reader will get from you. Some ideas could be to thank them. Tell them what to expect, and ask for their feedback on how to improve the newsletter, what they like about the newsletter. You can use this feedback to make the newsletter better. Getting engagement on Substack Just like all social media channels, engagement is important. For someone to take the time to leave a message, even if it's negative or nasty, they are still honoring you. I try to respond to or like all the comments I get. You could say, "Thanks for the comment." Not engaging or responding is bad. I'm not saying I'm perfect in this category, but the quicker you respond, the better. Collect emails from day one on Substack What's so great about Substack is that they reminded me to add the subscribe box. All I did was hit 1 button, and it was automatically added. Still forgetting about this is a big mistake. How do people subscribe if you don't make it easy for them? How to always be improving with Substack Now and then, it's good to look at metrics; just be careful not to go crazy. You know, looking at the metrics every hour isn't healthy (it's easy to do). My rule of thumb is to look at things once a week or once a month. Then try to improve. If your open rate sucks, then change things around and try something different. You can also mix and match media for engagement. Try a mix of video, words, comedy, tips, Q & A, pictures, stories, and more. This is the fun part. Creativity is just combining things. Lastly, remember to be patient! Growth takes time and commitment to the long term. Conclusion Substack is an amazing platform. It does so much through email, and it's FREE. However, there are 3 big flaws. They can cancel your account at any time There is no welcome sequence of emails You can't do triggers and advanced features This is why I still use an autoresponder. I plan on using both! Substack is great for building an audience and gaining trust. An autoresponder is great for "making money" and closing. If I had to pick only 1, I would choose an autoresponder because money talks, and subscribers don't mean "donkey hair" if you are not making money. Just being real. However, you have to use an autoresponder correctly, and this takes copywriting and using words to sell. Lucky for you, I have a free guide on exactly how to do this. You don't have anything to lose by checking it out. Who knows? Maybe your income will go up by 2x, 3x, or even 7x. It is easily possible. Plus, I share a trick to keep 100% of the money. You can view this free guide from this post HERE. Hope this might have been helpful; bye for now.