If I Was Starting My Substack Today, I’d Do These 5 Things

Plus What the Best Creators Are Doing That You Can Steal

Jul 11, 2025

Alright, let’s get brutally honest.

If I had to start from scratch on Substack today, zero audience, zero email list, zero people who even knew I existed, here’s exactly what I’d do differently.

This is coming straight from my scars, and from reverse-stalking the top creators who are absolutely crushing it right now.

Because I wasted way too much time on fluff, you don’t have to.

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1. Use Substack like a headline lab, every single day

Early on, I treated headlines like cute little titles you sprinkle on top.
Now I know they’re the difference between five people clicking… and five thousand.

And the overlooked goldmine? Substack itself.

If I was starting over, I’d turn Substack into my private R&D lab.
I’d scroll through Notes and top posts in my niche every day.
Bookmark the ones getting outsized replies and recommendations.
Look for the patterns: curiosity gaps, hard promises, “I tried X for 30 days” case studies.

Right now the headlines dominating Notes and Posts look like this:

3 beliefs secretly keeping you invisible
I tried this weird launch tactic for 30 days—here’s what happened
The painful truth about why your writing isn’t getting traction

I’d write five headline variants daily as Notes, see what pops, then double down by turning the winner into a full post.

Top Substack creators like Simon Owens built multi-6-figure platforms by writing viral posts that started with surgical headlines.
When his “How a Viral Substack Essay Led to a Book Deal” blew up, he broke it down line by line. It was never luck — it was hooks, tested relentlessly.

2. Talk to people like your future depends on it (because it does)

I didn’t get this at first. I thought, “Post good stuff, people will come.”

Turns out? The real growth happens in tiny one-on-one conversations — in replies, DMs, you actually caring.

Data backs it up:

Posts that end with a direct question or invite get two to four times more replies.
Responding to comments within 24 hours boosts your next post’s open rate by twenty to fifty percent, according to beehiiv and Substack creator interviews.

The biggest Substack writers aren’t just cranking essays in isolation. They’re replying to every comment. Sending personal DMs to people who engage. Shouting out reader wins in future posts.

This is exactly how Rob Henderson built a loyal 55,000+ newsletter with 40% open rates — by showing up every week, replying to readers, and making it a two-way street.
He says the consistency of personal follow-ups literally changed the trajectory of his growth after year one.

If I was starting again, I’d treat every comment like it could be my next best subscriber. Because on Substack? It absolutely is.

3. Break down top Substack posts like a detective, not a fan

It’s easy to scroll by a great post and think, “Wow, they’re so good.”
I used to do that. Now I break them down like a crime scene.

How did they open? Was it a shocking line, a question, a direct promise?
When did they drop the personal story vs the practical takeaway?
Did they use a call to action that asked for replies or pushed to another post?
Was there urgency or was it evergreen?

Rachel Karten does this brilliantly with her newsletter Link in Bio.
She doesn’t just drop insights — she structures them so readers are almost forced to keep scrolling.
Intro hook, micro-story, bullet examples, conversational PS.

If I was starting today, I’d steal this sequencing immediately.

4. Publish “conversation-only” posts on purpose

People are burned out on long essays that don’t feel personal.
What’s working right now are short posts that exist solely to start conversations.

Like:

What’s the scariest part of writing publicly for you right now?
If you could double your audience overnight, what would you actually do with that attention?
Tell me one thing that’s kept you stuck this month — I’ll pick a few and send back a personal plan.

These posts double reply rates.
They turn your newsletter from a one-way broadcast into a community.
They hand you content ideas for weeks.

5. Fill the massive gap most creators miss: tactical, transparent breakdowns

Most Substack creators are still either:

writing polished essays with vague lessons
or sharing bullet lists repeating the same old ideas

What’s rare is someone actually showing how the sausage gets made. With proof.

If I was starting over, I’d be the creator who gives readers the X-ray view.
Like:

Side-by-side comparisons: “This headline got twelve replies, this got zero — here’s why.”
Screenshots of my Substack dashboard, even if the numbers are small. Transparency is magnetic.
Live A/B tests: “I ran two subject lines this week — here’s which won and why.”

Rob Henderson built a wildly loyal list not with fancy growth hacks but by showing up every week with consistent, structured writing — and being open about his process.
Most creators won’t do this. If you do, you’ll stand out instantly.

What the top creators are doing (and what you can swipe right now)

Simon Owens shares the meta journey exactly how a viral Substack essay led to a book deal. He breaks it down structurally so you can replicate it, not just admire it.

Rachel Karten uses a conversational, almost text-message style that makes readers feel like trusted friends, not subscribers.

Josh Spector runs micro case studies inside his posts, spotlighting one small tweak that led to outsized results.

Rob Henderson built his list by responding personally to readers and showing consistent proof of life in every post no need for stunts.

P.S. Every dollar I’ve made here started from Notes and this is how I did it.

Just a handful of Notes pulled me over 400 subscribers in a week, without ads or launches, just from 3 notes.
That’s exactly what’s inside my Visibility Reset.

Grab Yours Now

If you’re done feeling invisible, grab it now and start writing Notes people can’t ignore.

The huge market gap (and how you can own it)

Most creators are still too polished or too vague. They don’t:

show ugly dashboard screenshots
break down two headlines side by side with results
reveal private poll data from readers

If you do? You’ll be the creator people trust most — the one they come to for tactical, transparent insights no one else is sharing.

The cheat sheet if you’re skimming

If I was starting today, I’d:

Use Substack like a daily headline testing ground.
Treat every reader reply like a golden thread.
Dissect top posts structure-first, not just admire the surface.
Publish purely to spark conversations.
Be radically transparent with my experiments, numbers, and lessons.

And if you’re serious about fixing your invisibility problem?

Your headline is the difference between ignored and irresistible.

You could write the most insightful post of your life.
But if your headline doesn’t do the heavy lifting?

No one clicks.
No one reads.
No one shares.
No one buys.

That’s why I built The Viral Headline Vault.
Inside, you’ll get everything I used to go from zero to:

17,000+ clicks in just 60 days
Featured multiple times by Medium’s editorial team
Viral Substack posts that pulled in floods of engaged readers
A single one-page email that made over $800
All without funnels, ads, or complicated launches
Get Yours Now!

This Vault is less than what most people spend on coffee.
After that, the price doubles and it’s not coming back down.

And if you grab it, try it, and think:

“This wasn’t helpful. It didn’t work for me.”

Just email me.
No awkward questions.
I’ll refund you right away.

But if you use what’s inside even a tiny bit, you’ll start writing the kind of headlines that get clicked, get shared, and get results.

Download The Viral Headline Vault now and write the line they can’t scroll past.
Before this weekend’s price jump.

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