How to “succeed” on Substack without counting numbers
Redefining how we measure success
From the moment we’re born and able to stack rocks, we’re thinking about numbers. How many rocks can I get on here before this tower falls? How many times can we volley this birdie back and forth before it hits the ground? How many pieces of candy can I scavenge from this ravaged piñata? Don’t even get me started on Monopoly, y’all.
We’re building number scrolls in elementary school. We’re seeing how high we can count in Spanish. We’re Rock-Paper-Scissoring, Tic-Tac-Toeing. We’re competing against each other, against ourselves, and creating new goalposts.
Everything—everything—is external validation. And no one teaches us otherwise.
And because we’re thoughtful and confused and marinating in unresolved wounds, some of us become writers. We get on Substack with the goal to eventually quit our day job. We see our subscriber number go up. We might even get some money in the bank! We feel a shot of dopamine like lightning in a bottle. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel where writing is a full-time side hustle. We don’t just want that external validation, we hunger for it. We’re not the Koch Brothers, but we must still do capitalism.
The dopamine feels good. With all the external information hurtling through our smartphones, injecting us with depression, anxiety, and occasional dopamine hits, we get hooked. When we don’t get it, we feel dejected and hollow, like after eating too much Halloween candy.
All the therapists and healers, Brené Browns and Glennon Doyles tell us to shed our reliance on external validation. or be miserable. Depending on forces outside our control for validation, “pursuing happiness,” as if it were a fleeting bird, will make us miserable. (I wrote about “enoughness” here.)
Our writing teachers tell us to detach from external validation so we can become free to create our best work. But Schrödinger’s Cat says an object does not exist until observed. If a piece was written and no one reads it, was it written at all?
We must not write to be read and not care if we’re read, but also be read and paid, because capitalism.
The whole thing is such a catch-22 that it feels like the America Ferrera monologue in the movie Barbie about the impossibility of being a woman. (Unrelated, men also face an impossible conundrum in this culture, which I’ve written about here.)
So how do we Substack without getting sucked too much into the numbers game?
Tip #1: Don’t have a goal
recently wrote how legendary rock underground pioneer Steve Albini (RIP) found creative success by not having a goal. This reminds me of the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, “It's not the destination, it's the journey.”Steve Albini said:
I’ve lived my whole life without having goals, and I think that’s very valuable, because then I never am in a state of anxiety or dissatisfaction. I never feel I haven’t achieved something. I never feel there is something yet to be accomplished. I feel like goals are quite counterproductive. They give you a target, and until the moment you reach that target, you are stressed and unsatisfied, and at the moment you reach that specific target you are aimless and have lost the lodestar of your existence. I’ve always tried to see everything as a process.
Tip #2: If you’re going to have a goal, make it creative exploration
The next one is from
, who writes:The goal for me here has been 100% about creative exploration. I have used this as a place to experiment, play, and write like nobody’s reading. This is a beautiful place for me to escape, be vulnerable, hone my voice, and write for myself.
So many “experts” will tell you to write for your reader. I think that’s BS. I write for me. And when people enjoy it, it’s a rewarding bonus. I love connecting with my readers, but I am not altering my words for them. I am not writing the things that I think will go viral or resonate with the mainstream.
Tip #3: Silence the voices in your head
I recently posted on Substack Notes:
To which
replied: “Society’s whisper is strong. Don't listen.”To which I replied: “Is it society or the little voice in my head? Sometimes I have a hard time differentiating between the two.”
To which Janine replied: “It's society's voice in your head. We all have beliefs based on other people’s opinions. Kick ‘em all out and listen to your gut. What is she telling you?”
My gut was telling me I needed a forest bath. It was also telling me I needed to get to X amount of paid subscribers so I could give up one of my side jobs.
Tip #4: Expansion vs. progress
This one’s from
, who says we should focus on “expansion” over “progress.” Expansion means bringing truth to light. Be a truth seeker, share that truth, and expand.
Tip #5: Become a catalyst for transformation
Thanks to
for reposting this interview between and . In it, Dr. Sharon writes about her intention as a writer.
Tip #6: Let go of perceived outcomes (see #1)
of my favorite writing podcast writes about how holding perceived outcomes extinguishes creativity.He writes:
The conventional notions of success can dim the voltage of our ideas, water down the fragrant broth of our thoughts. When an impulse of curiosity strikes, it’s best to follow it with a passion that moves forward in disregard of destiny or consequences.
So what, outside of numbers-counting, does count as success?
There are other measurements besides counting numbers. Here’s a starter list. I made this thing to refer to every time I start counting numbers. Because numbers are external and a joy suck. But the following things I can control. What is your why? Why do you write?
Give yourself a mental checkmark next to any of the following you’ve accomplished. Then add more examples in the comments!
Writing part-time
Writing full time
Writing in the notes app on your phone while waiting in school pick up line
Putting butt in chair
Being visited by the muse
Writing without your neck hurting
Writing with your neck hurting, because you’re still writing!
Uninterrupted time to write
Writing while being interrupted
Getting a subscriber
Turning off subscriber email notifications
Weaning yourself off the external validation high
Forgiving yourself for relying on the external validation high
Being vulnerable
Establishing boundaries
Maintaining boundaries
Finishing a thing
Starting a thing
Reading a post
Listening to a post
Thinking about a post
Narrating a post
Having time to think about the next thing you’re going to write
Having ideas in the shower about the next thing you’re going to write
Feeling joy or inspiration from reading a thing
An aha! moment
Channeling your rage into writing
Punching yourself in the face as you write your memoirish story
Commiserating with other writers about punching selves in faces for writing their stories
Getting your shiznit out of your body and onto the page
Getting excited about writing again
Meeting another writer
Swapping pages
Establishing a writing community
Reading something someone wrote and feeling something
Carving out time to read a post
Discovering that next great book from a post you read
Being read
Not caring if you don’t get read and no one comments
Receiving a comment
Seeing yourself in another’s post
Reading someone say that they felt seen in one of your posts
Meeting a self-imposed deadline
Meeting an externally imposed deadline
Finding the perfect picture for your post
Finding an adequate picture for your post
Setting the bar low and hitting it!
Shooting for the stars and missing because at least you were brave enough to try
Being open and humble
Creating something you’re proud of
Creating shitty art
Creating something that made you laugh
Laughing
Revising for the first time
Revising for the millionth time
Pursuing your passion
Honing your voice
Experimenting
Playing
What else? What do you consider success on Substack? Do you have a Substack goal? Let me know in the comments!
If you found value in this post and want to support my work, please consider a free or paid subscription at $4/mo for the year. Thanks for supporting independent writing!
<3, Summer
***Edited to allow comments! Original post I accidentally paywalled the comments. It was late, okay…***
What do you consider success on Substack? Do you have any Substack goals?
Just want to say thank you. I tried to copy all your bulletin points at them end into my note, but it wouldn’t work for me, so I just copied your whole article in my notes.
I am new to writing publicly in Substack, or anywhere else, so many of the tips and thoughts you expressed really resonate with me. I am retired though, so I don’t write for the $$. But I find lots of value in honest substacks and I subscribe to a few—including yours. So please keep writing from your gut, your heart, your experiences.
Substack numbers or alluring, but they are not why I write.
I write to find my voice! I have been silenced over the years. My voice was not valued beyond the elementary school kids who had to listen, since I was a teacher. But now, I am trying to speak my gut, my heart, my spirit. Freely. And it’s the freely part I am still working on. I don’t want this to become an exercise in writing to please others. That’s the habit I want to BREAK.
Keep being who you and sharing it please!