How I Reached 1,000 Subscribers (Without Writing About Growth)

Tips from someone who just did it

Last month, I hit a big personal milestone as a writer: I reached over 1,000 newsletter subscribers.

I have been trying to write online on and off for 15 years, and it always felt like I was spinning my wheels. Eventually, I would get discouraged from the lack of progress and give up.

In May of 2025, I committed to writing and sharing it online for 1 year, not worrying about the numbers. I was going to focus on consistency and learning.

I made very little progress for 7 months, but I was committed to the process, so I kept going.

Then in January, I started to get a little momentum, and in April, my subscriber count took a big jump.

Then in May, I hit 1,000 subscribers (a year after I made the commitment to write, funny how that works).

When you’re trying to grow anywhere online, there are always a lot of “growth accounts” giving advice on how to grow. Often, those are very helpful for giving strategies, but I always appreciate hearing how people who aren’t growth gurus grew their online presence.

Over the years, I have received a lot of great advice on how to grow online, and so I wanted to share some of the things that helped me reach 1,000 subscribers. I know how hard it is to get your first 100 or 500 subscribers (I was literally there earlier this year). So, if you’re trying to grow your newsletter, I hope some of these help you and encourage you to keep going.

Write the newsletter you want to read

This is a riff off of Austin Kleon’s advice, “write the book you want to read.” If you plan to write online for years into the future, you need to write about things that you are interested in. Don’t just write about what you think people will like or what is popular. You are playing the long game; write the newsletter you want to read.

Offer practical help

People are more likely to subscribe to your newsletter if they think it will help them in some way, so offer practical help. Tips, strategies, etc. My most popular article by far is 9 Things to Write in A Pocket Notebook Every Day. It gave people something simple and helpful to try.

Do projects and launches

My subscriber count took a jump each time I announced a project or launched something, like The Lord of the Rings read-along and the Analog Card Club. I think it signals to people that you are doing more than just writing, you’re actively thinking of new ideas that might be able to help them. I’m excited to try running a challenge later this Summer and see what people think of that.

Keep trying new things

If your growth is slow, just keep trying new things. In the last year, I have written about books, the Hero’s Journey, pocket notebooks, The Lord of the Rings, screen time, how to live a meaningful life, and more. Some have gotten traction, some haven’t. But this is the perfect experimental phase, you can try new things and see what happens.

If I hadn’t kept trying new things, I wouldn’t have thought to write about one of my favorite things, a pocket notebook.

Experiment with Notes

Notes really do matter and help with growth. This is also a great place to try new things. Experiment with Notes, see what people like, and let that give you article ideas.

Engage with other people on Substack

Reply to all comments you get, and comment on other people’s writing. You don’t have to do anything like leave 10 comments per day. Just read what you like, and leave a comment when you do. There are a lot of really great people on Substack.

Be consistent

You have to show that you are consistent and committed to this. I recommend 1-2 articles per week and 2 Notes per day.

Use a CTA

I got this advice from Matt Ragland: Use a CTA at the bottom of almost every post. That can be a question, an encouragement to subscribe, a tool they can use, or a giveaway.

There are countless things your potential readers could read or watch, so you have to give them a reason to check out your writing. A giveaway is a helpful way to increase engagement and bring in new subscribers. Reclaim Your Attention with a Pocket Notebook did really well because it explained a core part of my writing, and increased engagement because people had to leave a comment in order to enter the giveaway.

Be persistent

The most important advice I can give: be persistent. Growth will probably be very slow for the first 6 months or more. I was at 184 subscribers after 8 months of consistency, sending 2 articles per week. Then all of a sudden, I saw a big jump. You never know when the big jump is coming, so keep going.

Creating online is incredibly rewarding and challenging. Hopefully, some of my thoughts are helpful in your journey.

If you’re trying to grow online, how’s it going? Let me know in the comments.

-Mark

P.S. I write about pocket notebooks, reading, and paying attention to your life. Subscribe below to follow along.