How to Grow your Substack in Infographics
A journey in Tweet-Infographics
AUGUST 1ST, 2022 4:40 PM MONTREAL, CANADA
Hey Guys,
The more I think about being a Creator on Substack, the more I think we need to educate ourselves on Newsletter, Email marketing and SaaS growth marketing.
As much as we want to call ourselves “Creators”, this is sales and marketing too. Growth is both art and science as is great content.
I noticed a guy on my LinkedIn feed Shiv Narayanan who is CEO of How to SaaS. I was thinking of his infographics and how they could be related to what we do as Substack Writers.
His infographics give us hints about how to grow on Substack, so I hope you enjoy my little series. All credit of the images to Shiv.
Growth is Everything
Free subscriber growth is the key-metric to grow your Newsletter.
Having more free to paid content is important to attract new readers.
Showing your best work in free content is high-value. (top of funnel)
As you hit your ceiling after you scale (around 1.5 to 3 years on Substack) you can focus more on monetization and paid media.
Some of your profits can go to marketing to boost sales even more!
You can actually “grow faster” if you go all-in on Free content, the trajectory is different. Just ask Ali:
He can monetize his audience however he chooses off-site, doesn’t have to be on Substack.
Know Who you are Writing For
Know and learn more about your ICP: ideal customer profile
No matter how small or focused your niche audience, you still need to do some marketing to learn more about them.
As your Newsletter evolves, you will learn more about your actual paid audience and intended ICP, not necessarily the same.
Growing your ICP base will take a lot of time to scale, e.g. 18 months on Substack even to known your ceiling. It’s a marathon not a sprint.
Marketing actually matters!
Entertainment, Inspiration and Wow Factor
Does your Newsletter have “entertainment” value?
Your audience might be expecting to get some inspiration, magic and emotional connection from your work.
Trying to find the magic point between Art & Science could appeal to the greatest variety of people. Both head and heart.
To understand the Science, learn the fundamentals of Email and SaaS marketing principles.
To understand the Art, read voraciously in topics you write about on Substack and elsewhere. Feel the impact of the work of others.
Audience Retentions and Churn Reduction
Email is like a door, most of our audience are just like tourists.
So how do you get more of them to sit down, listen or even clap?
You need to provide value on many levels: (see the Tweet).
Demand generation on a Substack implies multi-layered marketing.
Essays, podcasts, interviews, Op-Eds, video and some vulnerability.
What will be the Legacy of your Newsletter?
Accountability journalism or bigger causes tend to have the most longevity on Substack.
People want to support a cause that makes the world better!
It’s more than just about your Newsletter, but how your Newsletter contributes to the grater good.
What are you an advocate for and what cause do you really stand for?
I hope this has been food for thought,
Thanks for reading!