Substack Newbie Pathway: Complete Beginner's Guide + 8 Essential Tutorials
+ My Substack story
I’m so glad you’re here! Welcome to the Substack Writers at Work Newbie Pathway to create your foundation for long-term Substack growth.
I was once where you are or have been: Not growing on Substack the way I wanted, confused by this very unintuitive platform, and frustrated that I had so much to give and wasn’t reaching people.
It was a different time, of course. I’ve been on Substack for half a decade, way back when there wasn’t someone like me to help me. I think I got zero new subscribers from 2019-2021. Two years. (We didn’t have Notes for discoverability back then, so it was even harder to grow.)
Then my life changed. My agent introduced me to Substack’s Head of Writer Relations, who went through my Substack and told me what works on the platform and what doesn’t. Within six months, I had 2000 subscribers.
Because, in addition to being your fearless leader, bringing you everything you need for long-term Substack growth, I’m on the faculty at Northwestern University and have taught for twenty years. Along with being a writer and lavishing attention on my cats :), teaching is my favorite thing to do in the world.
So I went to Substack and said, “Can I bring this to people, to everyone?” They don’t have time to meet with all of us one-to-one, and they said, “Yes, please.”
They set me up to meet with Substack writers and creators one-to-one.
What I did with my private clients worked. They doubled and tripled and 10x’d their subscribers, substantially increased their revenue, and got real engagement. Some were featured Substacks and bestsellers; others got book deals, freelance opportunities, clients, and speaking opportunities because we’d strategized their Substack.
Over the past three years, I’ve helped over 700 Substack writers and creators one-to-one. And thousands of our Mastery Level members (formerly called the Mastermind, but that was confusing to people). And tens of thousands on Substack Writers at Work.
Turns out I have a gift for seeing how people’s—your—gifts, talents, and expertise will work on the platform and love to geek out on all things Substack.
You’re in very good hands.
THE SUBSTACK NEWBIE PATHWAY
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These 8 quick tutorials, cheat sheets, and expert guidance below make up my Newbie Pathway to get you started.
I suggest doing them in order. Skip any that aren’t relevant to you and proceed to the next.
Everyone moves at a different pace, but the estimated time to complete all of them is 90-120 minutes.
None of this is from AI or a random Google search. 100% my expertise.
Please bookmark this page (!) so you can easily return to it.
The Substack Newbie Pathway is for paid subscribers ($450 value). Join us today for a very special gift.
NOTE: This is not a full course. If you learn better with a structured, on-demand online environment that gives you the complete Substack, I suggest my Substack Success Foundations Course. Paid subscribers get 10% off with the coupon thankyou.
If you work better 1:1 and want to get my eyes and guidance on your Substack, I see a limited number of private clients—book your Single Strategy Intensive here or 3-Session Substack Accelerator Package here.
If you want to accelerate your growth, you can get on the waitlist for the next opening of the Mastery Level Membership (formerly called the Mastermind) here.
THE SUBSTACK NEWBIE PATHWAY
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GET STARTED
1)
UNDERSTAND THE SUBSTACK ECOSYSTEM AND HOW YOU FIT IN IT
2)
3)
KNOW THE SUBSTACK TECH ESSENTIALS
4)
5)
![Sections vs. Groups Explained (in 4.2 minutes) [updated 2025]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9RkW!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F50faa229-1986-43c3-aa2f-19ffb78142dd_900x600.png)
6)
7)
WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NOTES
8)
You did it!
Wonderful. This will make Substack much, much easier.
Now, you can move to the Substack Core 4 for paid subscribers.
You’re ready to dive into your Substack DNA, write a bio and short description that draws subscribers, launch or relaunch, and get the 12 Essential Notes Templates to grow.
Become a paid subscriber for access.