Dispatch #2: What really makes a Substack go viral
Your weekly Substack dispatch
So…I spent yesterday talking about my death with a total stranger, a.k.a. an estate lawyer. (I love the idea that I have an estate—makes me feel very British, very Downton Abbey.) Nothing like talking about end-of-life choices and where you want your money to go after you’re in the grave for ninety minutes to make you appreciate cats on a whole other level.
And you—I so appreciate getting to do for you what no one else can do.
Without further ado, here’s your weekly dispatch from the front lines of Substack growth—with the platform’s leading Growth Strategist, me. Usually, the best stuff is below the paywall.
Today: What’s out, what’s in, and what really makes a Substack go viral.
What’s out
Out: ICYMI.
You know how some people include live links to past articles at the bottom with something like a From the archive or ICYMI? Stop.
The future of Substack is keeping subscribers by telling them what’s next at the bottom of each post, not what they missed.
There was a time when it was wise to list two or three past articles/posts at the bottom of a post, particularly if they were paywalled in your archive. Not anymore. Subscribers barely have time to read the newsletter they’re reading, what with their inboxes so full.
End with a What’s next or What’s coming instead.
Out: Discounts of over 25%.
I cringe every time I see someone run a 30% or 40% or (e-gads!) 50% off sale.
Please stop.
25 percent off is a fantastic perk; 50 percent off is clearance. Your writing should never be on a clearance rack.
Out: Posts.
Substack now refers to Posts as Articles, ostensibly to avoid confusion between posts on Notes and posts on your Substack and even though I did it above, it was an effort, and I will likely never get used to it.
What’s in
In: Monthly recap emails.
People may not be getting as many of our posts/articles as we think. When people opt to read in the app and our articles aren’t delivered to everyone because of funky things happening with Gmail or wherever, they miss our posts.
I suggest a single, short roundup email (not a post/article) to your subscribers. I know this seems to go against my assertion that ICYMI is dead, but this is a necessary recap for those reading in the app. Keep it short, just telling them what you posted.
Inside the client session…
What really makes a Substack go viral
I’ve worked 1:1 with Janice Walton nearly every week for three years.
As the 87-year-old writer of the Aging Well Newsletter, she brings readers the insider’s guide to aging well, sharing what really goes on mentally, emotionally, and physically as we do.
Something happened in early February, and her Substack went viral.
I looked into all the data to try to figure out why. Was it Notes? No. LinkedIn, where she’d started posting? No. Recommendations? No. The onboarding process? Substack support thought so.
The main thing was that the subscribers were engaged, sharing her posts, and staying subscribed.
So what did we start doing differently on February 6?
We started focusing on her writing and created a structure for her articles that would be familiar to her readers.
I love giving Substack writers everything they need to write well on Substack, which is different than writing well anywhere else. (This is why I teach a course called The Craft of Writing on Substack.)
We also structured her posts to follow a similar pattern: They say/I say, Experts say/What I’m finding.
I’m not suggesting you do it this way, especially if you’re an essayist. This wouldn’t apply, but there’s something you can do to make your posts familiar.
This is the key to Substack in 2026: Your writing and having a familiar structure for your readers to come to each week, or however often you post.
The paid subscriber opportunity you may be missing
The posts you pin to your homepage are going to be your highest converters because they’re also pinned on the app, so make sure you have three proven paid posts there. (They’ll also potentially draw free subscribers most so we’ll check for that too.)
On your dashboard, on the left sidebar, go to Stats, go to Posts. (Substack hasn’t renamed it articles yet :) Go to the 3 dots. Export the CSV file.
Upload it to Claude. I typically give much more elaborate prompts, but for our purposes here, just ask, What are the top 3 posts that brought in the most paid and the most free subscribers?
Pin those posts.
Who’s here
Authors! Big-name book clubs continue to migrate to Substack, which means we now have access to people that, at one time, we could only reach through publicists. (Many people don’t realize that as a paid subscriber you can just respond to the Substacker’s email to reach them.) The Kelce Brothers have a book club (so far all picks have been about Taylor, so…I’m not sure how long it’s going to run). Reese’s Book Club is here. You can also search all the Bookstacks here.
What’s next
Next week, I’ll be reporting from New York from Substack’s invite-only Once and Future Media Forum. Paid subscribers will get to be there live with me on Thursday, 5/28.
Early enrollment is open for How to Use Substack to Grow Your Business Intensive: Saturday, June 6, noon-3 PM CT
$185$110 (I want as many people to be able to afford this as possible: use the code BIZ)
All my best,
P.S. For the comments: How have you approached sales? What’s worked? What doesn’t work?
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VERY SMART!!
Thank you Sarah, I am LOVING these dispatches and have used the ‘save’ button with both so far! Think I’m going to be referring to these over and again as I get my head around Substack.