32 Comments
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Dr Sam Illingworth's avatar

John, I really hope everyone on Substack reads this playbook, as it is genius. For me, the key is consistent posting, and on Substack I struggle to do a post every day, but certainly notes every day is possible. Also, really easy to forget about the half-life of our most valuable content. For example, today a best-selling Substack with tens of thousands of followers restacked something I wrote five months ago. It just shows that the algorithm does eventually reward excellent content once you've built the readership in the first place. Thanks as ever for sharing so openly and building with such great humility.

John Brewton's avatar

Appreciate this deeply, Sam, consistency and patience really do get rewarded once the foundation is built.

Drew English's avatar

I’m with you here, Sam. I, personally, would struggle with daily posts but I’m all over daily notes and engagement. This is a great breakdown and want to reread and take notes!

Mario's avatar

Sharing this for free is crazy, greatly appreciated!

Sahan Rao's avatar

One of the most actionable and well researched piece I’ve read in a long time. The structure, the personal anecdote.. great article, John

Liza Lau's avatar

Thanks John for the great insights. I started tracking the reactions and comments of what I posted on Linkedin for the last 30 days and I can really see the patterns emerged. This shows how important it is to go back to the fundamental. Thanks a mill.

nihal | deeptech decoded's avatar

John, thank you for sharing your experience. Reading it felt like witnessing the journey from right next to you. Cheers!

John Brewton's avatar

Really appreciate it, Nihal, glad the journey came through honestly and clearly.

Chintan Zalani's avatar

Jonhn this is just such an actionable and useful field guide. Much of the advice probably evergeen. Thanks a ton for sharing so generously.

PS: Over 150 calls is just mind blowing! Show how much effort this really takes.

John Brewton's avatar

Really appreciate it, Chintan, the work adds up faster than people expect.

JoAnne Pavin's avatar

Golden, generous, and executable! Thanks John!

John Brewton's avatar

Thank you, JoAnne, glad it feels practical and generous.

Decisionful's avatar

Thanks for this, very thoughtful and actionable.

John Brewton's avatar

Much appreciated, Decisionful, glad it felt practical and useful.

Alex Randall Kittredge's avatar

Great actionable tips on how to really succeed at Substack! Thanks for sharing John!

John Brewton's avatar

Sure thing my friend! Excited for our live on Wednesday!

Ousmane Diallo's avatar

Thank you John for giving us the blueprint on how to build our community.

John Brewton's avatar

Thank you for this, Ousmane, glad the blueprint helps as you build your community.

SirCharles's avatar

Hi John, do you really send a daily email to your subscribers?

Vy's avatar

OMG JOHN...It was the "foundation of my house" before the others came along.

This isn’t just about steps, tips, or hacks. It’s about a System.

It is a framework built on: the habits of a writer, the mindset of an observer, and the deep knowledge of the platform one pursues. More than just a quick fix, it is a systematic approach to thinking and creating that ensures your true values are always communicated clearly

Holly Everett's avatar

John, thank you for taking the time to map this out so intentionally. I’ve flagged it for my daily “education” block to comeback and reread slowly. Enjoy your day!

Jennifer Medhurst's avatar

I’m a nutritionist and influencer, and there is so much wisdom here. It’s nice to hear someone else say it! Thank you 🫶

Michael Mayes's avatar

As a new Stacker, this is outstanding. It’s real insight, that when applied will lead to results. And just as important, it’s about learning oneself for the journey! Thank you.

Iryna Shyshkova's avatar

Thanks for sharing, John! It was exactly what I needed. As a new writer on Substack, after about a month I started wondering whether having only 20 subscribers means I shouldn’t invest so much time here, even though I truly believe I have something valuable to share with people.