I Almost Quit and Then Reached 500 Subscribers
Gaining new subscribers feels like climbing a mountain
As a writer, you’ll probably relate to this journey.
First, you have an idea. You set up your Substack account, launch your newsletter, and …BOOM! Your first issue is live.
Next, you share it with friends and family, hoping they’ll be intrigued enough to subscribe. And they usually do, either out of genuine interest or just because they’re being nice.
But after your close circle is on board, the real challenge kicks in: reaching everyone else. That’s when things get tricky.
Gaining new subscribers = climbing a mountain
Many of us hit a wall and give up. Sad but true. Because Substack is not a sprint. It’s a marathon.
I want to share how I grew my subscriber count from 0 to 500. That might not sound like a massive number, but believe me, it’s a milestone hard-earned through perseverance. And this post is all about how I got there.
My slow grind is real
I launched my newsletter in February 2022 and excitedly announced it on LinkedIn. That first post brought in about 30 subscribers, not a huge crowd, but enough to keep me motivated.
My newsletter is about history, so I dug deep into research, watched documentaries, listened to podcasts, and read books to make it as engaging as possible.
And then… nothing. For a solid six months, I did nothing. I’d started a new job as a Product Manager at a startup, and by the end of the day, I just didn’t have the energy to focus on my newsletter. By July 2023, I’d only published 13 issues.
Even worse, my subscriber count barely budged. After one year, I had just 100 subscribers, and by 2023, I was only gaining about 5 new subscribers per month. At that rate, it would’ve taken me 14 years to hit 1,000 subscribers!
I started wondering:
Should I just give up?
My turning point
During this rough patch, I made a key discovery: I genuinely love writing.
So I took a step back, talked to friends, readers, and fellow content creators, and got some real insights. Because I wanted to succeed.
I reached out to a handful of my most engaged readers, using a technique I’d learned from The Mom Test, a book about asking better questions. I wanted to understand why they kept reading.
Here’s what I found out:
I thought people wanted long reads (15+ minutes), so I offered both long and short formats. Turns out, my readers prefer the 5-minute version.
I didn’t think the newsletter’s name mattered. But my readers told me the original name, Inspistorik (short for Inspirational Stories), was confusing and hard to pronounce. Impossible to remember.
Most important: I was solving the wrong problem. I assumed people were looking for leadership inspiration through stories of great historical figures. Nope! They were more interested in learning about history and philosophy. They just wanted quick, engaging history posts to feel more knowledgeable at the end of the day.
I also had some great conversations with fellow creators. My friend and podcaster, Sébastien, reminded me that the more you write, the faster you get. And my YouTuber friend Jean-Baptiste shared his success secret:
you’ve got to experiment with lots of strategies before one sticks.
Armed with this advice, I was ready to fully commit to my newsletter.
The reboot of my Substack newsletter
Okay, I was doing things wrong. Time to hit the reset button!
I committed to sending out one newsletter per week, except during the holidays. From September 2023 to September 2024, I sent 44 issues.
I started gaining 10 new subscribers per month instead of 5. Better, but not enough to hit 1K subscribers quickly—I was looking at an 8-year wait. Way too long.
So, I tried different strategies:
• Offering an ebook: It didn’t move the needle. Only a quarter of new subscribers downloaded it.
• LinkedIn and Instagram visibility: Total flop. Social media don’t like external links. So, I ditched Instagram, stopped LinkedIn, and stuck only to X (formerly Twitter). Thanks to X, I’ve landed some really cool webinar guests. I’ve got 1K followers there, and it’s great for connecting with journalists and historians.
• Launching a webinar: Since I work at a live-streaming startup, I figured, why not host live shows with historians? It brought a lot of traffic to my YouTube (not Substack, though) and gave me tweets from influencers with up to 1.5M followers! Plus, I had some amazing conversations. Webinars are here to stay. Maybe I’ll even use Substack’s new feature for them soon.
• Rebranding: Shoutout to my friend, Sebastien. We finally found a more fitting name. “Inspistorik” became Morale de l’Histoire (The Moral of the Story).
People love it.
It’s way easier to pitch.
Still stuck? No! 130 new subscribers instead of 15
But by May 2024, despite all that, I was still stuck at 15 new subscribers per month. At that rate, it’d take 5 years to hit 1K. Frustrating, right? But I’m stubborn, so I kept pushing.
Then, something amazing happened. In the last three months, I’ve gained over 130 new subscribers per month! Yes, 130 new subscribers instead of 15.
What changed? Recommendations from successful substackers.
Five reasons I now add 130 new subscribers to my list
My Substack is alive, I post every week. You only recommend newsletters that are active.
I engage with other writers, not for their followers, but because I love what they write. Substack is a place where ideas thrive.
Some of those writers recommended me without me asking! That’s the magic of genuine engagement.
Inspired by Kristina God, I started checking out my subscribers. If I love their work and it aligns with my niche, I ask for a recommendation. And guess what? It works!
Also through Kristina’s guidance, I realized the importance of Substack Notes. I’m active daily on Notes, promoting my work and interacting with fellow writers. It’s a game-changer.
Today, 75% of my growth comes from recommendations
Kristina’s video and Substack School were key (*note from Kristina God: it’s about genuine relationships, support, reciprocity and trust) for my growth through recommendations.
Also, 25% of my growth is coming from the app itself, mostly Notes, I think.
At this pace, hopefully, I’ll hit 1K by the end of the year.
The moral of the story?
You only lose if you give up.
Alexandre Zermati - 📩 Histoire is the creator of Morale de l’Histoire , a newsletter focused on history and philosophy. Subscribe to his publication for more.
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Thank you, Alexandre, for this inspiring“Never Quit” message that speaks to so many. The “hockey stick” will soon be visible! Meaning after your slow incremental growth you’re gonna see massive growth now once the growth engine is on fire.
Alexandre Zermati - 📩 Histoire is the creator of Morale de l’Histoire, a newsletter focused on history and philosophy. Subscribe to his publication for more.
You can meet him inside the Substack School community of 280+ members.
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FELICES CASI LO DEJO
very useful, thanks Alexandre