Have you heard? The internet is officially dead.
AI-generated content has now quietly surpassed human written content online…
…AI wrote more than humans in 2025 and human content now has been buried under a flood of AI (slop).
Terrifying, I know!
And that changes everything. Because now more than ever, you need to clearly define your voice. Your real voice. The one AI can’t fake. And that opens up a huge opportunity for you in 2026.
The Internet may be dead, but your readers, the other writers and (paid) customers are still very much alive and they are desperate for your voice, perspetive, skills, expertise, values and opinions.
When you make it crystal clear who you are, what you stand for and what makes you different you will see the right people popping up in your Notes feed like popcorn.
You have to stand out in the dead internet
That is exactly why I created the Substack Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp. My goal is to help you be seen, get discovered and fast-track your list building and revenue by being more YOU.
Or as newish Substack Bestseller Karen Salmansohn who remembers when 100 paid subscribers felt impossible and nobody seemed to care, co-host of this year’s Bootcamp would say:
You have to stand out. You have to find your own voice. This is where AI can be a curse and not a benefit. I call it being you-ier. And you have to figure out what makes you you-ier. And that’s what’s going to stand out.
Inside our Substack Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp starting in 6 days, Karen, who went from zero to Substack Bestseller, will teach you how to master the art of writing Notes that stop the scroll and turn readers into paying customers.
You’ll become a better (short form) writer and attract your people via Notes, win paid subscribers explode your growth.
🔥Short Form Storytelling micro-techniques, Hero’s Journey, Main Character Energy + SEO/GEO tricks
🔥Convert casual Notes readers → paid customers: the Visual Bridge + Design Masterclass
Join with
EARLYBIRD
👉🏻until Wednesday and grab a ticket for only $149 instead of $299!
I’m not kidding.
I always try to make the Bootcamps as accessible as possible for beginners and everyone who’s talking into the void, hearing crickets and finally wants to be seen as a human and…
… find new friends, subscribers, customers, grows and earns through Substack Notes by making it #1 growth engine.
👇🏻👇🏻Join 21 bootcampers and grab one of the remaining spots!👇🏻👇🏻
Let’s listen to this year’s Substack Notes Kickstarter Bootcamp co-host, bestselling author and behavioral change expert Karen’s perspective on the AI trend and shift happening:
How becoming a Substack scientist helped
I actually got on Substack about a year ago. But I didn’t know my way around there. So I had to figure it out.
What works on Instagram and Facebook does not necessarily work on Substack. So I had to experiment. I consider myself sort of like a Substack scientist. I’m like, well, that didn’t work. Let me try something else.
Oh, that did work. Let me try that in five other ways. That’s sort of how I grew.
And eventually now my notes are picking up momentum. My posts are going kind of viral.
But it took a while to figure things out.
100% - I write everything myself
I write everything. That’s something that I’ve decided to do because I’m a writer first.
I was a writer way back when I was a kid. So I write all of my notes and the visuals with them.
I’m also a designer. I used to be in advertising. So I’m the writer and the creative director of the posts that you see. And I use Canva to create them.
What makes your writing scroll-stopping
A lot of it has to do with figuring out how to be scroll stop worthy.
Why would somebody pause?
Sometimes it’s the language. Sometimes it’s the visual. Sometimes it’s a combination.
I’ve tested both short and long. One of my longest notes is my most viral. So long does not necessarily stop a post from being scroll stopping.
Learn from what works
Don’t only learn from your mistakes. Learn from your non-mistakes.Figure out what went well.
What did I do there?
And how do I repeat it?
That’s how I figured out the formula.
The biggest mistake
AI can be very generic. So I try to encourage people to figure out what their own voice is. If you sound generic, you’re not going to be scroll-stopping.
You really have to know your audience. Talk to their pain points. Their goals. Their hopes. And write for that.
The internet is dead. Humans are not
Writer thumbprint is everything.
You have to know what your voice is. You have to figure out why you’re different. And own it.
The more you can say the word weird, the more you’re on track.
I talk about mortality awareness. I talk about how our time here is finite. I use humor.
Humor is a way in to the deeper, darker. That’s my voice.
Somebody else’s voice would be different. But when you see my post, you know it’s me.
AI can’t be you
AI can’t do me. I’ve tested it.
I’m happy to say AI cannot write like me. And I’m glad.
If AI can’t write like you, be happy. That means you have your own voice.
Being You-ier is the goal
The you-ier you are, the happier you will be. The more authentic you are, the happier you’ll be. People can feel the you-iness in you.
If you let AI do it, it’s not going to be there. It becomes Stepford wife content. And people can feel that.
Why I don’t post all the time
I write everything myself. So I don’t post as much as some people do. It might take me weeks for a post. But those are the ones that do the best.
With Notes, I batch them. I sit with a cup of coffee. My first ones are not great. But after 30 minutes, my best posts come. That’s creative momentum.
The simple formula behind great human writing
All writing is act I, II, III. Even if it’s three lines.
Act I is the scroll stopping setup.
Act II explains it.
Act III is the punch.
The takeaway. The summary.
Reinvent yourself
I like to be constantly reinventing myself. I used to be a self help author. But now I don’t want to be that anymore.
I want to be more literary. I want to tell stories again. So I’m changing my writing.
I’m not writing like a personal development author anymore. I’m writing like a person in development.
Your stories are your edge
AI can’t match your own stories. Your own experiences.
Those weird things that happened to you. The more you have that, the better.
I’m returning to how I originally wanted to write. And Substack is allowing me to do that.
The real opportunity for writers when the internet is dead
The internet might be flooded. But your people are still out there.
Still human. Still searching. For something real.
And that something is not better prompts. It’s not faster content. It’s not more output.
It’s you.
More you.
More you-ier than ever.
The value now is your writer thumbprint. You have to educate AI. This is me. This is my voice. I give a sh*t about other humans.
