If You're Just Starting On Substack, Don't Make The Same Dumb Mistake I Did

Same applies if you're starting a newsletter anywhere, really.

photo by Liza Summer on Pexels

Last week I promised to write a guide to getting started on Substack. I’m pleased with what I’ve got so far because it’s not just the stuff you find anywhere online. How to start, what to do. Sure, it’s got that.

It also has all the stuff NO ONE tells you.

The stuff you learn the HARD way and then face palm when you finally figure out the stupid mistakes you made because you didn’t know any better. But it’s long and comprehensive and not quite ready yet.

I’ll send it out next week.

For now, I want to tell you the stupidest mistake I made. So if you’re just starting, you don’t make the same mistake. Because most people do. I see it over and over, every day. And I didn’t even realize it until I started a second substack.

A rose by any other name…

There’s a lovely line in Romeo & Juliet where Juliet says “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…”

Well hon, that might apply to a couple of kids who are in love despite their families feuding over political supremacy, but as far as literary pursuits go—that’s about it.

Names matter.

When I started this newsletter, it was a place to keep in touch with my readers at Medium. It was before Medium offered emails and the feed was borked then, too.

There was zero thought behind the name. Because starting a newsletter is kind of intimidating in the first place. We worry about all the wrong stuff. Like, will I be able to keep up with it? How do I start? What do I do? Will I find things to write about every week or will it be more staring down the blank page.

Wait? I need a logo? And a welcome page? And a welcome email? There’s so many bits and pieces to muddle through, we don’t think the name through.

I called it xo Linda. Know why?

Because that’s how I sign my emails. lol. Not even kidding.

I see that all the time. Jenny’s Newsletter. Letters From Sue. Bob’s Substack. If you did the same thing, no shame. I did, too.

Second Substack — close, but no cigar!

In the 1920s, carnivals gave out cigars as prizes. So when that dapper young man failed to get all the rings on the bottle, the carnival barker would holler “close, but no cigar” and try shame him into paying more coins to try again.

Close but no giant stuffed animal just doesn’t have the same ring.

A few months ago, I started a second Substack.

It’s called History of Women.

And you know something? I screwed up on that one, too. Close, but no cigar.

It’s got some great stories. The half-hanged witch that inspired The Handmaid’s Tale. The story of how Beatrix Potter defied social conventions and became famous. How the police made women afraid to go outside. True stories, all.

Again… I didn’t think it through entirely. lol. I pigeonholed myself. Now I want to tell the story of the boy who fell from the sky. And the man who used fairy tales to lecture women about morals. Also true stories, but they’re not about women.

Now I’m re-thinking that name. Should I change it and widen the scope? Or keep it and kick myself in the butt about the stories that don’t fit?

But—at the same time — History of Women is growing twice as fast as this Substack. When I look at the rate of growth, History of Women should pass the subscriber size of this publication in roughly 6 months at the rate each is growing.

All that is gold does not glitter…

Know where the subscribers come from on this Substack? Mostly Medium. A few from my website or Gumroad. But mostly Medium.

Know where the subscribers are coming from on History of Women?

The Substack Network.

The Substack Network is amazing. They really try hard to promote our work and their writers. When I was researching for my piece about how to grow on Substack, a lot of people said the Substack Network sucks. Doesn’t send them subscribers.

I’d think that too, if this Substack was the criteria. But I see the flood of subscribers on History of Women and they’re all from the Substack Network. For every subscriber I get on this one, I get two on History of Women.

We don’t exist in a vacuum here. We get promoted in a list of other Substacks.

If you see a list of “suggested” newsletters, and you see “History Of Women” in that list, there’s no question what it’s about, right?

But if you see xo Linda, Jenny’s Newsletter, Letters From Sue or Bob’s Substack, it’s meaningless. Who the hell is Linda, or Jenny or Sue or Bob? The only people who sign up are people who come from somewhere that they know you — or me.

You might write really awesome stuff, but if no one ever clicks through to find out, how would they know?

And so you know, recommendations don’t fix that. I have around 3 dozen other Substacks that recommend this one but History of Women is still growing twice as fast. Because people know what it is. The name makes them click to see.

The road not taken…

I love that poem. Most people misunderstand it. But I can’t tell you the story because it’s not about a woman. lol. Sorry. lol.

But seriously, there’s 2 paths to picking a great name for your Substack.

One is to tell people what they’re getting. That’s the road History of Women took. Even though I pigeonholed myself and wonder about re-naming it. But when random strangers see the name in a list of newsletters, they know what it’s about.

The other path is to choose a name based on who’d love the things you write about. Couple of examples: The Environmentalist, Oldster Magazine, Alpha Men.

It’s called a niche. Because here’s a thing that so many “marketers” get wrong. A niche isn’t really a topic. It’s a group of people. It’s a fine line, but one that matters.

And for the record, you can rename a publication here.

You don’t have to start over. Just go into your settings and change the name. If you’re doing great, you probably don’t want to do that. Don’t fix what’s not broken. But if you’re struggling — might be worth thinking about.

All the “promoting” in the world doesn’t help if people see “Sue’s Substack” but they don’t know who Sue is. Really good story titles can help with that. But if you struggle with titles, too, it’s like a double whammy. Food for thought, maybe. :)

---

On Medium…

If you’re on Medium, please click to read. Not like I’m on your homepage. lol.

• 5 Changes I’d Love To See On Medium

• Philip Roth Was A Jerk, But His Advice For Writers Is Dead On

• Prince Harry Got 20 Million For A Book He Didn’t Write

---

Scroll down a bit and click the heart, okay? It makes me feel appreciated.

Thanks!

xo
Linda