I devoured this piece and teared up at different points through your timelines. Thank you for sharing your journey with us! I’m inspired to be walking the same path with you.
Thank you for this. It’s really inspiring. I only started writing this summer, after my daughter died, so an identity as “a writer” is very new to me. But I am going with it! Like you, I am drawn to connections and to people. My daughter’s illness showed me the importance of connection and I will forever be grateful for this. So now I am dipping my toes into writing and painting, as a way to connect. Gifts that she left me. I will continue to read your work. X
I’m incredibly sorry for the loss of your daughter. I can only imagine the grief of an experience like that. I can see you write a lot about navigating grief. It’s a powerful aspect to write about and many will likely seek refuge in what you have to share x
You are just a shining light here Kat, thank you for your transparency and support. You're an inspiration, you just ooze authenticity from every pore into every post. Xx
Kat! I love how you began this piece with the wisdom and encouragement from your dad ❤️ they always know. Congratulations on an incredible year on Substack 🧡. Felt truly an honour to witness your year like this. I have been shy to play on notes/chat as feel like I’m talking into a void still. But I like how you wrote ‘create like you have 10000’ followers already. It really is about how you want to show up. The rest falls how it will ✨
Get amongst other peoples notes, chat to those who comment on theirs. Connect with other writers and readers who have similar interests.
Often our work doesn’t get received NOT because it’s not good work, but because it’s just simply there’s nobody yet to receive it.
Getting on notes is a way to simply have more eyes find you, therefore some will become connected to your work too.
I started with getting around other notes, and also finding new writers I liked and exploring their accounts etc.
Then when I did start on notes it was mostly restacking - usually a few times a day.
And then it became sharing engaging notes because one or two people would comment but it would kinda go out to their audience (I think) and then others would begin to join in.
They wouldn’t always transfer into subscribers for me but it felt really nice to feel connected and enjoying conversations with others outside of my current community too x
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply ☺️. That’s a really good idea. Playing in another’s sandpit for a while and see if we can build castles together.
I do love a restack. Genius way of slicing a beautiful sentence that just hit all the right nerve endings.
Kat, I really love this list so much! And your writing, and your dad for encouraging you to give the writer within you the platform! Such a gift to the world.
It’s incredible to read your journey and how you self taught your way for a long time!
I’ve read your whole post just now as I’m lying on my acupressure mat getting ready for bed. So please apologise if I missed this somehow as I am quite tired (but I couldn’t stop reading): I’d love to understand how much time you spent on networking, notes, commenting on other peoples posts and replying to those under your own longer articles?
Has this time commitment shifted aside from of course birth and mama responsibilities, maybe because you’ve seen some things work better than others?
Thank you for sharing all that you do in the most beautiful words. Xx
Hey! What a great question! It was a slow build. Initially I’d just have a quick look in notes daily or even every couple of days.
Only respond to friends posts.
And my own comment threads.
Then I would begin commenting on random notes from people I didn’t follow but wanted to be apart of the conversations and discussions.
Then I began posting notes. Once a day, then a few times.
Now I have no shame and just restack whenever I read something I like!
I’m breastfeeding a lot though right now so I have more capacity to sit and respond on my phone than I do to write on my laptop so I’ve been prioritising community here lately! Though I know I won’t have this space forever
Really helpful question & response. I launched in August and, after finally finding my people across the platform and enjoying their work, I am just starting to comment on posts and play around with notes. There’s definitely a learning curve here. But the more time I invest, the more I find people whose writing inspires me, which is so satisfying as a platform.
Kat, Well done on your first year, with what you just wrote, you will definitely grow and inspire even more people. especially young women who are about to become mothers. I've been on here just over a month, and will keep this post as a remainder of what can be achieved if you put in the work.
I had been waiting for this since we bumped into each other on Notes yesterday. I love the transparency. Yours sounds like a journey for sure. Don't you just look at your year in review and wish you would have known then what you know now? Hindsight is so 20/20 isn't it?
Substack has come a LONG way since my first paid newsletter way back in 2017. I'm over the moon about what it offers now compared to back then.
I started my current pub less than two months ago with zero followers and zero social media and I couldn't be happier about my progress, both free and paid subs. The networking via notes and recommendations is incredible. And it's such a great feeling when you get feedback about how you changed someone's day just by what you sent out that morning.
Congrats on your success! I'm sure there's much more if it to come 😊
How interesting that you’ve been here since 2017, whenever i see your name pop up, I have this feeling that you had roots here and were comfortable in this space. Now I know why!
Hi Kat, I have followed you over on Instagram for years and loved when I saw the transition. You have always had such an incredible deep connection with words, when I saw your Substack i was so happy!
I love this post, your words have given me a lot more hope and also have made me stop to think and appreciate my own growth so far and not to take that for granted.
Love your deep dives about connecting with the audience here more than you did on other platforms. It feels like such a refreshing way to grow.
Thank you and congratulations on your beautiful year 💕
Honestly, i didn’t realise such a beautiful community existed. It’s very refreshing compared to how shut down and bullied I have been on social platforms like TikTok
PS - Substack say anywhere between 2-10% is the goal for paid conversions. I’m going to pick this up with Russell on the pod! Thanks for all you do to build community Kat! ✨🙏
How fab to read your story Kat, I found it so inspiring, especially the tiny wins! I claimed 'being a writer' here a few months back after years of, as you say, writing for free - instagram, emails etc - and it's been so joyful getting my first few paid subscribers - the best feeling and definitely dance-worthy!
Thanks for this great opportunity for us to learn from your experience. I really like the way you balance commercial and creative considerations. We'll all have a different balance between them, but your account of the way you blend these two elements into your Substack is very instructive. Thank you and congratulations.
Thanks for sharing Kat, I’m going to print off your list of bullet points and keep them on my desk! I’ve just celebrated a year on here too. With 13 posts and a little community engagement outside of my publication I’ve got to just over 500 free subscribers. Recently I’ve noticed a big uptick in subs coming from the Substack network (around 1 a day), which I think is a reward for showing up a bit more regularly. Planning to write about growth in the 0-500 subs period for people who don’t already have a large audience online (me!). Your point about slow, healthy growth really resonates with me, I love that about Substack. Excited to design my own growth mentoring and keep building. Thanks again! ❤️
I devoured this piece and teared up at different points through your timelines. Thank you for sharing your journey with us! I’m inspired to be walking the same path with you.
Oh it got you in the feels! I love that, and thank you ✨ such a special space for so many of us
It did! I love artists so much, and I love seeing them succeed even more. Congrats on a gorgeous first year, babe!
Thank you for this. It’s really inspiring. I only started writing this summer, after my daughter died, so an identity as “a writer” is very new to me. But I am going with it! Like you, I am drawn to connections and to people. My daughter’s illness showed me the importance of connection and I will forever be grateful for this. So now I am dipping my toes into writing and painting, as a way to connect. Gifts that she left me. I will continue to read your work. X
I’m incredibly sorry for the loss of your daughter. I can only imagine the grief of an experience like that. I can see you write a lot about navigating grief. It’s a powerful aspect to write about and many will likely seek refuge in what you have to share x
You are just a shining light here Kat, thank you for your transparency and support. You're an inspiration, you just ooze authenticity from every pore into every post. Xx
Thank you Sarah, that’s really beautiful of you to say and I appreciate that x
Kat! I love how you began this piece with the wisdom and encouragement from your dad ❤️ they always know. Congratulations on an incredible year on Substack 🧡. Felt truly an honour to witness your year like this. I have been shy to play on notes/chat as feel like I’m talking into a void still. But I like how you wrote ‘create like you have 10000’ followers already. It really is about how you want to show up. The rest falls how it will ✨
Yes! Hold your vision and act accordingly!
Also - re notes,
Get amongst other peoples notes, chat to those who comment on theirs. Connect with other writers and readers who have similar interests.
Often our work doesn’t get received NOT because it’s not good work, but because it’s just simply there’s nobody yet to receive it.
Getting on notes is a way to simply have more eyes find you, therefore some will become connected to your work too.
I started with getting around other notes, and also finding new writers I liked and exploring their accounts etc.
Then when I did start on notes it was mostly restacking - usually a few times a day.
And then it became sharing engaging notes because one or two people would comment but it would kinda go out to their audience (I think) and then others would begin to join in.
They wouldn’t always transfer into subscribers for me but it felt really nice to feel connected and enjoying conversations with others outside of my current community too x
Thank you for such a thoughtful reply ☺️. That’s a really good idea. Playing in another’s sandpit for a while and see if we can build castles together.
I do love a restack. Genius way of slicing a beautiful sentence that just hit all the right nerve endings.
I’m off to play with my coloured pens 😉 xx
Same! Love "create like you have 10,000 followers!" I feel like we all should write this and post it front and center on our mood boards!!
I'm in week one of my Substack relationship. Thank you for sharing 🙏
I really enjoyed the transparency of your post. I'm really excited to set small goals and celebrate small wins.
That's all it's going to be for a while, and that's okay!!
It’s so okay and it’s just as rewarding!
You've got this Reginald! My first month was SO inspiring (September). Small accomplishments really do give you the fuel to keep going!
Kat, I really love this list so much! And your writing, and your dad for encouraging you to give the writer within you the platform! Such a gift to the world.
It’s incredible to read your journey and how you self taught your way for a long time!
I’ve read your whole post just now as I’m lying on my acupressure mat getting ready for bed. So please apologise if I missed this somehow as I am quite tired (but I couldn’t stop reading): I’d love to understand how much time you spent on networking, notes, commenting on other peoples posts and replying to those under your own longer articles?
Has this time commitment shifted aside from of course birth and mama responsibilities, maybe because you’ve seen some things work better than others?
Thank you for sharing all that you do in the most beautiful words. Xx
Hey! What a great question! It was a slow build. Initially I’d just have a quick look in notes daily or even every couple of days.
Only respond to friends posts.
And my own comment threads.
Then I would begin commenting on random notes from people I didn’t follow but wanted to be apart of the conversations and discussions.
Then I began posting notes. Once a day, then a few times.
Now I have no shame and just restack whenever I read something I like!
I’m breastfeeding a lot though right now so I have more capacity to sit and respond on my phone than I do to write on my laptop so I’ve been prioritising community here lately! Though I know I won’t have this space forever
Really helpful question & response. I launched in August and, after finally finding my people across the platform and enjoying their work, I am just starting to comment on posts and play around with notes. There’s definitely a learning curve here. But the more time I invest, the more I find people whose writing inspires me, which is so satisfying as a platform.
Kat, Well done on your first year, with what you just wrote, you will definitely grow and inspire even more people. especially young women who are about to become mothers. I've been on here just over a month, and will keep this post as a remainder of what can be achieved if you put in the work.
Hey Juan- Pierre, thank you for your comment here. And yes, you should be able to click the little dots and save the post for future reference ❤️
Thank you for sharing this, Kat! Your journey is inspiring and its been a joy to read your work and watch your growth x
Thank you Ashley✨ appreciate you being here xx
I had been waiting for this since we bumped into each other on Notes yesterday. I love the transparency. Yours sounds like a journey for sure. Don't you just look at your year in review and wish you would have known then what you know now? Hindsight is so 20/20 isn't it?
Substack has come a LONG way since my first paid newsletter way back in 2017. I'm over the moon about what it offers now compared to back then.
I started my current pub less than two months ago with zero followers and zero social media and I couldn't be happier about my progress, both free and paid subs. The networking via notes and recommendations is incredible. And it's such a great feeling when you get feedback about how you changed someone's day just by what you sent out that morning.
Congrats on your success! I'm sure there's much more if it to come 😊
Haha love that! Bumped into each other on notes.
How interesting that you’ve been here since 2017, whenever i see your name pop up, I have this feeling that you had roots here and were comfortable in this space. Now I know why!
Well, I only kept that newsletter for about a year. Then I left and hit Medium for 4 years. Now here I am again!
Hi Kat, I have followed you over on Instagram for years and loved when I saw the transition. You have always had such an incredible deep connection with words, when I saw your Substack i was so happy!
I love this post, your words have given me a lot more hope and also have made me stop to think and appreciate my own growth so far and not to take that for granted.
Love your deep dives about connecting with the audience here more than you did on other platforms. It feels like such a refreshing way to grow.
Thank you and congratulations on your beautiful year 💕
Mel x
Ah I love that you’re here too! Thank you for being apart of the journey 🥰 how do you find the community here ? ❤️❤️
Honestly, i didn’t realise such a beautiful community existed. It’s very refreshing compared to how shut down and bullied I have been on social platforms like TikTok
Wow Kat Congratulations on your first year on Substack! Thank you for sharing your experience. This was super inspiring!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
BEAUTIFUL!! Happy first year anniversary! ✨🎈✨
PS - Substack say anywhere between 2-10% is the goal for paid conversions. I’m going to pick this up with Russell on the pod! Thanks for all you do to build community Kat! ✨🙏
Thanks for confirming!!! Love to you and all your guidance Claire!
How fab to read your story Kat, I found it so inspiring, especially the tiny wins! I claimed 'being a writer' here a few months back after years of, as you say, writing for free - instagram, emails etc - and it's been so joyful getting my first few paid subscribers - the best feeling and definitely dance-worthy!
Big goals are great, but it’s the little ones that have the spirit dancing and the journey feel more exciting x love this
Thanks for this great opportunity for us to learn from your experience. I really like the way you balance commercial and creative considerations. We'll all have a different balance between them, but your account of the way you blend these two elements into your Substack is very instructive. Thank you and congratulations.
Thank you, and I really appreciate that feedback/ reflection. Thanks for taking the time to offer that 😊
Thanks for such an insightful and generous post, Kat. I love that your dad has been your biggest cheerleader. Beautiful 🥰
I’m planning to get even more “strategic” with Substack, but in a gentle way that suits my modest goals, so this guide is really helpful.
Wishing you the happiest of Substack birthdays 🥳💛
Thank you! Substack birthday, of course. I should make cake. Would love to hear more about your modest goals!
I’m planning a 6 month update. But, be warned, they are VERY modest 😆
A goal is a goal, and feels equally as amazing to achieve no matter how big or small it “seems”. Keyword- seems.
Thanks for sharing Kat, I’m going to print off your list of bullet points and keep them on my desk! I’ve just celebrated a year on here too. With 13 posts and a little community engagement outside of my publication I’ve got to just over 500 free subscribers. Recently I’ve noticed a big uptick in subs coming from the Substack network (around 1 a day), which I think is a reward for showing up a bit more regularly. Planning to write about growth in the 0-500 subs period for people who don’t already have a large audience online (me!). Your point about slow, healthy growth really resonates with me, I love that about Substack. Excited to design my own growth mentoring and keep building. Thanks again! ❤️
I love this and so many would love to read a post by you too!
That’s a huge achievement for your first year.
Starting from scratch and building an audience. Imagine if those 500 people where in your home with you right now. So wild hey!
I wrote the piece! "How I got started as a writer, built a writing practice I love, and grew to 500 subscribers in a year" 🧡
https://systemchangers.substack.com/p/how-i-got-started-as-a-writer-built
Absolutely! Thank you! I was at a conference this year and met a complete stranger who happened to be a subscriber, that was a great feeling ❤️