Chasing Subscribers: A Field Guide to Not Wasting Your Time (or Money)
The Great Substack Subscriber Safari: Don't Get Eaten by the Hype
More Subscribers, Less Agony: Picking Your Poison for List Growth
Time or Money? The Brutal Truth About Growing Your Substack List
(Opening Salvo):
Ah, the eternal quest for more subscribers. It's the Substack writer's Holy Grail, right alongside "getting paid actual money" and "not having an existential crisis every Tuesday."
But let's be brutally honest: building that email list usually boils down to two things: time or money. There’s rarely a magical third option involving interpretive dance and a bag of sacred herbs (though if you find one, let me know).
The internet is littered with gurus promising "10,000 subscribers in 10 days!" Most of them are selling you a shortcut that leads off a cliff. So, let’s cut the crap and look at the real options, with a healthy dose of Navigator cynicism.
(The No-Fluff Lay of the Land):
The Organic Gardener (SEO, Blogs, YouTube):
The Pitch: Create amazing, helpful content, optimize it for search, and watch subscribers trickle in forever!
The Reality: This is the "slow burner," the marathon. It works, providing evergreen traffic, but expect it to feel like watching paint dry for the first 6-12 months. Patience of a saint required. Good for the long game, not for "I need readers YESTERDAY."
The Paid Advertiser (Meta, Google Ads):
The Pitch: Turn on the money tap, get instant traffic, subscribers galore!
The Reality: Yes, you get traffic from day one. You also get complexity (pixels, targeting, split-testing, oh my!), rising costs, and the desperate need for a damn good backend offer (like a digital product – see my previous sermon) to even dream of breaking even. Not for the faint of heart or light of wallet.
The Sponsor Seeker (Paying Other Creators):
The Pitch: Pay a bigger fish to tell their audience about you.
The Reality: Actually, not bad. Often better and more cost-effective than ads. You're hitting an audience already conditioned to like email newsletters. Leads can be more qualified. The trick is finding the right newsletters and building relationships (or just finding their "Sponsor this newsletter" link).
The Joint Venturer (Partnering Up):
The Pitch: You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Recommend each other's stuff for free!
The Reality: Sponsorships on steroids, often free or very low cost. Can bring in highly qualified subscribers. Downside? You need existing relationships or the chutzpah to network. Beginners can start small or offer disproportionate value first.
(The Actual Secret Sauce – Prepare to Be Underwhelmed):
The fastest way to grow? Consistency in ONE strategy. Stop flitting between "organic for a week," then "dabble in ads," then "think about sponsorships." Pick a lane that suits your personality and skills, and stick with it. Slow is often fast when "fast" means scattered and ineffective.
And for the love of all that is well-written, don't rush through list building just to get to "the fun stuff." Your list is the foundation of the fun stuff.
Your turn: What list-building strategy have you tried that felt like a total waste of time, and what are you (grudgingly) committing to now? Share your war stories below.
