Video Summary - How I'd Start a Substack in 2026 (6 Decisions)

Business-focused summary: “How I’d Start a Substack in 2026 (6 Decisions)”

The core thesis

Starting a Substack usually fails to grow not because of writing quality, but because creators make decision/strategy mistakes. There are six key decisions that determine whether growth is fast or stuck.

The 6 decisions (as a strategy playbook)

1) Decide who you write for (not just a topic)

Replace “topic/niche” with one specific reader: a person with a specific problem you can solve.
Rationale: the platform can match audience interest better when you target a person + problem, not “marketing/productivity/etc.”
Business implication:
- For coaches/consultants/entrepreneurs, that “reader” is also your future client.
- Clear positioning makes later decisions easier (content, discovery, monetization).

Action prompt to start:

“Think of one person you could help right now by sharing what you know and what you’re passionate about.”
Optional: use your past self as the ideal first audience.

2) Treat Substack as an entry point, not the whole business

Your publication is meant to:

help people discover
learn to trust you
and eventually convert to deeper paid relationships

Monetization shift:

Stop treating every post as needing direct ROI.
Treat posts as the beginning of a relationship funnel, not a standalone revenue engine.

Example use-case:

If you already run coaching/consulting, Substack should feed:
- coaching offers
- cohorts
- other products/services

Common failure mode:

Creators publish endlessly (or create a paywall too early) without direction/clarity → content hamster wheel and insufficient reach to the right people.

3) Decide what you publish first (avoid perfectionism; pick posts that do one job)

Don’t wait for “good timing” or “ready enough.”
First posts don’t need to be your best work; they need to:
- quickly demonstrate you understand the reader’s problem
- and can help them get a result

Rule of thumb:

A handful of targeted posts (each focused on one specific thing) beats one perfect piece nobody finds.

Extra nuance for established experts:

Even experienced experts often hold back due to reputation/perfection standards.
But readers primarily need:
- feeling understood
- and proof you can help

4) Decide how people will find you (use discovery engines)

On Substack, the creator can leverage two discovery engines that don’t require prior audience size:

1) Notes (short-form feed) - Notes are shown beyond your existing followers. - They act like a “subscribe button” from short posts—similar to LinkedIn/X/Instagram discovery, but with direct conversion to Substack subscription. - Execution guidance: - Don’t optimize for likes/virality. - Optimize for right readers, with consistent short, useful ideas.

2) Recommendations (compounding via other publishers) - Example growth outcome: - ~800 publications recommending the creator’s publication - resulting in 10,000+ subscribers - How it happened: - Not bulk outreach to hundreds individually - Instead: build genuine relationships with a few dozen creators first - Let compounding recommendations occur organically - Start-simple advice: - You only need one engine moving deliberately every week (Notes OR Recommendations), not both perfectly.

5) Decide how money works (paid tier as a trust-based product, not a word-for-word paywall)

Key reframing:

Paid subscriptions should be a late-stage conversion lever, not an early stress test.
Paid tier should feel like a product with a clear transformation, not “same free content behind a paywall.”

Example revenue mix (company-specific metric):

Paid subscriptions are <10% of total revenue
The publication functions primarily as a lead generation machine

Practical timeline guidance (targeting expectations):

Don’t feel pressure to enable paid subscriptions in the first week or even first month
Turn on paid only after you’ve earned real trust

Business model linkage (high execution emphasis):

Free publication (top of funnel) → coaching/consulting/courses/cohorts (main monetization).
The “paid offer” is the conversion step once trust exists.

6) Decide what you will refuse to do (sustainability prevents resentment/lock-in)

Warning: you can grow but become trapped by the platform/your routine.

Anti-patterns to refuse:

chasing every new feature
running on empty
pushing publishing frequency when not sustainable
comparing yourself to veteran creators
writing content just because it might go viral, even if it doesn’t serve the right audience

Success criterion:

Not only growth—build something you can sustain that supports freedom, not consumes it.

Concrete outcomes / metrics mentioned

Personal case study (creator): 50,000+ subscribers and ~2,000 paid members over ~2 years.
Discovery proof (Write Build Scale):
- 800+ recommendations
- 10,000+ subscribers attributed to recommendations
Monetization mix:
- Paid subscriptions are <10% of total revenue
- Publication is primarily lead generation, not the main revenue engine

Actionable recommendations (condensed)

Define one ideal reader + one problem (start person-first, not topic-first).
Position Substack as the trust/relationship entry point; connect it to coaching/consulting offers.
Launch quickly with focused early posts designed to make readers feel understood and helped.
Use one discovery engine weekly:
- Notes for broad initial discovery, or
- Recommendations via relationship-building with a small set of aligned creators.
Treat paid content as a productized transformation; don’t rush paid early.
Establish sustainability rules: frequency limits, no feature chasing, no vanity-viral topics.

Presenters / sources

Sinem Günel (presenter; founder/growth lead for Write Build Scale)
Company/resource referenced: Substack Coaching (substackcoaching.com) and their program Substack Accelerator
Free resource referenced: “Five Substack Secrets for Fast Growth” (link via video description)

How I'd Start a Substack in 2026 (6 Decisions)

Key takeaways