The "Right Way" to Substack

WARNING: You might be doing it all WRONG!

It’s been less than a week since I joined Substack and I’ve already been lambasted TWICE for my short notes.

The first reprimand came from a cute little troll who decided my introduction to the community was “toxic clickbait” and not “real writing.”

The other accused me of writing “hustle porn.”

Now, let me be clear about something:

I don’t know these individuals.

And based on these very brief interactions, I don’t care to know them.

In fact, they seem like the exact type of people I’d consciously avoid at any type of social gathering.

But, I do feel compelled to address both of their comments and clear up any confusion around why I’ve decided to write on Substack in the first place.

“It Ain’t Twitter, Thank God!”

I’ll give my second hater credit for that subheading.

But, I’m not active on Twitter. So being told to go back to that shitshow or getting compared to a “Twitter Bro” is laughable for anyone who actually knows me.

I’m the dude who coined the term “Atomic Newsletters” and popularized the concept.

The same fella who distilled his entire online business to less than two hours a day and even built a nice little community to help others do the same.

Strike one for the Substack elite.

Your assumptions missed the mark.

Now —

If you care enough to dig deeper into the two comments these self-designated Substack gatekeepers left, you’ll quickly see the insidious implication veiled underneath:

Substack is for “Real Writers” With Specific “Rules” You Must Follow!

If you’re a new writer to the platform, let me give you some advice.

Fuck these people and fuck everyone like them.

If you want to brag about having 4.5K followers and making $20K per year by showing up just 1 day a week, good for you. But all I see is the extra $120K you’re leaving on the table by ignoring the remaining 6 days.

Strike two for the self own.

But it doesn’t really matter, does it?

Because everyone’s schedule, lifestyle, and goals are different.

Everyone’s “freedom number” is unique to them.

Pick a publishing cadence that works for you and write your little heart out.

Don’t worry about the naysayers or armchair experts who tell you they have the “magic keys to success" or know “the right way” of doing things.

They don’t.

They have a way that works for them and that’s it.

And that was the original idea behind my note in the first place.

• Write content that resonates.

• Build quality relationships. 

• Be consistent. 

Hardly a controversial opinion that requires a digital spanking from some random “Karen” on Substack. But such is the way of the world I suppose.

Strike three, you’re out.

At any rate, my intention isn’t to engage in a pissing match with a few misguided keyboard jockeys who think they’ve got the online writing game figured out.

I’ve been making bank with my words for almost 20 years and have developed some pretty thick skin.

If you want to find success in the digital cesspool of wayward opinions and know-it-all troglodytes, you’ll need to grow thick skin too.

As far as becoming a “real writer,” that’s just about the only “rule” there is.

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