Why Substack Punishes Social Media Thinking (and Rewards Something Better)

It's the most misunderstood platform on the internet

Apr 25, 2025

∙ Paid

Substack is quietly becoming the most misunderstood platform on the internet.
Not because it’s complicated.
But because too many creators are dragging broken strategies from Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram into a space built for trust—not traction.

That disconnect?
It’s why so many newsletters stall out before they ever start growing.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “everything right” and still not seeing growth, this might be why.

Let’s fix that.

🧭 Substack Is a Trust Platform, Not a Social One

“Substack’s ethos is deeply rooted in the blogosphere and aims to foster a community of writers and readers who value direct relationships and quality content over algorithms and the attention economy.” — Substack

That’s not just branding.
It’s your blueprint.

Here’s how:

1. Direct Relationships > Algorithmic Reach

Social media cares about clicks.
Substack cares about connection.

It tracks:

Who opens your email
Who reads to the bottom
Who hits reply
Who shares it
Who pays to keep reading

Substack doesn’t profit from ads. It profits from alignment.
When your publication gains subscribers, Substack notices—and rewards it.

This is not a race for attention.
It’s a practice of earning trust.

2. Signal > Noise

There’s no algorithm to hack.
No “For You” page to game.
Just humans sharing work they believe in.

You grow by:

👉 Writing Notes that start conversations
👉 Genuinely engaging with other creators notes and posts
👉 Recommending writers you respect
👉 Restacking ideas with context
👉 Being consistent, helpful, human

Your signal doesn’t need to be loud.
Your signal just needs to be real.

3. I Almost Didn’t Get It… But When I Did…

When I first started, I hit “publish” and waited.
Nothing happened.
3 opens. 1 unsub. 0 replies.

But I kept going—one post, one reply, one reader at a time.

That’s when I realized:
Growth on Substack doesn’t feel like going viral.
It feels like growing roots.

And that’s the kind of growth that lasts.

✅ Want to Grow Here?

Then stop chasing hacks.
Start building habits.