I attribute 44% of my Substack newsletter success to recommendations.
My success didn't come overnight. I want to thank EVERYONE, as this post is part of my 12,000 subscriber celebration party.
Let’s take a second to celebrate something together.
🎉 A few days ago, we crossed 12,000 subscribers in the Online Writing Club. Twelve. Thousand. People. I'm honestly so grateful and excited that I wanted to give you something super special.
🎁 Get 40% OFF (Limited Time!) to Celebrate
To thank you and because I know how hard it is to start an email list and make money with your words, I’m offering 40% off access to the entire Online Writing Club experience.
✅ Get instant access to:
The Substack Notes Masterclass
The Recommendations Masterclass
The full Substack School course
Private community access
All paid posts
BONUS:
The upcoming LIVE Masterclass
The Podcasting Masterclass
Hands-on masterclasses with ALL amazing writers, creators, dreamers and artists I interview (+ access to all past events, replays)
👉 Click here to celebrate with me + claim your 40% off
But now, let me share more about our Substack-tastic masterclass on recommendations by focusing on three key aspects:
1. Substack Recommendations Are Word-of-Mouth (WOM) on Autopilot
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how I always talk about building a business with a newsletter on trust and relationships at its heart.
That’s exactly what Substack Recommendations are. When someone subscribes to your newsletter, Substack immediately suggests up to 3 newsletters that you recommend — and subscribers can follow them with just one click.
Many don’t know that in the subscribe flow, after signing up to my Club, you’ll see this:
A new sub can follow 50 people from your network. Following means that the new sub would see these writers on their Substack Notes feed. I think Notes and Recommendations go together like peanut butter and jelly or a cold drink on a hot day! That’s why I hosted the Notes Masterclass, which you can access HERE.
A new sub can subscribe for free to up to 3 publications. In this case, it would be tribe members:
- The Unstoppable Creator
- The Self Help Clubhouse
- Vision for Men over 50
Toni, Mark, and Alberto would get new subscribers without actively doing anything! All it takes is me recommending them and Substack taking them when rotating through my recommendations.
⭐BONUS tip! Know, like, and trust people you recommend. This will give you a good feeling and helps build deeper relationships (we all long for since the pandemic).
2. You Need to Recommend at Least 3 Newsletters (Here’s Why)
Substack rotates the 3 recommended newsletters new subs see — but only from your active list. If you don’t recommend anyone, Substack fills in the blanks for you (and you might not love who they choose).
A few months back, one of my tribe members mentioned that he’s recommended the top paid newsletters without knowing it. Even worse for him was that he didn’t have the same political opinion as the person he recommended without knowing it.
But where do you find writers to collaborate with?
Here’s what I recommend:
Pick at least 3 other small list builders and Online Writing Club members from the list (CLICK HERE).
When doing this, make sure to pick folks aligned with your vibe and values.
Don’t just pick random newsletters. Choose ones in your primary category, those you actually love and trust, writers you know and adore, authors you want to support, ideas you believe in. Authenticity always wins.
Here’s the full story:
This leads us to point three.
3. Recommendations + Relationships = BEST
From what I’ve seen from hundreds of backends from my tribe members and coachees, the biggest growth happens when you genuinely connect with other writers — through Notes, direct messages, email, collaborative LIVES, or even just chatting in comments.
Substack isn't just a platform that gives you tools to build your list; it has a built-in community.
So, the better your relationships with other writers (and readers), the more organic and meaningful your recommendations will be.
Let me give you an example: paid members can access me via direct messages. I love getting all these exciting messages and sharing wins, failures, heartbeats and tears.
Early in my career at Edelman, I became a media relationship expert. I connected brands, companies, individuals, NGOs, and specific topics with top-tier journalists.
Because of my journalistic background, I knew what was on the agenda and how to get the topics there or link them to current events.
Also, the journalists I worked with trusted me. Trust is the basis of every (business-y) relationship and a precious good since we live in the trust recession.
⭐BONUS tip! Sharing real-life challenges and mistakes makes you more relatable and trustworthy. Let people in - beyond just the good things that happened to you. Tell them also about the bad things. (As I discussed with
in our interview on vulnerability in writing)
Of course, there’s more. My exact strategy, WOW-worthy examples from the tribe, things I wouldn’t do, why growth hacks are a no-no, and why reciprocity can do the trick, you’ll find in the Substack Recommendations Masterclass replay.
Not A Paid Member Yet?
You deserve to grow with ease, confidence, and a whole lot of joy.
This is your all-in, front-row ticket to every tool, every masterclass, and every strategy that’s helped me go from 0 to 12,000. And I’m not holding anything back.
👉 Join now and lock in the 40% off before it disappears
Since Recommendations and Notes belong together like peanut butter and jelly, here’s my “you-can’t-miss-this” Notes Masterclass and The (Almost) Daily Notes Writer for you:
