How To Stand Out on Substack

14 cheat codes to help you break free from the herd

Hey Substacker!

Spring has sprung here in Australia, and up there in the Northern Hemisphere, most of you are easing into another work year.

September is the month I should be launching new digital products and persuading you to buy them. Every other Substack expert is pushing hard on ‘conversions’ and ‘upsells’ and ‘high ticket offers’ right now 🤮.

But I like to do things a little differently down here at the bottom of the world. In fact, I like to be remembered for not being like everyone else.

And now I’m spilling the beans on how to stand out from the crowd with 14 fun strategies you can try yourself.

Enjoy!

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1. Sneak a second niche into your publication

Focussing on one topic and ‘staying in your lane’ is a winning strategy on Substack - it allows you to attract exactly the right readers and give them what they came for every week. But your long-time readers will enjoy an occasional off-topic moment too.

Choose a second theme and use it every time you go off-topic: you could become remembered for being the crazy chicken lady as well as being a thought leader in your main niche.

2. Make a few people upset every now and then

I’m (secretly) quite a nice person. But I also rail against the current online fashion of militant vanilla-ism. Choose a non-vanilla flavor or turn of phrase every now and then.

It will remind your readers there’s a real human with strong views behind the screen and encourage people who aren’t perfectly aligned with your mission to hit unsubscribe.

3. Paywall strategy: do it different

Want to be remembered for Substack uniqueness? Choose a paywall strategy that’s wildly different from everyone else in your space…

… if other creators are paywalling every post and reserving their best insights for paying subscribers, do the opposite and keep all your content free. If they give their paying subscribers access to dense forests of hour-long video tutorials, give your paying subscribers nothing but a simple book.

You might not get rich, but you will be remembered!

4. Post on Notes like it’s Facebook 2008

A lot of Substack creators approach Notes like it’s a golden goose that will one day lay them a viral-post-egg (+ thousands of subscribers), if only they game the algorithm just right by endlessly tweaking and testing.

Stand out from the crowd by ignoring the algorithm and posting on Notes like it’s 2008 Facebook. You might not ‘win’ the algo game but you and your followers will enjoy the ride.

Facebook circa 2008: ordinary people sharing fun experiences. Image made with MetaAI (those tongues!)

5. Run a competition with real-life prizes sent by post

Physical prizes in the post: so old-school!

I’ve run a few competitions in my other publication and readers love them.

Spoiler alert: it’s not about the prizes, or even about participating - most readers don’t bother - it’s about flipping the normal post format on its head and delivering a surprise in the inbox …. keeping things fresh and a little less predictable.

6. Make a shocking announcement

Announce you want to lose 1,000 subscribers, quit Substack or completely trash your entire publication. You’ll get plenty of attention for doing this, that’s for sure.

7. Get into a public slanging match with another creator

I absolutely loved the public heckling and name-calling between Mike Sowden and Alex Dobrenko on Notes a couple of years ago. It was very edgy with strong language but clearly done in a spirit of friendly banter - or at least that was clear to me, I’m not sure that people from all cultures would have seen it that way???

8. Use unconventional branding

(BTW If you hate that writers have to think about branding on Substack, sorry, not sorry. You’re here to serve people and that means you need to be seen and remembered. Branding is part of that, so get over it.)

There are so many beige publications out there 😑. Break free from the herd by choosing an unusual - or even unattractive - color palette for your Substack website and adopting a unique style for post preview images.

9. Do a ‘live’ from a weird location

If you’re doing ‘lives’ - which is where you record a live video from inside the Substack app - try doing them somewhere other than your home office (yawn). After you go live, Substack pushes a preview to potential audience members; interesting backgrounds are much more memorable than your living room wall.

10. Go nuts on a short-term theme

Stand out from the crowd by selecting a weird theme and using it for a series of posts. Or do a month-long Notes binge on a single theme, the weirder the better: peanut butter month, anyone?

11. Share stories of your screw ups

Humans love humans, and humans stuff up constantly. Sharing stories about times you’ve made mistakes is a great way to stand out from the crowd. Vulnerability wins too, although that’s hardly big news.

So dial back your internal censor and embarrass yourself a tiny bit in your posts. You’ll be human. You’ll be remembered.

12. Launch an eccentric format

Try launching a strange format for a once-a-week or once-a-month post, such as “Throwback Thursday” or “Rant Friday”. Readers will come to anticipate your quirky insights and enjoy a break from your ordinary posts.

For example, Patti Digh publishes occasional posts called ‘Tuesday Tools’ to keep things interesting.

13. Set up a risky live debate

So much of what we see online is predictable. When a creator jumps on a live to talk about ‘Growth’, you know they’ll say the same stuff you’ve heard a million times. Where’s the fun in that?

Break free from the herd by doing a live with someone with opposing views, or from a completely unrelated niche. Start a debate, throw out crazy ideas, watch the conversation flow and let the magic happen.

14. Drop IRL merch in weird places

IRL merch (‘in real life’ branded objects like hats, pens, postcards, and stress balls) can spark a conversation when you meet people in real life.

Print some cards with your publication’s QR code on the front to leave on noticeboards or give to new acquaintances. Wear a branded T-shirt to a conference, or carry a tote that says “Ask me about [your topic]”.

It’s a fun way to let people know you have a publication. Merch also makes a great reward if you’re running a referrals program.

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There are so many ways to stand out on Substack. But you won’t do it by hiding in the crowd. What will you do to delight your readers, keep things fresh and be remembered? Let us know in the comments.

Karen

P.S. Yes, I do one-to-one coaching. It’s expensive (US249 per hour). It will get you unstuck and on the right path faster and more easily than you can possibly imagine. Hundreds of happy creators have tripled their impact and income with my no-nonsense, laser-focused guidance. Want more details? Send me a message (US-friendly times available).