The 7th Ingredient to a Non-Stagnant Substack

... the final piece of the puzzle

Hey Substacker, how are ya?

Last month I wrote about stagnation on Substack, and shared an actionable checklist of 6 things you can do if you’re feeling stuck.

But I lied!

If your Substack feels stuck - and believe me, I have felt stuck so many times on this darned platform - there is a seventh thing you can try. Yep, I lied, my checklist should have had seven items, not six.

Why didn’t I include the seventh item in the other post? Coz too many ideas in one post makes my head hurt.

And because this seventh ingredient needs its own space to breathe.

The seventh ingredient is…. drumroll… headlines.

Headlines! Boring. But before you click away because, yes, obviously you know that headlines are super important, take a moment to ask yourself honestly: How many posts have you published without a perfectly crafted ultra-optimized headline?

Me: hundreds of half-arsed headlines😯

You: if you meticulously craft, check, tweak and test every headline of every Substack post you publish, then great work, stop reading now. You’re good.

But if you don’t put as much effort in as you know you should, read on.

Why headlines?

At the risk of insulting your intelligence, headlines matter because they encourage people to open your emails and posts.

Good headlines aren’t needed if you have 100,000 raving fans. They are completely unnecessary for readers who love you so much they will open everything you send, even a post titled “A picture of my sock”.

Today’s sock pic

So if you only want to post for your mum and best friend, you don’t need good headlines.

But if you want to grow your Substack publication, good headlines will really help.

How good headlines help with growth

1. Headlines help by encouraging existing subscribers to open your email or click on your post in the app. And when readers get inside your post, you get a chance to strengthen your relationship with them.

Reminder: strong relationships with readers are the holy grail of a successful Substack publication. Strong relationships mean fewer unsubscribes, better conversion rates, and more organic shares. Also: it’s nice.

2. Headlines also help by drawing in new readers, people who aren’t subscribers yet but have stumbled upon your work. You want these new people to see your headline and think “Huh. This looks good <click>”.

How to do good headlines without having a nervous breakdown or caving in to clickbait

This is where I’m supposed to tell you how to write a top-notch headline.

But my headlines are not that flash (as we say downunder). Mostly because I’m busy and would much rather press publish than stress over the details of every word in a headline.

What I can tell you is that my headlines got a lot better when I started actively paying attention to other writers’ headlines. When I was browsing my inbox or the Substack app, I started asking: what made me click on this? Why didn’t I click on that?

You can do this too.

Once you’re paying attention to headlines, you will quickly realise that people click on a post for one of these 5 reasons:

1. To have their beliefs confirmed

   Example: “Why Substack Is the Future of Independent Writing” will draw in readers who already believe Substack is awesome and want confirmation.

2. Because they disagree with the headline

   Example: “Substack Is Overrated” might encourage clicks from readers who think the premise of the article is wrong and want to get a different point of view.

3. Because they are curious

   Example: “How One Substack Writer Made $100,000 in a Month (And Why It’s Not What You Think)”

4. Because the headline promises practical value

   Example: “7 Proven Strategies to Grow Your Substack Newsletter Fast”

5. Or to feel a strong emotion, such as shock, outrage or FOMO

   Example: “Last Chance to Save!” (fear of missing out)

   Example: “The Truth About Nazi Propoganda on Substack” (Shock or outrage)

Every headline you write needs to tap into one of these reasons.

You can also use headline optimisers and AI writing assistants to get feedback on your headlines and help make them more appealing to your target audience.

But (oh dear) I have just given you yet another thing to do every time you post. Arp!

To avoid the overwhelm when thinking about headlines, try my tricks for headline magic without the stress:

• create your headline in the middle of your writing session, not at the end when you’ve run out of creative juice. And definitely not at the beginning when you’re scrambling to capture all your wonderful ideas before they flutter away.

• use the break between drafting and editing to check and tweak your headline (does it give people a reason to click? What is that reason, specifically - belief confirmation, curiosity, practical value?)

• if it isn’t flowing, set it aside and come back later.

And finally, don’t let a less-than-perfect headline stop you in your tracks. If the choice is between publishing with an okay headline and not pressing send because your headline isn’t perfect, choose okay over perfect and press “Send” anyway.

We can’t all be Alex Bloody Dobrenko¹ .

The most important piece of the puzzle (that almost everyone overlooks)

There is nothing something even better than a perfectly crafted headline.

And that, my friends, is a post that delivers on the promise of its perfectly crafted headline - something that seems on the verge of extinction, at least in this ‘writing about writing’ niche 😪.

Don’t be that writer who makes a beautiful headline, gets eyes on their post, and then fails to deliver what their headline promised.

Every day, my inbox is full of posts by experts claiming to have the answers to growth, happiness, the meaning of life, whatever. But when I click through all I find is some long-winded story about how the writer was struggling and then they overcame their challenge and - they see me, they are me, they are THE ANSWER. The rest of the post is thinly disguised ‘buy my book / course / coaching package / program’. Blergh.

If you promise to tell readers the meaning of life in your post, you’d better bloody well tell ‘em, not give them a pitch disguised as a relatable personal story.

Top tip: Before you press send, revisit your headline and ask yourself. “Does my post give my reader what I promised them in the headline?”

If you can do that, then you are ahead of most writers here on Substack.

Delivering on your promises is how you build a tribe of fans who’ll follow you to the ends of the Substack universe (and forgive you when you send them a picture of your sock).

Final thoughts

If you’re feeling stagnant on Substack and are doing all the things already, but can’t seem to shake off the doldrums, take a look at your headlines.

Do they encourage your subscribers to say “Yes! I want to read this!”

Do they entice non-subscribers to click through and take a look?

Do they promise something wonderful - and do you deliver on that promise?

If not, take a deep breath and make a commitment to put 10 minutes of focused energy into every headline for the next month, then come back and tell me how it goes.

Until next time,

Karen 🍒

P.S. I just opened up two more slots for my ultra-popular one-hour strategy sessions. If you want a shortcut to your next 1,000 subscribers or your next 1,000 dollars, and a break from clicking around in circles trying to figure out Substack on your own, talk to me. In just one session, you’ll get clarity and a proven path forward, with actionable takeaways that are 100% customised to you, your audience and your stage of the Substack journey. They cost USD249 and you can get one here.

1. … with his “I just threw this post together in one minute” perfectly formed essays with ultra-clickable headlines that make no sense and seem so totally-not-clickable, except you always click them every single time…